A Whole Lot of Halloween

Here's a quick summary of our Halloween activities:

Saturday afternoon we carved pumpkins!

Today the boys had their Halloween Parade at school.

The kids model their costumes before trick 0r treating.

Super Why, Commander Fox, Super Girl, Grim Reaper, Jedi

(pretty sure Maxwell was Anakin, but not 100%)

Group photos, finished jack o lanterns, trick or treating

with our friends, and watching The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

while eating tons of candy. It was a late night, but a good one.

Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

Now, on to November!

Halloween Party 2011

A couple of years ago, I explained how our Halloween Party

tradition began. This was the 8th year we've had a party,

and you would think I'd have it down to a science by now.
I don't. Maybe I'll have it figured out before Milo starts school.

Anyway, this year, we had a candy corn theme - something new!

It was fun to find some new ideas, now I just need a few more.

Here are our cute guests:

And some shots from the party. Some years we've had a really

low-key party, and others have been high stress.

This one fell somewhere in the middle. No meal to serve,

but a bunch of kids, a craft, treats, and a couple of games.

I should have added the hokey pokey - maybe next year.

I almost forgot pictures of the party favors - one of my

favorite parts of the party. Ruby helped pack the bags.

The older three boys lucked out because we were short

a few guests and had 3 extra bags - just enough for them!

Here's the roundup of Halloweens' past:

2002

2003

2004

2005 - no idea where this year went

I'll have to see if I have actual photos to scan

2006

2007 - party, decorations

2008

2009

2010 - recap, details

Where were you? (take two)

Earlier today, Milo and I had a conversation that reminded

me very much of this conversation with Ruby.

He brought me the photo album, pointed to this picture,

and asked, "Why was I sad?"

I said that I didn't know, and maybe he wasn't sad.

Maybe he was just making a face.

He wasn't ready to let the matter drop, however.

"Why was I alone?" he asked.

I told him that he wasn't alone.

"Where WERE you?" was his next question.

I assured him that I was right there, along with Marco,

who was taking the picture, and the rest of our family.

He didn't seem completely satisfied, but he didn't press

the issue. Unlike Ruby, who in a similar situation wouldn't

let it go without tears and near accusations of neglect.

Why do my kids turn cute photos into "mother-fail" moments?

Bridal Veil Falls, or To the Canyon (barely)

Last week we set off after dinner for our (almost) annual

drive up the canyon. We only made it past a few houses

when we realized that we had one very flat tire.

After an FHE spent putting on the spare, and a couple of

trips to the shop, we were back in business (one week later).

I'm afraid that we missed the canyon at its peak of color,

but it was still a lovely drive and the kids had fun with their

favorite part of the tradition - falling in the water and freezing.

Here's the official family photo - with Maxwell's special touch.

And a collage of photos from our walk and the four older

kids' hike up the side of the falls.

And a collage of my favorite people photos from the evening.

And previous trips to Bridal Veil Falls:

2006

2007

2008

2009

Swim, Sun, Football, and the Band

My parents were able to come for a visit this weekend

(a belated birthday treat for my Mom),

and while they were here the kids got to swim!

All 5 of them love being in the water, although

Milo is more cautious than the others. (thank goodness)

After the swimming, my parents and Bentley went to

the BYU-ISU football game. It was Bentley's first time

to watch a BYU football game in person -a pretty big deal!

The game was my kind of game (easy win),

the weather was great (although sunburn weather),

and they also got to see Greg and watch Mikey in the band.

We're so glad they were able to come visit!

Pillow Talk

Milo and Ruby share a bedroom.

Usually they go to bed at different times,

but for some reason they were both in bed,

awake, at the same time this past weekend.

After multiple "tuck-ins," "drinks of water,"

scoldings, "lights off," etc., Ruby fell asleep.

Evidently her brother stayed awake

a little longer than she did, and got lonely.

We found him sleeping next to her when

we checked on them just before we went to sleep.

sidenote: The scratch on Ruby's forehead is not related to

the big scrape she got from falling off the scooter.

She has healed nicely from that first injury,

but followed it up with another.

