Smurf Par-tay

I hosted another Crowdtap party with Celeste. This time it was for the launch of the new Smurf movie with Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays. It was fun to put it together and the kids really liked the movie. We were sent some printables to let the kids have fun with and rented the movie from Redbox to watch. They got to color and cut out their own Smurf hats and color some pictures as well. They were all very excited and after they were done they cuddled on the couch with their hats on to watch the movie.

The movie itself was very cute! It was fun to watch and the kids really enjoyed it. There were a few "adult" jokes that flew right over the kids' heads (thankfully) but it was a funny movie with a good message. There was a lot of star power in the movie too, with Hank Azaria playing Gargamel and voices of Katy Perry, Fred Armisen and George Lopez. Sofia Vergara and Tim Gunn are also in the movie. It was great!

After the movie, the kids got to eat blue cupcakes with blue frosting and we made blue soda out of Koolaid and Sprite. The kids thought it was super cool and had a great time. Thank you Crowdtap!

Bundle Up Bash!

I've been part Crowdtap for a while now, and have loved it. I get to voice my opinion on products that relate to me, join discussions about what is happening in the world, and every once in a while I get to try free samples. And when I say samples, I mean like from Old Navy. So far, I've got a free summer dress, a couple of free jeans, a free shirt and accessory (I got a purse), and free compression running pants and matching jacket. It's been a lot of fun and it lets me tell Old Navy, as part of their style council, what I like and dislike about the product. The best part is, Crowdtap and Old Navy value my opinion and I get rewarded for it. It's a win-win!

This time I was selected for their in-store party called the Bundle-Up Bash. I got to invite three friends to come with me and get a free pair of women's pants, a free sweater, and a free winter accessory. It was so much fun! We had a great time gathering up tons of things to try on and the sales associates were super nice and helped us with sizes and opinions.

Old Navy's winter line was very nice. They had a lot of styles of sweaters to choose from, like regular cardigans to comfortable wrap around style sweaters, and even some different designs that I had not seen a lot of. My only problem was that most of their sweaters were made from wool and acrylic, two things I can't wear. Just being near them made my eyes and skin itchy. I had a couple sweaters to choose from that were cotton and ended up with a cute cream-colored open draped cardigan. I also got some very nice gloves lined with Performance Fleece and a pair of dark brown cords. I normally don't wear anything other than jeans, but it was nice having others with me that helped me break out of my shell.

My mom and sisters also got some fun things. Celeste ended up getting the same cords as me and a fun collared sweater that zipped up in the front. She wore it for her family pictures and they turned out very nice! My mother got a new pair of jeans and was happy to get a pair that was a smaller size than she normally wears. She also got a very nice sweater that she had a necklace at home that matched. She also got a hat, since she is driving out to Wisconsin to help my brother move and it's cold there! My other sister, Kelli, got some grey slacks that I wanted really bad but weren't in my size, a black cardi that she had wanted, and a pink hat that she loved.

Mom with her new jeans and sweater. She loved how comfortable the sweater was and how many things she could match with it.

Celeste with the exact outfit she got. She loves it!

Me with the outfit I wanted. The sweater was like wearing a blanket and I love jeans, but I went outside my box and ended up getting something different, but still love!

Kelli wearing her new outfit. Super cute!

We had a great time. Thanks Crowdtap and Old Navy!

Halloween happened...

This year it seemed like Halloween lasted forever. The kids had so many parties and church things and I felt like the candy never stopped coming. Adam and I secretly tossed the candy at the end of November just because I was tired of hearing the kids ask for candy all the live long day. Seriously.

Olivia wanted to be a ladybug this year. She was also a ladybug when she was like 2 months old, but baby Olivia hated that costume and 7-year-old Olivia loved it. She wore a red dress with black polka dots and a wing/headband set I got online and finished it off with sparkly red shoes. I wanted her to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz because she had the perfect ruby slippers (and Jack would be the Scarecrow, Madelynn as Glinda, Adam as the Tin Man, me as the Cowardly Lion.... see? I had it all planned out!) but she said maybe next year.

Jack was two different things. For our ward Trunk or Treat on Saturday, he was Anakin Skywalker. I found a weird robe thing at the thrift store that was more Indiana Jones than Jedi, but we paired it with a belt and light saber and called it good. He was happy with it, so that's all that matters. On Monday, the actual Halloween, we went to my parents' ward Trunk or Treat and around the neighborhood a little, and he was a ninja that night. We got the ninja costume from Ross for like $7 and he loves it. He also thinks it gives him license to kick people.

