Halloween

We had a fun Halloween! All month we prepared for this holiday by decorating pumpkin sugar cookies, going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins, painting pumpkins, carving pumpkins, having class halloween parties at school, and all of the like. Our ward had a party the wednesday before Halloween and the kids had a blast at the booths and trunk or treating. Bentley's good friend Brock came with us and their favorite was throwing a football at a target and watching a bucket of water soak the person sitting below. They both nailed it and it was fun to see. Wyatt tried his best but wasn't get strong enough to throw the ball to the target. It was fun to visit with neighbors and ward members in our church. Finally the day of Halloween arrived! We did the ongoing tradition of going over to my parents for their block party and this year most of their cousins came as well! The kids were super excited all month for Halloween and to finally get to wear their costumes. Bailey decided on Princess Elsa long ago and with some persuasion from me the boys decided on Ninja Turtles. I think they looked great in their costumes and it was fun for me to watch Bailey get so excited to play the role of Elsa. She immediately started singing and dancing in her costume. She also loved getting to put make up on of course! We had a yummy chili and hot dog dinner with root beer and treats also. The kids enjoyed playing all of the carnival booths that the youth in my parents ward were running. All of my kids were old enough this year to get the hang of playing the game and getting candy. It was fun to watch them run around with excitement and to play with their cousins Annabelle, J, Julz, Trey, and Bowen. Next we took of for the neighborhoods near by to trick or treat. The kids also were old enough to have this part down to a science and raced from door to door gathering candy and having fun. It's always fun to see the different decorations, and different ideas people come up with for halloween. At one house there was a beautiful butterfly that was sitting on a bush so Jon and my SIL Kelsey both held it on their fingers and the kids especially Bailey loved it! After only one block the younger kids were done and so we headed back to my parents. Bentley was not happy and wanted to keep going so Jon took him to some more houses. Overall it was a success and fun holiday to celebrate but now I need to get rid of all this candy!

