Spooky Fun!

For the first year really, I totally got into Halloween. I spent tons of time making costumes and decorations. I had a blast doing it and everything turned out super cute!

Grammy and Kaid going door to door. Kaid really loves being able to do so many things with Grammy and Hot Rod! Trick-or-treating was no exception!

The end of trick or treating. The bumble bee was ready to go home!

Brielle was good for most of the time, but rode on daddy's shoulders for half the fun. She loved to peak around Brian's head and laugh. She was really fun that night!

Kaid had a carnival at preschool that was really fun. His teacher went all out!! This was a mummy game. He talked about being a mummy for days!

Post donut on a string game.

Kaid didn't really grasp the whole donut on a string game. He tried with only his mouth a couple of times, but quickly abandoned that!

Before the carnival games the kids put on a little program. Isn't Darkwing Duck the cutest?!

Darkwing Duck a little accessorized!

At our ward party the had a mechanical bull. Kaid wanted to go watch, so we let him wander over there. Before we knew it one of the older kids was helping him up on to the bull. That's my Kaid, always so curious!

Brielle enjoying a gourmet hot dog bun!

The night of our ward party. I'm serious, this year I really enjoyed Halloween!

Of course Grammy and Hot Rod wanted to take the kids and show them off at their ward party!! Hot Rod with the kids...

Grammy and Brielle

Who is the terror that flaps in the night? DARKWING DUCK!!

A beautiful bumble bee!

Sneak Peak

For the last month or so I have been loving being creative. Almost every day I have worked on something crafty. So naturally I decided to make the kids Halloween costumes. Kaid decided, very adamantly, that he wanted to be Darkwing Duck, and Brielle is a bumble bee. The costumes turned out great! Here is a sneak peak...more pictures to come after Halloween!

Baseball Fun

Even during the off season we can't get enough baseball! We discovered that there are minor leagues that play during the winter here in AZ. We attended a few of the games and had a lot of fun! The kids really love playing at the stadium, and Kaid even likes watching the game. He is such a sponge these days, soaking up everything his dad can teach him about baseball! And because it's so informal, we could sit close enough that occasionally Kaid would get a player to chat with him. He is one friendly guy! Everyone is his friend, everywhere he goes!

Yes, I'm getting better at letting them get dirty! They are kids after all right? (That's just what I have to keep telling myself!)
I love this boy!!

She loved moving from chair to chair. Up and down, up and down!

My two favorite guys in the whole world!!

Why can't kids ever take good pictures when you want them to?

Farmers Market

This last weekend there was a farmers market in the parking lot of the grocery store across the street. Can I just say, I love a good street fair/farmers market SO much! I don't know what it is, but I love them!! We walked around, enjoyed some good food, and there were lots of fun things for Kaid to do. One of the fun things was pumpkin painting. he really enjoyed doing it. The above picture is the end result...I just laugh every time I look at it! It's so cute!!

My Best Friend

So, aside from Brian (who I could go on and on about, but this post isn't about him:)!), my best friend in the whole world is Shannon. We met when we were roommates while I was at BYU. From the minute that we met we were best friends, and that friendship has only gotten stronger as the years have gone my. We've gotten married and had kids, been years without seeing each other and live hundreds of mile away, but none of that matters. The kind of friendship we share has no boundaries, no mile limits, and certainly no specifications. I miss her everyday, and as of late am VERY grateful for Skype. We get to talk to each other face to face on a regular basis. (Can I just say I love technology)

A couple of weeks ago Shannon came for a visit with her cute baby Jack. We had a great time talking and laughing, crafting (of course), cooking and just spending time together. Kaid loves baby Jack and talks about him all the time (I can see another friendship in the making). Thank you Shannon for making the sacrifice to come, husbandless no less, to visit us. We miss her and Jack and can't wait to see them again!!

Kaid and baby Jack....aren't they so cute!!

Shannon and I

Go Suns!

Tonight, Brian and I and some friends went to the Suns game. We totally had a blast and our friends got to see a side of me that they had never seen before, a SUPER Leandro Barbosa fan! We had a good time and really enjoyed the company. Thanks for the fun Kevin and Maren, and Katie of course!

