zombies and M&Ms

The kids were invited to a neighborhood Halloween party about a week before Halloween.  This gave us a chance to get our costumes ready.  Easton wanted to be a zombie, and we found some gross zombie temporary tattoos.  He loved it.  Keagan was a cute, super sweet M&M.  We got blue hair spray and did the Ms on her cheeks.  She looked very cute.

 Easton's school has an annual Halloween costume parade.  They can't wear their costumes to school, but they can keep them in their backpacks and change before the parade.  I brought Easton's with me, along with some tattoos to put on.  I was running later than I thought to meet him to help him with his costume, so ran through the hallway to meet him and he was sitting there in the hallway with his class...all the other kids dressed and ready and my child looking so sad and dejected.  Super Mom Award for me.  sigh.  I helped him get in his costume and did his tattoos and apologized profusely to him for being late.  This year the weather was so beautiful that the school did the parade outside instead of in the gym.  It was so nice.  We brought lawn chairs and the kids walked around the track.  I even got a little sunburned from sitting out there!

 My ward does a Trunk or Treat, which I have never done before....and to be honest had kind of ornery feelings about it.  But, we went and I am so glad, it was great for the kids, they got to see all their friends and we were done before 6:00.  Then we went home, went to a couple of neighbors houses and then over to my parents for an hour.  We came home and Daddy had made homemade pizza for us and we watched a Halloween cartoon while answering the door for some trick or treaters.  Then to bed before 8:30.  nice.

 my little helpers

pumpkin patch

Before Halloween Keagan's preschool went to the pumpkin patch.  I have never been to this one and it was a pleasant surprise.  Lots for little ones to do.  It was very crowded though.

 half of her class

 her being a princess

 and a witch

 standing by Casper and a funny, huge pumpkin

 instead of a spook alley, there was a light alley, which is great for little kids.  Cinderella's carriage was in there and Keagan was so excited to see it.

doing the pumpkin slide.  

At the end the kids got to pick out a little pumpkin to take home.  It was cold, but a fun day.

fire station

In October, Keagan's preschool had a field trip to the fire station.  They got to walk through the fire house and an ambulance and we even got to see what happens when they get a call, because they got one while we were there.  The alarm went off (a lot quieter than I would have thought) and two firemen came and quickly put on their gear and took the fire engine out.  They were back pretty quickly, so the kids got to see the engine and take a picture in front of it.

 That is Keagan in the pink shirt...being Keagan.

Guess who is 5?

Keagan turned 5 in October!  She was thoroughly spoiled between both sets of grandparents and aunt Ashley and Mom and Dad and Easton.

Here she is with her "loot"

We had Grandma, Buddy, and Aunt Ashley over for dinner, then we did presents and cake and ice cream.

 Oma and Opa sent her this BEAUTIFUL Cinderella porcelain doll.  She loves it.

Happy birthday, pretty girl!  We love you and couldn't imagine our lives without you!

Easton's a baller

In the summer I signed Easton up for a basketball camp at the local college.  He loved it.  He even got an award for being "coachable."

Then this fall I signed him up to play on a team.  This was the first year that he could do it (they start in 1st grade) and I thought he would be so excited.  I told him about it and he started to cry.  He was so nervous to do it and said he didn't want to.  Being the mean mom that I am, I told him he needed to try and he would do fine.  So, we went to the first game.  He was so scared and timid.  We were a couple of minutes late, which made it worse (Dad's fault...we had to wait for him because his car was in the shop and he had my car).  We get to the gym and go and meet his coach.  He gets his jersey and then the game starts and Easton has NO idea what to do.  In the beginners league they give the kids colored wrist bands so they can know who to guard on the opposite team.  This was not explained to Easton and so he stood there like a deer in headlights and then he started to cry.  I didn't want to embarrass him further and run out onto the court to help him, so I stood on the sidelines feeling horrible.  The coach went up to him, bent down, and said, "What's the matter, buddy?"  He ended up being a great coach for Easton and helped him come out of his shell a lot and taught him a lot.  He even made his first basket in that first game.

After that first game, things got better and he started to get excited for games and practices.  

 the last game

we will definitely sign him up for next season.

every once in a while....

my kiddos will take a break from fighting and play awesome together.  this was when Easton was trying to make Keagan laugh....putting on as many dress-ups as he could.

mr. pirate, m&m, bunny, fashion diva.  

she loved it.

1st day of school

the official first day of school.

big smiles.

with water splattered all over his shirt from brushing his teeth.

 this little miss was SO excited to start her second year of preschool.

one more year until Kindergarten!

 bright, bright sun!

StarTalk

Easton started school a week before the rest of the neighborhood kids because we enrolled him in the immersion program.  He does half his day in Portuguese and half in English.  He has done awesome so far and I think it has been really good for him and for us.

The first day of StarTalk (the week long Portuguese camp), I was a wreck.  See this post

I have since come to realize he is totally capable of doing this, and is excelling already.

 sitting at his desk

 At the end of the week the kids did a little program for the parents to show some of the things they had learned.  They made Rio bird hats and did some Brazilian martial arts (I know how to say it, but NO idea how to spell it....).  They sang a couple of songs and showed us a game they had learned.  It was really cute.

 This is his teacher, Professora B.

 Someone had donated enough copies of the movie, Rio, for each kid to have one at the end of the week, so they took a big picture with OBRIGADO, which means "Thank you".  

Freedom Festival Balloons

Every year I take the kids bright and early to the Freedom Festival's balloon fest.  It has become our little summer tradition.  They love it.  Afterwards we go and get donuts.

 every year I have to get a picture of the pig balloon.  it is my favorite

the coke balloon going up

until next year!