Halloween 2012

Just as expected Halloween was a huge success. Between the ward Truck-or Treat, school parties and friends parties I think we were pretty much candied out by the time trick-or-treating actually came around.  Of course I'm not quite sure the kids would agree with me. They were pretty dang excited! Our neighborhood has grown so much this year that we decided to just stick around here and we were not disappointed! I hung back and passed out candy while Jeremy took the kids out. It seemed there was a party going on. There was music, movies playing on big screens, hot dogs, chili, cotton candy, hot chocolate, cake,  and full sized candy bars. It was really fun. I was feeling pretty lame with my fun size candy bars and tootsie rolls. 

Earlier in the day Kylie had her annual school costume parade. I always enjoy of course going to see Kylie, but it's also so fun to see all the creativity of the other costumes. My poor kids don't have a very creative mom. Target seems to be my best friend when it comes to costumes. 

She wasn't so sure about her costume at first. I actually had to talk her into it, but she seemed to warm up to it and I think she actually loved wearing it. 

After Kylie's parade, I had the chance to help with her class party. Her room mom put together THE cutest Halloween carnival for the kids. She even had a fun witch with the cutest cackle come in a make  witch's brew with the kids. It was really fun! I love watching her interact with her friends and seeing her in her school environment. 

Jase also had a class party, but I didn't help with that one so I only got a few pictures of him before he went. He said he had a fun party complete with pizza and a game with slime, every little boy's dream!

 It was finally time for trick-or-treating!!

The kids were anxious to go and it took everything I had to get a decent picture...clearly I didn't have enough in me, because I never got it! Oh well, the night was a success and

there is no doubt we have enough candy to last us until next year!!

Weekly Random

I discovered the world of Instagram this week and was immediately hooked. It's just a fun way to share random pictures through out your day of your goings on.  Of course they are also pictures I would like to keep track of and the blog is the best place for that... Besides I'm sure there are some people who don't follow Instagram that might enjoy them also. :)

Trying Instagram out for the first time... She didn't mind being the model. Can those cheeks get anymore squishable? 

These kids are my absolute fave. I love them more and more everyday and could't be more grateful to be their mom!!

Last weekend we had a great time when my sister Ashley and baby Drew came to visit for a few days.

Jase is the thumbs up king. I randomly get a million of these a day from him. He tells me it means he's happy. 

Jase tries his best everyday to make Addley happy. He's just sure she loves big boy toys and a blanket over her head at all times.

One of the most favorite parts of my day is right before bed when I lay on Kylie's bed and we "girl talk." Usually we talk about her day or something she's excited/nervous about at school. I love this time together and it reminds of when I was a kid and my dad used to give me a "special talk" every night. 

We've had the Little Rascals movie in our car for weeks now and the kids just about have it memorized word for word. Jase was in the backseat one day belting out the words to "You Are So Beautiful to Me"

Some friends invited us to decorate sugar cookies with them. Kylie loved it of course, Jase tolerated it for a few minutes, but was way more interested in playing with the toy trains upstairs.

Later that night, right before we started eating dinner I had a plate of lettuce out for our sandwiches and the next thing I know Jase has a whole handful of it shoveling it in his mouth as fast as he could. He loves lettuce. Silly kid!!

One afternoon the kids were playing quietly with each other and when I went it investigate I found that they were having a photo shoot with Mr. Potato Head. I had a good 50 images of different Potato Head combinations on my phone before they were done. The top right Potato Head is what Jeremy's image is on the phone now. :)

Friday night we ran some errands and bribed the kids they were good we would get them a treat. We ended up at Yogurtland which was a very wise choice!

Jeremy recruited some help with the laundry. She was more than content to sit in the laundry basket and suck on a dirty sock will he gathered up the rest. 

Saturday night was our ward Trunk-or-Treat. We had been looking forward to it all week long. Our cousins Megan and Austin were even able to join us. The kids came home with far too much candy and at this point I'm pretty sure there is no need to go back out again on Halloween. I highly doubt  the kids will let that fly though!

The Fire Station

Jase's pre-school took a field trip last week to the fire station.  Jase had been looking forward to it for weeks and was so excited to go. He thought he was pretty cleaver when he started calling it the "fire department" instead of the fire station. He would laugh at himself every time he did it! He loved the trucks and the loud siren. His favorite part by far though was shooting the water hose. The firemen first showed them a video and then asked them several questions. Jase sat right up front and paid close attention. The fireman asked them what they should do if they are in their room and the door is too hot to go out of. Jase raised his hand and said, "You strap on your wings and fly out the window." He's full of superhero talk these days, and he was sure that was the right answer!