Pumpkinland 2011

This past Thursday brought the first day of fall break

(four day weekend!!!) and our annual trip to Pumpkinland.

We got there early and missed the crowds - hurray!

I'm glad that even our bigger kids aren't tired of

the little maze and the bouncy toys.

The kids had a great time running through the maze,

and fighting over whose turn it was to pick our path.

Eventually we found the hidden room and they

collected their beans - which they turned in for a treat.

After the maze, we took pictures and played on the toys.

The kids also got to see some chickens, goats, rabbits,

and assorted other farm animals - exciting for Milo and Jonah.

I think one of the best things we've done is switching

Pumpkinland from a "kids and mom activity" to an

activity with John. It's more fun and a lot easier to

keep track of everyone with him there with us.

Later in the day, we walked around the corner with the

wagon and the kids each picked out a pumpkin from

the neighborhood pumpkin patch.

Past Pumpkinland Posts

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

The way to a boy's heart . . .

Elizabeth is moving out tomorrow.

She's been staying with us for the last couple of

months, but tomorrow she leaves for California.

Tonight is her going away party, and this morning she

made these yummy chocolate-dipped Oreos.

The kids closely watched the process,

and were rewarded with one cookie each.

They were then fed lunch, and Milo was

sent off to bed for his afternoon nap.

When he woke up, Milo stumbled into the kitchen,

still groggy and half asleep, and asked me

"Where is Liz?"

I thought that he was afraid she'd already left for

California, so I quickly assured him that she

was still downstairs, packing her things.

His quick follow-up question however,

let me know what he was really worried about.

"Where are the chocolate cookies?"

Week in Review

top row, left to right

- Jonah is a bat (the blanket = his wings)

- waiting for the Piccadilly Circus to begin

(small one ring circus, the kids liked the clowns)

-Joy School Field Trip to Thanksgiving Point Farm Country

(most years we go to the pet store and call it good)

- Ruby feeding a goat

bottom row, left to right

- Ruby in the "truck" at Farm Country

- Milo feeding the goats

- wagon ride at Farm Country

- Bentley likes to ride my bike (or John's bike)

Halloween Preview

Super Why takes on the Grim Reaper

So glad that we . . .

. . . didn't postpone our family pictures.

It was cold on Saturday, but Ruby's sweet face looked like this:

After a face-plant in the driveway yesterday,

(she'd been riding her brothers' scooter)

her face looks like this:

(today at Farm Country, and yesterday after her accident)

She's still beautiful (just ask her) ;)

but it might take a while for her face to heal.

Kind of Corny

Last Friday, Jonah's class went on a field trip to a farm.

Bentley and Maxwell went on the same field trip as

first graders, and like Jonah, they both came home with

a pumpkin (super exciting). Jonah, however, brought home

something that neither older brother did - shoes full of corn.

Evidently there is some play place at the farm with corn

instead of rocks or wood chips or tire shreddings.

I have no idea how Jonah walked all the way home,

while carrying his heavy pumpkin with his shoes full

of hard, dried up pieces of corn. He is amazing.

side-note about the pumpkin: It was pretty dirty,

so I asked him to leave it outside. He was afraid that

someone would take his pumpkin, so he stood outside,

in the cold, rainy weather, and guarded that pumpkin

until I realized what he was doing and gave him

paper towels to clean it up (because the back yard

wasn't safe either - someone could jump the fence!).

Homecoming Haul

This morning the kids and I met Greg in Provo for the

BYU Homecoming Parade. John went to help with

our ward clean up. He dislikes parades, but I'm not sure

he likes helping with cleanups any better.

He beat us home, so maybe the cleanup wins? I don't know.

Anyway, we bought some donuts and ate them at Greg's

place (while his poor roommates tried to sleep through

my kids' light saber battles in the living room).

Then we walked down the street to get a prime parade

viewing location. It was really cold, but Max and Jonah

stayed warm running around, Bentley listened to

Greg's i-pod, and Ruby and Milo went back and forth

between playing and sitting with Greg to stay warm.