Kevin and Maren Hanson

WOHOOO!! Go Barbosa!

Who Needs a Gym Membership Anyways?

We were in Hobby Lobby today, and Kaid was being very patient and very good. I was trying to pick out the perfect ribbon for my project, when I glanced over at Kaid and just busted up laughing! I found him doing this

He had found two big spools of ribbon and was "pumping iron". Even the ladies at the cutting table just behind him were giggling. What an imagination my little muscle man has!

Aahhhhh!

Katie rode home from San Diego with us, and was able to snap this picture for me. This is one of those mom "aahhh" moments. Aren't they so cute? Double mouths hanging open and all!

The girl LOVES to eat!

Brielle loves to eat! She will eat just about anything. We were staying in a hotel on one trip to San Diego. Brian had gone down to the car and I came out of the shower to find this:

Yes, those are pop tarts smashed into her hair, and all over the bed. I am sure that the cleaning people hated us! But Brielle was as happy as could be!

Random

I love finding Kaid's random writings around the house. I even sometimes come to the computer, and in the search bar find "kaidmomdadkaidmomdad". He's growing up too fast! I love that he is smart and loves to learn. Reading is one of his favorite things to do. He soaks everything up to quickly! Here's to hoping he continues to love to learn!

Yes, that's my beautiful little girl

I came home the other night to an empty house. I looked around, and found the family in the back yard. Daddy was pulling weeds, Kaid was on the playset, and Brielle was doing this:

Yes, those are rocks that she is joyfully eating!! I think that girl would willingly eat just about anything!! But isn't she just as cute as can be?

So I Don't Forget...

Kaid just called to me, "Mom, I need your help! My tummy is grumblin!" The way he said it and the tone in his voice just made me smile! He was very worried about his "grumblin" tummy!

Twister

Brielle having fun with the spinner while mommy made-up the next move!

Kaid and Daddy

A night of so much fun!

A few family nights ago we taught Kaid how to play twister. He has being doing perfectly with his right and left for some time now, so I thought it would be great fun to play twister. I was right! We had a great time playing together, Daddy and Kaid really went for it...even Brielle joined in the fun with the spinner. So much fun with so little effort! I love my family!!

What? I wasn't going to get anything!

Hmm...what should I get? This looks good, no maybe this. This might make the biggest mess ever! That will be fun...
What? I was just looking! I wasn't about to start pulling things out of the pantry to make a giant mess for you to clean up. I promise! Come on mom, you know me, I never make messes. I'm not mischievous at all!

Let's Play!

Today I took the kids to an outdoor play area at a local mall. The kids really enjoy it, and the weather was so nice, how could I not? Kaid is so good at making friends everywhere he goes that he loves being around new kids. He is also super protector of his little sister, so he helps me keep track of her. The had fun and I enjoyed watching them!

Kaid on the caterpillar
Brielle cracking herself up!

Come on mom, let me have the camera please!!

A Trip to the Firehouse!

Kaid's preschool class took a field trip to the fire house yesterday. Kaid was so excited that that's all he talked about after school on Tuesday. The firemen were very nice, and we had a great time! Kaid LOVED the fire truck, especially when they let him get inside. If you know him, you know that he is NOT shy at all! By the end of the tour all the firemen knew his name, and he had them laughing at the silly things he was doing and saying. What a fun field trip!

Kaid super excited to be right next to the fire truck.

He was not shy about asking to wear the gear. And the firemen were happy to oblige! The headset was so big it was pinching on his cheeks, making him look a little gopher-ish!

He was the only kid who wasn't at all scared of the fireman in all his gear. They all watched him put his gear on, so they knew it was him, but still a little scary. Not for Kaid! He's first in line to give him a high five! Eventually all the kids warmed up to him. I thought it was great for them to learn that a fireman in all his gear is not scary. If a fireman ever has to help Kaid, he won't be scared!

After the tour they all sang a fireman song and gave the firemen a cute book. The firemen also gave all the kids a junior fire fighters helmet. Kaid loved it!!

Later that night, Kaid came to me and said, "Look mom, I'm a pajama fire fighter!"