Halloween

Halloween night was FREEZING!  I still took Jane out, but we ended up only going around the block and then I brought her home to Rob because her hands were ice.  The kids dressed up as at least three different things this year.  We had Natalie's school fall festival, the ward trunk-or-treat, and then of course trick-or-treating on Halloween.  This time, they wanted to be something scary.  I begrudgingly let my sweet little girl be a vampire (I had in mind something along the lines of princess) and Blake wanted to be a skeleton.  That morning, I cut out the skeleton bones on my craft machine and put together his shirt.  Rob painted their faces right before we headed out.  We got tons of candy and were able to go through two haunted houses that literally spooked Blake (and me). 

Now Blake has already started watching Christmas movies on Netflix.  I love Christmas, but I always hold off on Christmas stuff unti after Thanksgiving because I don't want it to get old and lose its appeal.

Recent Randoms from my Phone

 He's our cast boy no longer! 

To say he was SO excited to get that thing off would be an exaggeration.  After they cut it off, he started waving it all around kind of crazily and they had to tell him to be careful.

 We took another trip to the zoo while the weather was still nice.

 These sisters are too cute together.

 Over general conference weekend, Natalie got really crafty.  She made a Halloween charm bracelet with stickers, string and tape.  I thought it was pretty clever.

 Just a random pic of Jane chilling on her dog.  She loves this thing, by the way.  World's best idea for a gift for a child her age.

 Jane's turning out to be more like her brother than we thought.  She fell asleep in this very random awkward-looking position the other day on our office floor.  This girl fights sleep like you wouldn't believe, so she often just crashes.  Then her "nap" lasts about 15 minutes, and she's "good to go" for the rest of the day, while being cranky, that is. 

 I hosted a Halloween party for my friend's little preschool group yesterday.  I made monster cookies, pumpkin rice krispies, mummy pizzas, and apple smiles.  I love throwing parties-especially when they're Halloween-themed.

Ward Trunk-or-Treat

Our ward's trunk-or-treat this year was tons of fun. I was just glad I didn't have to be in charge of it.  I'm gearing up for the ward Christmas Party, that I was put in charge of, which I know will come all too fast.  It'll be fun, though.

I liked that they did the trunk-or-treat first, so we weren't in pitch black, freezing our buns off.  It was nice.  And then we went back into the church for some yummy chili and rolls and games.

Me, the black cat with my Fancy Nancy, Batman, and little mouse. 

Rob went as Optimus Prime.  Such a cool jacket.

We can't wait for Halloween tomorrow!  I get to take the kids trick-or-treating this year, because last year Rob did it since Jane was still really little.

McCall's Pumpkin Patch

I love this time of year!  Granted it means the kids get sick more often, but I love the cooler weather, the changing leaves, boots, sweaters, the whole deal.

A few weekends ago, we continued our annual tradition and headed out to McCall's Pumpkin Patch. We always look forward to going there.  Last year Jane was a new baby so we skipped that patch and went to one really close to us.  It wasn't nearly as fun, so we were excited to go back this year to McCall's.

They seem to add new activities each year for the kids.  We spent all day there, there was so much to do.

 Our little fam on the candy corn bounce.

 Natalie on the pedal go-cart.

 Blake on the go-cart.

 Rob had to take a turn on the tunnel slide through the dirt hill.  It went fast!  When I took my turn, I had to stop myself before hitting the dirt.

 Natalie on the slide.

 Blake went down the other one because it didn't go as fast. 

 Love my cute kiddos.

 Natalie and Blake on the cow train.

 Climbing on the giant spiderweb.

 Stuck in jail.  We joked and said we were going to leave them in there and Blake started to freak out.  :)

 Ha ha.  I love this one.

 The kids got to brush and pet the goat.  Blake was afraid of it.

 Jane wasn't so sure about it either.

 And then she warmed up to it.

 I may be biased, but those are some pretty darn cute kiddos.

 Rubber ducky races.

 The highlight of the trip was definitely this giant box filled with dried corn.

 We had to literally pull the kids away from it so we could do the corn maze before we had to get home.

 I love this picture of the kids following their daddy.  Jane's in the backpack with Rob.

 Natalie found a perfect pumpkin that she still couldn't carry on her own. One of these years, maybe.

 Jane just loved being there and looking at the bright pumpkins.  She didn't get one this year. 

 We of course had to buy some delicious handmade fudge and kettle corn while we were there too.  The kids are already asking when we can go back. :)

And then we came home and went to a birthday party! Busy day.

Jane's First Birthday/1 Year Photo Shoot

We had a wonderful day together as a family celebrating Jane's first birthday.  I cannot believe my baby's ONE!  What a sweet, special girl she is and we just love her to pieces!

We opened presents in the morning and then headed right out to the zoo.  She fell asleep in my arms walking out to the car after our time there.  This was not in the plans, but I guess we pooped her out.  Luckily I was able to get her to take a real nap once we got home, so she was in a good mood for the afternoon.

We played a lot and then did the cake smash later in the evening.  Note to self: Do the cake smash earlier in the day when the birthday child is not exhausted from the day's activities.  You'll see why below.

 She got a soft monkey cuddle toy.

 But she was more enamored by the paper than the actual toy.  :)

 She also got a cute dog toy that she can ride around on or push.

 Watching daddy get her dog ready.

 I just love this picture of her grasping her daddy and watching so intently.

 Seeing how all of this works.  I'm sure she was so confused by all the excitement and attention.

 Blake wondered why he couldn't get presents too.  He liked the dog and had a hard time with the whole concept that it was Jane's birthday and not his.

 Giving it a try.

She decided it was a lot more fun to push.

 The smash cake.  I made this while Jane was having her nap.  I have to admit I had high hopes that she would break the trend that we've had going in the family and actually smash the cake, but it was a no-go.

She was tired apparently.  This is what she did when we put the cake in front of her.  She followed the path of her older sister and brother.  Ahhh....memories.

 We got her to calm down by playing peek-a-boo so we could get some decent pictures, but she was still not about to touch that cake.

We even took her hand and smashed it into the cake, but she immediately pulled away and started crying.

 Don't be fooled by those cake crumbs on her face.  Not a single one entered her mouth.

 The next day after church I took her one year photo shoot with her in her new birthday dress.

Doesn't she look adorable?

 She'd slept off the bad mood from the cake smash the previous night, thankfully.  :)

We love you Jane!  Happy first birthday!  Your family loves and adores you.