Halloween!

I have this awesome love/hate relationship with Halloween. I seriously love it.. but I hate it. I love it because I had the most amazing Grandmother that put her whole heart and soul into Halloween. She was the "gatherer" of our family and gather she did! Halloween was not just an ordinary holiday but a full on celebration! On the other hand.. I just don't love the whole idea of trick or treating.. Maybe it's because I never did trick or treat as a kid! Nope Never! I won't be sad when we outgrow that part of Halloween. Anyway.. the children love to "trick or treat" so we do it. This year was surprisingly one of my favorites years.
This year was a costume box kind of year. Our costumes either had to be in the costume box or the children had to "think it up!" This is what they came up with.

This is my hospital run-a-way! My injured little man! This little friend wanted to dress up with one of his bestest buds. So he did! He was outta here this year. Once he met up with his friends .. it was over. They trick or treated all over the neighborhood and made a haul!

Oh my.. This costume is a keeper. It has been on someone for at least 4 years. Every year it rotates, but it never goes unused. Alexander loved playing up the part! He is my overly animated child. He too disappeared. He ran into a friend and was gone for the night!


Look at my little mu.mu.mummy. He is my boy. I could seriously just kiss that face! He was pretty excited about his mummy idea.. and we just happened to have an old white loner bed sheet. Perfect! He disappeared with Alexander.

This is the only picture I could find of my little snow skier. And this snow skier costume idea was all her. She is going hard core on the slopes this year. She is way ready to get up there.. like YESTERDAY!! Since the boys ditched us it turned into a girls night+ dad. Jacq mostly wanted to find "her people" She didn't super care about how much candy she collected or what kind.. but she wanted to find her favorite teachers.. her favorite friends and just hang out with us. Loved every minute of that. ♥

The babes. My wild woman. And boy is she a wild woman. She couldn't decide what she wanted to be for Halloween. Nor do I think she really cared. One minute she was Tinkerbell.. or Snow white.. The next a mummy or running around with Max being injured. I think she just liked being apart of all the commotion. Lo girl really just loves to be apart of all the chaos around her. She is my sweet tooth girl. So this girl loved the idea of candy. When she figured out she was trick or treating for treats.. it was "GAME ON!" She was running from house to house.. "please.. treat!" "..thank you!" "..thank you!" Pretty cute!

Last minute I was thinking we needed a little Halloweener surprise dinner.. So I threw these mummy dogs and apple teeth together.. I personally liked the idea of dinner in a pumpkin.. but we did that last year and it was a huge flop. The kids thought it was the most disgusting thing EVER. So dogs and apples it was.


Until next year ~

Halloween Performance..

This was the most adorable school program! All these kids just sang their little hearts out. Especially Jacq. Poor Jacq. My little snow skier was so sick that day! So so so sick. She worked so hard with her class on these songs and got up their and did her best! That's Jacq for you. She did all the actions.. she was so animated.. and sang her little heart out. After the program the girl was sweating buckets. She probably should have been a cat that day. :)
Here are a couple cute pics.. Jacq singing and Jacq with her 1st grade teacher.

Here a couple clips of too much cuteness.. that's my girl. Too . Much. CUTENESS!

I wish!

After a three hour full speed ahead go at potty training.. this lady decided.. "NO PANTIES!! NO POTTY!!!" She can do it.. she just doesn't want to.. Dang Lo*Bug.. maybe next month?? I hope so. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like no more diapers. :)

Quick trip!!

We decided to take a quick trip to St. George/Zions National Park for fall break. I wasn't super excited about going anywhere.. I never really am. I am such a homebody. I like to be home. Such a bore. Tim really wanted to get out of town ~ so off we went. We spent most of our time doing three things.. Zions. Played at the condo. Pioneer Park. I think I have hundreds of pics.. {ugh!} I mean.. {Go ME!} I'll just post a few of this latest adventure .. .

Zions.. Highlights for the kids were the wild life. SERIOUSLY!! The kids could have cared less about the historic sights and/or hiking, but they played with the fish.. lizards.. chased butterflies.. took massive pictures of squirrels and deers and could have played ALL DAY LONG. They were totally in their element. Very fun.


Played at the Condo.. Of course swimming.. swimming .. and more swimming. Late night movies.. shuffle board.. and lots of treats! YUM!

Pioneer park. What a blast! The kids could have stayed at this place forever. In fact we went two days in a row for many many hours! Jumping rocks.. hunting lizards.. playing king of the rock... exploring the little nooks and crannies.. of these beautiful red rocks.


So glad we decided to get away. It was so much fun!

Jacq turns 6!!

