Our FROZEN Halloween

This year the girls wanted to do FROZEN characters for Halloween, of course. Anna and Elsa were by far the most popular costumes in 2014... but they weren't accompanied by Olaf and Sven! These 4 were a hit at every party. Especially Olaf. Don't let Scarlett's scowl fool you - she loved it.

Whenever I see this I want to sing "Reindeers are better than people.."

 

 Off to do their trick-or-treating! They were out for less than an hour and came home with their bags full. Success!

Fall Fun

It has been a glorious fall. I remember having snow this time last year, and having bitterly cold winds. But this year fall is full of beautiful colors, sunshine, and temperatures still up in the 60s and 70s. We have made the most of it.

 

We made use of our annual zoo membership and went with a few church friends to the zoo. We love to laugh at the otters and say hi to the two new tigers who never shy away from visitors. And this time of year just walking around the zoo is a treat with all the big trees with leaves of every color.

 

We also went to Grandpa's Maze and Farm, where the main attraction is the corn maze, but our family mostly enjoyed the petting zoo, pumpkin patch, hayrides, and other farm-themed games. Hadley was the boss of the slide. No one could stop her from going again and again, and fortunately sweet Claire offered to always be by her side.

 

 I also got to go with Scarlett's preschool class to the pumpkin patch. When Scarlett picked a pumpkin, I asked if I could take a picture of her with her pumpkin...and this is how she posed.

I brought Hadley along too...which made the day like ten times more difficult, and I couldn't bring the stroller. We went on a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, which we couldn't reach until first navigating through a corn maze. A corn maze with preschoolers. And a 1 year old. That's got to be some sick form of torture for a mom.

But we made it through and the kids loved every minute of it. Everyone got a pumpkin, then we had a picnic lunch together and headed home. It was a beautiful day with some great friends.

Happy 4th Birthday Scarlett!

This year we had Scarlett's birthday party at White Aspen Ranch. She's been wanting to have her party here since Lydia did a year ago, but I was afraid she was too young. Turns out that 4 is the perfect age for this activity. The girls first learned about taking care of horses, and got to brush their mane and tail to prep them. The horses were in heaven. Then each of the kids were led around the arena a couple times, and Lydia and Claire even helped lead the horses.

Scarlett was spoiled with lots of fun toys from her great friends from church and from preschool.

 

It was a fun week celebrating my sassy Scarlett. This kid is fiercely independent and even a little bossy. But she is fun. She is the life of the party, she's loud, she's the best little dancer, and she'll try everything her big sisters do.. like front flips on the trampoline or tricks on her bike and scooter. She is growing up faster than she should. She makes me laugh every single day, even when she is my most stubborn and difficult girl. I love her to pieces.

2014 Bear Lake Brawl Triathlon

Over the summer Josh competed in 1 race every month, and the last race of the season was in Bear Lake Utah. He raced the Olympic distance and finished with his best time yet.

My sisters and their boyfriends joined us, and we rented a really nice cabin on the lake for a long weekend. The water at Bear Lake is always cold, but the beaches are always fun because the water is so shallow, it's perfect for kids.

 

We also celebrated Scarlett's birthday that weekend with the family.

 

 

And it was also a great excuse to get the boat out one more time before it's stored for the winter.

 

First day of school - 3rd grade and 1st grade

I was looking through all my pictures and came across this gem

I forgot to properly acknowledge the first day of school for these kiddos! They are very excited to be at the same school this year (yay!) and they both have really sweet teachers who just adore them.

 

 

And every morning Scarlett and Hadley (if she's awake) come to say goodbye to their sisters and wave to the bus driver. It makes my heart happy.