Halloween updates and growing up updates

Today it took about a half hour to walk home from church because Hattie stops and smells every flower, sits down and writes in her book in the grass, sits on a bench, plays in the rocks. Hehe and Freddie complains about walking the whole way hahaha. Oh, then, poor boy, he was having fun, kicking up rocks, and got one stuck in his eye. It was horrible. He wouldn't let me touch it and was flipping out. Finally we said a prayer and by miracle, he got it out himself. Phew. The whole trip was just taking forever and I was starving and had to pee.  I had to bribe them both w a Halloween craft when we got home, and It worked!!! 

Here's the craft....

Hattie enjoyed putting all the stickers on except the bats; wouldn't touch them. And Fred just took the tape across every surface he could. So fun to just watch them. We crafted and ate and then Collin got home (he was learning about his new calling) and we all napped 2 hours, even Dot with us in the bed. It was nice. We got up and decorated for Halloween and then CS made dinner while I was a slave driver and had the kids pick up the house. They get distracted but we have been trying to do this a lot and they are getting better and better. Freddie is a hard little worker, actually. 

(Pictured above^^^our third Halloween together. And first as a married couple in 2009, Provo.)

We ate grilled burritos for dinner and they were so good. More crafting!! Then bath time while Carmel popcorn was made and we headed down to the basement to watch a short (30 min) movie on Netflix called Room on the Broom, about a nice witch who lets more and more friends on her broom. It was really fun. Then bedtime. I pretty much go to bed w the kids and then wake up at 12ish to drink water and pee and go back to sleep. 

The weather here is hot and weird. It's getting cooler though. Our yard looks so pretty. The grass is green, flowers fall colors. Leaves are changing on trees everywhere. The Capitol lawn is so pretty and we love to go hunt for fallen pods (they look like dragonfruit) and squish the large seeds out of them. 

^^^This morning before church. Freddie loves his new church jacket so much. Hattie loves her new shoes. Fred just grew out of his 3T pants he's been wearing for a while and we got him a bunch of 4T a month ago and now they are all getting short on him!!! And he had grown out of his shoes we just got him when we moved here (2 months ago!!) Hattie is growing so big too. It's so weird and fun to see them grow up and become more and more aware. Freddie is becoming a kid now. I can have conversations with him and ask him things and he asks "why?" to everything. He also seems to be preparing to learn to read and has been asking about how everything is spelled and what letters it start with and what letters sound like. Hattie is very sweet and caring and also wants boundaries and gets frustrated and hits when she can't express herself. She's working on using her words more. It's funny because we remember Freddie going through this in his own way so we recognize more easily that it's a phase that she will grow out of. It still gets frustrating for us though!! And fun too: she repeats everything and talks so much. She wakes up talking in her sleep and saying the funniest stuff. They both want to say a prayer at every prayer time and Fred first says the fastest prayer ever and then will help Hattie while she repeats and gives her the most flowery elaborate specific prayers ever. And she throws in things too. It's so hilarious and sweet. They say thank you for things even when they are asking..."and thank for for that we can be nice and have a good day." Hahhaah. :)

They are so excited about the baby. They talk about him or her...Freddie says "she" always...and can't wait to hold her. He asks things like, "is your water going to pop???" "Is it going to pop right now??" "Is the baby going to fall out???" Haha. I try to prepare them by telling them that I'll be in bed nursing the baby all day and the baby will cry and sleep and eat all day and they will have to play together and be quiet and Fred has to read books to Hattie hehe. And oh boy I hope Hattie can learn to share! She will have to! We have been reading a book about night weaning, which will happen before May, and I keep just telling her the baby will get to nurse too. Fred tells her how it is and how the baby will get this side and Hattie will get this side and how he used to nurse when he was a baby too. They are happy kids. 

Our goal this week is playing with friends. We have been having lots of fun together but both kids have mentioned they miss AZ and friends. Me too!!! So we are going to try harder to get together w people and make new friends in our ward. There are some really nice people we are starting to get to know. Not tons of kids but a few! Oh and our other goal is getting our Halloween costumes in order!!

the holidays

The holidays in 2014 were a slight blur. Everything was great and festive and fun. I felt the Christmas spirit and enjoyed time w my family. But it was so busy! Any and all routines were thrown out the window and we are still paying for that, in February! This year, I've made a goal to edit a little more and make more of a priority to keep even just a little normalcy for my kids' sake, and my sanity too. It's hard when you love to party and you don't want to say no to anything. But the kids will also be another year older, so it might be a little easier.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years 2014...

cheerleader and ninja

OCTOBER! Halloween!

October is over! November is here: the month of thanksgiving, our 5th anniversary, just days and weeks before our jumping Bean joins the family on the outside!! GIVING BIRTH SOON!
I'll now be posting a giant post about October, Halloween etc. This spooky month was pretty good to us.

Family story time for crazies

Fred didn't take a nap till 1 today since we were at a bday party this afternoon. We all ended up napping for a very very long time. Fred woke up super cranky crazed and wanted the caterpillar book. Fine. Then he starts shouting out demands like, "PUT THAT DOOOOWN."


Nuts o.

Halloween in our front yard

And more.....boooooo wahaahahaha!!!

http://c.anyvideo.co/v?VBLTZIJNJD

^^we were chaperones at the youth Halloween dance and went as POP ART.

It was fun but teenagers are crazy and I'm terrified to ever have one.

D. Finn^^

My man going nuts on the dance floor.

My fav #1 costume of the night: Finn from adventure time. Genius. 

My pumkpin heads.

Happy October!!!!!!

Its here..... eeeeeeeeeeheheheheheheee!

Eyeball eating

We are a pro candy corn family!!! This was Fred's first experience w it and he fully approves!!!

Happy spooking to you........

The weather; the times; the life; the mind

Beautiful day today. Uh oh, it's happening. Every year around this time it starts getting gorgeous and cool and it's Halloween (my favorite holiday), and we drive with the windows open and walk to all the antique shops and love Phoenix and forget how miserable summer is. Well man, it's getting really nice out. This morning was 84 and we went to our favorite park and sat in the grass and watched the airplanes land. Then friends came to join us and Frederick was in heaven with all the kids around. He loves playing and being with "friends."
I love being with other adults! This summer was hard and lonely/depressing at times because we had to stay in doors so much with the heat + pregnancy. Plus everyone was so busy. But with the nice weather will come much more to do.

I'm so excited for this season, getting ready for Christmas and our next baby and Collins family visiting. I feel very happy right now. And with that and some photos, dot and I are going to nap. Fred is down for the count.

More blog posts soon on our trip to St George and Freddie's second birthday!

A little murder; a little mystery

inspiration....






Last weekend we went to a murder mystery party at the home of dear friends, Emily & Micah D. It was set in 1936 and I played Ali, famous writer of very realistic murder novels--a little TOO realistic. Collin played Rog, long lost son and now heir of the late billionaire, Sir Rogers.

It was a night of deception, accusation, and most of all, murder.

Pretty fun stuff.

Oh! And Collin was totally the murderer. Muwahahaha!!!

And I'm super interested in CL Moore after reading up in her for my part. I got one of her books and will start it as soon as I finish Northanger Abbey, which we are now reading for book club.