Trunk-or-Treat

Every year for Halloween we head up to our church for the annual trunk-or-treat. Last weekend was no exception. Carnival games, homemade root beer, and treats inside, then out to the parking lot to trick or treat from everyone's trunks. A very fun and very efficient way of collecting lots of candy!
Costumes look familiar anyone??

Jake wore that red dragon for years and Alex was sad to give up his dalmation doggy to his baby brother. Alex wore it for two or three years. Last year he had quite the pedal pushers and crotch wedgie, but he insisted. (Can I say "crotch wedgie" or is that inapropriate? Sorry, it's just the perfect description.) My kids are funny about not wanting to buy new--they like the old and familiar.



THE BEST COSTUME OF THE NIGHT GOES TO...drumroll please...

Brad and Angelina by Bryce and Alicia!
Alicia--you hottie! I don't know many people who can pull off Angelina and you did it brilliantly! Awesome! The tats and the boy/girl twins just added the final finesse!

More Halloween Fun

School Parade
Meee-Ow! Check out this cute little kitten!

And she got to be line leader in the school parade!


And don't forget this studly dirt bike rider!

(like father, like son)

Watch out! There's a dog on the loose!

The School Office out did themselves this year. Aren't they fabulous!? I LOVE all these great ladies!!


Preschool Party and Parade
Alex, the super cool ninja.


who wouldn't keep his hood on.

His cute class...

Playing the mummy wrap game...


Making cupcake spiders with his best buddies Jack-Jack and Drew...

And of course, the big parade...


We love you Miss Shazi!

Halloween Fun!

Pumpkin Patching...

Grandma and Grandpa Lamoreaux came in to town this week to spend some much needed time with their wonderful daughter, incredible son-in-law, and their fabulous grandkids! ;)

We hit the pumpkin patch together rain or shine.
Gotta love the local Windmill Farms!

Isn't this a great shot!?

Alex found his buddy...

Jake danced with the rockin' skeleton...

Hannah strikes a pose...

Owen wet with rain and lovin' every minute!

It was so good to have grandma and grandpa here. We ate out, had dad's world famous breakfast, hung out, carved pumpkins, baked chocolate chip pumpkin bread, went to the twin's Halloween parade at school, and then they headed off to Denver to see my brothers and Farrah and their adorable girl Georgia. ( Just a little jealous.) I've been missing my brothers something fierce lately. And G of course! Have fun but please miss me!
We love you!

Conversations...

Hannah: "We voted in school today."
Me: "Oh yeah, who did you vote for?"
Hannah: "I voted for Barack Obama."
Me: "Oh really, tell me how you decided?"
Hannah: "Well, he wants to end the war."
Me: "Well, both candidates want to end the war, Hannah, they just plan on doing it differently."
Hannah: "Well, Obama wants to raise taxes and I like that."
Me: "Okay, but that would mean less money that we can bring home and more money to the government."
Hannah: "But the government pays for roads and schools and highways and furniture."

(If only government did pay for furniture. I would have a sweet looking house!)

Me: "Who did you vote for Jake?"
Jake: "John McCain. Even though there were only two of us that voted for him and Brian says he wants to kill more people in the war."
Me: "I hope you know that isn't true. No candidate wants that!"
Jake: "Oh, I know. He seems really nice and I like his smile in his picture. And he stands like this." (Jake poses with his hands on hips, chest puffed up, like Superman).

Whatever the reasons, I was impressed with their little convictions. Second Grade! Wow! It makes you wonder what they are taught in the classroom, although much I'm sure is regurgitated from the parents to their kids and then on to the playground. They have sensitive little ears and they are truly listening! It further convinced me the importance of what we teach our kids in our home and that we are entrusted to give them the best foundation possible of values and beliefs--of divine worth and love and service and virtue and morals and convictions--to help them make the big (and little) choices they will face in their life. They are going to form their opinions from somewhere and I would rather it come from my influence and our family values, than the playground or even the classroom. This is my responsibility and my divine role, my right, and my privilege. Pretty exciting (and daunting)!

Another Reason...

...my kid's love their Dad!

He brings them left over doughnuts every Friday morning after Seminary...

Mmm!
And he buys them a box of sugared cereal every time he goes to the store!

