Thanksgiving 2016

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love everything about it. I love the reason--Gratitude, and I also love what happens for me because of it. Thinking about my blessings started on the first and I had really good intentions of covering my wall with tons of grateful leaves and there is a good amount on there, but sadly not nearly enough to represent how richly blessed I am. I have so much to be grateful for. The top ones being my family, Jesus Christ, being a member of the Church of Jesus Chirst of Latter-day Saints, the scriptures, Gaupo's job, and the miracles and tender mercies that are continually worked in my life. Life throws crazy things at us like my brother's house sale just feel though, my nephew almost go kidnapped, and I know compared to those two things Tia going to preschool isn't that big of a deal, but it is to me and I know that those things that are big to us are big to God. I don't understand his plan and his timing. I don't understand why Tia wasn't miraculously healed in her speech and I also don't know why it is so hard for me to accept that she is going to preschool by it is. I also don't know why the sale would fall though on my brother's house when they are doing what they feel they should be doing. I don't know why Melanie almost had another kid taken from her when she just had a miscarriage. Sometimes life just seems so unfair especially when you feel like you have done everything you can to do what is right. When you have tried so hard to follow and do all the right things. However, I do know that even though hard things happen God is a God of miracles and and that he will bless us as we need. He has a plan and lessons that we all need to learn. He will protect us. He already has. For example, there was a large man close by and Melanie heard Blaine scream and then screamed herself and that man was there to scare the kidnapper. My brother didn't have the sale on his house go through, but there is time and I know that Heavenly Father knows what they need and when the time is right they will have it. As for Tia, I think her miracle is the fact that she can speak as well as she does. Today she actually told me her ear hurt and so I was able to get meds to help her before I just would have wondered why she was so crancky and probably chalked it up to the cold she has too, but she told me clear as clear my ear hurts. That is truly a miracle because she hasn't always been able to do that.

Sorry long tangent on gratitude, but the reason is because Heavenly Father is the source of our blessings and I love Thanksgiving because even though I didn't do the best job at being grateful I still was able to think and reflect on it more than usual. I am so blessed.

Of course Thanksgiving is about being thankful, but to me it also means family and food. This year we went to Idaho to spend it with Gaupo's family. We left Wednesday morning at 5:03, a whole three minutes later than we wanted to. We pushed on and we made good time. We even made a pitstop at one of my favorite places--Arctic Circle. They don't have those out here in Colorado and so I ask Gaupo almost every time we go out to Idaho if we can stop and usually he says no, so I was planning on the same answer again, but this time he said Yes! I could hardly believe it and then our Aunt Kitt treated us all. That was so not the plan, but it was such a good treat and she even spoiled us with some crisscut fries. Those fries always remind me of summer shopping trips with my Grandma. Especially the Preston ones where we would go shopping in the basement of Kings, and then do a few other stores and then go to Arctic Circle for Crisscut Fries and Lime Rickees. It was so good.

Moosetracks shake and fries. YUMMMM!!

Anyway, after our pitstop at Arctic Circle we made it Grandpa-Greats house by a little before 2PM. We had lunch with them. Then the girls and Gaupo took rests and/or naps while Grandpa, Kitt, Klaire and I all chatted. It was super nice to just chill and visit. When the girls woke up we had a piggy painting party. ever since I told the girls we were going to have one they had been begging for it to happen. Tia wanted bright pink and Kylee wanted Aunt Klaire to do her's Christmas. Kylee's were so cute that I just had to try and copy. So, they are similar, but different, but still Christmas. After the piggy party it was time to get dinner started. So, I made some enchilada sauce and then Grandpa helped me fry some tortillas for Mormon Enchiladas. Oh man, that meal is so good. We were all stuffed, by the end, but so good. By then it was time for us to go drop of coolers and head to Grandma's house. I dropped of the coolers to Uncle John, so he could fill them with his fabulous grass-fed beef. I did end up visiting for just a bit, and then we went to Grandma's.

