Happy Halloweekend

Halloweekend at our house was a little crazy this year.

FRIDAY --

Kate had a party at school that I helped with.  (Jack had a preschool party on Thursday.)

Right after school on Friday we headed downtown to trick-or-treat.  We went to the hospital first.  I love going there since it's not cold and not too crowded and mostly just little kids trick-or-treating.  This picture sums up how the experience was:

 Kate -- very happy with the whole trick-or-treating experience

Jack -- not so sure (he was pretty shy at first and gradually warmed up)

Ty -- just wanted to touch the giant blow-up spider down the hall

Trick or Treating downtown

 We came home, had dinner and then made doughnuts.  Then we watched "How to Train Your Dragon."

SATURDAY --
Saturday was pretty busy too with lots going on -- basketball practice at 8 am, Dave helping someone in the ward until noon, baptism to go to, chili to make for the trunk-or-treat, tying strings on lots of doughnuts, cookies to make for the primary kids at church today, laundry, baths, cleaning up the super messy house, etc., etc.

Here are a few pictures from the ward trunk-or-treat

Kate bobbing for a doughnut

 Jack trying to get that doughnut to hold still

 Ty loved the trunk part of trunk-or-treat

 

 Jack and his buddy Craig, I mean, Woody

 I don't have any pictures of Kate trunk-or-treating since she was off with her friends.  I had a hard time keeping track of her.

SUNDAY --

Today we celebrated Halloween by going to church and doing our Primary Program presentation (and I had to play the organ).  Kate's part was Mosiah 2:17 and she did a great job.  Jack struggled a little holding still and not being distracted by the other not-so-reverent boys in his class.

Since Dave wasn't eating lunch with us (he had to do tithing), I made the kids hot dog mummies.

Then tonight we finally had a minute to carve our pumpkins.  Jack wasn't as grossed out by the pumpkin guts as Kate was.

 The kids drew faces on their pumpkin and Dave and I cut them out.

 Happy Halloweekend!  (I'm glad that we don't have Halloween on a Sunday again for seven more years.)

Ty @ 15 Months

I took Ty to the doctor today for his 15 month appointment.  Here's how he measures up:

Height:  30.75" (39.84%)
Weight: 20.62 lbs (5.59%)

At 15 months he can:

• walk everywhere
• stand in front of the door yelling "dad" multiple times a day and cry if he doesn't get to go outside and wave goodbye to Dave in the morning
• say yah, no, apple, and other words that I can't remember
• copy Jack and dribble the basketball (hit it on the ground), kick the football, and love playing catch
• put up with being tackled multiple times a day by a football-playing brother
• cry if you try to hold him and you're not a member of immediate family
• get his shoes and try to put them on (and he loves to walk in Kate's shoes)
• stand in front of the freezer and play with the ice in the ice drawer
• give the best kisses ever
• mimick brushing teeth and spitting in the sink
• enjoy "driving" the car
• write in piano books and pretend to teach piano lessons
• dream that someone will give him his own KITCHENAID for Christmas (he loves to touch other people's kitchenaids when we are visiting their kitchens)

Cousins and Roller Skating

Geoff and Annelisa and their kids came to visit us this weekend.

Dave and Geoff took the older kids to Bandelier this afternoon, while Annelisa and I watched the babies. Dave didn't take the camera, so no pictures. But everyone made it home safely and no one fell off a ladder.

We went roller skating at the United Church tonight. Kate went with a friend for the first time last week, but the rest of us had never been skating there. It was pretty entertaining watching the kids struggle to stand up on their skates. After a while most of them gave roller blades a try too. They were good sports and didn't mind that they fell down a lot.

After a while, the kids got the hang of standing without falling.  Haley did pretty well. 

The kids got to push around these little carts some of the time.  Most of the time they were holding onto parent's hands.

Sweet babies (and sweet Annelisa too)

Ty watching the kids skate and fall.

Ty loves to play with Emily and Cameron.  He liked to try to pick them up.  And he enjoyed sharing his food with them.  Cute babies!

Kate, Callie, and Haley spent hours perler beading.  Check out Kate's perler bead blog to see their posts (here for Callie, and here for Haley).

 Kate got a really cool bruise on her chin from a roller-skating spill.

 Jack and Katelyn played a little bit of dollhouse.

 And, Ty was really sweet in this pictures, so I had to post it. 

Kid Faces During Dinner

I snapped a few pictures of the kids last night while we were eating dinner.  They all have different "faces."

Jack's little black eye face

 

Ty's "Why did you just wipe all the yogurt off of my face, Mom?" Face

 

And Kate's scary pumpkin head face

 

Walking and Football

Ty is officially walking now.  He's been taking steps for a while, but around his 15 month b-day (October 9th) he started walking all the time, both inside and outside.  Every once in a while he'll scoot a little bit, but I think walking is his thing now.  Hooray!

