Halloween - Twenty-Eleven

I think I have finally recovered from the Halloween happenings.  It has taken a week because the chaos didn't end with Halloween...
Halloween was on Monday.  Costume parade, class parties, neighborhood party, soup in orange bread bowls, trick or treating, hot cocoa, candy counting & checking, candy eating.

Easiest class party treat: pretzel spider webs with white chocolate

Even easier: Jack-o-lantern oranges {your kids draw the faces}

"Wrapped" mummy game at Millie's class party

Heading out for Trick or Treating - thank heaven for awesome weather!

I can't even remember Tuesday.
I  worked at the clinic Wednesday {which was November 2nd} and had the pleasure of listening to Christmas music for 4 hours!  At first I was thinking "What the heck!?"  But it only took a couple of songs before I was finding myself in the Christmas spirit and feeling ready for more upcoming {quickly!} holidays. Which was a good thing because I took Quincy to the mall after work and man was it festive!  Christmas music, decorations, all of the kiosks with the latest Christmas sucker punch gifts.
On Thursday, BS and I welcomed a new nephew - Landon Later.  Congrats to Candice and Doug!  We love you.

Then Friday Uncle Sean married Megan so we had a full day of family wedding activities.  It was a really nice day/night.  Congrats to the newest Clarks, we love you!

My handsome boys at the reception

My darling girls at the reception

Saturday the girls got pedicures with Aunt Casey who is in town from Ohio.  Then it was Will's semi-final football game in the f-f-f-freezing cold - but they won!   Saturday night we spent a lovely evening celebrating Uncle Nate's 40th birthday.  He truly is thee nicest and funniest guy I know.  We ate at Tepenyaki which is always a treat, then to the new movie theatres in Centerville to see "Tower Heist."
Sunday consisted of preparing/cramming for sharing time in Primary, church, yummy dinner, and most importantly... a giant nap!

Awesome and eventful week!

Here are photos of the kids in costumes.  A friend from Draper was doing a Halloween mini-session so I jumped right on that!  I love getting costume photos over with before the actual day because there is always so much going on.  I think the kids look awesome and adorable...

Hoo, Hoo are the cutest owls ever?

Quincy agreed to be an owl ONLY if it was a scary owl. I let her pick out her fabric colors and she picked purple...is that scary or what?

Hoo, hoo do I want to eat up right now?

I have to give credit to Millie - she cut out and applied almost every single feather! She was very involved with choosing this costume, the fabric, and assembling it.  She was a good sport to let Quincy be twinners with her

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Hoo, hoo looks Asian?

Kept getting mistaken for the KKK

Pulled this one from Grandma's old trunk - from a road show when I was little

Very ferocious!

Without fail, Sambo chooses costumes that require make-up.  I wish I had skills in that department.

More photos and such:

With cousins at fun Gardner Village

Kissing cousin Bode

Millie's Haunted House book report

 

Happy Halloween

M and Q in Hotch Potch Halloween hoodies

HaPPY HaLLoWeeN!

Tomorrow is the big day.  Today we ate bloody intestines {spaghetti and sauce} and rotten bones {cheesy breadsticks}.  Tonight we carved pumpkins.  We also made spider web treats, Jack O Lantern oranges, and pumpkin cupcakes for the class parties tomorrow.
We took pictures of the kids in their costumes on Friday so we wouldn't have to worry about it among all of the chaos tomorrow.  We also snuck in one last visit to Lagoon for Frightmares!
Yesterday, we went to 2 play-off football games and Millie's last lacrosse game.  The Fall weather was perfect!  Unfortunately the 4th graders lost, but Millie and Will's team won, sending them to the semi-finals next week.  Thanks G&G Guffey for joining us!
Last night BS and I went to a friend's house for another Halloween party - costumes were required so I wondered how I was going to manage finding a costume for us when I hardly had time to breathe for the past couple of weeks.  I saw this picture online a couple of days ago and knew that it was the answer...easy and cheap...and pretty funny!
The best part about this costume was that BS and I tended to stand really close to each other for a good chunk of the party.  Usually the guys group together while the ladies stand together and chat.  We really enjoyed each other's company and laughing at lots of things :)

And just for fun - here's the kids being silly different costumes.  They raided the dress-up trunk today:

Well, here's to a fun and safe holiday tomorrow!  Pictures of the big day and costumes to come.

