Trunk or Treat

Here are a couple of pics from our ward's Trunk or Treat. The kids had a ball and it was actually a little chilly this year. Last year was still so hot at Halloween! I have to admit that I hate Trunk or Treating. I understand the idea behind it with safety and all, but I still think it's a little lame. I also understand Halloween is not about what parents want to do, unless the parents want to dress their 8 month olds up like adorable kitty cats and take pictures of them all night. Oh right, this is exactly what we did with Avie. Isn't she too adorable?

The girls. Avie finally discovered she had a hood on and decided it needed to come off.

This is the only picture I managed to get of Rayce the whole night, but when there's candy involved who has time for pictures?

Again, does it get any cuter than this?!

Friends Danielle and Hailey

New House

Okay, so the rumors are true, we have bought a home in Surprise. Surprise! I think most everyone already knew, and we weren't really trying to keep it a secret. We were just trying to be a little discreet until we closed. Well, we signed the papers today and we're expecting to get the keys sometime on Friday.

I've always heard how stressful it is to buy a home, and there were stress filled moments, but overall it went pretty smoothly. I didn't expect to be able to buy a home while Dan was still in school, but I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to do it. Here are a couple of pictures of our new place:

8 Months

Another month has gone by faster than I can keep up with. Avie is eight months today, and poor thing is having a heck of a time with her two top teeth. It doesn't help that she also has a little cold. Oh, the plights of the teething infant. Some cruise right along and don't miss a beat like Rayce, and then there was Danielle who I thought was dying while she was teething. Avie, is somewhere right in the middle. She's pretty miserable, but it could be a lot worse.

Here she is building a pillow fort with Rayce and Danielle. Can you believe an 8 month old is already building forts? Okay, she's not exactly there yet, but she wishes she was. What a goer.
The older Avie gets the feistier she gets, which I thought I wouldn't mind, but she's quite the demanding little thing. She definitely likes to be held...all day long. Still doesn't want a thing to do with the swing, bumbo most of the time, and now refuses to sit in her bouncer. What is a mom to do other than give up on laundry and all other household chores. Notice I haven't volunteered my house for playgroup at all. In spite of some very frustrating nights, I can't imagine our family without Avie Jo!

I thought I'd throw in some pictures of Danielle decorating her store bought cookie Halloween house. Note to self and all others, if you buy a cookie house from the store, don't expect it to be in tact by the time you get home. Danielle didn't seem to mind at all, and she did a fantastic job! For Christmas I may get a little ambitious and actually try a homemade gingerbread house.

A Pirate's Prayer

Raycey boy insisted on putting on his pirate costume this morning. This was before I got up, so Dan put it on him and I woke up to YARRR! He was in character for most of the morning. He even decided to give the breakfast prayer in his pirate dialect.

It was one of the funniest things I have ever heard. I wish I could have recorded it. I was trying not to be irreverent during his prayer, but when he's saying things like "YARRR! Bless our family!" I couldn't keep it in. Good thing it was a short prayer. I wonder if God gets as good a laugh out of our kids as we do?

It's a plate. It's a chalkboard.

So my Relief Society does a craft night every month, and this month we did chalkboard plates to display in the kitchen to write menu's or notes on. They turned out pretty cute, and cheap!

It was pretty easy to do, even for me. I don't proclaim to have a crafty bone in my body.

Movie Night (Under the Stars)

This last Friday Danielle's PTSA hosted a movie night under the stars, so Dan reluctantly skipped soccer and we packed up our blankets and pillows and were off to the basketball courts at Copper Creek Elementary. It was actually a lot of fun and we hadn't seen Monsters Vs. Aliens yet so Rayce was completely transfixed for the whole movie.

An active Avie and a very tired Daddy!

Danielle is already too cool to sit with her family, here she is with her cute girlfriends Natalie, Nicole and Mia.

No, I don't know why Rayce is shirtless, he's usually missing at least one article of clothing.

Antics

Usually when Danielle and Rayce are quiet it means they are doing something they're not supposed to do. So when it got quiet the other day I crept in to see what they were doing. The picture won't do it justice.

Danielle and Raycey were rocking out to "Celebrate good times, come on". Avie was their captive audience. They are quickly becoming the three amigos. Well, mostly Danielle and Rayce play and Avie just wants to be wherever they are. Funny kiddos!

Soccer, Fall & Other Stuff

We were able to have some nice family time this weekend. I re-signed Rayce up for soccer because he loved it so much this last spring. Well, he wasn't loving it that much this time. We were late first of all, and he was tired, and grouchy, so he wasn't really feeling up for playing soccer. He warmed up a tiny bit, but we ended up leaving early, I guess we'll give it another try next Saturday.

After soccer we decided to go up to Flagstaff to hopefully see some beautiful fall colors that we have so been missing this time of year. I love taking road/day trips, mostly I think because the kids fall asleep and Dan and I get the chance to talk. The kids started out a little rocky, but did end up falling asleep, so it was an awesome drive, with good company.

We went to a place called the Flagstaff Nordic Center, about 15 miles north of Flagstaff. They do an event called Autumn in the Aspens with hay rides and games and stuff for the kids. The kids had a blast, Danielle was in heaven with all the games and crafts. Rayce loved kicking the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. I'm not sure if he was trying to kick them open, but luckily, I stopped him before he could do any real damage.

Yay for wearing jackets again!

A little potato sack racing.

"What? I wasn't doing anything?"

There wasn't the fall color I'm used to in Utah, but the pinion pines and aspens were still beautiful. We had a great time.

We made and decorated some Halloween cookies today, and I had to put away my OCD in regards to the kids making a mess and just let them go at it with the frosting. They turned out really cute.