October

Ahh, October.  Probably my favorite month of the year.  I love fall.  Love the colors and the weather and the coziness.  We did do some fun things this October in preparation for Halloween.  We went to Gardiner Village and looked at their fun witches.  I forgot my camera for that one, but the kids had a fun time.  We took Grandma and Grandpa with us.  They have a little witch scavenger hunt and if you fill out the paper you get a 35 cent cookie at their bakery.  We went on UEA weekend though and I don't recommend it.  It was PACKED!!  I haven't seen that many people there before.  Although I don't go all that often, so maybe that's the normal around Halloween.  The one thing I did not like about it was that we lost Reagan.  I had just seen her.  I count my kids all the time when we are out and about making sure they are all with me.  I counted...one, two three four, all there.  Turned around and then turned back around and she was gone.  I asked the kids if they knew where she went and they were of no help.  I started walking one way to see if I could see her but I couldn't.  Then I walked another way and couldn't see her.  I told my kids to not move from the spot they were in and April and I split up to look for her.  There was just a sea of people.  I usually don't get too panicky, but I was getting a little crazy in my head.  So I said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father if he would help me to just be calm and find her.  I walked and walked and tried to stay looking calm for my other kids.  I saw a little flash of black over by the bridge and went that direction.  I saw my Reagan standing by the bridge with a nice lady trying to get her to tell her her name.  RELIEF!!  I walked over and when Reagan saw me she started crying and ran over.  She had been trying so hard to be brave.  I thanked Heavenly Father over and over again for helping me to find her and for good people who try and help.   Other than that, it was a really fun time.  The witches were cute and I think the kids mostly liked it.  Liam sort of tolerated it.  He was a good sport.

Another day we went to the pumpkin patch.  It was also really fun.  We took Grandma and our Lorenzon cousins with us because their parents were away on a trip.  The kids had fun pulling wheelbarrows all over the place and looking for the perfect pumpkin.

Reagan had to go potty and so the tall grass toward the back of this picture got a little more fertilized this year.

Erin wanted one not quite round.  A little imperfect.

Liam was the first one to find his.  He thought it was great that it had no stem.

Owen changed his mind about his about three times.  Eventually he did settle on one that was "perfect and round."

 Reagan just wanted one that she could carry.  She changed her mind a couple of times, but did get a little one.

They had fun tractors that they let the kids climb all over.

 I think this tractor was more popular.  They each wanted a turn driving it.

 Reagan climbed onto the wheel and got stuck.  

 Jax and Liam wanted to crash the picture.  Silly boys.  Get those two together and they are crazy trouble!!

Liam, Jax, Creed.

Owen, Liam, Erin

This is a trailer on the back of one of the tractors.  This is the way Reagan wanted to pose.  I don't know why.

Owen wanted a picture taken with just him and Reagan.

Here are the carved pumpkins.  Erin's is on the left, Owen's on the right.  A LOT of thought went into the designs this year.

The pumpkins got a little wilty even though we didn't carve them until the Monday before Halloween.  Poor Reagan's looks like it's given up the ghost.  Reagan's on left, Liam's on right.  Liam wanted either this design or a light bulb.

This was a fun project I did with Julie.  It's just made of 2x4's and we painted them.  I thought it turned out cute.

Erin decided to be a goblin for Halloween.  All she wanted was a brown shirt and brown pants with a rope belt.  Doesn't scream Goblin to me, but that's what she wanted.  Easy peasy!

This picture was because she wanted me to take a "scary" picture of her.  HA!

Liam wanted to be a scientist.  He did have some goggles he wore too, I'm not sure where they were in this picture.

Owen was a Punk Rock Zombie.  He loved the makeup and the blood.

Reagan wanted to be a bat.  MaryKate made this for one of her kids a few years ago so we just borrowed it from her.  Cute!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Pictures

I am finally updating my blog!  I've written a few posts, so keep scrolling if you want to read the rest.

I went to take the kids' pictures this year up on the mountain.  They turned out pretty cute and they are getting so big!

Liam did a good job.  We did have to keep reminding him to relax his shoulders.

Erin also did a great job.  Her smile has become not so forced.  Cute girl!

Owen was super crazy.  I haven't edited any of his crazy poses yet, but I'll have to post one.  This was the ONLY normal one we got.

This little girl had a birthday and turned three years old.  She wanted a flower cake.  We had gone to Lagoon the day before and I was so tired so I just went to the store and asked them to put flowers on one of their cakes.  She loved it.  

Reagan was also a little crazy.  She would pose and pose and pose.  We didn't get any "normal" ones of her, so this is the one we are going to use.  It fits her personality pretty well.

Back to School

It's that time of year again.  Back to school.  This year we have three that go!  They are getting so big.

The four amigos.

Liam is in Fourth grade this year.  He's in a split third/fourth class and really likes it.  He loves that the fourth graders get to line up before the third graders and so he is not the last in line anymore.  He's pretty good at his multiplication tables and is getting better at division.   He just finished the Harry Potter book series and loved every one of them.  He is now looking for something else to read.  I have suggested Percy Jackson, but what do I know?

 Erin is in second grade.  She was a little nervous to go because she has a teacher that Liam had that I don't like at all.  But, we have told her she is different from Liam and will do really well with this teacher.  She doesn't like to read so much, but we are trying to find something she likes.  She really likes math. 

