Hoopes-McBride Halloween

We were invited to the Hoopes and McBride Annual Halloween Party. Typically I'm not a huge fan of dressing up and acting silly. It gives me anxiety to try and get a costume together that is not just lame. Since I was sick all week, this one was put together last minute but was easier than Ken and Barbie. So we went as Kenny Rogers and Dolly. I have to admit that it was actually fun to dress up and go to a party. I cant remember ever going to a costume party. We had a blast and laughed so hard our stomachs ached!Eric and Sharman Justin and Christina

Eric pretending he is Santa Claus and me thoroughly embarrassed!

Chad and Lisa

Chad and Eric getting down. So funny Eric danced the night away and most of that was alone. Chad decided to show him some moves:)

This skit was performed to perfection. I cant remember laughing this hard for a while. Both of them fit the part to a T.

Thanks again to Amanda for letting me borrow her amazing dress. Since the shoes were 3 sizes to small up at girls camp I figured I would get some that fit. I went to Payless thinking what are the chances and lo and behold. In my size I see some hot pink stilettos on clearance for 3 dollars. I think it was meant to be that I have some shoes of my own to go with this dress since it seems to be becoming a fav. Thanks Chad for being a good sport.

Halloween Traditions

The week of Halloween I was down with a cold and some serious congestion most of the week. I had a migraine starting Monday which I had through Wed. By Thurs I had no choice but to get all the loose ends tied up for costumes. Our ward Trunk or Treat was Thurs night and I still needed a couple things for each kid and candy. I was able to get what had to be done taken care of and it all worked out just fine. Ty decided she wanted to be Jasmine months ago and it never wavered. B was with her dad on the actual day so we just did something easy for the ward party. Steph and Jen are always including us in the girls plans and I could not have been happier than when they informed me that they took care of getting B's costume made. Tate chose Indiana Jones and there was no changing his mind. I'm not sure he even knows who Indiana Jones is but he wanted the whip that came with the costume. I didn't get a pic of them together but all in all I thought their costumes turned out cute. Ty fell asleep for an hour before the party and she was quite the ice queen when I woke her up. She did finally get happier as the trick or treating started. I could not get over how much her dark wig changed her appearance! She kept telling me how beautiful she was and that she wants her hair like this from now on. Tate is always being a goof ball and making me laugh. He insisted on putting up his "Go Devils" sign for pics the entire night.
B and M were car hop girls that worked at Sonic. I thought it was a cute idea and B was so excited to wear her roller blades. She did wipe out numerous times but nothing to severe. She may need to practice staying on her feet though if she ever has a tray in hand:)

On Monday that same week while I was in bed certain me head was going to explode the Lambs had their pumpkin carving party. I was so bummed I was not able to make it. We had such a good time doing it last year and it was fun to see the kids in their excitement. Chad was a trooper and took the kids to brave carving 3 pumpkins with them. I sent the camera and got a few pics but I wont complain, I'm certain he had his hands full! Tate chose the headless horseman for his pumpkin. Tylees was Cinderella in a carriage and B did a way cute pumpkin. They all turned out great! I wish Id thought to take a picture of them on our porch. Owell right!!

Here is Ty seriously pontificating what she wanted to carve on hers. Honestly the girl has the funniest personality.

Tate has the look of perfect contentment on his face. He always does when he is with his dad. It does not matter what the activity entails whether its work or play, he is just happy to hang out with dad.

I would say from this face she is happy with the results of her pumpkin.
Thank you Lamb family for continuing on with this tradition. We love to spend good quality time with our friends. I am so grateful that Chad and I have friends who have similar desires and goals as we do. They love our kids and take the mayhem that comes with in stride. We are so blessed! I appreciate Chad so much and the dad that he is to our kids. They will never doubt where they stand with him. He constantly shows them how much he loves them and plays an extremely active role in their everyday. I am truly blessed to have a husband who is a man that takes pride in loving and caring for his family.

Cousins

I am so behind and I keep saying I'm going to keep up with our happenings better. So for now I am in catch up mode till I am caught up. During the fall break we had the Cutchen kids for a week. My kids, especially Tate had a count down for about 3 weeks till they came to stay. We had a blast that week. We didn't do much but play outside and ride quads and bikes. There were many games of whiffle ball, 2 hand touch football, frisbee, just to name a few. We also went to a fun Halloween Party at the Edwards. The entire time Tate was wanting to help me with Tyson and has now informed me he wants a little brother! My kids couldn't have had a more entertaining break. I was glad to have the Cutchen kids stay with us. I know when we go to Hawaii I will have peace of mind knowing my kids will be taken care of and loved in our absence.
This scene was a welcomed one come about 8pm:) I was pretty much beat by that time and needed some quiet. I love that they are all so close and love to be together. That's the way it should be!