Oh my! This girl! My girl! She's six!! I can hardly believe it! She definitely couldn't wait to join our family! I never felt so strongly in my entire life that "she".. YES. I knew deep within my soul before she arrived in our family .. that "she" was a girl. I also knew that she needed to join our family at a very specific time {YESTERDAY MOM!!}.. It was a very wild and busy time.. {I don't know why.. but she needed to be with her brothers.} It was a physically exhausting time in our life.. {We never got any sleep.. Tim and I both wiped bums all day.. {x3}.. filled sippy cups.. {x3}.. loved crying babies.. {x3}.. shoveled food into hungry little mouths.. {x3}.. same thing at night..{x3} I think you get the idea.. {x3}. I loved it but it was {x3} the babies and one ready to join our wild family!

Jacq is a wild woman. So full of spunk. So full of love. So full of little girl feelings and emotions. Anything you can do.. she can do better.. and she will.. even if it kills her. I heart her. Not that she is trying to show you {or brothers} or anyone up. Just that she knows she can dig deeper and work harder and accomplish things... ANYTHING! I heart her determination. She is one of my biggest challenges, {she really is} but also one of my greatest joys. She is so talented. She loves fashion. She loves to draw and she is so good at it. She is so thoughtful of people around her and loves deep. She loves to read {although I am certain she will not admit it} She loves music. piano. singing. bike riding. skiing. She walks.. runs.. skips.. and jumps to the beat of her own drum and doesn't give a darn who is watching because she is doing her thing. Our Jacqualynn is a very special lady and this is her very special birthday celebrations.
Birthday Breakfast! Everyone's favorite. :)

Got to add the candles. Pink Candles!

Presents!!

Our Watson Grandparents / Auntie Nana were out of town, but made sure to drop off a couple treasures that made this girl smile!!
This girl has been begging for earrings!! Ma Deb / Papa Rick to the rescue! What a fun Birthday date for Jacq.. earrings and ice cream! I forgot my camera. {boo!} Jacq was practically floating into Claire's because she was so excited.

Nana stopped in for a surprise visit. She brought her a special birthday card that has been decorated time and time again. A couple days later they headed out to Yogurtland where I think Jacq had more yummy treats on her birthday creation than actual yogurt! YUM!!

FA papa and Sandi remembered Jacq's special day with a text message that made her squeal.. but waited until they could surprise her in person with some new Harley Davidson gear. I don't think she will ever take it off. :)

This girl was spoiled ROTTEN during her special month. She is truly surrounded by people that love and care about her. I know that she felt so important. Thank you everyone! Happy Birthday Jacqualynn Gracie Goose!! We love you!

Lola's 2!!

This is all about our Lo* bug! We sure love this girl. Let me just say first off that she is personality plus. When I say that I mean she is way intense.. She knows exactly what she wants.. when she wants it.. how she wants it.. and she will get it. If you won't help her she will just do it herself. She will move chairs.. sneak in bedrooms.. climb cupboards.. wonder outside to find the kids. Being the baby of 5 she doesn't wait around for anyone to help her .. she just takes care of things all by herself. She is a busy busy little lady.. from the minute she wakes up in the morning she is on the go go. Lo is funny. She likes "her people." And if you aren't one of her people that day or week or month.. forget it!! She loves to sing.. we make up songs together all the time. If I sing something she doesn't like... she is quick to scream (sing loudly) the "right" words. She loves balloons.. babies.. she loves to shake it .. shake it.. and dance! She gives the BESTEST HUGS ever. She holds on long and she hugs tight. She for sure has a sparkle in her eye. She is living in her very own fairytale. That's my bugs and here is her day!

On a typical day, our Lo is a sleepy head. Usually she is the last one awake. On her birthday she was the first one awake and ready to start her special day. She was thrilled to see a room full of balloons just for her. Oh and she knew that they were just for her. She let everyone know that they were her balloons.

Sissy's Birthday Breakfast. Girlfriend doesn't eat much, but she loves her some pancakes and strawberries.

Her birthday was on a Sunday this year.. {BOO!} Not just any Sunday, but Primary Program Sunday. (This mom was helping with the music.) So while we were busy we managed to celebrate in a simple but prefect way for Bug!

Yummy treats!

Very rich, but they were fun.. and seemed to all disappear.

As an extra Special surprise we put glow sticks in the "tubby!" She could have stayed in that "tubby" all night long. Girlfriend thought for sure she was in Heaven.

Happy Birthday Bugga .. We love you!

Halloweener

Every year we have some sort of Halloween gathering.. It is not usually very elaborate. There are not normally 100's of people. The details are usually always different.. cookies? sometimes. Pumpkins? Most times. People? different crowd every year. One thing remains the same.. People gather.. we eat dinner.. and do something Halloweenish! This year it was pumpkins and apples. Yum! and Fun! I like that one.