AUTUMN OR WINTER???

The weather has been intense lately- any break in the rain/snow and we bundle up and go outside. The other day the kids could see their friends playing outside and really wanted to go out too. So, we bundled up- it takes forever to get on coats, hats, boots, gloves, etc. By the time we got outside, they had gone in already because it was too cold to play. It has been in the low 40's! This didn't stop my children, however, as you can see by the smiles on their faces that they are excited to not be cooped up! The picture of the dog that Elijah is so fond of is our new neighbor "in training." He is learning how to work for the family who is training him- he is seriously the most patient dog as all of the kids hang all over him! And as a side note, the 14-month old has learned to run! He was playing hide and go seek with Noelle last night calling her name and running to find her-so funny! AHHH! its going too fast! Have a good week!

STUFFED ANIMALS

Every child needs a security "something" I believe... something that they love, that makes them feel at home. Our first 2 as babies and toddlers were pacifier kids. We have tried blankets, and yes they like their blankets, but they have never REALLY taken to them individually. Within the last few month our kids have discovered the softest items in our house and have fallen in love with them. Every year My Aunt Nancy who lives in Oregon now, sends stuffed animals for the kids from a boutique called JoAnn's in Sacramento. I am convinced that these special animals are the softest stuffed animals I have every felt. Corom has attached onto a black dog, that he named Sweet Bo Bo dog and Percy the Penguin (who is actually Elijah's). Noelle has Addie the Cow (named after her 2nd cousin in CA who she talks about all the time) and Angel the dog. Each has a special spot in her bed and they come to the breakfast table and often get their own chair. And Elijah, who has never taken to any objects in particular, has fallen in love with 2 of the doggies. You put him in his bed with a dog in each arm and he is happy as a clam. Funny that we can hear him "Talking" to his dogs in the morning and when we hold them up he "Barks" at them. I LOVE IT! Thanks Aunt Nancy!

Not a baby any more...

Elijah started walking a few weeks ago and immediately ditched his "Baby" status. He is climbing, undoing cupboards and pantries, flushing the toilet and wanting to do whatever his siblings are doing. Tonight the kids (including Dan) were watching Toy Story 3 with the door closed and Elijah kept knocking on the door like, "Excuse me...did you forget I was out here?" We took him to gymnastics today and he did literally every trick that the toddlers were doing- every roll, bar trick, balancing on the beam and wanting Corom to bounce him on the trampoline. Lastly, tonight I was reading him stories and he was repeating my words, "balloon, ball, Elmo, hat, dog, duck. This is all exciting, but I don't know if I am ready for my baby to grow up so fast!

UPDATE!

My update begins last Friday night when my football-loving husband along with some of the other husbands decided to camp out over night outside the ticket booth at the University to get a crack at the ticket handout Saturday morning. It included a cold night with wristband checks every few hours, but he did it.. he got tickets to the Utah vs. TCU game! That Saturday was Halloween, and a rainy one at that. The costumes came together beautifully! We bundled up and trick-or-treated at the local shopping center. (A yearly favorite) As long as we were under canopies, we were able to dodge the rain. We got a bite to eat and went over to my Grandma and Grandpa's home across town to show off our costumes and trick or treat a little more in the neighborhood. Our buckets were heavy by the end of the night and the kids had a blast!

It has been a busy week as Dan has been wrapping up some major research projects for school. Such is evidence that he is almost done with his graduate coursework- yeah! On Wednesday night we called to ask his dad if he might be willing to fly out to watch the kids for the football game today. He hopped on a plane the next day- amazing I know. The kids were so excited! We have had a wonderful time. We went to the game today and yes, we lost by a lot! It was my first game though, I loved it and was so nice to have a day with Dan and friends! THANKS to the kid's PAPA for coming to give us this experience!

PICTURE POST- NEED A GOOD LAUGH???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY OLDER SISTER NIKKI! We love you and wish we were there to play with you today. Have a Happy ____! I won't say how old, but you'll always turn the number first- ha ha!

What a week! It's going to be hard work bundling and toting kids around in the snow. Good thing they think its fun! Today we had a joy school preschool party. GREAT FUN! Thanks to all who planned it. Here are some pics of our kids in their costumes!

WINTER WONDERLAND

We woke up today and are covered in a blanket of snow. I am realizing how ill prepared I am for winter. We need to get to storage to see if snow boots and bibs still fit these growing kids. Noelle and Corom are in awe and have been staring out the window since they woke up. A great way to celebrate Halloween, if only we can make the costumes a little more weather-proof! Have a great day!

2nd post of the day

2nd post of the day! Hope I'm inspiring you all to update your own. We have kicked into Halloween mode. Last night we decorated pumpkins. The kids colored and Dan carved. We have a tradition of scooping out the guts and stripping the babies into their diapers to have a "sensory experience." When Noelle was a baby she loved it. Corom didn't care for it and last night Elijah screamed and made a mad dash to get out of the kitchen. We drank hot apple cider and had planned on doing caramel apples, but decided to save that project for its own night!

Today we did a joy-school field trip to Heritage Park. SO FUN! Oh, I feel so lucky to have such good friends and that our kids love each other to. The chill is starting to hit the air. They say its supposed to snow on Monday, so it was a perfect day for an outing! If you haven't had a chance to watch the video in the below post, take a moment to scroll down! Hope you are all enjoying your week!