 Now that Ty has mastered his walking skills, he's working on his football skills...

Jack has been playing a lot of basketball and football these days.  His new thing is to get his football ready for him to punt it in his "holder" made up of a duct tape roll and a toilet paper roll.  Then he kicks it (towards the door, not the tv). 

 We gave Ty his own tape roll to use too, since he likes to kick his football.  And he's learned how to cheese it for the camera.

Fun'd Run, Year Two

Today was the second annual Fun'd Run for Kate's school (PTA Fundraiser).  This year was a little easier since the kids were a year older and can run even faster than last year.  Kate was so excited about this field trip that she got up at six this morning.  It isn't often that she gets to ride on a bus.

After we walked Kate to school, the boys and I loaded up the double jogger and ran to the track to meet her.

The kindergarteners, first graders and second graders got to ride a BUS from the school to the high school track.  Then the kids get in a big group and they tell them to start running.  Then they run/walk around the track as many times as they can in the set time period (I think it was about a half hour give or take). 

Here are the kids listening to Mr. Hinajosa's instructions (he's the PE teacher).  Jack was too scared to run with Kate and the other first graders around the first lap.  I'm sure he could have kept up with them no problem though.

Kate's finishing her first lap...

 After the first lap, Jack and I (and Ty in the stroller) joined Kate for some laps around the track.  Those kids are funny -- they run really, really fast and then walk and then do it again.

Kate ran quite a while with her friend Morgan.  I love how she's in air in this picture.

 This is Jack's "hurry and take the picture because I can't stop running" picture.  (That's why it isn't the best quality.)

 Ty had fun dropping things out of the stroller.  We lost both his hat and Jack's hat, but luckily we found them both before it was time to go home.

 Towards the end of our running Jack found his friend, Craig.  They ditched me and Kate and ran together for quite a while.

It was a fun run.  I hate fundraisers, but I love running with my kids.  They were good sports!

Piano Fun/Drama

I taught three piano lessons in a row after school today.  After my students left I gave Kate a lesson (or I tried to).  Kate was very patient and kept on playing while Jack was yelling and Ty was crying. 

We ended up sitting on the couch talking about Kate's theory whle Ty did this...

He was MAD because I took away Kate's piano books that he was destroying and gave him a piece of paper with a Halloween song on it.  And I think he was mad because I wouldn't let him turn the piano off while Kate was playing.  (He loves to turn the volume all the way down too.)  Maybe we shouldn't have gotten a digital piano.... it's way too fun.

Ty has an interesting way of playing the piano.  I think it's a little abnormal.  Most kids bang on the keys, but not Ty.  This is what he does...

Tries really hard to get his music situated...

Keeps trying to get that music ready... 

 Once the music is in place, then he grabs his pen and gets ready to write on the music...

I think he's spent way too much time sitting on my lap while I've taught piano lessons.

Don't you want me to teach your kids piano, so you can have this little sweetie help?

Random Conference Pictures

Conference weekend was really nice and relaxing at our house.  It was nice that Ty's naps coincided with all the sessions of conference, so we could listen a little easier. 

Jack was being super crazy during the Saturday afternoon session.  I'd asked him to pick up the puzzle pieces a few times and the next thing I knew he was asleep. 

Today during conference Kate and Jack were snacking on apples during the morning session.  When Ty woke up from his nap, he climbed onto the little chair and started eating one of their apples.  He loves eating whole apples.  He kind of hugs it to his cheek in between bites.

Ty cheesing it for the camera.  I guess he's started to notice that I take a lot of pictures of him, so he might as well smile.

I didn't take any pictures of Kate during conference but she was very busy filling out her conference packet pages, working on numerous perler beads, writting books, drawing pictures, and playing with Jack.  Conference is a little easier the older the kids get. 



The KID Room

Since we live in a 2 bedroom house, the kids are lucky and get the BIG master bedroom to share.  Here are some of their favorite things about their room:

They love their new lamps that clip onto their bunkbeds.  They spend a little while reading at night before they go to sleep. 

And, notice Jack is on the top bunk now. While Jack was at Grandpa Judi's for a week, Kate decided that they could switch and she'd sleep on the bottom.

 Ty spent quite a while this morning sitting on this little box.  He loves sitting on  little chairs and stools and steps.

 I love how Jack figured out how to hang up this old phone on the side of the sliding door frame. 

Game Preparations

Jack has been busy today getting prepared for the BYU vs. USU game tonight.

He made this great sign...

 Then Jack worked on his football game a bit...

And Ty was happy trying to be like Jack...