 Jase's class time actually has only 5 or so kids in it, which I love, so they combined with another class for the trip.

I had the chance a couple days later to go in to his class and help for the day. It was so fun for me to be there with him watching him interact with the other kids and see him sit and do his work. I was glad to see that he sits nicely and follows instructions like he should. He's a good little boy and really impressed me by the things he knew. One of my favorite parts about him being in such a small class is all the individual attention he gets. Right before it was time to go they played a few flashcard games and I was  surprised at what he knew already. He definitely focuses more at school with his teachers than he does at home for me. We're still trying to figure out which hand is best for him to use. He naturally wants to use his left hand, but when his teacher tells him to switch his crayon or pencil to his right, he writes or colors better. I guess still only time will tell. He's one smart cookie and seems to catch on to things quickly. I am grateful he has a good school to go to and the opportunity to learn!

Goin' to the Dentist

I took Kylie and Jase to the dentist not too long ago for a little cleaning and cavity check. Kylie had been before, but this was Jase's first time. You would have thought I was taking them to Disneyland or something. They were so excited they could hardly stand it. It was during this time that I honestly wondered if they were actually my kids! I HATE the dentist, but I guess I did a great job talking it up so they wouldn't be scared. We go to a great dentist that thankfully is gentle and really nice with the kids.

 They both were more than happy to step right up to the chair and take care of business. Having a movie in the ceiling doesn't hurt either! They both did great and were very cooperative with the hygienist. The best part of all was walking out with some loot. A new tooth brush is always an exciting thing!! 

As Kylie walked out the door she jumped up in the air and exclaimed, "That was fun!!"... Silly girl!!

Life is Good!

First Taste of Cereal

Last night was Addley's first time trying out rice cereal. I'm not going to lie this isn't the first time she has had solid foods.  I seem to have become a little more lax this time around and have let her try a few things on my plate several times. She's always a fan and this time wasn't any different.  

 She seemed to handle the spoon like a champ and didn't have too much trouble get that food in her mouth. 

She was a pretty happy girl and it was fun having her right up at the table with us as we all ate. 

She's decided over the last week or so she was going to change up her sleeping schedule a bit and it has made for some very tired parents. For about three nights in a row she wouldn't be seen sleeping before 1 a.m., and her naps during the day were pretty scarse too. She doesn't seem to be sick or cutting teeth so  I'm not really sure what's causing the craziness, but I'm really hoping we can get her back to her normal sleeping habits soon!! We've definitely been spoiled with her and are truly grateful for that. :)

Early Morning Bike Ride

This last weekend we headed to AZ to meet my newest little nephew and be there for his baby blessing. It was a quick weekend full of the usual: swimming, shopping, motorcycle rides,  suffering through a "boy movie" on the highest volume possible, going out to breakfast, haircuts, and hanging out together. 

One thing I really wanted to do was go on a bike ride with my dad. My dad has been biking for a while and a little while ago my mom started joining him on his 18 mile round trip route to the new Gilbert Temple and back. My mom had a busy weekend so I thought it would be a good time to talk him into taking me with him. I have recently strapped my running shoes back on and so I thought a bike ride would be pretty easy peasy. I actually really didn't know, but I figured I would being riding a lot faster than I run so 18 miles couldn't be that bad. Well, I was dead wrong! ... And I learned that about 5 miles in. Two days before I had gone to a bootcamp a lady in my ward does and I had extremely sore muscles from that. I'm pretty sure I felt the leg burn about mile 1. Thankfully the route was pretty flat and on paved roads. But I was super slow!! (in my defense though, I learned later that I may have had my bike in the wrong gear the whole time) I tried my darndest to keep up with my dad that looked like he was riding through a meadow of flowers on a lazy afternoon. All I could think about was my sister Amanda on her mission. Her and her companion are currently on bikes and I don't have a clue how they ride day in and day out. 

Aside from the hard work it really was a super fun ride. The morning was beautiful and it was really fun for me to be out with my dad.

 The best part of the whole ride was when we turned on the street that took us to the temple. My dad says it has been really fun to watch the progress being made on it each time they ride.

As unflattering as this picture is this was proof we had actually made it...and we still had smiles on our faces.

