Ward Halloween Party

Matt was out of town at a conference, but the kids and I had a great time at the ward Halloween party and "trunk or treat". Matthew was a clone trooper this year, Andrew was Flash, and Owen was Bumblebee. The ward had lots of fun games, prizes, and food. So many people had great costumes- my fav were some young men who came as tetris- super funny! The kids had a blast and ate way too much candy- yea Halloween!

Adult Halloween party

Party planning girls


















Cindy Loo Who and the Grinch


















Zach and Kelly (Saved by the Bell!)














Chubby Pumpkin winner- no one else was even close. He of course won all the left over pumpkins and a Halloween bowl in case he needed it when he was done!







































































Cowgirl and Cow














Superman and Lois














Tonks and Lupin (my personal fav)














Candy corn toss














Food and root beer


















Dinner














Nursing babies welcome- especially such a cute little devil!













Witch, Devils, and one caveman














The invite


















So, keeping in the Tia tradition, we had an adult only Halloween party this year! It was a lot of fun to get together with some new friends. Thanks to everyone who came and made it so much fun! Marcia brought tons of great decorations. We had so many fun prizes. We had an M&M jar for guessing, a Halloween facts quiz, we had a guts guessing game, a candy corn toss, a couples donut eating competition (or make-out, whatever!), Chubby Pumpkin (which produced some of the funniest pictures), and costume contest (which was so fun because everyone had such great costumes!). Dinner was chili with spooky appetizers and desserts- the home made root beer was also fantastic! It was so much fun we can't wait for next year. A BIG thanks to Marcia for co-hosting. We loved it- thanks everyone!

Owen's 3rd bday

Owen's birthday! Can I just say that I can't believe that my youngest child is already 3 years old?!? We had a fun filled day, starting with my hauling out at the crack of dawn to get krispy kreme donuts so they would be there when Owen woke up (he wakes up about 6:30am). As soon as he woke up he got to open one present (my family opened presents in the morning). Matt hung around to watch, then had to take off for school. Owen opened the bumblebee costume (which he wore most of the day). It was the one thing that he kept telling us he wanted for his bday, so he was pretty excited as you can see in the picture. We went out to the Opry Mills Mall later and ate lunch at the Aquarium- another Owen favorite. They gave him a bday icecream, which he loved. And he got to pick a toy from the mall. We got home in time to pick up Matthew then head to Chuck E. Cheese. Let's just say that the Franklin Chuck E. Cheese was quite a bit nicer than the others I've been to! It was a lot of fun. A highlight was when Chucky came out. Owen kept following him around trying to get his attention. Matt met us at there, but then took Matthew to soccer practice. We ended up getting home at the same time as them. We had cake (also transformers) and opened presents. He got some good loot! Thanks everyone for the gifts!
As a side note, Owen is in a really contrary phase. Whatever you say he disagrees (even if he really agrees!) So, he loved all the bday stuff and activities, but he didn't want anyone to say happy birthday to him! He'd say, "No! Don't say that to me!" And he wouldn't talk to anyone who called to wish him happy birthday. Funny kid. At least he had a really fun day!

Mommy dates

A couple of Saturdays ago I took each of the boys on a one-on-one mommy date. The boys had to wear something nice, open doors, and hold my hand. I got to take them to a couple places they wanted to go (like to Toys R Us, then Sonic, or the park, or picnic). We had a good time and I got to talk to them about treating a girl nicely. Owen was particular about my having my hair down and since he was my date I let him pick the style. Now anytime I pull my hair back he gets his grouchy face and says, "No, not like that! Put your hair down like a Kyla!" It was a big success, I think I'll have to do it a couple times a year.

Matthew's first day of first grade

Matthew was pretty excited to go back to school. He was most excited to ride the bus (I was pretty excited about that too!) The school is great and younger than he is. His teacher (Miss Melissa Baird) is young and has a lot of energy. He likes his class and is doing well. His progress report did tell us that he needs to work on self-control and effort- no surprises there! Academically, he is ahead in most areas and reads like a champ. What can I say? The kid got his daddy's genes!

lipstick

What can I say? Every boy should have one of these pictures (putting on their mommy's makeup)! He told me he looked so pretty. Blackmail anyone?

The mommy store

We've started doing a mommy store on Sat. The boys earn points all week long then use their points to buy stuff at the store. Everything has a different point value based on expense. There are also tickets with cool stuff that they can buy (like an extra chapter of Harry Potter). There are only 2 ways to earn points. They get one point for doing something happily the first time I ask. They can earn 2 points if their brother fights them and they don't fight back, cry, or complain. That is it! We tally points on a paper then go shopping at the end of the week. The boys use their points to buy bday presents from the store for others as well. I have to say I probably enjoy looking for great deals on stuff to add to the store as much as the boys like shopping there. I also have to add that this is all thanks to the store my mom ran for us when I was young, so thanks mom!