Happy Halloween!!

Our Halloween season was packed full with activity this year. The kids dressed up as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. (Joshua insisted on being something with a sword.) I took them to the studio to have their pictures taken, and boy was that stressful! We had to bribe Livi to stay in the photo by letting her eat a lollipop. Sigh ... We went to 2 Halloween parties this year-one with our ward and one with my parent's ward. Both were complete with dinner, games for the kids, and a trunk-or-treat. The kids knew Grandma was a softie and definitely took advantage of her candy supply. Halloween night, we joined Rob and Abigail's family so the kids could go trick-or-treating together. They had a blast! The boys ran from house to house while the girls rode in a double stroller like 2 little princesses. Afterword, we ate pizza and talked for hours. It was a great Halloween. And now ... we're going to sleep. We're exhausted!

"The Bad Guy"

Halloween is almost here!! We had fun carving our pumpkin tonight. The kids brainstormed by drawing some interesting "designs" on paper. In the end, we decided to keep it simple this year. :-) Livi loved stirring the big bowl of pumpkin goo, and Joshua was excited to choose the pumpkin's name. He quickly decided on "The Bad Guy." A tough name for a tough-looking pumpkin ...

Open Wide!

Joshua had his first trip to the Dentist. His good friend "Favit Bee" was with him, so he was just fine. The Dentist cleaned his teeth, gave him the dreaded fluoride treatment, and even took some x-rays. Joshua felt the process was well worth it when he received a plastic airplane for his good behavior. We call this the "I'm trying to smile, but I just had a fluoride tray in my mouth" face. He was such a good sport!

Parks and Picnics ...

On Saturday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather, and spent the day visiting parks and having a picnic. We had one of the parks completely to ourselves, so Jason and I let loose and had fun with the kids. (I even went down the huge twisty slide on my stomach ... screaming the entire way of course.) Jason had to show off his incredible skills on the rock wall. He's such a natural! The day ended with Joshua still begging for more, and Livi completely exhausted. It seriously couldn't have been a more perfect day.

Be Prepared

I've been feeling this urgency lately to get "prepared." I know I should have felt this way a long time ago, but I'm just not that good. :-) It's exciting to have our little food storage started (And I do mean little ... our family won't survive long on a jar of spaghetti sauce and some tropical fusion Jello). It just feels good to know we're doing something!

Three and a Half!

Jason and I have always been big on Half Birthdays. Monday, we celebrated Joshua's 3 and 1/2 birthday (Hence the half Birthday cake) and he is quite proud to be an "almost 4-year-old." Happy 1/2 Birthday Joshua!