Madelynn was actually pretty anti-costumes this year. Everything in the dress up box was either very torn or it was "itchy" according to her. She was supposed to be Snow White, but ended up wearing a random fake Tinkerbell dress and that was it. No special hair or makeup or anything. She just didn't understand what all the fuss was about and wanted to be comfortable (hmmm... sounds a lot like me!). Honestly, the gal just wanted some candy in her bucket and she didn't want to be bothered with itchy collars and ugly shoes. The next night, at my parents' Trunk or Treat, she ended up wearing a witch costume, but we had to put a shirt underneath because it was itchy. Girls....

At mom and dad's on Sunday, we made carmel apples. It was a sticky mess but the kids had a great time decorating what would be a healthy apple and making it a sugary, chocolatey dessert :) 

On Monday, Celeste and Bryan and the boys came over to our house for a quick dinner before the Trunk or Treat. Plus, we were hitting up some houses afterwards so they needed something other than candy to keep them going :)

Mmm... hot dog mummies :)

We got visitors!

Back in our former life in Utah, Adam was a server at Macaroni Grill. We had a lot of good memories with that place (and I'm not talking their unlimited bread or chocolate ganache cake!). Adam made some great friends while working there and we always had fun with them! I can remember game nights, my first motorcycle ride (and hoping my mother would never find out because she'd kill me), and hanging out way past midnight at The Village Inn (even with a newborn fast asleep in her carseat carrier.

One of the friends that Adam made was Jesse. He and his wife were super fun and we had a blast with them. Well, after six or so years, they finally had a reunion of sorts. Jesse and Beth were in Seattle for like two days and asked us to come up and hang out with them. Adam was super excited and we had a great time. We don't normally get to venture up to Seattle so it was a great opportunity for the kids to see the city too. We really only hit up Pike Place Market, because it's awesome. We love that place, although we've never taken our kids because it's so crowded. And let me tell you, it's impossible to get a stroller through the crowds, so we brought our double stroller just to be crazy!

Olivia checking out the Puget Sound from the windows of the Market.

Jesse and Adam catching up. They did a lot of that.

The best to way not lose a kid in Pike Place is to strap them in a stroller. The best way to keep them in the stroller is to give them iPhones with games.

Pike Place is known for it's fresh fish (and veggies, fruits, flowers, but mostly seafood!)

And for the weird guys who pose as statues to get money from you. Seriously, this guy paints himself gold and stands there so still, but he still isn't getting my money.

Lots of flowers!

French bakery, and it all looked so good! I definitely have to actually get something next time.

Anyone heard about the "flying fish" at Pike Place? If you order a fish, the workers will toss it around to each other to get it wrapped, paid for, etc. Really entertaining!

The spice store. This wall is full from top to bottom of these glass jars with different spices. I haven't heard of most of these but it smells amazing in there! And yes, I was super paranoid with Jack and Olivia in there. I was so afraid I'd have to buy something if they broke it!

I love the Sound. A ferry off in the distance, another docked on the left. I think boats are so pretty.

This is right on the docks, and near the back you'll see Ivar's Seafood Bar. We ate there for lunch, and my parents and grandma swear by it.

We ate outside in the covered eating area. It's covered because of the rain. And the birds. The many, many birds.

Here are some of the birds. They are flying all around the outside of the eating area, and a lot are sitting in the water below waiting for you to throw them some food. You can buy a handful at the quarter machines, or just throw them some of your fries from Ivar's.

The sign says you can feed the seagulls, and another sign tells you not to feed any of the other birds. We found out why, since right after this the other birds started attacking anyone with food and freaked my kids out (I just tossed the rest of the fries at the seagulls in the water and ran for it!)

See? Freaked them out. It was actually kinda funny in hindsight.

Outside "Ye Olde Curiousty Shoppe" down the street from Ivar's. Cute things inside, and the kids got to pick out a sucker. We had a great time with Jesse and Beth and hopefully they come visit Seattle again sometime!

Jack turned FIVE!!

My cute, chubby, red headed baby boy has turned into an adorable, dimple-cheeked, crazy red-headed big boy overnight! It's so sad how fast they grow up, but I love seeing Jack's progress. He has turned into such a ball of energy but is such a sweetheart at the same time. He hates making others sad but loooves to cause the trouble to begin with. His huge brown eyes, huge dimples when he smiles, and bright red hair get him out of a lot of trouble, and random people (almost daily) tell him how cute he is.

