Halloween Day!

All four of us woke up sick on Halloween day so we just sat around the house all day. We were planning to go to a couple parties, but I decided not to risk spreading our germs.
It was actually pretty fun to carve pumpkins and just be together, but I really wasn't feeling well so I am not sure I enjoyed it as much as I should have. He he he . . . Bradley and Connor were disgusted by the pumpkin guts. They wouldn't even touch them. Halley, on the other hand, LOVED IT!
I kept trying to keep her off the table, but she wanted those guts!! It was very funny! Look at that concentration! She spent the whole time playing in the pumpkin guts - putting them in and out of the bowl and back in the pumpkins and all over her. It was hilarious!
Here the kids are with their finished pumpkins. We only did two. Had I known how much Halley loved it, I might have gotten three. :)
The sun was shining right in the kids faces so I had a hard time getting them to look at me.I finally had the boys sit in the corner of the porch where there was some shade.





Because the kids had been planning to go trick-or-treating for months, I decided we could go out for a bit. Here they are all ready in their costumes.
I thought they would all be exhausted after like 20 minutes, but we stayed out for awhile. Bradley did get tired at the end though. Can you tell?
When we got home I think the boys had as much fun passing out candy as they did getting it. They were giving out huge handfuls. It was really funny.
I was absolutely exhausted and really missing Wes at that point. My parents came over for a bit, and that was nice. They brought us fun treats and leftovers from one of the parties!
I was pretty disappointed that we couldn't go to the parties and show off the kiddos, but it was good to stay home and relax. I think if we had gone out, not only would we have gotten people sick, but all of us would probably have been worse!
Overall, it was a fun Halloween. The kids make it all worth it!

Halloween Carnival!

We had so much fun this Halloween, well, until we got sick! But other than that, it was great!On Friday night we went to a Halloween carnival at my mother-in-law's school. The kids had a blast! It was one with games and treats and all sorts of prizes! And, they love seeing their grandparent's places of work! All of their grandparents are in some form of education. It's awesome!

The boys had fun playing with the cool stuff in Rhenda's classroom!





I love that Halley has "that face" in the background - she's always ready for a picture!
Connor absolutely ADORES his Mamo!








Here are the boys stuffing their faces with yummy popcorn!

Yummy!! Cotton candy actually makes me kind of sick now that I'm older, but I remember LOVING it as a kid!
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Ok, now seriously, this was Bradley's absolute favorite game. He LOVED the hula hoops. He was so fun to watch. He has this cute little dance that we call "The Waggle," and he was using those moves to get that hula hoop going!
It was cute. I tried to get a video, but people kept walking in front of me
Halley loves her Mamo and Grumpy (pronounced "Ah-mo" and "Umpy" in Halley's words).
We love Grandparents!!!!

Halley's Surgery

Halley went in to get tubes in her ears last week. These are a few pictures I took with my phone BEFORE the surgery. When they took her to do the surgery, she was bawling. The surgery was only about 15 minutes long, and when they brought her back - more crying! It was a very emotional experience for both of us.I thought the emotions would end after the hospital, but she is still not doing very well. Last week was really difficult. I think she is having really bad separation anxiety. She hasn't been sleeping as well, and the first few days after her surgery, she wouldn't go to anyone - not even the people in our families who she really loves! It has been hard, but I am hoping she'll get better soon.
Anyway, at least she's a cutie!And, hopefully we won't have a winter full of doctors visits and antibiotics!

Surprise! (Well, Sort of . . . )

Wes attempted to surprise us with a short visit home over his four day weekend for Columbus Day. I knew he was coming, but the kids didn't. He will tell you it's because I checked his e-mail, but really, it's because he talks too much! I only checked his e-mail the night before he came to MAKE SURE it was for real. I had suspected for a few weeks though.We had a wonderful weekend together! It was so good to see the kids hang out with him. When Halley first saw him she was a little confused, but then she realized it was DADDY, and she didn't want to let go of him. She absolutely adores her dad. She is the one I worry about the most with him being gone because she doesn't really understand the concept of time and that he'll be back.
I wasn't here when Bradley and Connor saw him, but apparently Bradley wasn't phased at all. He just said, "Hey Dad, I'm getting ready to go to school." Silly boy . . .
And Connor, well, he still talks about how he was totally surprised and confused. He makes this funny, "Huh?" face to explain it. It's hilarious.This is a picture of the boys and Wes making coffee cake. They ask me to do this with them every weekend, and I usually tell them it's Daddy's job to make yummy breakfasts. Mom just does cereal! He he he . . .
These are the only pictures I took while he was here. We didn't really do anything special - just spent time together as a family - which was absolutely AWESOME!!

Silly Girl!

Here are some funny pictures of Halley. I think I've mentioned before how absolutely obsessed she is with clothes. Well, her swimsuit was out on the couch for some reason, and she attempted to put it on. It looks like a little tail! She's also carrying around a shirt.Here are her classic, "Smile!" pictures. Every time I get out the camera, she comes and stands right below me and gives me this face! She is so funny.And, of course, you've gotta LOVE that hair!!

Oh, and then she decided to go get my weights and exercise! It was absolutely hilarious. This is one of those moments I tried to capture with the camera, but you probably had to be there.
I was laughing so hard I almost cried. She had her swimsuit/tail, very attractive hair, and was exercising. It was just one of those moments . . .

Life at Our Home

I haven't really been taking very many pictures lately. I took a few today, and when I inserted my memory card there were only 10 pictures on it! That is unheard of! I think it's because I have been trying to play catch up. I have been posting stuff from August, and I am waiting on my two lovely sisters for some pictures from the move and our trips to East Canyon in Sep. :) Hint, hint . . .
Anyway, I just wanted to brag about our little readers. In most homes, if there is silence, it is almost a guarantee something naughty is going on. In our house, this is what I usually find:Our kids love to read. In this picture, Halley is actually playing with some flash cards and Connor is looking through a coloring book, but you get the idea. They do this ALL the time. In fact, when I take my showers I just close the upstairs gate and let them play in their bedrooms. The only "toys" they have up there are books and stuffed animals, but they generally are fine the whole time I'm in the shower.
I have always been a big fan of reading, and I want my kids to love books as much as I do. From what I have observed so far, they are well on their way! It just makes me smile. :)
And here is another activity the boys did today. My dad sent us home with a big box of macaroni and cheese, and the boys decided to build a tower. I was laughing so hard while trying to take this picture. I kept telling them to hold still AND look at me so I could get a picture, but well, this is what happened.I love this one. I told them to look at my nose, and they both gave me the blank stare. "HUH?"

I sure do love these boys. I cannot believe how much they have grown up lately. When we first got out here they were having such a hard time with things. They seemed to just be really having a hard time adjusting. They both seem to be doing better now. They play better together and are much more willing to help out with things around the house. It has been a great blessing. Our house is feeling so much more like a happy home. If only we had Wes here . . .