Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Ward Halloween Party

This year, Halloween has presented itself as a week long extravaganza, rather then a day. So far it's been a lot of fun!


The kickoff to our Halloween week was the ward Halloween party. It was a good time, and the first time we got to see our kids in their costumes. Jayda wanted to be a princess, but she was clear that she didn't want her crown, or her wings, just a bow. I was amazed to see the bow still in her hair when it was all over! Skyler was a panda. I was a little disappointed with his costume. It turned out to be a little small, and really cheaply made. It blows my mind how they get you with the price, for twenty bucks I could have really bought him a nice outfit. Oh well, that's just part of the game!






The one picture of him smiling with his hood on. That's all a parent can ask for!




Pretty princess. It's fun to watch how different kids act when in costume. Jayda was floating around the house all night.

The night started out with fun games like pin the nose on the pumpkin, a bean bag toss, a cake walk and eating donuts off of a string. Glenn and I had to divide and conquer with the kids. He helped Jayda with the games, and I followed Skyler aimlessly around the gym. He doesn't want to be held, or lead, or bothered, he just wanted to wander. Afterwards there was "trunk-or-treating", which was actually done in the church. I was responsible for passing out candy and decorating my door while Glenn was good enough to take them trick-or-treating. Afterward we went back to the gym for a group photo. It was a fun time and the primary did a great job!




Skyler making a friend.

My door for trick or treating. I know, future interior designer in the making!


Cakewalk



Eating a donut off a string.




Mom, stop following me!





Jayda and her friends, look at those cute costumes!


Pin the nose on the pumpkin.



Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Newest Addition

My cousin Jordan has this great stuffed elephant at her house that Skyler loses his mind over whenever we are there. It's cool because it's so stiff that you can ride it. I've been hoping to find something similar since he loves it so much.



We got lucky on our last visit to Sam's Club. We found a variety of stuffed animals that are about as big as Skyler and can be ridden. I chose the lion, because it's cute face and fuzzy head reminded me of Skyler. The kids love the lion and I kind of like it myself. I keep catching myself petting it's furry head whenever I walk by!











Princess for a Day

Or at least a moment.


Jayda does not allow me to do her hair very often. And usually, on the rare occasions that she does, it's taken out moments later. It's an issue I've had to resolve internally by not caring. But, the other day she came asking for her hair to look like Cinderella's. Not being trained in the art of cartoon Princess hairstyles, I did my best. And she looked cute with her hair up, for about five minutes! :-)












Saturday, October 25, 2008

I really love chili!!!


Wrap up of our week...

So I gave you this long update of our past week, when really I could have just posted this picture, and no more words need be spoken...

Wing-ed little boy


Okay, before you judge me, you have to understand that he WANTED the wings on. And since he's got me wrapped around his little finger, I didn't feel like I had any other choice then to comply. Plus, it was extremely entertaining to me! Sorry about the pic, he was so busy "flying" that I couldn't get a picture that wasn't blurry!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Life at a much slower pace...

Here is a rundown of our life as it has been for us in the past week...

1. Jayda is loving preschool, and just life in general. She is so full of energy and enthusiasm. She is CONSTANTLY on the go, and could honestly go out and play with friends all day long. I've had to explain to her on a few occasions that somedays are quiet days at home to play with Mommy and Skyler. In reality, between preschool, playgroups, datenights, and church, she's out playing with friends almost everyday, but during the afternoons that I just want to stay in, she struggles a bit. But usually, she is able to find fun games to play with Skyler and enjoys coloring and reading her books. She is so eager to please and works so hard to be a big girl. She's incredibly independent, and I'm always amazed at how creative she can get when finding a solution to a problem.

2. Skyler is growing and developing at an almost scary pace. I'm just not sure if I'm ready for my baby to be big already! Although his words are still very vague and hard to understand, it's so fun to be able to communicate with him. He's a very content boy, and is happy to stay inside, wander around, sit in a stroller or a carseat (as long as we're moving), with little issue. On that same note though, he himself is also very independent and doesn't want to be helped, or to hold your hand, he can do it himself! He is also very busy at home, and is sort of my "walking tornado." I feel like I am constantly cleaning up after the knocked down books, unraveled toilet paper, clothes that have been thrown from drawers, you get where I'm going. But he also loves to help clean up, so I guess that balances it out!

3. Glenn is doing really well and is so happy to be in dental school. He is excited about his classes and as far as I can tell, seems to be doing really well. He stays pretty busy with his studying and reading, but still finds time to do fun things with his family. We miss him when he's gone, but we're so glad that he is enjoying school.

4. I have had a kind of a slower week. It seems like this month has been strangely busy, and I was looking forward to doing a bit of cave dwelling this week. We have been out a few times for some shopping and playing, but overall, I've been happy to just stay home. I decided this year that I would put a little more effort into Halloween and decorate my house. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, even the small bit that I did, and now I feel that much more festive. I've also gotten pretty serious about eating healthier (horrible timing, I know), but so far, so good, and I am seeing results, so hopefully I can survive the next two months of cultural gorging. I've also been reading a lot this week, and just finished reading Cold Sassy Tree, which was just wonderful. I would recommend it to anyone! I'm now finishing up Les Miserables, which is another powerful book, in a completely different way.

Right now I have to tell you how much I'm enjoying living back east. The fall here is just breathtaking, I can't get enough of it. The leaves are bright, the weather is awesome, I love it! I hear the winters are rough, but I'll take the fall as long as it lasts.

So anyway, I know it's nothing to exciting, but for journaling sake, I thought I'd at least give an update. Next week promises to be extremely busy, so I will have much more just around the corner. Cheers!