Out and about

Fullback has been looking forward to going back to Cornbelly's for a year!  I was so happy to be able to make his dream come true.

This was Fullback's first time wanting to go down the big slide on his own and not in someone's lap...I would say from those giggles that it was a success

We love going to the Thanksgiving point museums...especially when no one is there for the first 20 minutes.  Literally, we had the place to ourselves for the first 20 minutes.

Mark took a day off of work to watch the littles so that I could go on a field trip with Shortstop.  I loved seeing him interact with his classmates and he loved having me there.  I overheard one of the kids in our group say "Jack, your mom is funny...I am glad I am in your group."  My son beamed with pride and reached out to hold my hand.  I felt pretty good about that.  We went to the Leonardo in Salt Lake but I think my favorite part was eating lunch with my boy on the grass and watching kids come over one by one to join us.  It was pretty cute.  With three kids I am finding out how important one on one time really is...for them and for me.

Family pictures

I have been wanting updated family pictures for a few months now but as life would have it, I kept putting it off and getting busier and busier.  The Saturday before Thanksgiving I decided I wanted new outfits for my kids for Thanksgiving day.  As I got home with them I realized they would be perfect for family pictures.  Not wanting to risk having them get ruined or stained I made an appointment for the Monday night before we left go go to my parents' house and off we went for family pictures.  They turned out great!  I am so in love with my kids, my heart feels like it will explode.

Mark and I always laugh because we think couple pictures are so cheesy...but as cheesy as this one is, we actually like it!  Probably because it isn't super posed...ok, his hand is posed but we are naturally laughing cause we are making fun of the other poses the photographer put us in.

"Yer a wizard, Harry"

How I love themed Halloweens!  A few months ago, Shortstop said he wanted to be Harry Potter for Halloween.  At first Fullback wanted to be a ghost but after discussing it with his big brother they thought it would be cool for him to be Draco Malfoy. (Mark and I may have had some influence over that discussion...we just thought they would look so cute!)  We couldn't forget about ACE so we figured Dobby would be the easiest and cutest way to include her.  And I think it worked out perfectly!

A little while before Halloween there was a Harry Potter night at a museum in Lehi.  It was perfect for this year's costume choices and so fun to see live owls and have the boys get sorted into their houses.

Because I knew her costume would not be frilly or cutesy, I made sure to get a daytime Halloween outfit for ACE just because.

After Shortstop went to school, we got ready to head over to see him in the Halloween costume parade.  He was so cute waving his wand!  (I had such a fun time making the boys' wands.  So easy and so much cheaper than buying them.)

I love doing fun Halloween dinners and realized this was a perfect opportunity to do a Hogwart's feast.  I improvised and made up a lot of the food to cater to my picky eaters.  We had cauldron cakes (beignets), Molly's meat pies (breakfast burritos), butterbeer, Bertie Bott's every flavored jelly bean, chocolate frogs (snickers bodies with legs and heads drawn on with melted chocolate), and Nimbus 2000's (pretzels and string cheese frayed to look like brooms).  As the boys walked in to the kitchen I had the Harry Potter theme music playing.  They loved everything about it...and so did I.

I told them if they took naps they could trick or treat longer so they climbed into Luke's bed together and zonked!

After dinner we got all dressed up and headed out for trick or treating.  Fullback was especially excited because last year he had a dislocated shoulder and didn't get to trick or treating.  We had such a great time!  ACE was a doll in the stroller and the boys loved running from door to door.  It is always nice to see neighbors and chat and feel a part of a community too.  It is a good area to live.

Battle!  Avada Kedavra!

Expelliarmus

She even had a sock to play with

So excited for the candy wrapper crinkling in her hands

The next morning went like this...I love when they are so sweet to each other