Gaupo was the first one to enter his house and although Grandma may have said 'Good to see you,' the first thing I heard is "Where is everyone else?" Sorry Gaupo, I think you might be taking second to your kids. ( I doubt that is true just so you know.) Anyway, we get there and Grandma takes me upstairs, so I can see that there are Christmas presents from Grandma Hammond up there and then she plays and plays with the kids while Guapo and I haul things in and Christmas out. All the playing made for kind of a late night which in that house is like 9:00, but still. So, we headed to be, so we could be geared up for Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving was great. Most of the food just had to be heated in the oven, but nothing really had to be made. So, even though we were fixing a feast there was still time to play and enjoy each other before the feast. The girls were begging for a four-wheeler ride and so we took them on one. It was of course a little cold, but still fun.

Me, Kylee, Gaupo, and Tia on the four-wheeler.

Heidi and Jeff arrived with there kids about 11:30 and at Noon the feast began. We had all 19 Merrills there. It was kind of crazy, but you know I would have had it any other way. The kids got to sit with there cousins and the adults were all eating and chatting together. As the kids finished the adults were actually able to finish eating and continue talking. As per Merrill tradition, pie was not eaten until dinner that night, so after the meal kids went down for naps and there was of course more visiting. It was mostly just naps and play until dinner where we had leftovers and then topped off with pie and ice cream. After dinner we gave the kids baths and then got them to bed. We talked in the kitchen for bit and then went to bed. For me it was a perfect Thanksgiving. The right amount of food with tons of family and visiting. This trip was really fun because the cousins actually played together, so the parents could actually visit without having to worry too much about the kiddos.

The day after Thanksgiving is also a great holiday because usually there really is no agenda you are just all there to hangout because only coming for one day is not nearly enough time together. So, we had breakfast and then after breakfast we had family pictures. Oh boy is it hard to get 19 people to all look at the camera and be happy, especially if 8 of those 19 are 4 and under. It was pretty epic, but I think we got some good ones and Grandma and Grandpa are happy with them, so I think its good to go.

The only one with Tia looking at the camera. 

Us being goofy.

Katelyn, Kylee, and Tia playing.

All the grandkids.

My personal favorite.

After pictures, it was kind of a disbanding moment. Heidi and Jeff went down to the Anderson's and Melanie and Aaron had sick kids, so they took them home to sleep, and well it just seemed like the perfect time to go for a run. Since Derek's funeral I have been wanting to run from the Merrill house to the Cemetery. I don't know why it didn't happen this summer, but it didn't so I was hoping I could do it now because I would have to wait another long time before the opportunity came again. So, I seized the nice weather and the disbanding moment and did it. That hill up to the cemetery is a killer, but I did it. It is only 2.5 miles but like I said more than the miles its the time, so I made the time and did it and I am so glad. Gaupo and Kylee came to pick me up and Kylee is so sweet. She asks all kinds of questions. Probably her favorite is "When is the resurrection?" We talk about what it might be like to have him after the resurrection. She thinks we will bring him home in our car and play with him and stuff like that and I am just excited that one day I will get to see him again. I don't know if he will be a baby, but he will be my boy and I am so excited. Anyway, it was fun to talk about Derek with Kylee. Then we went to Redrock to see if we could get the gym there, but we don't have service, so we could't. We went home and helped get lunch on and had lunch and then got the girls down for a nap. During naps Melanie, Grandma, Scott, Gary, and I played Ticket to Ride. The kiddo's woke up before we were done, but luckily Gaupo took care of them while we finished up. Then Gaupo, Kylee, Tia, and I went on another four-wheeler ride. Kylee had been dying to go up to the pond, so we rode up there and then back. Boy is it cold on a four-wheeler but really fun. We had dinner and played put the kids to bed. Then we visited in the kitchen and played a game. We played Quiddler and it is so funny how Heidi can not help helping people. It is so counter-intuitive for her it is hilarious and what makes it even more funny is how it drives Melanie and sometimes me too up the wall because we play to win. Oh different personalities. Got to love families if for no other reason than that it brings all different personalities together. After games we went to bed.

Saturday was more playing and visiting. We played outside, had more four-wheeler rides, played inside and visited. After lunch, I went down to Virginia to visit again and pickup our meat. I had a great visit with my Grandpa and sisters. We even got to go through a drawer of some of my Grandma's craft stuff. It was pretty fun to see what was in there. She was so talented with stuff like knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch, and things like that. It was way fun. Also I picked up one of my Grandpa's white dressers. I think with will be good to have an actual dresser for the girls room and so I am excited to have that. Then we visited with Aunt Karen and Uncle John for a bit and then it was time for me to head back. I got back and went on another four-wheeler ride. Then helped make dinner and then baths and visiting. Then showers for us grown people and bed.