October happenings

Well I was hoping October would bring some cooler weather but we are still stuck in the low 90's and high 80's which makes it hard to really feel like fall. We started the month with a fun trip to the beach in Newport, Ca. (more on that in its own previous post). Our church had its second annual conference that is always so spiritually uplifting and inspiring to watch and listen too. We get to hear from our prophet, his apostles, and several church leaders that have prayed about and fasted to know what topics to speak on. They always come together so beautifully and I am always reminded of the deep love and awareness my Heavenly father and Savior Jesus Christ have for me and all his children. After conference weekend we headed up to Heber and went to the cabin ( previous post). The kids can get antsy when they don't have their regular school and sports activities going on that they usually go to so I was grateful for some time away to have time together and keep them busy! We are at a stage where sometimes the kids play so well together, but then other times the torture each other and are not so nice. Wyatt is especially rough and we are going to have to work quite a bit with him to get him not to hit. Other happenings this month were that Jon brought home some delicious pies in honor of Canadian Thanksgiving that we enjoyed. We were able to attend the new LDS Phoenix Temple open house. I love being able to take the kids to experience the beauty and sacredness of the temple. I can tell that they feel the special spirit that is inside and I love when they say they can't wait to be able to go back one day when the are worthy enough and old enough. This temple had beautiful paintings of the arizona landscapes and gorgeous art work everywhere you looked. I am grateful for the blessing of temples and that we can do the work of the lord within its walls and be sealed as families forever! Speaking of sealings. My cousin Chelsea got married this month and was sealed to her new hubby in the mesa Arizona temple. We had fun celebrating them at their reception and I thought it was so cute that when the music started playing and people began dancing, Wyatt came up to me and wanted me to dance with him. I said Jon why don't you go because I am big and pregnant and don't want to embarrass myself. However, Wyatt only wanted me and soon I was dancing with all three ( four counting the one in my belly) kids. It was a moment I will always cherish and I am thankful for my sweet boy that asked me to dance. I hope he will always ask me! Jon and I were able to have a fun date night at the Hockey arena watching his favorite team the Oilers play the Coyotes. That is about all that happened this month besides the norm. Bentley got his word wizard award and is well on his way to memorizing all the first grade sight words as well. He is such a great student and I am so proud of him. Bentley is so good at being kind that we've realized he will just sit there while someone is being mean to him or hitting him instead of defending himself. Don't get me wrong, I love that he tries to be christ like, but there also come a point where he needs to learn to defend himself in the proper way. Bailey and Wyatt are constantly confused for twins. They are about the same height and are often found playing together or running errands with me so people always stop me to ask. Bailey is starting to grow out of the tantrum throwing phase and had definitely become more responsible. Wyatt however has turned from his sweet baby innocence into terrible tantrum throwing two's and almost three's. I am not sure if it's because the baby is coming soon or what, but he has been acting extra naughty. Even though I have had a rough time with Wyatt lately, he can also be the most loving cutest boy and hands out hugs and big kisses to me all day. We think it is so cute when he tries to pucker because he always ends up doing a big frowny face with his bottom lip. Some day he will learn to pucker but for now I love the cute face he gives me when he wants a kiss. He tries to give them to Bailey when she is leaving to school and she says" ewwwww wyatt no kisses, just hugs". It's cute to watch. Bentley is continuing to learn and grow and is a very good boy. I had a teacher conference with his teacher and she had so many sweet things to say about Bentley. She is about to have her first baby and said that she hopes her child will be as well behaved and kind as Bentley. I thought that was nice to say and couldn't be more proud of him. He lost his first tooth and we had a surprise when he suddenly turned emotional about giving his tooth away to the tooth fairy when it came down to it. We had a good talk with him, but for some reason a lot of his worries came out and he even told Jon he was afraid of what would happen when he dies. It was interesting to see how a little lost tooth turned into a pretty in depth conversation, but I am glad Bentley is willing to discuss his concerns with us. He is making lots of new friends at school but still loves to play with his favorite friend Brock White. He is getting really good a reading and it has been a joy to listen to him read to the kids. Bailey is at a fun age and is so excited about everything. Most of all she can't wait for her baby sister to arrive. She loves to dance, sing, and imagine all around the house. It is so fun to see the differences between boys and girls. She brings a really welcomed and sweet spirit to our home. With that said, she is still all girl and brings the drama that comes along with girls :) I had a meeting with her teacher as well this month. Her teacher said how grateful she was to have Bailey in her class and that she was patient, kind, and a good example to the others. I was a little worried with how much slower she was learning things than Bentley but I have realized that you simply can not compare siblings or any kid for that matter. They are all individual and have strengths and weaknesses. Bailey is starting to really take off though and I am happy to see her desire to learn grow. Wyatt tries his best to learn along with her and sometimes it is overwhelming as a mother to multiple children to give them the time they deserve and need for learning. However I am up for the challenge and blessed to do it. I am glad to be able to stay at home and be the one to teach them in addition to what they are learning in their classrooms. Wyatt has become "my special helper" and runs errands with me while the others are at school. He does love to go places but I need to be careful and make sure he gets the play time he needs, and take him to the parks, or to ride bikes like I did with the other kids when they were his age. There definitely is something about the third child where they kind of get the leftovers if we are not careful about it. Jon and I were both the third children in our families and know what that feels like so we are extra sensitive to this and are trying our best to make sure he gets the same opportunities as the others. I do realize though that we aren't perfect and I am just doing my best! Wyatt is growing big and I am still trying to work with him on potty training but he still doesn't fully want to get it down. He loves to play dress up with Bailey, and usually is superman or a knight. He is a daddy's boy lately and just likes to follow Jon around and do what he does. He asks several times a day when he will be home from work. He loves when anyone will rough house with him and usually has a bruise somewhere from always wanting to do this. He loves to play football with his siblings, and wrestle. He likes to think he is a big boy and gets mad if you tell him otherwise. We have enjoyed doing fun things as a family this month like making cookies and frosting them, seeing all the fun holiday decorations going up and doing our own, picking out pumpkins, painting and carving pumpkins and just having fun with our friends. I can get kind of uptight around the holidays and I am glad I have a wonderful family that reminds me to chill out and enjoy the journey!