Happy Halloween 2015

For Halloween this year, my parents made a last minute trip up to Portland to stay with us for the day and celebrate Halloween.  The boys had soccer games that morning, so they went back and forth with us to their soccer games as well as Kallie’s up in Beaverton.  We were lucky that the rain pretty much held out through the games. 

We weren’t so lucky that night.  The rain started in the afternoon and didn’t let up.  Jake and Stacey came over with their kids for dinner, and we had mummy dogs, taco soup, and Cheetos bones courtesy of grandma.  (dinner pictures courtesy of Grandma too)

 

   

We were hoping the rain would let up, but it didn’t seem to be at all, so we finally put on our rain boots and rain coats, dug up as many umbrellas as we could find, and headed out.  The rain only seemed to get worse, but the kids didn’t seem to mind as they went from one house to the next, gathering candy.  Asher did get a little tired and wet, so he went home with Shane (and also so Shane could watch the Royals game), while we finished out the street and then headed home.  Of course, as we rounded the corner to our house, the rain let up to only a light drizzle, but by then the kids were tired and ready to call it a night.

All ready to go!  (with Kallie the cute photo bomber in the window)

 

It was too dark and rainy to get any great pictures of the kids that night, so I bribed them the next morning to put their costumes on and take some more quick photos.  They were great sports!

Madeleine in her cute Halloween outfit.

 

Asher the cowboy – costume handed down from year to year and now worn by all four boys.

 

James the Ninja Turtle

 

 

Landon and Davis as minions

   

James and Asher also insisted on a picture holding Madeleine too.  Don’t worry – I wasn’t too far away for these shots!

 

October Happenings

October was a fun month as we got to see Madeleine smile and grow more alert each day, and we had some beautiful fall weather to enjoy lots of outside time.

Watching General Conference:  We always do the conference store, where the boys earn a dollar for each talk they are quiet and listen to, and another dollar if they can tell something about the talk.  They were having a hard time remembering what to say at the end of each talk, so I told them they could take some notes or draw some pictures to go with it.  Here are some of their notes:  1.  James’s picture of the great and spacious building with the Holy Ghost on the top telling the right way to go, 2.  Landon’s notes to have faith, not use bad words, that our body is a temple, and to give it your all, 3.  Davis’s picture of the bike ride, 4.  James’s picture of the bike ride through the dark tunnel. 

       

The boys spending their conference cash, and Davis’s animals all set up watching conference with us.

 

For family night, we made Lego creations of some of the stories from conference.  The boys really enjoyed doing this and made some great Lego creations:  1.  The bike ride through the tunnel; 2.  Sister Stephens and the story of Chloe and her car seat; 3.  Elder Ballard’s talk on how to stay in Old Ship Zion; 4.  Elder Ketch and the surfers seeing the sharks beyond the barrier; 4.  Elder Haynie, the mud hole, and the grandma not letting him in until he was sprayed clean.

     

Enjoying our time with Madeleine – Asher loves hanging out with her all day while the boys were at school, and she looked super cute in her cherry pajamas that Grandma Morris got for her in France.

   

Beautiful October fall weather meant lots of fun afternoon playing in the neighborhood.

   

Davis lined up all the Lightning McQueen cars like this, Madeleine had her first Sunday at church (and I had my first Sunday back), and Asher was pretty stylin’ in his Nike gear from head to toe.

   

More time admiring Madeleine:

   

Precoa 1 mile run and 5K!  The boys did great, and Shane placed 2nd in the 5K.

     

Christie came to visit and to meet Madeleine!  We all loved having her here, especially Asher

   

A warm summer day at the truck park, and more admiring of Madeleine! (“Take a picture Mom!”)

   

Lots of cousins on the couch, and Davis and his best buddy Luke playing two-square on yet another beautiful fall afternoon.

 

Croissants and hot chocolate for breakfast, James the apple-pie assistant, and Shane’s set up for his all-nighter resolving an issue at work.

   

One tuckered out Madeleine, story time with a full lap, and sweet sleepy smiles.

   

Fun dressing up for our ward chili cook off, and I can’t seem to get enough of this cute girl sleeping in my arms.