Cowboys Game

Joe has been able to go to the Dallas Cowboy games quite a bit this season. He is part owner of a company and they just bought a suite at the stadium. So I finally got to go to one of the games. I haven't been since I was a kid, and it was a little different in this awesome stadium and with such great seats. And during half time, we got to take tours of different parts of the stadium. And on our way to the suite when we got there we happened to be walking down the hall with all the cheerleaders. I even saw one of the players stretching in a little room. We said good luck to the referees and on we went to our seats. It was fun. And then after the game we got to go down onto the field to play for a little bit. Thankfully my mom was already planning on coming to visit the next day, so she came a day early to stay with our kids so we could have a night away. I'm so thankful that she is willing to help out so much!

Dinner the night before the game...

Our view from our hotel (of course we had to stay near where I grew up because I love it there)

I hate watching football on TV but it was so much fun to watch live, and so much better because they actually won! I LOVE Dallas, not necessarily a huge Cowboys Fan, but I love the city!

Halloween

I decided I was just going to let everyone pick whatever they wanted to be this year, and be ok with it. And that's what I did. As fun as I think it is to do some sort of theme or something, it just doesn't work for us most years.

Abby wanted to be a zombie bride. Not sure where she got the idea. Nor could I find a costume that she liked that was in a small enough size for my tiny 8 year old. So she went with the vampire but holy cow she was picky about which costume it was. And we got the real deal teeth that attach to her teeth....she decided she didn't like the feeling and didn't want to wear them. So that was that.

Hannah I was able to persuade a little. I knew the 1st grade program would be coming up and 1st grade does a sock hop. And last year, last minute we tried to find anyone that would loan us something for Abby to wear. So I thought it would be great if she wanted to be a 50's girl for Halloween and then she could use it for her program in November. And it worked. She was happy about it. She picked the color and wanted all of the accessories to go along with it.

Weston of course wanted to be a super hero. And Hulk was his choice this year. That was easy.

Audrey was/is obsessed with The Little Mermaid, can sing most of the songs, and say most of the lines as she watches it. So she wanted to be Ariel. Easy again.

And that was that for the costumes this year. I missed out on the trunk-or-treat because I was in Chicago, but they all got there and in one piece.

And Halloween we just went around with some friends in the neighborhood and did our own neighborhood for the first time since we've lived here. And at the end we hopped over to another neighborhood to meet some other friends. The kids all had fun and I still have buckets of candy left that I should probably just throw away at this point.

Chicago

I got to go on a trip back in October without my kids and without my husband for the first time in a LONG time. It was long overdue. And I had so much fun! Me and my mom took a long weekend and went to visit my younger brother who recently moved to Chicago. I had never been there before and had heard great things about it.

Our hotel was a little different than we had imagined, but it worked out great. I went to my first Broadway musical at an awesome theater there. We did lots of shopping and eating, although it was near impossible to find somewhere that served dr. pepper.  We took lots of taxis, I navigated us through the public transportation system (buses and subways). We saw lots of interesting people (to say the least), especially where my brother lives. I hardly saw any kids. And I hate the cold. We took a ferry tour of all the architecture which was pretty awesome, and interesting, but cold. I could eat Garrett's popcorn everyday of my life and be happy.

One night I really wanted one, and pretty much fast food places were the only places that carried it, so I thought after we got done shopping we would just look a McDonald's up on my phone and walk to it. We had been walking the entire day already and my feet were killing me. We got to the place where my phone said there would be one, and there was not one in sight. And we were done. So we got a taxi. And had him take us through the drive through so me and my mom could have our drinks. And luckily they gave me the right drink, but my poor mom who hates dr. pepper (she's a diet coke fan) got a dr. pepper on accident. So lucky me, I had 2 large dr. peppers to drink that night at 10pm after our long day of shopping.

on the plane. by myself.

Our hallway in the hotel...

 the lobby...