This month General Mills has like a whole Halloween Series and so, of course, John has to get every one!

My kids were in Hog Heaven.


Nutritious? No. Memory making? Yes.
What else matters really?

Ewww!

(this is not for the faint-hearted!)

My kids found this...

a DEAD RAT in the backyard under the play structure! Oh, my body is involuntarily shuddering as I write this. Please, someone tell me what is it about a rat's tail that grosses me out! That gruesomely large and substantial appendage that gives me the shivers! It's like it has a life of it's own! I should have figured out a way to use this as a Halloween decoration, but no...

Alfonso to the rescue!!

There was no way I was waiting til John got home.
First thing my children say, "MOM, you've GOT to blog about this!"

Hmm? Halloween Decor?
Beware Trick-or-Treaters!! Ooo-ha-ha!! (creepy fingers)

(eww, another involuntary shudder! I'm creeping myself out!)

I won!

I'm not exactly sure what I won...but I was featured here on my lovely and hilarious and famous friend Celia's blog.
Right back at ya, babe!!
No really, what did I win?

Gone Baby Gone...

My Love(r) is gone.

Would you pass up this?...

(date night with your lovely wife)

for this...

(wake surfing with your buddies?)

You don't have to answer that.

Have fun baby! I'll miss you.
I guess all my nights of baby showers, preschool open house, pie night, and RS presidency meetings (just this week alone) must have sent you over the edge that you could give up a night with me.
Thankfully there will be an eternity for you to make it up to me!

Disney Magic

It's...

here...


and you know us, we can't pass up a celebration!

We started off the trip with our annual picture of the kids on the stairs of the Del Sol Inn--our cheap, clean, favorite place to stay right across the street from the entrance to Disneyland. Since we spend no time in the hotel room, except to rest our weary bones after a full day at the park, we choose not to splurge on accommodations!

This time, however, we had extra kids to photograph on the pleasing purple stairs of the delightful Del Sol...

Yay! The Edgrens and the Callaways joined us for an unforgettable trip! It was especially enjoyable to experience it with the Callaways for their first time--they were Disneyland virgins!
We started Thursday off with early entry at Disneyland...

We also joined up with the Slavens making our group a whopping 26 (including Rach's parents Dixon and Denise and her sister Michelle and her husband Porter)! We were ALL able to fit in one boat on Pirates of the Caribbean!
Check out all these cute kids...


Chancellor and Owen have a special bond...


Maybe it's because he kept slippin' him these...

Mmmm!
Thursday was jam-packed and the kids (and adults) loved every minute!




Friday we headed over to Disneyland in the morning to ride some favorites again...

Jake got noticed by a beautiful young lady named Alice...

Check him out smiling like the Cheshire cat!

Then we headed over to California Adventure for the rest of the day...


Can I please arrange this marriage? Kiera and Alex are to die for!


Weeeee! I become a little kid at Disneyland...it's magic!


Shout out to the Slavens who helped Jake overcome his fear and ride California Screamin'! My rule is that when the kids reach the height requirement, they have to try the ride no matter what (I know, some of you are thinking I am so cruel) Jake sobbed and sobbed with snot running down his face the whole way in the line. Kristi sent me to the back of the line where I couldn't hear him (as much) and her and Monte helped Jake through the whole ordeal. He had a pep talk from the employees making sure that he really would ride the ride.

Disneyland Employee: "Hey there, Do you want to ride this ride?"
Jake (all sobs and tears and snot): "No, but my mom is making me!"

Finally, after two employees and ten minutes, he nodded that he would try it and they started the ride.

After the ride:
Me: "Jake!! You did it! What did you think?"
Jake: "It was okay." with a shoulder shrug.
(However, it was all he could talk about for the next two hours!"That was AWESOME", he kept saying to his buddies. "I wasn't even scared.") ha!
Thanks Slavens (and everyone else in line next to him who had to endure his wailing. Oh, and those in line behind him who had to wait through his pep talk!) What's that saying?? "It takes a village..."??
He was so proud of himself.
California Adventure closed at 6 pm so we headed back over to Disneyland (along with thousands of others). It was crazy! We road the train and then went to see Mickey and called it a night.



Chalk it up to another great adventure.