Playing with Grandma's technology is definately one of the kids favorite activities.
Katelyn, Arlen, Kylee, and Tia.

Sunday dawned early because I had to get up and get things going. I read scriptures and then waited for the kiddos to wake-up before packing stuff up and getting ready. We made sandwiches, had breakfast, and got dressed and even had a few minutes to spare before having to leave for church. Our original plan did not include staying for Sunday, but Grandpa was being made bishop of Swanlake Ward and asked us if we could stay. So, we changed our plans and stayed (we made these changes like a week before.) It was great to be there. We didn't get to see him set apart, but I am really glad we got to go. I thought that it was a great meeting and the Stake President said some really good things. The two things I remember were, "He loves Swanlake Ward and he wants to let it stay a ward, but that means that the ward members need to serve. They need to serve where and how they are needed." I was pretty impressed by his boldness and yet you could tell he was speaking with love. The other thing he said was "If you are taking your spouse for granted don't. (long pause) Just don't." It was super powerful. I did feel the spirit in that meeting and I would have loved to stay till the end and see the setting aparts, but in winter you got to get as much time on the road before it gets dark as you can. I think President thought about changing the setting apart time when he saw we had to leave, because he told Grandma and Grandpa that he felt that he needed to wait. Then the water to the church ran out, so they had to end early and he said he felt that was what was suppose to happen, because almost all of the ward ended up staying. He said it was good for them to see the transition. I think Marsh Valley Stake has an inspired stake president who listens to the Lord and is sensitive to the needs of his stake. It was pretty cool to witness it. Anyway, the drive home was calm and the crazy and then calm. We made it safe and sound and were really glad we didn't have anything going on super early in the Morning on Monday. I did have to register Kylee for school, but that ended up being really low key, so that was good.

It was such a great trip and I am so grateful to everyone who put up with us and stayed around so we could see them. It was so great. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday to Sunday

From this last Thursday (11/10) on till now, I feel like my family and more especially my kids are on a exponential growth line. We seem to be drinking from a fire hose of knowledge, but somehow managing to absorb some of it instead of just being blown away.

For example, last Thursday was Tia's preschool eligibility meeting. I got the report a couple of days before hand and read through it. I understood a lot of it; was surprised by some of it and then did understand a little bit of it. Going into the meeting I was kind of nervous because I didn't know what to expect, but I sat down with the three people who did the evaluation before and we went over all the sections. By talking to them, I was better able to understand why what they wrote was import and pertained to Tia going or not going to preschool. I got to understand just a little bit more about language development. For example, I always thought that Tia understood everything, but it turn out that might not quite be the case and it isn't like she is terrible at it or anything it is just that I thought she was great at it, but then when I paid closer attention to how she followed through on instructions or answered questions I am like oh maybe we don't quite understand it all. The understanding of language supports and lends itself to actually expressing oneself though speech. Anyway, it something interesting I learned. To make a long meeting short, we discussed in depth Tia's speech and language skills. We talked about how her pretend play is good but is only one step for example cooking food, but rarely going two as in to sit down and eat it for feed the baby. We also discussed how it takes her awhile to learn a new speech patterns. Eventually, we reached the decision that if we consented to services Tia would qualify for speech. So, Gaupo and I discussed it real quick (we had done much indepth talking before this) and we decided to consent to services, so Tia will be attending preschool in January and even though I think we need to try it I am so not ready. So like I said, I am sure the school district thinks we are all in, and I will try it good and solid, but if she doesn't like it or its not helping then I will take her out and we will see what else we can do. Anyway, it is nice to know, but still a little nerve racking (understatement) to think that she will being going to school. 

