Thanksgiving

We had a really great Thanksgiving! The boys had a lot of fun with their turkey crafts at home and at school. Landon made a turkey hat:

This video cracks me up - his class is reciting a poem that spells "Thanksgiving", but his teacher accidentally missed a couple of letters. Because Landon can read, he caught it right away. Such a funny reaction!

Friday after Thanksgiving we met with some friends in the ward to play games at the park. We all had so much fun playing soccer and kickball (and then partying it up later-with lots of pie!).

Rhys was a total trooper while I ran around :)

Snow Day!

The snow was just to inviting...we had to go sledding!

And pretend we were on Hoth planet.

Winter Craft

If any of you have indian corn left over from Thanksgiving decorations, here's a really fun (and beautiful!) craft you can do. I will warn you, though - this takes a lot of parental supervision!

First, break off all the kernels from the cob (my boys loved this part!). Then soak the kernels in water overnight, otherwise they're too tough to puncture!

The next day, thread the kernels like beads onto whatever you like. We used jewelry wire to make ornaments for our friends and then elastic thread to make necklaces. I think the easiest way to thread the kernels is to go through the germ (the white, starchy part):

Find the germ, then flip it over and go through the bottom of the kernel:

Up through the germ. This gives you enough of the kernel to stay on the wire/thread, but it doesn't crack the kernel or destroy your fingers :)

The finished product:

They are so colorful!

Quotes of the Day

P: Mom, you are the best Mom ever....but today you're kinda mean.

P: Landon (giggle) stop! I don't (giggle) want to be (giggle) tickled anymore!

L: OW!!! Mom, Parker just kicked me in the EYE!

M: Bud, I heard Parker ask you at least three times to stop tickling him. Why didn't you listen to his words?

L: Ok. Parker kicked me in the EYE! That's the most important thing here!

P: Wow, this is robust! (when picking up gear at the rec center)

P: Mom, why do I smell that cinnamon cooking?

M: Oh, it's because I'm making granola.

P: AWWWW! I REALLY wanted to be smelling cinnamon buns! Will you make those for me today? Or how about a tortilla. Wrapped with cinnamon sugar?

L: Hey Parker, let's play Kung Fu Panda. I'll be Chen and you be Kung Fu Panda - oh! And look, here's baby Tai Lung. (looking at Rhys). Hi baby Tai Lung, you're so cute, you're so cute!

Halloween

We had a LOT going on for Halloween this year. Is this how it is once school starts!? Parker had a preschool Halloween party. He LOVES preschool and really likes his teacher Ms. Karen. Here he is pinning the bone on the skeleton:

These are all iPhone pics, so not ideal (I know...here's where you insert the joke about the first kid getting all the good pictures and the younger kids getting shafted!).

Parker dressed up as a policeman:

Sitting across from his buddy Mason.

We carved the pumpkins we picked at the pumpkin patch. Parker's was really cool:

Putting up decorations. I have no words for this picture...

Parker's werewolf:

Landon's vampire, Daddy's Frankenstein and Mommy's "luna"

All lit up:

Then there was the elementary school trunk or treat. Parker was a policeman again (yes, the hat is way too small) and Landon was Jack Sparrow:

Their mustaches were mostly worn off by this time, but still pretty funny:

Then for our ward Halloween party, we were a family of Things!! Rhys' romper says "Thing 3". I tried to make Rhys his own blue hair, but I didn't have enough time to finish it! So...it looks a bit like Friar Tuck, but you get the idea right?

Then we got to real Halloween. Landon was saving this costume for Halloween day! Since there were no masks allowed at school, he asked me to paint his face. I copied the face paint he had done at Disneyworld last year - It was a much simpler version, but I think it turned out pretty good!

SO excited to go to school!

I got to volunteer at the Halloween party. Landon really liked these Frankenstein cupcakes (when I say "liked", I mean that he thought they looked really cool....but thought they tasted awful. Touche).

Sitting with his little friends:

Parker, of course, wanted to be a skeleton, too for trick or treating!

My two little skeletons (Landon looked at this picture and said "Ooh, maybe I shouldn't really smile like that. It looks awkward")

I loved trick or treating this year with them - it was hiLARious to watch them run their little tails off to get as much candy as possible!

The haul:

Someone was snitching in the car...

To the showers! Landon called me in to check if he got it all off his face....yeah, not quite.

They thought the perma-eyeliner was fantastic.

What a fun Halloween!

Scott Can See!!

Yay for Lasik!

Recent Quotes

(I am wearing a plaid, button up shirt)

L: Mom, are you wearing one of Dad's shirts?

M: No, this is my shirt.

L:....is it a boy shirt?

M: No, it's a girl shirt.

L: Ok.....but could a boy wear it? I think it's a boy shirt.

(overheard this morning)

P: ...5 cold rings! 4 calling birds, 3 french kids, 2 turtle dolls and a party in a pear tree!

That is the best way to wake up! What I really want to know is: what do the "french kids" look like in his imagination?

Weekend in ABQ

After our "relaxing" weekend, we had yet another trip - this time to Albuquerque! I mean, when flights go on sale for NINE BUCKS, you just really can't say no! So off we went to see some of our favorite people: Brad, Lisa and Eden.

Brad and the boys decided to make Indian hats:

They loved them!

And I've been informed that "Brad's house is the coolest, 'cuz he lets us sit on the counter to cook". Thanks Brad.

Sweet little Eden:

They even had lots of extra pumpkins for us to help carve! I love this picture because you can see what their cute puppy was up to the whole time...

The boys still don't like digging out their pumpkins:

We are so grateful to have friends that always let us come visit them (and always make it so fun!).

Weekend Fun

After our weekend in Miami, we decided to have a fun weekend at home. Somehow I convinced Scott that we needed to build this:

The boys (and their friends!) are in heaven!

Then we celebrated Parker's first week in preschool with some of our favorite ice cream:

And had a campfire with s'mores!

Life is good!