Spooky

I love everything Halloween!! It's such a fun holiday for the kids.  I picked up the kids from school and saw a sppppoookkyyy spider crawl into the car! 

At the last minute we pulled Charlie's costume together.  I think she makes an adorable kitten.

Alex was very specific with her choice of costume this year.  She wanted to be an owl.  I ended up making her some wings I thought would be easy.  Easier said than done I learned.  They turned out great but took a little longer than expected.  Hence, the last minute pull together with Charlie :)

Can you guess what my spoookkyy spider turned into? 

   

A sppppoookkkyy skeleton!  

My camera's flash stopped working so once it got dark I had to resort to my iphone.  

They were ready to hit the sidewalks!!  By the time they were declaring to be done, we were far away from the house and they all complained how they couldn't move their little legs any farther!

Baptism

Alex has grown up so much this year!  She was baptized by her dad in October.  

She was lucky enough to have SO many family members come in to celebrate her special day!

Including all living, except 1 grandma, come to her baptism.  Even her two great grandparents!  She is so lucky to be able to know her greats, they are special to her.   

She even got a surprise visit from 'moms' cousin Will.  They are just a month apart.  It was the highlight of her weekend.  Her and Jake still talk about it :) 

We are so very proud of her decision to be made a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, she brings such sunshine into our family. 

Her personal professional baker, Aunt Cris, made her a special cake for the occasion.  Nothing better than pink ruffles!!

Cam had softball games that night and so the crew all came to support!

Eight is Great!

Alex turned eight in September!  I asked her what she wanted for her birthday breakfast and she decided on pancakes and ice cream!  Who wouldn't want ice cream with their pancakes?  

She had a soccer game the day of her birthday.  She has been playing soccer for four years now and this year it finally clicked.  The game became so much more clear to her and she really fell in love with the sport.  She LOVES playing goalie and is really quite good at it.  She scored over 5 goals this season and can't wait until next season.  

Alex hasn't been really into having birthday parties over the years but this year was special and she was really wanting to have a party.  She decided on a cooking party.  She loves anything that has to do with helping in the kitchen.  We invited some friends over and had them start the party off with making their own place mats.  

Eight year olds can be very creative!

I made them each an apron and hat and they were ready to start cooking AND eating.

The appetizer course was veggie kabobs and koolaid. 

Main course was Alex's favorite, personal pizzas.  

She got some fun gifts, including baking supplies for her Easy Bake.  She received a significant amount of cash and still hasn't decided what to spend it on.  All the choices!!

We ended the night with decorating personal heart shaped cakes. 

Alex is very meticulous with her sprinkles :)

First day of school 2011

I know I'm behind but I wanted to catch up with the pictures I have....

Jake started kindergarten this year!  He is loving every second and is doing really well.  He has been able to read since week one and never stops reading me signs on the side of the road, newspapers and anything he can get his hands on.  He has Alex's teacher she had for two years in a row and we just love that we know her so well and that Jake knew her quite well before school even started.

 I wasn't prepared for losing two of my kids this year.  It was kind of a shock to me and how much time they really are away from me.  This last summer was so crazy full, I felt like we were always together and had so much time spent with one another.  When school started it was weird to go from the four of us to just the two.  

This was Kinder roundup, where they go in the week before school starts for a few hours.  He was really excited!

Alex, my big 2nd grader.  She is always ready for school to start.  She loves to learn new things and strives to make each year her best!  I don't have to do much to keep her on track, she is a natural at loving all things school.  I wish I could say she got it from me, but her dad loves school as well.   

The look of "Mom, seriously just let me go to school already!" He was ready to go!  

He wasn't crazy over the idea of me staying and taking pictures when I dropped him off, but I just couldn't help it.

This is what me and my little friend do while Alex and Jake are at school......  play dress up and...

go have lunch with the kids at school.