halloween.....part III....oh yeah, we know how to party!!!

for this round of our halloween extravaganza we had a neighborhood party.  our neighbor michele planned a doozy, compete with bounce house, carnival games and cotton candy machine!

 Madeline and Parker, BFF.

 the cotton candy machine was a hit.  i was sad not to be able to eat any.  my favorite foods have not been appetizing to me lately:(

 Avery had a little bit of a sugar overload, she was DONE by the end of the party.

 Anna found a good balance between candy and the 3 apples she got while bobbing for apples.  Happy Halloween!

halloween...part II

Maddie and Anna both had their preschool parties on Friday.  so, i took Maddie and Avery to Apples to Zebras, and Anna went to her party.  it was no surprise that madeline wanted to be Cinderella for Halloween.  this is hands down her favorite princess.  i offered to make her a costume, but she opted for the "authentic" Disney costume from Costco complete with crown jewels and wand.

 i was kind of surprised that Anna chose to be a southern belle.  we watched some Gone with the Wind, and she wanted to be "the girl who all the boys wanted to marry."  i thought i'd try the green and white dress from the bbq, but she wanted pink of course. 

 the little girls were so cute at the party, playing all the games and getting candy.  Avery will be READY when she's a big preschool girl. 

 later that night, we carved pumpkins.  Daddy surprised me by being pretty capable despite his condition.  it was a fun day!

Jason goes to work

for the past few days Jason has been going to the office for a few hours at a time.  this is what his leg does after sitting up for 3 hours!

halloween. part I

when the girls came back from California, they were invited to grandma and grandpa Earls' trunk or treat.  i've learned in years past that they get really dirty at these, so we opted to other costumes to save the real thing for the real halloween.  i opened the halloween box and let their imaginations  soar.

 Anna transformed herself into a "dead ghost."

 Madeline took a dracula cape and witches hat to become "the scariest, nicest witch ever."

Avery rocked our well worn butterfly costume.  fun was of course had by all.

a full rainbow!

today, my wonderful amazing parents came to my house, picked up my kids, and took them to California for a few days!  this was a much needed break. on the morning of their departure, we looked out the window to see this amazing full rainbow.  we could see both ends touching the ground.  it was so cool.  and i think a little message about the peaceful week ahead of me.  when Anna saw it she said, "grandpa, if we see a unicorn sliding on that rainbow, it will lead us to a pot of gold!"  grandpa said, "well keep looking for that rainbow then."  classic.

2 weeks in bed = 1 long beard (for Jason that is)

this is about as long as Jason can grow a beard.....or at least as i can tolerate it. he felt good enough to shave today, so we documented the beard.

happy birthday to Avery!!!!!

 i felt relieved knowing that it was Avery's second birthday that would occur a week after Jason's accident.  and older child might totally realize they were getting jipped out of a good party.  but we did our best.  the birthday girl picked out a party hat and some disgusting (cake and sprinkles) ice cream for her party.

we lit the candles, sang happy birthday, and ate the aforementioned disgusting ice cream.  (i should note, the kids loved the ice cream.  but most adults would call it yucky!) 

then, because i have really awesome neighbors, who are always thinking of helping others, i took the girls to Bounce Jungle for a bouncy good time.  (those pics are on my video camera, and once i upload them i'll add them here.)  Avery was skeptical at first, but then bounced her little heart out! (photos below)

later that night, Avery opened her present - a babydoll!  meet Baby SuSuSa.  she is Avery's pride and joy!

dear Avery,

what can i say?  you are simply the best two year old girl in the world!  you really know how to give us a run for our money.  you love to joke and play.  laughter is the medicine you bring to our family.  you are best friends with your big sisters and the biggest helper.  you love to do chores around the house, and even stop the big girls from doing jobs so you can do them yourself.  i have never met a girl who knew what she wanted more than you.  i hope you always keep your goals set high, with your determination, you can accomplish anything!!!!  thank you for being such a loving daughter and sister!  i love you.