Parker Family Reunion

A few weekends ago we were able to go to the Parker Family Reunion up by Clint's Well. About 30 min or so from Flagstaff. The weather was beautiful and we didn't have much of a storm at all. We rented a motor home from some friends to avoid getting drenched in a tent for the 2nd year in a row. Even though the weather did not call for us to need an RV it was nice to have a toilet and shower nonetheless. We enjoyed hours of quad riding and rides in the rhinos. The kids haven't cared much to ride with it being 110 degrees out so it was nice to have wide open space to take advantage of. The camp site was awesome and perfect for all 70 of us who came this year. I was glad that so many people came. It was so good to see those that we have missed the past years. I took this pic of Gram and thought it turned out great. Nana Parker is the greatest grandma. I cant think of someone who is more giving of her time and talents than she is. I think if it wasn't for Nana we would not have any blankets in our home. I appreciate her loving example and the great person she is. I truly feel so blessed because i am one of hers through marriage. I am so thankful that my children have been fortunate enough to know her. Some kids don't get to know much about their great grandparents. My kids not only know her but LOVE her and know that she loves them. We are blessed because of her!!!!The greatest Father in law!Reed planned so many fun events for us to all take part in. It was a competition between all the kids and all the adults. We started out learning some new skills and practicing them a bit. After that we started the rotation and were scored on each event. The Kerby's showed everyone how to rope while Kevin taught us his awesome skill with a bow and arrow. I was excited to learn how to shoot a bow since I had never done that before. We finished the comp off with a 3 legged race an egg toss and the gunny sack race. The competition was fierce I will add and i think the only events I did any good in were shooting the bow and the egg toss. It was a great time though and the kids had a blast. Tate was trying so hard. He is just a tad competitive and these activities out of his comfort zone were a challenge. I was glad all the kids got a prize or he may still be upset. This pic underneath is him rolling. Too funny!Ty needed a little help keeping the bag up and hopping. She thought is was so fun and has been hopping around the house in a pillow case ever since.Kevin with his fancy bow. I was quite impressed with all his gear and how accurate he is. Jace being a good uncle and showing us how to get it done in the roping dept. By the looks of Tate's shirt I would say his day was fulfilled. I couldn't quite get that shirt back to its normal white self:) I had to post these next few pictures because I thought they were funny. Roanan was so sweet to Ty and was happy to be her partner in the 3 legged race. Actually he was her partner for everything. Sorry Roanan I think you may have been at a slight disadvantage:) Either way he was happy to work with her. She was not sure what the 3 legged race was all about. I just told her to hold on and try to walk. The 1st step she fell down and started crying. With help from parents they finished but she was mad at me. She wouldn't stop crying until I untied her leg.
See how sweet he was, he was totally concerned with her being upset. After the races I think she realized she found a new friend and they were inseparable the rest the time.
Uncle Doug with all of his cute babies.

I must add the food was quite delicious. I went up there thinking we were only doing 2 meals together and the rest we were on our own for. I was mistaken and could not have been happier. We ate like royalty. There is nothing better than breakfast outside and over the fire. Ty and Ridge thought they were so funny all weekend making faces instead of smiling at me. It was actually funny to see them talk about how they were going to both make silly faces at me. We are so lucky to have cousins that are all close by and that our kids are such good friends with.

We had such a good time and I am excited to see what next year brings.

Brooklyn For V.P.

B decided at the beginning of the year that she wanted to run for student council. I knew it would be a good experience for her but as a mom I was worried about it. Her little heart can be so tender so I felt best to explain that just because she was running for VP didn't mean she would win. There were 7 other kids running for it and I just wanted her to understand the possibilities. She was aware of how it all worked and still wanted to do it regardless of how the cookie crumbled. She told me on Sunday that Monday, the next day she was supposed to have 10 signs to hang up in the halls and stickers to pass out. We were at my parents for dinner and Summer helped me make stickers and then when we got home I was up until 4am making posters. We got them taped up at the school and prepared for her speech. We made a t-shirt that said vote Brooklyn 4 Vice Pres. She did such a great job on her speech and didn't even seem nervous. They actually video taped the speeches and then played them the next day. I'm sure that helped not having to do it live. Needless to say she won and is having a blast. There are extra responsibilities that come along with her position but she sails through all of it. Her grades are excellent and she manages to get it all in and still have time to be a kid. Good Job B we love you and are so proud of you. Keep up the good work!
Ty was so excited to go cheer for B as her speech was played in the cafeteria for all to see. She kept clapping and saying theres Brooklyn.I had to document this picture of B because she was so embarrassed that I was taking a picture of her. I didn't think that kids were to cool for their moms quite yet. Any how I thought it was funny and I know that she loves me regardless if she is to cool for me:)