Happy Thanksgiving!

I know four people I'm especially thankful for!

We made these at home on Tuesday.  Leon refused to wear his.  Next time I'll know not to even make him one, because I pretty much did the whole thing for him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trick-or-Treat

Trick-or-treating went really well this year.  Just as we were ready to take the kids around the neighborhood it started raining a bit harder and Bob started feeling not well.  So I told him to sit down and rest and the kids and I went out alone for just about 15 minutes.  It was about 5:30, so a little early, but I really wanted to get some pictures of the kids.  It was perfect.  We went to a few houses then got in the car and drove to our wards trunk-or-treat.

Bob started feeling better right when we got there.  So he sat and passed out candy while I herded the zoo animals around.  They did really good at saying "trick-or-treat" and then "thank you."  Except every once in a while Scarlett would get excited and shout "candy."  Leon even started saying the magic words.  After that we drove back to our neighborhood and did a few more houses.

Going to houses is harder then the cars but it feels more authentic to me so I still like it.  Leon was slow up and down all the steps and there were a few houses the kids were just too scared to go to.   We set out a bowl of candy on our porch because we were gone most of the night and I don't think we got too many trick-or-treaters because when we got back most of the candy was still there.  Maybe one day when the kids are older we can decorate the house really scary and try to actually scare the kids who come around. 

Halloween Costumes

Happy Halloween!

This year we got most of the kids costumes from Good Will.     We are a Zoo Family.  Bob and I are zoo keepers and all the kids are animals.  I borrowed mine, Bob's, and Penelope's costumes so it was really easy.  I didn't put nearly as much effort into it as last year, but I still love how it turned out.  So If you need a fun and easy family theme halloween costume idea you could always do zoo animals.  I even joked about Bob also being an animal and me being the lone zoo keeper, but I'm pretty sure I would be a bad zoo keeper on my own and the animals would all escape.

Tucker loves his costume.  He found this monkey costume that he really wanted and because it wasn't bloody and it looked warm I went ahead and let him get it.

Penelope doesn't love her costume because it falls over her face and she really just wanted to be a princess.  I think it is cute though and it will keep her warm.  Sometimes you just have to go with the family theme.  I try to make sure next year she gets to be something she really wants. And I'm going to let her wear her princess dress earlier in the day to her dance class and to the library trick-or-treat.

Scarlett also loves her Lady Bug costume but she keeps taking the wings off.  She is the only one I will have to worry about getting cold.  She found it at good will the same time Tucker got his.

Leon thinks his horse costume is fun.  Whenever I try to take it off he keeps trying to put it back on.  Part of me thinks he just loves everyone's reactions to him when he wears it.  We all just smile at him and so he smiles back and thinks it is fun. 

His works out well because sometimes he gets down on the floor and then the costume just looks that much funnier.

I love Halloween and am excited to take the kids trick-or-treating.

How to Host a Murder

Last weekend we hosted a dinner murder mystery party.  We went to one a few years ago and thought it was really fun and wanted to do it again.  The theme was An Affair to Dismember.  I loved it because all the characters were based off of monsters.

Bob and I were Balihi- The Rogersandhammerstein Monster and Lizzie Bordeaux- the Gothic business women suspected of murdering her parents.  Notice my giant engagement ring and Bob's neck bolts?

We also had Angela Deth, DDS and Hannibal Schecter.

Glumda, The Wicked Witch of DePressed and Asthmadeus, The Prince of Dimness

And lastly Aretha Garlique and The Mummy of King Aldrinktotat.

The party went really well and we figured most of the mystery out.  I would love to do it again next year and we still have the game if anyone would like to trade or just have it.

Pumpkin Patch

While in Puyallup we made a stop at the Scholz Farms.  I heard this pumpkin patch had the most free things so I thought I'd give it a try.  And everyone was right, the kids loved this place.  It was just past the more expensive more crowded Spooner farms and the kids loved it.  I think Spooner farms is fun, but if you are looking for something different I would definitely recommend Scholz.  They played for over an hour and we didn't spend a dime.

Plus it seemed like the place was loaded with picture spots.

We even got to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

And a gingerbread man.

They had a small but free corn maze.  Now that our family is getting older the kids aren't always free and so I'm all for a smaller but free corn maze.  It wasn't difficult at all but the kids liked it.  (Spooner farm corn maze would have cost us $34).  And probably every couple years I would be up for paying the extra for the harder bigger maze.  But its just not something we need to do every year.

They had little outdoor cars and cozy coops for the kids to ride around.  They had hoola hoops and even a bowling set for the kids to play with.

The tractor seemed to be the kids favorite though.  Penelope was a little scared that it would start rolling and there was a bit of fighting about who got to drive, but not too much.

Leon was happy running down and in between the rows of pumpkins.

We got lucky and the weather turned out great.  It had rained...no poured right before we left.  I was worried we were going to get soaked.  But the opposite was true.  It even got so warm we all took our coats off.

They had different animals including wilber the pig.  But it was the chickens the kids loved.  We fed them right out of our hands.  That was an experience because some of them were nice and just got the food.  Others bit hard and totally bit my palm.  I think we were just supposed to throw the food in but that was way less exciting.  Bob wants to get chickens.  Maybe in our next house we can get a few.

I love holidays and making memories with our kids. I think Fun family activities and traditions that we repeat year after year are the things my kids will remember when they grow up.  These are the things that will bind us together as a family.  Just like the family proclamation says "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

Watch What I'm Wearing

Last Sunday I dressed in our countries colors.  I know it was after the holiday but I just couldn't resist.

Shirt: Ross Skirt: eshakti  Shoes: Japan

Leon matched with my outfit and wanted to pose with me.

Here's Bob and his brother being weird.  They don't exactly fit the theme, but I wanted to post it anyway.

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Happily Howards

An InLinkz Link-up

Road Trip

Over 4th of July weekend we drove to Spokane and visited my sister's family.  Actually Bob's brother met us there from Rexburg so we got to hang out with him as well.  I picked up Bob from work on Thursday and we headed straight over.  The sky was beautiful.

It was pretty late by the time everyone arrived so we just went to bed.  On friday we went to a friends party and it was a lot of fun.  She had a bounce house, pool, and a slip and slide.  Everyone had a blast.  I even did the slip and slide and it went a lot faster then I thought it would.

Waterside videos.



Here is Scarlett and my sister.

 I was so proud of Penelope for going into the pool.  I thought she would be so scared because it went up to her chin when she was on her tippy toes.  I actually didn't think she would get in at all.  But she did.  At first she would only hold onto the edge and she had a noodle.  But before long she didn't need that at all.

 Scarlett and Leon were happy with the kitty pool.

I didn't get any pictures but after the BBQ we had s'mores on a fire. mmm... my favorite!  Then we headed home.  The kids didn't get a nap and there was no way they were going to stay up for fireworks.  Maybe next year.

Happy 4th

Happy Independence Day!  I'm out spending time with family.

Check out this beautiful firework picture I found of the space needle.