This was at the John Hancock Observatory...and I was freezing because this was the part where the windows were all open.

My little brother decided this would be fun

Tried a little Sprinkles cupcakes with my mom and Preston's girlfriend, Jenn.

Me and Preston

and the 4 of us with my hair flying in my face

 The theater where we went to see "Once" 

Check out this Target. I think it's pretty awesome

The famous "Bean"

The inside of a fancy restaurant we went to

some of the yummy pizza we ate at Giordano's

And Preston's dog. Is in their apartment alone most of the time. This is how she gets her exercise. This did not happen without lots of trial and error, and she definitely needs more exercise since she's about twice the size she was last time I saw her, but I love that she runs on a treadmill.

I wish it had lasted a couple days longer. We had a really great time. And I had a fieldtrip planned for preschool the morning after I got home, and on the way there, Audrey vomited all over my car. Welcome home. So I continued to drive there, pay, make sure everyone was situated, and drive home to clean up vomit for the next few hours. Luckily, it was only the once, but that once was plenty to have me wish I was still in Chicago.

BYU vs. Houston

We were lucky this year (back in October) to have BYU football come to us instead of traveling to see any of their games. BYU (our undergrad alma mater) played University of Houston (Joe's law school) in Houston. Cougars vs. Cougars. It ended up working out best for Joe to take Weston and Abby this time around. Hannah was fine with it, which is what we worried about the most. But Hannah, Audrey, and I had a fun day together too.  I thought no way would they go to the tailgate and the entire game, but they did and they did it and had fun!

And other news...

just so I can get caught up....here are a few more things we've been up to.

at the park before my in laws left for the airport

saying goodbye

The Children's Museum

Audrey came running to me and said I needed to take a picture of her on the chicken...so that's what we did

I did have to pull her out kicking and screaming...but it was worth the time we were there

we even walked over to lunch after with 9 kids 4 and under (luckily only 2 were mine). But it was probably the best my kids have done at a restaurant in a long time. We were lucky that day, even though as we walked in everyone looked at us and you could hear gasps

While Abby was on her weekend away, these 2 were best buds

and Joe left us again to go to the Cowboys game in Dallas for "work" A lot of his work lately doesn't seem so bad...A company that he is now part owner of just bought a suite at the Cowboys Stadium and so we can get into all the events there...I will be researching what we can do there and make sure to take full advantage of it.

Hannah thought she was pretty funny coming down in Weston's pajamas... Weston thought it was pretty funny too.

The dreaded (for me) Fun Run. I hate this fundraiser, but my kids love it so I guess it works out. Here's Hannah, they were the Debose Marshmellows. 

Audrey was absolutely horrible. It was nice only having to take one extra child with me b/c Wes had preschool but she made it like I had about 10 kids with me. She screamed the whole time and kept stealing my glasses. Those were the only times she stopped screaming...when I couldn't see.

Abby...my little runner. She came home with a little prize for running a mile in 10 minutes at school. I wish I had her love for running but hoping she continues to like it. The Buford Bobcats.

That same night Audrey had asked for a bandaid for an owie she didn't have and later she kept putting it on her chin saying, "moo-stache, moo-stache"

and she gave away her and Weston's Halloween costumes...

And I got to be there for my best friend's 5th baby (my 3rd one to be there for) a few days ago. I feel pretty special. And not only did I witness it, I got to get in on the action this time and I even got to cut the cord (her husband doesn't love doing it, he preferred videoing). She is the most photogenic person ever. And all our kids have been a few weeks a part and this time she is on her own. But it was awesome to be there for it and stay the night in the hospital while she was in labor and be there the next day until she delivered! She did awesome as always and it is seriously the coolest thing to see, especially when you are on the other end of it and not doing it yourself.

Baby Quinn and her awesome mom

When I walked in the door after coming home, my friend who had been watching my kids showed me this video she took of Audrey. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had gone without sleep the night before and was overly tired...