So, that was Thursday. Then on Friday Gaupo had the day off because it was Veteran's Day. Gaupo spent some of the morning doing homework. Kylee still had school, so we waited for her to come home. We just kind of took the morning easy and enjoyed not doing much. However, after naps we decided to go to the Ft. Collins Temple and do Initiatory. So, we took all four kids down to the temple. We got there about 4 and didn't get home till about 7. Gaupo went in first and he was in there for an hour and a half. It seem liked a long time. The kids and I strolled the grounds and then went to the van for a snack and then walked again and then we playing when Gaupo got out. I then went in for about 45 minutes, during which Gaupo and the kids watched a movie in the van. Waiting outside the temple was honestly a little rough, but I survived and really I think it made going inside the temple all the much better. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with the familiar warmth and light and quiet of the temple. It was so great to listen to the blessings of the Initiatory. It was great to be quiet and still. I love the temple and it was so great to feel the peace there. I loved not having to drive through traffic and having it only 45 minutes away. What a great way to spend the evening.

Trent, Me, Tori, Kylee, and Tia.

Kylee, Trent, Tori, and Tia at the back of the temple.

Me at the Ft. Collins Temple.

Gaupo also didn't have to work on Saturday and he got his homework done the day before, so we got to enjoy the whole day. Kylee went to a pancake and PJ birthday party. She had been looking forward to it the whole week and had an absolutely fantastic time. She is quite the social kid and is ready to go and spread her wings and this mama doesn't quite now whether to cry or rejoice that she is so great. Anyway, while she was there we had our own pancake breakfast and then Gaupo and Tia watch some Gilligan's Island while I tried to go shopping. I say tried because I didn't get anything because it was all out of my budget and not really my style, so that was too bad, but oh well. Anyway, I came home and watched Tia while Gaupo replaced the fence that got hit by the car awhile back. It is great to have the fence back. While he was finishing that project, Tia and I went and got Kylee and we all came home and then went swimming and rock climbing. Both girls did great at rock climbing. They scaled the wall almost no problem, that is until they realize that they were out of reach and up to about 3 times there height. Then they were done, but they both did it a couple of times. I climbed once. Man am I out of rock climbing shape. My arms were burning and dead by the time I was done, but I still love it, so I guess I will keep doing it when I get the chance. It was a very successful swim trip aswell. We all had fun and Kylee learned to successfully float on her BACK. WAHOO!! Tia is also working on doing stuff, but Kylee is finally having all these concepts click and it is so fun to watch her be successful. Tia and I had a great time on the slides and diving and jumping in the deep water. It was a way fun swimming adventure. We got home had a quick lunch and then went and took naps. Then we dilly dinked around until it was time to make dinner and we had some delicious greasy tacos. Then it was baths, Pokemon (or as my girls say Picachu), and bed. 

Sunday was also a great day. We had great talks on work. One thing that stuck with Gaupo was that he needed to use his time better, so he should play less video games/tv. Video games are easy for me to say no to, but TV is a little harder. So, two days into that goal we are actually doing really well. It was nice to play games on Sunday and Monday nights. I will be honest it was really hard to get ourselves motivated on Monday because we were both really tired and wanted to be done, but we didn't give in and it turned out really good. I have also been trying to limit social media and so far it has gone good, but I have also had projects to do during naptime like making lazagna and rolls for Thanksgiving, but hey it is still a good achievement. The other part of the talk that stuck with me that I am still trying to sort through is priorities in the budget. Gaupo and I have goals for where we want to be, but we also have a family that we need to make memories with, let be involved in activities and such and so do our goals align with our priorities? I don't have an answer because I am still processing, but what I do know is that I think our priorities change and so can the answer to this question, but we do have to think about it. Anyway, it was a great Sacrament meeting. 

So overall a great week. Once again it was full of my favorite things-family, and fun. We did manage to also get some work done. I feel so blessed right now to be enjoying my family and life even though I still feel like there is a lot of change and growth happening. It is true that there is not as much as some people, but it is enough that I could easily forget to love where we are right now and so I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy.

A Weekend to Remember

Believe it or not our post Halloween week was pretty fun. It consisted of normal stuff like swim lessons, preschool, and watching Trent and Tori. However, it also included leaf jumping,  a visit from Aunt Kitt, a trampoline, a BBQ, a teacher council meeting, and regional stake conference.