Finally we could hear the band playing the school song,

and then we saw Mike and his fellows coming around the

corner. Ruby couldn't understand how Greg and I knew the

words to the song, but all of the kids sang along when we

got to the "rah, rah, rah, go Cougars!" part.

Mikey still thinks that marching band is like being a palace

guard and refuses to so much as blink to acknowledge our

presence at the parade, but I'm pretty sure he heard us.

The parade was long and cold, but really fun.

We ended up with a lot of treats -

candy

free pizza coupon (Bentley did a push up to earn this)

frisbee (Greg got that by accident)

drumstick (a drummer lost one and almost hit us with it)

more candy

pizza cutter

beach ball

helium balloons

mini discs

and more candy

Ruby especially got lots of attention from the cheerleaders,

and from random float drivers who gave her candy bars.

Here are a few of the pictures from this morning.

We took the kids for the first time in 2009,

and Mindy blogged about our 2010 parade adventure.

One of these days I will have to scan in my Homecoming

parade pictures from my college years.

Those parades were pretty cold, too.

Just for fun, here's Milo at his 1st parade when he was 6 months,

and here he was today at his 3rd parade and 2 1/2 years.

October Five

Started this post on the 5th, took the photo on the 6th

and finally getting around to write it on the 7th. sigh.

I took the picture out front in hopes that the snowy

mountain would show up - it didn't but here's another shot.

Updates:

Bentley - Decided that rather than save another month for

DS, he wants to buy something NOW - a new light saber.

For the past week he has been watching two cats for

a couple in our ward. Every morning and evening he feeds

the cats and cleans the litter box. He was so excited that

he had trouble going to sleep the first night. He is making new

friends in his school class, and enjoys being one of the

"big kids" at the school. Still claims that we are foolish to

make him take piano lessons because we are wasting his time

and our money. But his newest songs still sound great.

Maxwell - Happy to be "the best" at math in his class.

He wants to practice flashcards at home to ensure that no

one gets ahead of him. Seems to be slightly chattier this year,

but not causing any problems in school. Loves that his teacher

gives all of the homework on Monday, and he gets to choose

when to do it - a little each day, or all at once. Was told that he

is self-motivated, and is working to stay that way. Love it.

Jonah - We saw his 1st grade teacher at Target last week,

and he was so excited that he did cartwheels down the isle.

I think he is happy to be in her class. (!!!)

Soccer is over (at least the team sport), but he still plays

every day at recess with his friends. Loves sea animals

(a reoccurring theme in his life) and is both reading a book

about dolphins and writing one with a similar topic.

Ruby - Loves Joy School this year (in large part due to

the 3 other girls in her class) and enjoys play dates with

her friends. She also enjoys dance class and riding her bike.

Her newest love is Lego Star Wars for Game Cube,

although she also likes to play Strawberry Shortcake

and Barbie games online. Yesterday while Milo napped,

I let Ruby choose a movie to watch with me while I folded

a bunch of laundry. She wanted a princess movie, but

ended up choosing Voltron, and no amount

of persuasion could change her mind.

Milo - Addicted to the wii. He sneaks downstairs every time

he gets the chance and creates new mii's and plays games.

He is really good at sword fighting and archery, but

struggles a little with bowling. I am going to have to start

hiding the wii motes. His sleep strike seems to be coming

to an end. At least he gets out of bed fewer times. That means

he gets to play Ruckus or Uno with his Dad the next day.

Still likes Justin Bieber, but also enjoys watching Kid History

with Bentley. Their new favorite is the remix.

All's Well That Ends Well

Soccer is over . . . at least until spring.

Here are some shots from the last few games.

Can you find some of my favorites?

- Jonah doing cartwheels

- Jonah sitting down on the field during the game

- Bentley, Max, Jonah, and Ruby playing "red light green light"

- Ruby the cheerleader

- Jonah going after the ball

- Elizabeth, John, and me watching

Jonah's last game happened to be against his friend, Bo.

It was a great way to end the season.

I think most of us are ready for the break.

Jonah says he will still play every day at recess,

so it's okay to not have games at night for a while.

Sounds good to me.