Sports, and more sports

I don't know if it is possible to have more sports going on than what's happening at our place.  Besides the NFL games, college football games, and major league baseball games that are always on our TV, all 4 children are involved in a sport which includes AT LEAST 2 practices a week, each.  BS has managed to get 3 out of the 4 kids into watching the sports games on TV.  Millie likes to watch the college games, especially if it is BYU.  Both Sambo and Will watch any of them and get really into them.  Of course they cheer for whoever BS is cheering for.  Quincy has 0 interest :)

I myself like to watch games as well, but sheesh, enough is enough!  But wait, that's not enough because we also get to watch the "Sportz Filmz" of the boys' football games each week.  Yep, a professional filming company comes to each of their games and videos the entire game.  The boys really like watching themselves and learning what they can do better.

Millie has been playing Lacrosse, her first go at this sport, and the only sport she has played since soccer in 2007.  Who knew she was athletic?  She has always been a dancer {not that dancing isn't athletic} but she has some Bulldog in her and can be quite competitive...just needs more aggression.  She scored in her very first game and has scored a couple of time since.  She has fun friends on her team and is having a blast.  They run a lot at practice and that is good too.  She practices twice/week with games on Saturdays.  Playing lacrosse really came in handy this past weekend when we were at my parent's place and she was outside with her lax stick - a cute 11 year old boy from the cabin next door walked out with a lacrosse stick and they spent literally the next 4 hours in the field passing the ball and hanging out :)

Millie's team has won every game with the exception of 1 tie.  They will start play-offs soon.  

It was cold and snowy this day, the rest have been beautiful

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As mentioned in a previous post, Sam is playing on 4th grade team and Will is on 1st/2nd grade team.  Since school started both have been practicing 3-4 days/week with Saturday games.  So, we have had 3 games every Saturday for the past 2 months.  Though very busy and crazy, it has been so fun watching and cheering on these kids!  BS is helping coach Will's team so he takes Will to and from every practice which is a big help.  And we have carpool with 2 other boys for Sam's.  And carpool with 4 other girls for Millie's.  So getting to and from practice is not too bad.  It's just difficult to find a time we can all sit down and eat dinner together.  But since that is a priority for me, there are many days we are eating dinner at 4:30.  Whatever it takes.   

Looking forward, the boys have play-off games this Saturday.  So far Sam's team is 4 and 3 with 1 play-off win, and Will's team is 8-0 with first play-off game this week.  They just keep winning so we just keep going.  Quincy mostly likes going to all of these games because it means being outside and playing on a playground with other kids.  She also spends the time playing games on BS's Ipad and one time she even fell asleep:

My Saturday attire: Will's # on front...

Sam's # on back

BS's Saturday attire: Coaching shirt

Wilbur in action

Coach in action

After a big win

Family has been so great to come and support them.  Here is Uncle Shad and Uncle Nate participating in the post-game tunnel ritual:

And G & G Guffey in the tunnel

Getting some advice from Dad

All 3 play for Lone Peak

Go Knights!

  But we can't forget little Quinny.  She has been tumbling for the past couple of months and doing awesome!  She goes twice/week which seems a bit much for a 4 year old, but that's just how they do it. It's pretty cheap so I don't mind.  Her gym is right across from 7 Eleven so we always go there after to get a Slurpie.  I love watching her do cartwheels and backbends in her little leotard with a perma-wedgie.  She has such a solid body with thunder thighs and big bootie.  Love it!

 

Fieldtrip x 2

Last week I was able to go with Sam and Quincy on their school field trips.  It's fun to join them and watch them interact with the other kids.  The 4th graders went to "This is the Place Park" and the Pre-Schoolers went to a Pumpkinland at Vineyard Farms.  Both were really fun!

This is The Place:
I am a bit ashamed to admit that we haven't taken the kids to this park.  I had no idea about this place.  It was fun learning about the Pioneers in their original buildings - homes, school, hospital, and blacksmith shop.  We went on a train ride tour, watched a blacksmith make cool stuff, learned how to square dance, sat at real school desks, and pushed hand carts among other stuff.

On the bus with Mason, Max, Jared

And me...I'm glad he is still willing to let me sit by him and his friends. Some of the other parents were booted to sit by themselves or with a teacher.

Famous statue of Brigham Young

Acting like Ralphy

He was lucky to be grouped with 2 of his crushes.  In the background is his teacher Mr. Sessions

In the schoolhouse - black slates and all

I promised him I wouldn't post the video of him square dancing!

Pumpkinland:
This is a gem of a place in Lindon {I think}.  We went through a corn maze, through a dark building with colorful lights inside, played on the playground, played on a giant pumpkin slide, saw and pet lots of animals, and picked out a pumpkin.  Really cute place!  Every time the kids saw a picture of a black cat they sang the "Halloween Cat" song.  Quin really got into that!  Boy does she love to sing.

She was not a fan of the chicken and bunny stink!

Corn Maze