Family Pics

Fall School Pictures

We decided last month to have our family pictures taken. I was thinking it was about time again and the girls' school was having a PTA fundraiser to get a free 10x13 through a photographer in town - who could pass this deal up?! Well, some people could (including maybe Chad) but I couldn't and they turned out alright - yeah!

I love the faces in this one - Kenz is her happy little self, Cort is the princess, and Hayden is thinking what trouble he can cause next. LOVE IT!!

Halloween Happenings

This year our Halloween Happenings started Friday evening with a trunk-or-treat that the school put on followed by our annual spooky dinner with some of our friends. This year our menu included: Mummy Hand Punch, Salty Bones, Adam's Ribs, Boogers on a Stick, Brain Surgery Salad, Monster Cheese Head, Pimples, and Cemetery Dirt. The kids look forward to this every year and I have to admit that I have a lot of fun putting it together. It cracks me up what grosses them out - I even successfully grossed out our friend with the pimples. He hardly choked down one of them.

Saturday started off with a monster face breakfast sandwich (I forgot to take pictures) and then we all got dressed up and headed to Price for the annual Halloween Spooktacular put on by several businesses downtown.

Hayden - Ninja, Kenzie - Harajuku Style, Courtney-Pirate

This Halloween Spooktacular is one of the funniest things our town does during the year. They block off several blocks of Main Street and have free games and activities for the kids. There was even a magician and free train rides this year. The kids can also go around to the businesses and go trick-or-treating which is great because our ward didn't do trunk-or-treat this year (very sad!). We ended the afternoon with free hot dogs, drinks, and popcorn - what could be better!

I had to take a picture of this guy because it totally cracked me up. Can you tell who he is???? Has anyone seen Mall Cop??
Kenzie thought this costume was the best she had ever seen and wanted me to take a picture of her with him but this is the best we were able to do.

Enjoying our hot dongs and drinks

Later that evening when Chad got home we took the kids to a few houses in Wellington to go trick-or-treating. The kids now think that going door to door is the best kind of trick-or-treating you can do. I am not sure how I feel about that?!

Pumpkins and Cookies

This week the girls had to decorate pumpkins for a school contest. Each grade had a theme they were supposed to follow. Courtney's class had a sports theme so she chose her favorite sport - soccer. Kenzie's class had a patriotic theme so she chose to make her version of Uncle Sam. I am a little prejudice but I think they turned out pretty cute and they both won a certificate to Cold Stone.

Hayden of course couldn't be left out, so this week he had help from Chad to carve his pumpkin into a scary face. He was so excited to do this with Chad until he found out that he had to scrap out the pumpkin guts. You can tell from the pictures that he goes from totally upset about having to do it and pouting to deciding it would be okay but still totally disgusted.

And of course Halloween wouldn't be complete (according to the kids) without Halloween sugar cookies which were frosted by me and decorated by the kids.

As a side note I am always reminded when I make sugar cookies why I really don't like making them - takes forever and makes a huge mess. The kids had fun though so I guess it is worth it - right??

Daddy Daughter Halloween Bash

Friday night Chad had the opportunity to go with Mackenzie to a Daddy Daughter Halloween Party for Achievement Days. It involved costumes, dinner, dancing and games.

Chad went as a pirate and Kenzie's costume is harajuku (Japanese street style)

A funny story about Kenzie's costume: She was very excited about this costume and picked out all of the material for me to make it but could never remember the name of the style to tell her friends. Before the party she kept saying Harajuku over and over so that she could remember it. At the party she was able to tell her friends but when asked what that was she told them it was a Japanese "street walker." We then had to explain to her what a "street walker" was and she was mortified. I guess you could say that I am glad that she didn't know what a "street walker" is - she just hopes her friends don't either.

Our contribution was the witch's brew to which was added way too much dry ice

Bobbing for apples

Moab Trip - Day 2

The second day in Moab we had fun filled activities planned as well. We spent the morning loading everything back in the van and finishing the Junior Ranger booklets. We then ate lunch at this great pizza place called Zax - very, very yummy!!

Pics on the swing at our little cabin and view from cabin

After lunch we looked for a park that we had heard of that had musical instruments that the children could play on. This sounded really cool and it didn't disappoint.

Pics at the park

Our fabulous musicians - love Courtney's ending on this one.

After spending some time at the park, we went back to the Arches Visitor Center and watched a little movie about the park (a requirement for the Junior Ranger Program). After the movie they wrote a sentence about what they learned from the movie and then were sworn in and received their badges. Hayden thought this was really, really awesome because he now has a badge like dad.

Junior Ranger swearing in

After the swearing in we let the kids pick out one thing from the gift store and then decided to go back into the park to see some of the sites that we missed the first day. Like.....

Balance Rock

North and South Window Arches

South Window

North Window

Had to put this pic in - he cracks me up!

Our shadow family at the North Window Arch

Parade of Elephants

Turret Arch - a very small Kenzie in the middle of arch

Double Arch - the kids loved the echos in this arch

After all of these sites for the day and a few small hikes to these arches, we headed home. We all had so much fun on this trip we have decided to try to make it an annual trip. Anyone is invited to come with us next time. Are ya up for it?

Moab Trip - Part 1

The end of the summer we decided to go to Moab for a couple of days. We left on a Thursday afternoon and drove the 2 hours to Moab and stayed in an awesome little cabin at the KOA in Moab.

This cabin was awesome and we would totally do this again. The cabin had electricity and 2 sets of bunkbeds and one queen bed, you just had to bring your own bedding. Each cabin had a picnic table, a grill and a water tap. The KOA also had showers and nice bathrooms. It was great!

Cabin on the inside

Arches Visitor Center

The next morning we woke up early and went and rented a jeep for the day (from some of the proceeds of the yard sale) and headed for Arches National Park to go on some hikes.

We first stopped at the Visitor Center and went through that and then picked up the booklets for the kids to do the Junior Ranger Program. Then we headed into the park where we say these things:

Moab from the entrance of Park

The Three Gossips

Delicate Arch (from a distance - next time we will take that hike)

The Fiery Furnace

Then we went on a hike that was only going to be 1 1/2 miles but we decided to keep going and ended up going on a hike that was just over 4 miles. We weren't sure if Hayden or Courtney were going to make it but they both did. Hayden was really, really tired the last mile or so and we ended up giving him piggyback rides. Courtney, however, is a great little hiker and led the trail most of the way.

Sites along the trail (the little rock piles -cairns and lizards)

Double O Arch (front side)

Double O Arch (back side)

Landscape Arch

Then we decided to use the jeep to its fullest potential and go on a jeep trail which was really fun. (We all really enjoyed it but I think Chad was in heaven!) Hayden was so tired he slept during the first part of the trail but woke up for the exciting part called "Pucker Pass." The kids loved this part of the trail and kept saying that it was better than the rides at Lagoon.

Pucker pass pictures, fallen rock on trail, Jug Handle Arch

We then headed back to Moab, returned the jeep, headed back to the cabin for showers, ate a yummy dinner of hamburgers and dutch oven potatoes, ate popcorn and worked on the Junior Ranger books and crashed for the next day's activities.