This year, Jack is still in preschool, and he had a hard time understanding why he didn't just get to move up to kindergarten now. Even though he would love to be in kindergarten, he loves preschool and loves his teachers who love him back. He is one of the oldest kids in his class so he gets to be in charge a lot, since he knows how things work in preschool now.

We celebrated in true Poyfair fashion and went to Red Robin. My kids enjoy the free meal, but the kicker is the free ice cream and the whole store singing to them. They love all that attention!

Unlimited chocolate milk... Jack is in heaven.

Daddy and Jack

When they sang Happy Birthday, they made Jack stand up and hold his ice cream spoon "like the Statue of Liberty."

The waiter even brought Olivia her own little cup of cherries.

Madelynn wanted more bites, dang it! She is such a sugar-holic. Jack was super nice and shared with both Madelynn and Olivia.

The day after Jack's birthday, he lost his second tooth... and this one was just as traumatic as the first. Probably because Adam kinda pulled it out a little early, but in Adam's defense, Jack wouldn't eat anything because it was so loose and was complaining a lot about it.

So sad!

At least now it looks like he lost his teeth, rather than looking like he lost one tooth in a bar fight.

Jack also got his first ever birthday party. It was very low-key, with a handful of friends (and lots of cousins/siblings) and only an hour long. It was perfect. Celeste was even nice enough to let us have the party at her house.

It was a circus themed party (well, loosely themed), so we had popcorn bags as goody bags and a cake with stars on it.

We played some pin the nose on the clown (note to future self- my kids are terrible at this game)....

we blew out some candles....

we ate some blue cake.

Corbin and Olivia

Cole, Madeline and Jill

Jill, Tyler (who I think was very concerned that his cake was blue and wouldn't touch it), and Madelynn (who will eat anything with sugar in it, regardless of the color.)

I won this birthday sign from A to Z Celebrations. Very glittery (it was like a glitter explosion when I opened up the package it came in) but soooo cute for my circus themed party!

We opened presents (the best part of the party, as you can tell by his face)....

and got some awesome presents (thanks everyone!)....

and Adam was brave enough to hold the pinata while the kids took aim at it. There were a few close calls, but no injuries! Which is surprising if you can see the look on Rix's face.

That next Sunday we had the family party (yeah, we like parties, okay?) again at Celeste's house (thanks Celeste!).

Olivia loves to hold Jacob. Loves.

I let my kids pick their birthday cakes and Jack saw this one on Picky Palate way back in August when we were looking for Olivia's cake and had to have it. He even remembered it and told me he wanted the cream cheese peanut butter cup cake. It was as good as it looks!

Madelynn still doesn't like our birthday singing (we are that good... or bad, depending on how you look at it). She was lost without Aunt Kelli to save her from our terrible singing! You know it's bad when it makes little kids cry.

Mmmm.... 4 layers.....

To fuel his Angry Birds obsession, he now has a real life Angry Birds board game.

And more legos, action figures, legos, books, and lots and lots of other fun things. He was spoiled!

Here are FIVE likes and dislikes of Jack's:

LIKES

*Wii, Nintendo DS, Gamecube, etc. Let's just say games... he loves loves loves games.

*Chuck E Cheese's (only the games)- he is like a kid in a candy store!

*Pancakes, pizza and chicken nuggets

*Lego anything

*Jumping, running, and playgrounds

DISLIKES

*Getting into trouble

*Any sauce. He hates ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, spaghetti sauce. He really only likes ranch, and that's only sometimes.

*Going to bed, but once he's there he's really good at staying there.

*Being left out

*Getting his hair cut (mostly because he has to sit still, but it's also itchy)

Jack is in preschool. His teachers are Ms. Brown and Ms. K. He can write his name and is learning to read, but mostly on recognition rather than sounding things out. His friends are Nathaniel, Corbin and Tyler. His favorite color is blue and his favorite dinner is pancakes (or McDonald's). His favorite toy is the Wii, but his fave non-game toy is his Legos. He likes to be read to and play with his sisters. He is in speech therapy for the second year and is learning his L's really well. He's even saying them now without reminding him very much.

Jack is super spunky and loves life. People try and tell him that he should calm down (yeah, I tell him that too sometimes) but I think we can all learn a lot about life from Jack. He takes each day to the fullest and doesn't let anything slow him down. He tries to do something all the time and is always so happy and energetic. We love our little red head and are so happy he is five! Happy birthday buddy!