A Happy Halloween

 Holidays are so much more fun with kids, and this year didn't disappoint. The boys were super excited to pick out their costumes. Dallin wanted to be something really scary and at first picked out a very gruesome mask. I convinced him in another direction although I really tried to convince him to be a super hero like Gavin. He was really stuck on a scary Halloween costume. Gavin is easy to find a costume for. Anything to do with super heroes wins.  The month of October was filled with studying pumpkins at school, a preschool party, a friend Halloween party, the church's Trunk or Treat, carving pumpkins and finally Trick or Treating.

 This is at the Trunk or Treat. I found Lili's wings at the dollar store and she had the cute skirt, so I decided to go simple with her this year and she was a fairy princess.

Cutest little pumpkin

Preschool party where we made mummy hotdogs.

Gavin's preschool class with Dallin (Dallin is my helper)

Getting ready to go trick or treating.

Zane and I trick or treated with the three youngest. Dallin ran ahead to join the neighborhood boys. We then let him stay up late and pass out candy. I think he enjoyed that the most!

Easter Celebrations

We didn't bring any of our Easter stuff with us as we drove to Florida in a very packed mini van. We were so grateful for the Family Center at the hospital that had a few Easter activities. The kids (mostly Gavin) enjoyed doing an Easter craft, played Easter games (Dallin won a huge remote control hummer that provided a lot of entertainment and kept him busy), an Easter Egg Hunt, and then on Sunday, Easter baskets.

After the egg hunt

 Lili with an egg. She loved opening up the eggs and finding candy inside!

Visiting Talmage and showing him their goodies.

Dallin and the toy that saved me some headaches. This kept him busy while we packed and throughout the weekend as Zane and I spent more and more time in the hospital with Talmage.

Easter Sunday morning

My mom made this dress.

Easter baskets after church

Miss Lili with an egg, candy dripping from her mouth, and an Easter hat from her Easter basket.

We were so grateful to the hospital for the help they give families to make a hard time easier! Although we missed our usual celebrations with our family and friends, it was nice to keep things simple and to teach our children about our Savior and what Easter is really about.

Christmas Celebrations

 In our family, Christmas Eve is our main Christmas celebration where we eat the big turkey dinner, play chimes, act out the Nativity story, and do present exchanges. This makes Christmas day a more low key day where we enjoy the presents, eat left overs, relax, and play games. My mom puts a lot of work into Christmas Eve and it is one of my favorite nights of the year.

We started the evening off with chimes. We played a few songs with the kids before they got bored and went outside to play.

The grownups then play more difficult music with harmonies which you can see takes a lot of concentration.

Some have to concentrate more than others!

Lili loves being with my mom. Good thing she is so light!

 After dinner my dad read the Nativity Story and the kids acted it out. 

Gavin did a great job taking care of his sheep.

Dallin was also a shepherd who probably took down some bad guys on his way to Bethlehem.

 We play a few games. During this game when you roll a double, you quickly get dressed in the winter gear then try to open the present (with the big gloves on). It is a lot of fun. Whoever can get the present open (which has been wrapped creatively) gets it!

 We also play a white elephant game except that my mom gets cool presents that we all fight over. The kids are ready to play their version.

My siblings who didn't make it out for Christmas Eve all got in on the game thanks to technology.

 My dessert. It was yummy!

Lili and Bryson got a lot of attention from their cousins. They loved it!

Christmas Day was more low key and quiet. We enjoyed our presents by going on a bike ride with the boys' new bikes. My family came out later for games. I'm really bad about taking pictures during the present opening. I rather not be behind a camera and enjoy the moment.

Lili's new ride.

Gavin giving his new hulk a hulk squeeze!

We had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Break with lots of Family

 We started Christmas break excited to see cousins who were visiting (my brother Jared's family).

Excited may not cover it!

 

Lili is a very friendly baby. She rarely smiles at people, but she will go to anyone and likes to explore. She will go to anyone except my brother Jared. She took one look at him and burst into tears.

He kept trying for two weeks to get her to like him.

I think he found success at the end. She sure made him work for it though.

We made gingerbread houses at Grandma's house. I think there was more eating than actually making anything.

Lili met up with her best bud Ellery (my brother Clayton's daughter). All the girl cousins loved playing with Lili.

We are lucky to be by so much family and have family come into town!

Christmas Festivities

Our neighborhood put on a great Christmas party including breakfast, frosting cookies, crafts, music, and seeing Santa. Gavin especially loved everything.

 Making reindeer food

Mailing his letter to Santa

The pull of friends playing at the park was too great for Dallin and he skipped the art projects and activities for play time.

Meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus!

This is the boys "helping" me wrap presents for our Secret Santa gifts. I wanted to get them involved in the spirit of giving. They got involved in the spirit of making huge messes.

We had a Christmas party at my house for Dallin's home school group. We did an art project where you roll a marble around in a box with a paper candy cane taped to the bottom making stripes on the candy cane. It was a great art project for a party because everyone stayed clean, well except for my kids.

My mom gave Lili this pretty Christmas dress for her birthday. Isn't she beautiful!