Here in Colorado the weather has been beautiful. It is a little cold in the early morning, but it is November so I am not complaining at all. Anyway, on Thursday the weather was so nice and I really wanted to stay outside while we waited for Kylee to come home, so I decided there was no better time than the present to get the tempting leaves on my lawn into a pile. Tia, Trent, and I walked over to our neighbors house and borrowed a rake. Embarrassing huh, we don't own a leaf rake. Oh well, my neighbors do and they were more than willing to let me borrow it. So, we took it home and I raked up the leaves into a pretty good size pile. Before I was even done, Tia was running through the pile and playing in it, but Trent didn't even want near it. Even when I was done and held his hand or whatever, he wanted nothing to do with the leaves in a pile unless it was rubbing them between his hands. Tia on the other hand was game for anything. We took turns burying each other, jumping in, walking through them, and throwing them. We did that for like a good 15 or so minutes and Tia started getting distracted, so I raked the pile up and moved it closer to our bench. Then we did some more jumping and burying until Kylee got home. When Kylee got home we did more. By the time all the playing in the leaves was done we were down to like maybe a 1/3 of the pile we started with. After awhile, we went in and had lunch and naps. Then we played with our friends, but when they left we jumped in the leaves some more until really they were so mashed up it wasn't very fun anymore. So, then I taught my girls how cool it is to throw a giant pile up and let them 'rain' down on you. So, we let it 'rain' the leaves all over our yard and us until Gaupo got home. It was so fun. I really wish I had the pile proportions that Tia had when we started, but it was still so fun.

Tia in the leaves.

Kylee in the leaves.

Thursday night Kitt came to visit. WAHOOO!! I feel like it has been forever since we have seen her, so I am glad she could get away for a bit and come to our house. When she arrived on Thursday we stayed up and chatted about life until about 12:00 and then went to bed. Friday, we woke up and we had breakfast. I made a really good baked oatmeal recipe I found and then Gaupo, Tia, and I took Kylee to Preschool while Kitt got some work done. The rest of Kitt's visit encompasses the other great things of the weekend, so hang on.

After we dropped off Kylee, we went to Tia's OT's farm where we picked up the girls Christmas present--a Trampoline!! I have been wanting to get one for the girls, but they are expensive and I worried about giving it to them at Christmas because it would be their only gift from us and they might not even get to play with it because it could be snowing. Anyway, during Tia's OT appointment on Thursday I mentioned we were thinking about getting the girls a trampoline and Julie said, "Can I be your Santa Claus?" In my brain I am thinking you seriously have $250 dollars just laying around to give us, but not being one to turn down a good offer I said sure. She then explained that someone donated one to the farm where she works, but they don't need one so they were going to give it to someone, so if we wanted it we could have it. I was so excited. I couldn't believe it. So, we arranged to pick it up on Friday and we brought it home, and not being ones to let good weather go to waste we set it up and started jumping. Oh man, it is so great. It might be even better than I thought it would be. Tia loved helping us build it and Kylee was so surprised and excited when she saw it after Preschool. It was so perfect. We have had a couple of bonked heads and one tumble, but nothing major and I think it is going to be so perfect. I love that the girls will go jump and though they like me to be out with them I don't have to be. Kitt did have to help us with the setup of the tramp a bit, and then she had to hide for a bit while she got her work done. When she was done it was lunch time and I got the kids started, but then Gaupo and I left for a date.

Tia helping us out.

Kitt, Tia, and Gaupo putting the last piece together.

Tia and Gaupo on the finished tramp.

Kylee jumping on her own.

Tori, Tia, and Kylee working on getting their jumping legs.

That is one way I got Kitt up here was using on of her free babysitting coupons. Gaupo and I didn't really know what to do, but I decided that we would go to lunch at Texas Roadhouse. Texas Roadhouse is my favorite place to eat. So, we went, but I miss guessed and they don't open till 3 on Friday. So, we decided to go try out Bufflo Wild Wings instead. We ordered an sampler appetizer that included wings, mozzarella sticks, nachos, and onion rings. Then we got as many sauces as we wanted to try with our wings. Gaupo and I had a great time tasting all the ones we got and deciding what was good and what wasn't. It was just such a good time for us to try lots of things. Both Gaupo and I decided we would go back, but not because the food was super awesome, but because we like trying lots of stuff. After eating lunch, we went to Cold Stone and used our gift cards from our dentist and got some ice cream. It was pretty tasty and it was fun to do it fancy. We never go to Cold Stone, but it was definitely way fun to try all the flavors there too. It was a simple date and was only two hours, but it was so perfect and it was fun to do it without interruption and together.