love, Mommy

good night one year old girl!

as an afterthought to a very crazy week, i grabbed the camera to catch the last night of my baby's 2nd year. 

something about these little snapshots makes me so happy.  the normalcy of another night of baths, teeth brushing, prayers, stories and bedtime kisses, just warms my heart for some reason. 

goodnight Avery!  tomorrow you will wake up a big two year old.  finally, the age you've been claiming since you could talk.  sure, you'd say "one" if i begged and pleaded, but you preferred to say "two" laughing at the joke of lying about your age.  you are silly, we all love your jokes!  see you in the morning!

crazy hair day!

thursdays are spirit days at Madeline's school.  this week was crazy hair day.   

she chose 3 ponytails!  pretty crazy....

it was actually a stretch for Maddie because she hate when things are too "cwazy."  if a dress has too many frills, a shirt has too many colors, if i try to curl her bangs....these things are a little over the top for her. 

everyone got a little crazy on crazy hair day.

poor Jason!

Jason plays basketball every wednesday night with some guys from church.  he regularly comes home with bruises, road rash, and stories of fouls, rough play and fun.  tonight he was late.  not too late for me to be worried, but late enough for me to be ready for bed.  i got a call.  immediately i thought, "this can't be good." it wasn't.  he said, "can you meet me at the ER i think i broke my leg."  i asked him some questions, and he started to lose it, i could tell he was in pain.  (though i was still expecting a sprained ankle."  have i ever mentioned how much i LOVE my neighbors!  i didn't even stop to think before dialing my neighbor Mary at 11pm to ask her to babysit.  and she didn't seem to hesitate before coming right over!  as soon as i saw Jason, i knew his leg was broken.  he was in the back of an SUV on a church table used as a stretcher.  he couldn't move, and his leg was in an unnatural position.  it was a long night in the ER when they finally admitted him and scheduled a surgery. the next day, he had a rod placed on the tibia where it had fractured in several places.  he also had a fracture on the fibula, but that one was clean, so it didn't need any pins, etc.  he did not tolerate anesthesia very well and had a rough night.  but over the next few days he improved dramatically and i took him home.  he'll be off the leg completely for about 3 months!  we are all adjusting. 

be strong

the theme for mutual this year has been Joshua 1:9, "Be strong, and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.  For the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest."

our ward's Young Women in Excellence was based on this theme, and we gave out these beautiful plaques to the girls. 

 my girls took this quite literally.  i found them downstairs "being strong."

one exciting night!

every Conference weekend my super sweet neighbor Carrie always seems to plan a fun park picnic for us to have with the kids while the Dads are in Priesthood session.  this year was no exception.  a bunch of us gathered at the park in Layton Lakes.  pizza and homemade goodies were shared. (i need that sticky rice recipe Melinda.) and the kids played in the very warm late afternoon.  some of the ladies who came from about a mile further east, noted that a dust storm was coming.  a few packed up.  the dust storm came and was bearably.  the kids were occupied, so a few of us decided to wait it out.  then came the rain.......first a sprinkle....the dark clouds loomed, so i started packing up.  no sooner had the girls joined me to leave, did a torrential downpour let loose, the likes of which i have never seen while outdoors.  my family, along with 4 or 5 others, huddled under the tin picnic cover to wait it out.  then came the hail!  it beat on the aforementioned tin roof so hard my girls were crying in terror!  i lifted them onto the picnic benches so the hail stopped hitting their legs.  i can tell you, that hurts!  i told them it would stop soon, we just needed to wait so we could make it to our car without getting drenched.....then came the wind!  once the wind started whipping the rain in sideways, we were already soaked, so we made a run for it.  the poor kids were bawling, but i couldn't stop laughing.  it was hilarious.....and a little bit fun!  i've never been this wet without jumping in a pool.  we drove the 1/2 mile home, and by the time we got in the house, the storm was over!  i couldn't stop laughing.  here's a look at the aftermath, their blurry, but they tell the story: