Halloween Spooktacular

It's not even Halloween yet and we've already dressed up twice. We had a BUSY but FUN weekend. We had our ward Halloween party (which Primary was in charge of--thank goodness I have awesome counselors and teachers to HELP) and then our school Fall Family Festival was Saturday (I got to work in the popcorn booth--good thing I had all that movie theater experience). It was a crazy busy, stressful weekend...but we managed to have a lot of fun:) Now we have one more day to celebrate Halloween and then on to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Kya was a black cat

Jordan was a Hobo Zombie
(she made me take off the big gash I made on her forehead--I thought it looked awesome)

Tyson was a Ninja
(It took all of 3 min. for all the ties on his arms and legs to come undone)

Mike was our Canadian Hockey Player

And I was a pregnant lady...again:)

Here's the gym after decorating!! It turned out very cool!

Tyson is SIX

I can't believe he was ever this little!

But he is still "Mommy's Little Pumpkin".
Love this kid!!!

Now that my headache is gone....

Last week I went with Kya's school class on an overnight field trip to San Diego. We spent the night at the Wild Animal Park and then spent the next day at Legoland. I am just now recovering (a week later). I swear I got dehydrated from walking for 8 hours in 100 degree weather...imagine that. So, I have been dizzy and sporting a week long headache--not cool. Anyways, besides the aftermath, it really was a great trip.

Here's the whole class (48 kids) when we first got there!

We looked at some animals (it was amazing how close we were)
I finally gave in and let Kya spend $5 on an Icee...did I mention it was 100 degrees out?!
That Icee may have saved her life!!
Kya with some of her friends wearing their new shirts

Roasting Marshmallows when it finally started to cool down--look how happy she is:)

Heading in the tent...time for bed--yeah, right
Inside the tent
(Vivian, Kya & Kaela)
Gorgeous view of the park in the morning

It was worth the wait

Tyson hasn't had a birthday party with his friends since he was 3. It's not because I didn't want him to, he just never really asked for one, so I didn't suggest it:) This year though, he was really excited to celebrate with his buddies. Mike and I picked them up from school and took them to Adventureplex where they played hard for TWO HOURS!! We then took them back to our house for cake, presents and some backyard craziness. With all the energy that boys have, it was the perfect party.

All excited to go inside!!

Cake Time!!

I had to add a closer picture of the cake.
It turned our really yummy!!Some of the boys eating CakeOpening PresentsTyson's dream come true....MORE Pokeman cards!!

I'm a Country Girl

I know I live in Los Angeles, but inside I will always be a country girl. It's nice to find places to go to forget that we live in one of the biggest cities in the USA. We spent our Saturday at Riley's Farm in Oak Glen, CA.

Kya learned how to shoot an arrow

We went on a hayrideUmm...not sure what happened to Tyson:)We found marigoldsAnd cute little pumpkins

And BIG pumpkinsAnd Jordan even found a dog:)

Something Smells Good

One of my favorite things to do with my kids is bake. I don't do it that often though...want to know why? I'll tell you:

1) I have a small kitchen

2) It usually turns into a fight between the kids (one can't see, one didn't get enough turns, one wants to sit on the counter...you know where I'm going with this)

3) I don't want a lot of fattening stuff around the house (because when it's there, let's face it, I can't resist it!)

Now that I seem to have more times when some of the kids are gone and I am left with only one, and we have nothing to do, we bake. I love it...especially when it turns out yummy!!

And BTW, we have found some YUMMY treats on Pinterest!!

Back in Time

I have had a nasty head cold (ie. sinus headache) this past week and it has kept me away from the gym. So I have decided to use my time finishing off Tyson's baby book...since he is going to be SIX next month!! Anyways, it just felt like I jumped back 10 years sitting on the floor watching Friends and scrapbooking. Tyson's book is almost done, just about 6 or so pages to go, then I will have all 3 baby books finished. I looked through them all thinking about how different each one of my kids is, and how different I was when I made their books.


Jordan's book is the smallest. Most of the pages are filled with blurry (non digital) pictures and my own less-than-perfect hand writing. My scrapbooking skills were not great, and I didn't have much money to buy cute embellishments. I remember spending weeks searching for the perfect book to put the pages in. My sister (Lisa) even reminded me that I had sent her a package using the box from Jordan's baby book and I asked her to save it for me (and about 8 years later she still has it...saved for me). And Jordan's book was completely finished before her sister was born.

Kya's book was done at the height of my scrapbooking frenzy. This is probably one of the reasons Kya's book is the longest and most intricate. Another reason Kya's book is so big is that I got my first digital camera shortly after she was born, and who could resist making pages of multiple pictures in the same outfit:)! Another great thing about Kya's book is it has pictures of her with her big sister. When I bought the book to put Kya's pages in, I didn't anticipate it's enormous size! After trying to shove all the pages it, her book busted at the seam!! I scrambled to finish Kya's book before her little brother was born:)

Tyson's book is in between Kya and Jordan's in length. The pages are embellished with a lot of stickers and cutouts that are quick and easy. A lot of the spaces left for writing are empty because I can't quite remember what Tyson was like at 4 months or 6 months (I dropped the ball there, but some I wrote long ago). I think it is a little more fancy than Jordan's, but not as "busy" as Kya's (a perfect balance, in my opinion). Tyson's book was bought for about $5 and has been weathered by the sun (as I finish up his book, I'm a little worried it's not all going to fit).

Regardless of the differences between each book (hopefully the kids won't compare), they war each priceless. I am glad I made them...even though Tyson's has took me until his 6th birthday. I LOVE pictures. They are one of my favorite things, but mostly I just love my babies and the amazing people they are becoming!!!

(I typed the names on the books and saved it before I enlarged the font, so if you can't read it: Jordan's is top left, Kya's is top right, and Tyson's is on the bottom)

I didn't sign up for this

As a mom, I have a WIDE range of responsibilities, some I expected and others I've just had to accept. But there are still some things that I refuse to do.

Expected:

Regular house hold chores (dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, laundry etc.)

Making meals

Helping with homework, packing lunches, helping out at school.

Taking care of the kids

Accepted:

Paying the bills

Taking out the trash

Fixing clothes

Driving everyone everywhere

Resolving conflict

Refuse:

Ironing Mike's shirts (I do it sometimes, but it is HIS job)

Taking the car through emissions tests or to get fixed (I do take it to get the oil changed)

Cleaning the garage

Cleaning out poopy underwear (that's right, it goes in the garbage!!)

Cleaning out moldy Tupperware (I just can't do it)

Going anywhere near canned re fried beans!!! (Mike buys them and uses them to make burritos. I can't even be in the kitchen when he opens them or I will gag)

Just to let you know, there is a Tupperware sitting on my counter with moldy re fried beans in it. It is one of my nice Tupperware containers. I wonder how long it will sit there...

Me and the kiddos at SeaWorld
(love the way Tys is posing with the spray cheese)