That night we had a BBQ with the families that Gaupo home teaches. It was really fun to talk to them. I don't get to sit down with those sister that often, so it was fun and Kitt was a good sport to go with us. It made for a fun evening. When we got home we were pretty tuckered out, but we decided to play a couple round of Sorry. It has been too long since I have played that game and so it was really fun to play it with Kitt and Gaupo.

Saturday morning we sent Gaupo off to work and then us women had breakfast and headed to the pool. The girls were really excited to show Aunt Kitt all the fun stuff they can do. Kylee can jump in the water, front float, front glide, swim, and kick. She has recently almost accomplished a back float. Tia can jump in, go under water, 'dive,' and of course loves to go down the big slides. Tonight she started to kick while holding onto the barbell. She also is doing better at getting her feet of the ground. She is coming along and I am so pleased. So, anyway it was way fun to let Aunt Kitt see all the tricks they have learned since this summer. After swimming we headed home, and had to send Kitt off, so she could attend the teacher council broadcast at her stake center.

Once she left, I got the girls lunch and down for a nap and then turned on the computer to watch the broadcast myself. It was AWESOME!! I loved the spirit that accompanied that meeting. I felt unified with the other members listening although I could not see them, but I felt united. I loved the way they demonstrated different teaching methods, answered questions, talked about real challenges, and acted like real teachers. It was so cool. I loved the way they looked at the scriptures for examples and actually picked them apart in the scriptures. I love the videos. One thing I noticed in one of them, was that most of the 'family' teaching they showed the parents and children were gathered and learning together where they felt most comfortable. I guess I always picture a family sitting perfectly on couches, but it wasn't that way. They were on the floor or where ever worked for their family, but the important thing was they were together and learning. It was just totally awesome and I am so glad I was able to participate and focus on it.

Not much else happened on Saturday. I did do our vegetable 'canning.' Gaupo made a great dinner and we watched a show together and had popcorn. I love when my family slows down and gathers together. Sure sometimes I wish we could play a game instead of a movie, but I think it is more important that we are excited to be doing the same thing together and I love those sweet short moments when we do.

Sunday we our regional conference. It was really good. A lot of it was actually on repentance and knowing that process and that it is OKAY to have to repent. We all do and we need to. They also talked about temple attendance and taking refuge in the temple. Once again, I already can't remember a lot of what was said, but I loved the feelings I felt there.

I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. He knows what our family needs. He cares enough to help us get a trampoline. He cares enough to help Gaupo and I get out on a date and love it even though it didn't go as planed. He knows what we need to hear and feel. I needed to feel the spirit and I loved being able to feel it in my home and at church. He knows I need socialness especially now that Frisbee is over and I don't have someone to talk to at swim lessons. He knows and loves me enough to not give me all the answers I want all at once and to send gentle reminders that He is here and I need to wait. He knows that I miss my brothers and sisters, so even a virtual hangout is better than nothing. I know God loves me and is in the details of my life. That does not mean my life is perfect, that I am perfect, or that I never ask for things I shouldn't. It jut means that I know that when what I want doesn't happen I can trust that God has something in store for me if I will just wait on Him. I am so grateful for the weather this weekend and the wonderful time I had with my family. So simple and yet so wonderful.

Halloween Week 2016

Halloween I think gets more and more fun every year. I really hope that never changes because I actually  really enjoy liking Halloween. I like how we enjoy working together to plan meals. The point to make and eat meals together is better accomplished, and trick-or-treating with little kids is awesome especially if they are super troopers like mine.

So just like in years past for the week before Halloween we make some Halloween themed foods. This year we tried out some new things and kept some old things, but overall it was successful and fun. Here is the food...

Monday Meatloaf Hand. Uncooked.

Cooked. This was my favorite meal of the week.

Tuesday: Ham and Cheese Ghosts

Wednesday: Trick-or-Treat Turnovers and Frankin Cups

Thursday: Jack-O-Lantern Cassadias. This was by far the easiest meal.

Friday: Spider sliders. These were also really good and actually got better with time.