I totally ruined my dad's riding time average and he told me he didn't even break a sweat, but I'm pretty sure I did enough for the two of us!  I was grateful when we finally made it home and although toward the end I would cringe anytime we rode over uneven ground I would love to do it again.  I hear they make padded shorts and if that's the case I think I may consider trading in my running shoes for a bike. I definitely learned that day that I have some pretty tough parents. I brought my mom's phone and it told me I burned a good 1100 calories. I'm not totally sure that's true, but I was feeling pretty dang good about myself as I waddled into the house. 

I did a terrible job of taking pictures this time, but here are a few I took of the weekend...

 The kids are always excited to see what cool new toy Grandpa has. This time they watched a movie in 3D.

 Addley also enjoys being among the crazy.

 Baby Drew was so fun to meet.  He was so sweet and made Addley seem so big.  

 My sister took us to the fun ice cream shop she works at. Jase always says he wants ice cream, but ends up way too distracted and would much rather play. He was watching a movie on a big TV while playing arcade games and his ice cream sat melting. 

My mom's favorite thing is to get pictures of her and my dad with all their grandkids. They're getting themselves quite the crew now with just as many grandkids as they have kids.

And one last thing, one of my most favorite things in the ENTIRE world has always been sitting next to my mom in sacrament meeting and listening to her sing the hymns! We're not necessarily a family known for our singing voices, but you would never guess listening to my mom sing those hymns. I remember loving it as a kid as well ... And lucky for me I had the chance to sit next to her during two sacrament meetings this last week!!

4 Months Old

AHHH!! Time is flying! Have I said that every month so far? I think I have! I cant believe "the babes" (as Jase calls her) is that old already. She gets funner and funner and her smile gets bigger and bigger everyday. After weeks of trying we finally got our first solid laugh out her last night while Jase was throwing a blanket up in the air. She only did it once and hasn't done it since, but now I really can't wait for her to do it all the time. There are often time when I am sure she is going to burst but nothing comes out.  She has mastered the art of rolling over both from her back to her front and from her front to her back. Sometimes her arm gets stuck going back on her back, but most of the time she manages to get all the way over. Speaking of rolls, she still has the cutest ones I have ever seen. Her legs continue to be my fav. and luckily that chin of hers doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. She has taken a real interest in her hands lately. She's figuring out how to use them and tries to bring anything she possible can to her mouth. She's liking little toys she can grasp, but she seems to really like to chew on blankets a long with her fingers. She's not a giant fan of the binky which has been something totally different from Kylie and Jase. They used to suck their's for sport, but she seems to only want it maybe sometimes for a second as she falls asleep. If she's at all tired the car seat is not at all where she wants to be and something she seems to get pretty impatient with long car rides.  She still eats and sleeps really well. She's a great long napper and sleeps through the night most nights. I hate when we've had a really busy day and she hasn't had a chance for a good nap or two because that seems to affect how well she'll  fall asleep at night. She's definitely more awake then asleep these days, but she's so content and easy going that she makes it easy. She's definitely the cutest baby I know and we continue to be so grateful she is part of our family!!

A Few Random Evenings

Jase and I were laying on my bed scrolling through pictures on my computer and I realized there were a few a haven't posted that I thought maybe a couple grandmas or grandpas might enjoy.

 Back in August was the Washington County Fair. Each night they had different activities so we went out there a couple of the nights to enjoy the festivities. One of the nights was the Laser Show. It wasn't quite what we were expecting, but Kylie thought it would be fun to go down into the arena and play in the fog with a friend of hers. Too bad it was really stinky and they couldn't stand it for very long. 

 The next night we went back and rode some of the rides. There is nothing like a county fair to bring out the finest a county has to offer. Some of the high school kids we saw there made me extremely nervous for my own to grow up.  It sure makes people watching amusing.

 The kids were pretty brave with their roller coaster riding and I think they had a good time.

 Addley is always  good sport and just spends her time waiting for her brother and sister to finish what they are doing.

We finished the night with our two most favorite things; snow cones and fireworks.

 A couple weekends ago we were looking for something to do so we did what we  do best. Threw on our suits (well, the kids did) grabbed some pizza and headed to the downtown river. 

 There just happened to be a parade going on  right by us and much to Kylie's excitement she got a glimpse of the Rodeo Royalty she's been obsessed with for the past little while.

 Addley was perfectly content laying on the grass in the shade enjoying the breeze. We're definitely enjoying the cooler evening around here.

I think this will always be our go to spot. The kids love it and lucky for us we pretty much had the place to our selves.