Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween night this year.

I got to take the kids around for a little bit. Benjamin sure did not have the best experience. He was a little scared and cold (we forgot his coat). We had a wizard, two Jedi characters, and one cowgirl.

The intermission candy appraisal.

Further Proof

We caught Ben just kicking back in the rocking chair.

Proof, yet again, that this boy CAN sleep almost anywhere.

Car-ni-val and Trunk-or-Treat

We had a double dose of Halloween celebrations today.

First we had a carnival at the school.
Paul kept calling it car-ni-val like on Rio the movie.

Lainey, as Dorothy, was not thrilled to have to sit down.

Jedi Ben was less than thrilled to have to pose for a picture.



We played a ton of games and squished and squeezed our way
through the school hallways crowded with people.


Then we had the Trunk-or-Treat with our ward.
The chili and cornbread part went really fast because
the kids were too excited to get to the candy part of things.

Cheese Louise

My sister arranged a sisters night out for her birthday.

We went to a place called Cheese Louise in Richland. It was different, but fun.

We sat in this sofa area and they brought our meal to us on cutting boards.
It was fun to sit together casually and visit before and after we ate.

Everything in their store is on sale, even their decorations. I loved these pumpkins.

I enjoyed the whole feel of the store. One thing I liked in particular was this tea wall.
I am going to recreate something like this for my craft room.
In the jars, I will store buttons, pins, scissors, glue sticks, flowers, brads, clips, etc.
I am so excited to have an idea to make that room fun.

I wholeheartedly recommend Cheese Louise for your next date night.
Keep in mind that the menu is Paninis and flat bread types. No hamburgers and fries.

Crazy Carving

Jason was the carving master.

He led the night in being silly and executing carving designs.

We opened up Emma's pumpkin from the bottom.
She was the only daring one.

Emma loved scooping the guts out.
She wasn't worried at all about dirty hands.

Paul tried his hand at cleaning out the gunk.

Paul was so funny as we got started. He said,
"We need to clean out the pulp first," and his lips really popped off the word pulp.
"Ben do you know what pulp is?" He continued. " It's the stuff inside."
With Paul being in Kindergarten, he loves to share what he's learning.

Lainey had no fear of the pumpkins.

They made for a tasty treat.

She loved reaching in. Ben started playing with her by putting more gunk in
for her to clean out. She would get it all clean and then he would put more in.
She wasn't too happy with him.

Claire timidly looks into her pumpkin.
I think she had no idea what carving pumpkins really entailed.

Her and Paul started off with butter knives,
but got nowhere.

She then tried using a spoon to scoop things out,
but it was pretty slow going.

She did try her hands for a little,

but she did not like the feel of the guts on her hands.

As you can plainly tell.

Ben had a little bit of a hard start.
He got down to wash his hands after each time he put his hand in.

After just a little bit though, he was reaching in all worries gone.

By the end of the night though, Claire was all smiles
and so was everyone else.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is a good day for turning 32.
We shopped for couches, but need a little more time to save up for the one we want.
We went out to dinner with my mom and sisters at Olive Garden.
I had the Chicken with stuffed rigatoni. Delicious!

And for holding a sick child.
Poor Claire woke up and could hardly breathe.
She had a croupy cough and then she threw up twice.
I held her in the rocking chair and she finally calmed down, but
she wanted that bowl close just in case.

Happy Money Girl

Lainey loves to find our money, grab some, and run.
I guess she already has the system down. Haha!

I love how her head is back and she has a huge smile.
That's the epitome of money right there.
Only Ben's head got in the way of this perfect shot.

Munching on Markers

Just from the title of this post you'd think I was talking about Benjamin because he used to be my resident trouble finder-maker. Well, it's not. This is Lainey's new favorite thing to do. Any marker left within her reach gets the tip chomped off. If the other kids see Lainey with a marker, they sound the alarm. "Marker! Marker! Lainey has a marker!" And then we all go running to save the marker, Lainey, and whatever else she might touch. She even did it before church one time and we left with a purple mouthed baby (they say washable, but it doesn't all come out the first time).

Lainey in the Drawer

This is the latest development with Lainey and her love of drawers.
Might as well get in!

Kickin' it with Cousins

This is so cute! All the girls doing the same thing as they watch the movie.

Allie, Claire, Jenna, Lainey

Date Night at the Temple

This is the beautiful picture I took just before we went in.

Oh, it's so wonderful to live so close to a Temple;
to go and feel the peace that comes while serving in that special place;
to hear the blessings and be reminded of the covenants we've made.

Oh, it is wonderful indeed to live so close to a Temple.

Issuing a Ticket

My nephew Ethan is excited about police officers and their work right now. Tonight Ethan was at our house playing and Jason helped him write a pretend ticket for his dad, my brother. They like to park in front of the fire hydrant when they drop off and pick up their kids from our house. Well, Ethan picked up on this and the fact that you're not supposed to do that. Ethan was ecstatic to present his dad with a $124 ticket. ;)

Dead Deer - For Real

Jason's brother, Travis, was so good to stop by and show us
the head of the deer that he shot recently while hunting.
I know it's pretty gruesome, but I HAD to get a shot of it for our blog.

Daddy, Daughter - Inseperable

We were taking a walk on the path in the park.
I tried to take Lainey from Jason and she gave her signature mad face.
She just loves her daddy too much, even to leave him for me.

Bathtime Twins

We've been posting a lot about Benjamin and Claire lately.
It's just so fun that they are TWINS.
There's two of them. Yep, that's right. It's double the fun sometimes. ;)

Strolling with the Scriptures

Dad's scriptures were better than a baby for the stroller today.

Twin Tongues

Hey, what can I say? They were in a picture taking mood.
Claire has her cell phones in her pockets.

Craft Night Set Up

Jason and the kids helped me set up tables and chairs for my craft day.
I was so thankful for their help, even the kids helped with the chairs.
Paul was my best helper, continuing to pull chairs
off the stack when the others had already gone to play.

And of course they had a blast running, and riding, around in the gym.

This is the way...

...we eat our apples.

Benjamin started it...

... Claire copied.

Mom's Secret Salad Dressing

Claire and Mom Z-I couldn't have asked for a better pose.

So there really isn't a secret, but it is so good it makes you think there's a secret. Like on Kung Fu Panda when Po's dad talks about his secret noodle recipe, but there is no secret. It just is what it is. Her dressing just IS good. I'm definitely more motivated to have a salad these days with that delicious ranch goodness in the fridge.

"What's going to work? Teamwork!"

Bringing the toys in after an afternoon of playing.

Helping Hands...and Feet

The kids got to press their hands and feet into the new cement.

There's something about children's hand prints in the
patio or driveway of a house that takes me back to younger years.
It makes me think of those special afternoons when the sun shines bright,
the blue sky hangs quietly above, and time seems to slow its pace.