Dessert for the weekend: Dirt cake

Saturday Squirly worms on a bum and those other worm looking things are worm salad. I did not like the salad at all.

Sunday: Pumpkin Pizza, so use your imagination to make those look like pumpkins.

Halloween Night: Mummies on a Stick

Like I said above it was pretty fun to make all this great food and I am really glad we did. Everything was good except the worm salad, so that is definitely a no-go for next year, But I think the meatloaf hand might be my new favorite with spider sliders coming in second. I think that the dirt cake was amazing as well, but that wasn't really new and it was sugar, so it can't win the contest.

We did celebrate Halloween in other ways besides food, and that just made the celebrations that much more fun. On Wednesday we went Trick-or-Treating at Library storytime. It is usually crazy busy and this year was no exception, but I still like going and hearing the stories and then taking the kids around the Civic Center to trick-or-treat. I did have all four kids with me, so I was glad when Gaupo could tag along with us to help keep everyone going and doing what they were suppose to. One story that I love from this storytime is The Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything. It is a really great story and allows the kids to get involved. Another fun moment this year was when Gaupo introduced me to some he works with and they said "You have a great husband." To which I replied, "I know. I am so lucky, huh?" It kind of took the person by surprise, but I never get tired of hearing compliments about Gaupo. He really does try very hard to do a good job at work and I feel like he is good at his job, so I like when other people tell me he is.

Our next Halloween fun was on Friday. Kylee's preschool class had a Halloween parade. The three kids in her class walked around the teachers loop three times and each time they passed they said "Happy Halloween!" Kylee thought this was so fun. Then after circling three times they lined up on tape marks on the floor and sang us parents three songs. They sang All the Earth is Mind, Gray Squirrel, and a witch one. It was so fun to watch them preform and it has been so fun to hear Kylee sing those songs all this week too.

Alyssa, Ryker, and Kylee all lined up to sing. Kylee was Elsa for this parade.

After the parade, they had a party and we left. I asked Tia what she wanted to do since Kylee was at school and at first she said she wanted to go to the train park, but then she insisted she wanted to go swimming. So, we quickly grabbed our suits and headed to the pool. We swam for a bit and then they turned the big water slides on and we went down them probably about 15 or so times. We were the only ones going and it was just me and her, so I took her until she said she was done. It was so fun to see her totally enjoy them and keep asking for more. It was a great way to have a party while Kylee was having her own.

Also on Friday, we invited Gaupo's co-worker Ronda over for dinner. It was so fun to have her and she thought our food was delicious and she spoiled us by bringing deviled  eggs, a super good green salad, and a bowl of candy. She enjoyed both dinner and dessert with us and even helped clean up. It was so fun to visit with her. Ronda and Gaupo get along really well and she also thinks my girls are just great, so it was so fun to share our holiday festivities with someone.

The next real celebrating we did was on Halloween. The first way we celebrated was by picking up Tia's new glasses. She looks so cute in them and for the most part is doing really well at leaving them on. She isn't perfect, but it is way better than I thought she would be.

I could hardly get her to look at the camera because she wanted to play so this is the best pic I have.

We had dinner and got costumes on. I finally managed to snap some pictures of these kids in their costumes and then me and the girls headed out to trick-or-treat around 6:15.

Tia as a witch.

Kylee as a kitty.

A witch and her Kitty.

We went up our street to the top of the hill and then we crossed because we were going to go to our friend Jensen's house, but we ran into Jensen and also are friends Kalo and Sony, so we went trick-or-treating with them. Man my kids got so much candy, but it was so fun to watch them get excited over every piece. It was fun to see them full of excitement and fun. It really was fun to watch, but man we stayed out till like 8:00 and the girls were so tired when we got home that they feel asleep in no time. It was AWESOME!

Tia and her loot.

Kylee and her loot.

Halloween was super fun. I totally enjoy having kids that are starting to get into dressing up, fun meals, and trick-or-treating. It is fun to see how much they have grown and it really does make the holiday fun. I really enjoy the ages of my children they are old enough to do stuff, but not old enough to worry about what other people think, to want to hangout with friends instead of me, and they don't have too crazy of schedules. I mean it is so good. I am loving being a mom to these two fireballs of mine.