BARNYARD BOO

We have had a super busy month, so you get three posts in one today.

My parents have come to town almost every weekend, and Tyson's mom is here to celebrate Halloween and Corinne's upcoming baptism. It is fun to have grandparents around. I think the kids love the attention, and I like the company and the help during the day!

We also had my sister and her family here for a weekend and we took the kids to the Barnyard Boo at Thanksgiving Point.


face painting fun


balloon animals, or in this case, balloon swords and flowers


pony rides


babies


and a hay ride minus the hay

We had a beautiful warm day, and it was great to see Susan's family. The kids had a ball together!

A HALLOWEEN BIRTHDAY PARTY

Corinne's aunt and uncle were nice enough to volunteer their home for Corinne's 8th birthday party. I made homemade macaroni and cheese (Corinne's request) and we carved pumpkins, opened presents, and had cupcakes (chocolate of course) and ice cream.









Corinne got a new Groovy Girl doll, a Littlest Pet Shop Clubhouse, dress-up, a small keyboard, and other great things. Thanks to all of our family!

BOO AT THE ZOO

We went to the zoo for their annual "Boo at the Zoo!" This meant wearing costumes and trick-or-treating at the zoo. I guess the kids thought we would trick-or-treat to the animals because Matt kept asking if the giraffes were going to give him hay. It was actually various companies/organizations that had tables set up, and the kids could get in the mile long line to get a piece of candy. We had never been before, and probably won't ever do it again! It was fun for the kids to wear their costumes at the zoo and get some candy, but I think the whole state of Utah turned out. It was crazy crowded. Here are the highlights:



Doesn't Matthew look thrilled? He only cared about one thing that day, and that was finding his cousin Isaac. We hadn't caught up with them yet, and Matt was not happy about it!



We found Isaac! Now Matthew can enjoy the carousel!



All of the cousins had fun getting some candy and seeing the animals. We still have a few more Halloween parties to come, so more posts will follow!

IT'S GREAT TO BE EIGHT

Today is Corinne's birthday! She is eight years old, and I can hardly believe it! This is a special birthday for her, and we are so excited to celebrate it tonight with her cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.


age 4

Corinne's favorite things:

favorite color: pink, pink, PINK!
favorite food: chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, (are you sensing a theme here?)...
favorite things to do: draw, play with her stuffed animals, go swimming, dance, gymnastics
some of her favorite songs include: "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc., "Space Oddity" by David Bowie (Ground control to Major Tom...), "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles, "Our Lips are Sealed" by the Go-Go's (all 80's songs, interesting)
favorite books: Curious George and Junie B. Jones
favorite TV show: Curious George on PBS


Corinne licking the batter of her birthday cake, age 5

Here are 8 things we love about Corinne:

1. She is a huge helper to her mom, and always willing too.
2. Corinne is super creative and has a great imagination. She loves to re-create anything we do. (Example: The kids went to the dentist recently. When we got home, she turned Matt's bedroom into a dentist office and she gave us all checkups. She does this when we go to the store, museum, doctor, or even just to get haircuts. Recently, our whole living room was a hair salon.)
3. She is super smart and loves to learn. She is an excellent student and her teachers always love her.
4. She is a kind and caring friend and sister. Corinne is definitely a nurturer.
5. She loves ice cream, especially chocolate. She can down a big bowl of it in a matter of seconds.
6. Corinne is very tender-hearted. She hates to see her brother hurting or sad, and she really hates it when Allison cries.
7. She has a great laugh. It is totally contagious.
8. She is a true daddy's girl. She and her dad have the same taste in music and the same sense of humor. They really are two peas in a pod.


a butterfly, age 5

Happy Birthday Corinne! We love you so much!

TWO PIRATES AND A FOUR MONTH OLD

For family night last week, we had a game night. We played Pirates Dice and the kids really got into it and had fun. (Actually, Tyson is the one who got into it and brought out the eye patch, I just didn't get a picture of him, unfortunately!) Game nights are one of our favorite Family Night activities.




Allison is officially 4 months old! She is getting to be so much fun. She has learned to roll over, laugh out loud, and is just a happy, sweet little baby.








Thanks to Aunt Heidi and Grandma B. for Allison's cute clothes in these pictures!

ITS AUTUMN TIME

I love love the fall. Maybe it's the leaves changing to reds, oranges, and golds. Or maybe it's the crisp night air and great "football weather". Or maybe it's the joy of the holidays soon to come with pumpkin carving, chili cook-offs, family, friends, and Thanksgiving dinner. (Or maybe it's my awesome fall wreath I got last year for 60% off, thank you very much.) Whatever it is about this time of year, we are loving it and looking forward to all of our fun plans with family this month!

Happy Autumn!