Halloween 2010

It's a tradition -- every year, we meet with as many friends as we can to take a picture in front of the old pioneer cabin in Morgan before all the trick-or-treating begins. It's turning into a fun thing I look forward to seeing every year - just like the picture of when the kids go to the mall and sit on Santa's lap. It's a picture that is so fun to look at year after year to see how everyone is changing and growing. It will be great for embarrassing them and their friends when they're older!
Chloe was a rockin' bat this year. I tried so hard to steer her towards all the gorgeous pettiskirt-princess creations on etsy, but when she saw this outfit, it was love at first sight for her. The purple and black striped tights really rocked her world!
Notice the broken wing? That's because we LIVE for Halloween around here and have to try things on for everyone that comes over to our house!
Jake is so in love with all the Spiderman movies (just like Sam was!), and had to have the outfit with all the muscles so he could "punch all da bad-guys in da face!"
Sam went for scary and a little bloody with the Grim Reaper costume, and Colten took off with his friends as soon as we finished with the first picture - so I didn't see him the rest of this night! He was a hunter that got mauled by a bear. Lovely.
If I could wear a costume everyday, all day long, it would be just like Jake's Spiderman costume. He LOVES it! Can you tell he feels awesome?!?!
I love how Morgan is so safe, and how the whole community comes out to see everyone and to trick-or-treat at all the businesses. It's one of my favorite days of the year (and this year, it wasn't even on the actual trick-or-treating day - which rained like crazy!).
Chloe's preK teacher found us - she was all dressed up like Mrs. Potato Head! Chloe LOVES her and going to preK!




This is Chloe's new pose she does for me whenever I have the camera around my neck. Lovely, huh?!?!


This was the actual Halloween night - so dark and cold and rainy! It was such a switch from the day before - which was gorgeous! Sam needed something a little warmer - so he got mauled by a bear, too!
Trey Miles came over to go with us. He looked pretty natural as Bob Marley! We downloaded a few songs of his to get the kids fully educated on what to be singing that night for Trey!


We joined up with Jake's little buddy, Jack - so they could figure out the whole trick-or-treating thing together. At first, Jake wasn't too sure about what was going on - the rain was just so distracting, but as soon as he realized that he got candy at everyone's front door, he was off! Nothing could keep him from those doorbells, and he LOVED the haunted house/porch!!! It was funny!
For some reason, Jake kept showing me his bum! He wouldn't walk until I took a picture of his "cute bum!" So, does this mean that I pinch it too much these days?!?!? He's got a GREAT opinion of his little body and his "cute bum"!



I love Halloween! It's so fun to see the kids getting all dressed up and everything! My older boys are getting to that age where they just run off with their friends, but I feel a lot safer having them up here in Morgan where there's almost no crime. We always find them . . . eventually!

Sam's Football Team 2010

Sam started playing football this past year. It was such a great experience for him! Having 2 hour practices 4 days a week, and having to really follow some serious direction from the coaches, ended up being the best thing in the world for him. He just lived for it and loved it all. He never complained about getting ready for practice or anything - so I am a big fan of intense organized sports like football -- they teach the kids a lot about life! He also got to have his dad be one of the coaches, so it was a great thing for them to be together so much. It was Sam's first time getting his dad as his coach, and he loved every second.
His friends also all played - so that was a huge perk for him. At recess, they'd all go out to play football and somehow Sam and Branson and Taft would end up on one team and the other team would have like 15 other kids, but the weird thing was that was how they picked it! Joe witnessed one game at recess that was probably the most unfair and completely illegal game ever - and it was the little trio that ran all over the other team. I guess with football, aggression goes a long way!
Here's Sam with one of his best buddies, Branson. They were pretty tough!
Joe was a great coach for them. He was in charge of defense, and when the boys would completely shut the other teams down, he would get a little bit excited. Okay . . . . really excited!

So, Sam is not a big kid. He's only like 53 pounds, but what he lacked in size, he more than made up for in drive! He held his own and was really helpful to the team! He played running back and defensive end, and he never got hurt - he just constantly surprised me by how hard he hit the other guys. He loved it! Joe shaved off his beautiful hair for football. I think I almost cried! It turned him into quite the little thug on the football field!
Really, I have to say that I was quite surprised that he was as focused as he was with all of the talks from the coaches, and all the plays he had to memorize, and all the exercise he had to do at practice!







They boys would even go and get dressed for football just so Joe would throw them a few passes in the backyard on the off-days.
I loved these pictures of Joe talking to Sam during the big tournament game. He and Joe really bonded throughout the whole season.


Branson and Sam are such corn-balls!

First day of school

I look forward to the time of year that school starts! I love how excited the kids are, I love how they get to see all of their friends at recess, and I love how they get a little time apart from each other!



Every morning after the boys leave the house to walk to the bus stop next door, Chloe and Jake race into the living room to watch for the bus. They are both SO excited for the time they'll be old enough to ride the bus to school (for Chloe, that's just next year!!!). As soon as the bus picks the boys up . . .

. . . . they run to the front door to wave "goodbye" to them as it passes. One time last year, Chloe wasn't dressed - just in her Ariel undies - and was so desperate to wave to the boys, that she ran outside (without me knowing!) all the way to the driveway, covering her little "booboos" with one arm and waving with the other. I know there were a few laughs on the bus that morning! Thank goodness everyone on the bus is in our ward - even the driver - and they weren't too freaked out by the naked 4-year-old waving at the bus!

After school started for the boys, and since preschool wasn't starting for another week, and the fact that this year I've been pregnant with twins, I've had the itch to clean out every single closet and dark little corner of the house because I have very low expectations for my cleaning abilities once I have 2 newborns to take care of. So, I found some moon sand in one of the closets - tucked into the back and out of sight. I was feeling adventurous and needed to clean out the closet in a big way, so I needed something for the little kids to play with to keep them happy while I was cleaning. I didn't think it would be quite as crazy as it turned out. Moon sand isn't really a good indoor toy, I found out. The kids had a ball, but after I got the closet cleaned out and gorgeous, I found this awesome mess! Jake had figured out that moon sand is fun to throw!
For some reason, I really can't remember where the moon sand ended up after I cleaned it all up! My poor kids lose things (that I don't like) when I get on a cleaning rampage - sorry guys!

Colten's Football Team 2010

Colten loves football. He looks forward to it all year. His best friends all play and most of them got to be on the same team this year! This was Cole's first year without Joe as one of his coaches, but he loved all of the other coaches - so he had a GREAT year! He is number 44 (so the second to last one on the right of these pics).


I went to all of his games, but I was video-taping most of the games, so most of my pictures of just of him during the half-tie break or after the games.

Sometimes, Chloe and Jake needed some breaks from all the football - so during some of the breaks, I'd take them over to the playground when the games were near the playgrounds.
Chloe was too scared to go down this slide (I was a little nervous myself!), but Jake hit it full force and I had to run to catch him at the bottom sometimes because it would just SHOOT him out! I swear it was like 2 stories high!!!!
Here's a few of his friends --Bowen, Alex, Cole, and Trey! They're feeling pretty good - the other team didn't score a single point! Actually, I think they went undefeated until the championships!



Colten, Bowen and Trey. They're REALLY good friends!

They played really well at the championship game, but it was still a hard loss. Cole tried not to be sad, but he was disappointed.

Chloe was always such a happy person at all the games - she'd just find some other kids to play with and was always in good spirits - she's such a blessing to me!!!!!