Halloween

Sooo....since it's almost Christmas, I think it's about time to post about our Halloween.

I snapped a quick picture in the back of the truck before they all headed out for trunk-or-treating at the church.

Jonathan as Anakin Skywalker

Tyler as Iron man

I let him pick out his costume with absolutely no help from me, and of course he chose the same costume as nearly every other boy his age!

Suzanna was happy to pose in her Spider Countess outfit. She was totally offended that the rest of the world didn't know what a Spider Countess was. Neither did she until she got this costume. But how dare they!! =) She was also pretty excited to wear makeup for the night!!

And Brendon was too cool for an individual pic, or to pick out a costume before a half an hour before the trunk-or-treating. He is so turning into a teenager. Grrrr.....

Our pumpkins...we need to buy a new pattern book so that we don't keep having repeat designs!! Luckily we've moved, so no one knows =) Maybe I don't need a new book after all....

Soccer

Way back in September I was asked to be a coach for Jonathan's soccer team. Apparently they were short on coaches this year, and got desperate enough to call a novice like me. So it was either coach, or Jonathan didn't get to play, so I said yes. One of the best perks of being the coach was getting a free pic of Jonathan and me =)

What an adventure! Luckily one of the dad's of the kids on my team volunteered to be an assistant coach--he was great at teaching the kids the skills they needed, and our team really learned a lot.

With both Brendon and Jonathan playing soccer, and coaching Jonathan's team, soccer pretty much consumed my entire fall, and as much as I loved it, I'm thankful the soccer season is over. But we're looking forward to next year!!

Angle Orchard Apples

While in Thatcher for Phil's Grandmother Allred's funeral, we were able to take Tyler up Mount Graham and pick some delicious apples. Ty had fun eating the apples, but didn't appreciate the gnats that accompanied the visit to the orchard. Phil and I were excited to get some great apples to take home, and it was fun to have just Ty with us while the others played at their cousins' home.

More Thatcher Fun

While in Thatcher we made a late night trip to Ice King for some snow cones. The kids had a great time deciding from the million flavors, and soon everyone's mouths were blue!

Suzanna had fun playing with her cousin Elizabeth. She is the happiest little girl I've ever seen, and we had so much fun getting to know her more.

The weather was beautiful while we were there, and the kids played outside so much. Ty was proud to show me the fun he and Ashlynn were having. I'm not so sure Grandma Allred will be so pleased to see their imaginative use of her clothesline!!

They boys spent most of their time playing soccer in the front yard--they especially liked it when Uncle Robert joined in!!

School begins!!

We celebrated the first day of school by taking a really bad picture, with no time for retakes. School starts about 45 minutes earlier here than our old school, and it has taken a lot of adjustment for me. I can no longer roll out of bed at 7 and get the kids there on time. So so sad for me.

So other than having to wake up at the crack of dawn, we're really liking Hualapai Elementary (pronounced Wall- a- pie) and White Cliffs Middle School. The kids like their teachers, have made friends and are doing well.

Suzanna Turns 9!

Last July Suzanna celebrated her 9th birthday!! Sadly, I can't remember much from the day except letting her pick out her cake and decorate it.

And that I made her a cute card =)

Girl Food?

Over the summer Suzanna found a book called "Great Girl Food" or something like that at the Library. It's been six months...the title may have altered in my mind a little =) So on days we were really bored, she would convince me to try out something new. Nothing turned out that great. So either we are terrible cooks (a definite option!) or this book was terrible. I'm going to go with the book--why place any responsibility on me, right?? Anyway, this picture is an attempt at a parfait where you made your own jello and put some sort of gummy something in it. Mmmm...bet you all want to go out and buy that book, huh? But even though I didn't love the book or the food we created from it, we did make some good memories cooking together!!