Owen is in Kindergarten.  He would vacillate between excitement and nervousness.  He really likes to go to school though and enjoys walking home with the kids after school.  He likes his teacher and I am hoping she is a patient teacher for my silly, energy filled boy.

The Rest of the Summer

These are some of the pictures of what we did the rest of our summer. 

 Coming home from Vernal, we stopped at a rest stop and threw rocks into the reservoir.  Cameron was the only one who could actually hit the water with his rocks.  That's only because I didn't try.  I was taking pictures.  My rocks would have schooled his rocks though.

Reagan learned we don't write on walls with markers.  She hasn't written on the wall since, although she did get a stamp from the dentist's office and stamped all over the walls and counters and dishwasher and her forehead and my cross stitch I was working on.  It has since been confiscated.

We had an Ariel party where Ariel came and sang to the kids, read books, played games and the kids got their faces painted.  The boys all wanted an eye on the middle of their forehead.  The girls got a fish and a clam.

Here is cute Ariel with the kids.  I think you can tell Owen was having the best time of them all.

This is Owen in the tub with his mohawk hair.  I just thought it was a funny picture.

The kids and their bikes on the 4th of July.  This is how they rode in the neighborhood parade.  The boys didn't want the flower leis.  I wonder why not.

We also got to go to Lagoon!!  The kids had a lot of fun.  It was Reagan's first time.  Owen and Liam were all over every ride.  Erin was a little more reserved this time.  She didn't really want to ride the roller coasters and upside down rides.

This was my favorite ride.  Air Race.  I love love love it!!  This is me, Owen and Liam.  They both really liked it too.

Reagan would be a little unsure at first, but then would love the ride.  She did hold my hand on every ride to help her to feel safe.

Liam's favorite ride was Air Race, Erin's was still the Screamer, but it was closed this time.  Owen's favorite ride was also the Screamer with Air Race and the Rock O Planes coming in at 2 and 3.  Reagan's favorite ride was Bombora.

 This is Bombora.

We had a really fun time.  I'm so glad we were able to go this year.

Exciting Announcement

I feel that trumpets and heavenly choirs of angels should accompany this announcement.  Are you ready?  WE ARE ALL DONE WITH DIAPERS!!!!!!!!  Hallelujah!  (Did you hear the heavenly choir? 'Cause I sure do.)  Reagan is now a potty trained girl.  She kept saying her diapers were "too tight" and screamed whenever she had one on, so I decided to go for it.  She did really well, only having two accidents the first day.  We kept the diaper on her the first night, but she kept it dry and has been good ever since.  Yay for Reagan!!

The Glo Run

Julie talked me into running a 5K.  It was the Glo Run and was really fun.  We got all decked out in our glow in the dark shirts, glasses, glow sticks, glow paint and even had glowy light up stuff in our hair and on our shoes.  We ran around Sugarhouse Park and got to run through glowing tunnels and had DJ's along the way to pump you up with music.  It was a fun time and I'm glad Julie kept on me about doing it.

 Julie, Me and Jennie.

Zack was a good sport to run with all us oldies.Although I painted that orange stripe on his arm and later it was hard to get that paint off, especially on hairy arms or legs.  Sorry Zack!

After the race.  We did it!!  Lots of fun.  Here's to the next one.

Missing Teeth and Summer Happenings

Erin has had two wiggly teeth since Thanksgiving!  They haven't come out, so we finally pinned her down and pulled one out.  I am not exaggerating.  We had to pin the child down and pull that tooth.  She was okay afterward and even said it wasn't that bad.  After two solid hours of screaming and "just give me a second"s, we had...

This girl.  She was pretty happy to have it out.  She put it under her pillow, then took it out and was looking at it and lost it.  She was pretty sad.  I told her the Tooth Fairy would understand.  So she went to sleep and in the morning, the Tooth Fairy had left her some money with a note that said even though her tooth was lost, she was so brave, she deserved some money.  The other front tooth came out a couple of weeks later with much much less weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The rest of our summer has been reunions, going up the canyon and eating with a nice hike afterward, library dates, reading, swimming in our backyard, having friends over almost every day, trips to Vernal, a parade the kids rode in on the 4th of July (pictures to come), a party with Ariel (hopefully pictures to come), going to the splash pad, going to the rec center, 2 mile bike rides, and that's all I can think of right now.  I think it has been a pretty fun summer.  It's been a little difficult for me, but I don't know why.  Maybe it's because the kids are getting older and they are bickering a lot more this year.  We did put some new ground rules in place and they seem to be working pretty well. 

We had a missionary leave.  This is my nephew Preston.  He was a hard one for me.  I don't know why he hit me harder than the other missionaries that have gone out in my family, but he did.  He's doing such great things in Sweden though.  

We also had a missionary come home.  Keith came home from Argentina and we got to go home for his homecoming.  I had to include this picture because my other nephew Nathan is being so silly in it.  Love my family.

My kids' favorite part was the cousins, of course.  They are on top of my sister's shed roof.  This is where they sat to "spy" on people. 

Here's all my family, minus Preston and my brother-in-law Kyle.  We did get a new baby two days after this too.  Everyone else was there.  Can you believe it?  I can't.  It has been a while since we were all together.

My niece Shannon, sister Linda and me and my silly husband.  Sure glad for excuses to get together with family.  

Isn't this the cutest face?  I am now a great aunt!  BAM was born on Pioneer Day.  He will always have parties and parades in his honor.  I stole this picture off my niece's Facebook page because I haven't gotten to see him in person yet, but he sure is cute!