BIG FIVE!

YES! That really is Charlie! I must admit I miss the rolls of fat and bald head but I love the amazing little boy my little Charlie has grown into. He was able to celebrate the big day by taking cupcakes to preschool with his dad, shopping for a present from his grandparents at Toys-r-Us, eating pizza, and of course a cake (bring on the sugar). The big hit present was the Sorry game which he continually wins!



Almost a week after his actual birthday came his "friend" party which he has been planning for almost a year now! We went with the whole Star Wars theme because Charlie LOVES playing Legos Star Wars on the Wii (he's never actually watched the movie). We had a great group of kids and spent the time shooting down war ships (pin the tail on the donkey), rescuing Yoda, hunting for treasure, and of course we had to have the pinata. It was the "Death Star" which I'm sure Charlie had never even heard of but it's from Star Wars and the shape made for an easy pinata.


The hit of the Party had to be the "Yoda Sodas" (sprite and lemon sherbet). All the kids loved them until we told them they might make them turn green and then a few of the kids got nervous.

The cake was hard to come up with. But thanks to google, we found this awesome looking lightsaber (in case you couldn't tell what it was).


The party was a HUGE success and I'm so glad it's over! Happy Birthday Chuckles!

A new love!

Seth surprised me with a bag of these and I can't stop eating them. I like the Hershey candy cane hugs but these just take it to a whole new level with the addition of dove dark! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful day to be with family. Of course we wish we were in Utah with a huge gang of family but thankfully we are blessed with great friends to spend the day with. The Turkey is in the brine, the pumpkin roll and fluff salad are finished, and the pinata is drying. I'm grateful for traditions, good health, my family, a healthy active growing baby, and my testimony of Jesus Christ. Life truly is good! Happy Thanksgiving!

November Happenings!

Our weather has been perfect this November. Our temperatures have been relatively mild and we have yet to see snow! At this time of year I count this as a huge blessing!

Seth had his annual "committee meeting" with all the professors that will hopefully be granting him his PhD in the future. It went "well" in Seth terms which means it went really well. It's strange to think that we could be done sometime next year, maybe...

We finally got all the pieces together for the little boys bunk beds. They were busting out of their toddler beds but look tiny in their huge twin beds. They were going crazy with excitement as Seth assembled them. The difficult part came when it was time for bed and we had to explain to Matthew that he was not sleeping on the top. He cried himself to sleep for two nights in a row but has seemed to accept the bottom.

I am getting down to my last two months of pregnancy. Wow, only two months! Nope, it's more like, how in the world do I still have two months! I'm feeling ok and am grateful for a very supportive husband who listens to all my groans. Our little girl is growing fast and has turned very active, we can't wait to meet her.

My nesting instincts have really kicked in. Yesterday, I couldn't handle my red wall for another day. It was so dark and it made me feel like my kitchen was closing in on me. I've had it for over three years and have loved it until about a week ago. After a quick trip to Lowes, it's gone. It's strange that it took a million coats of red paint in different shades to achieve that wall and it was all gone in a matter of minutes! As is life! (they make amazing primers these days)

Halloween Highlights!

I've loved reading all the Halloween posts! Is there anything cuter than kids dressed up in costumes?

Charlie had a Halloween party at preschool where his teacher told a story about witches brew and even used dry ice for effect. He wouldn't stop talking about it. We love Annie!

I loved that Halloween was on Saturday so Seth could play with us the whole day. The graduate school family association had a Halloween party with lots of different activities for the kids! The balloon guy was definitely the hit!


We continued our tradition of trick-or-treating in the Dickens neighborhood. They have lots of older residents who love to swoon over little kids in costume. Charlie was once again the trick-or-treating champ for running from house to house! The weather was a little cool but we were fine as long as we kept moving. It's hard to believe this is our FIFTH Halloween in Michigan. Where does the time go?



A big shout out "Thank You" to my mom who made the Indian costume. Who could tell it was 30 plus years old?

She came BACK!

I love visitors, especially fall visitors, and I love Miranda, so of course I loved that she returned to Michigan to experience another beautiful fall! She and her two beautiful boys were here for almost a week and we didn't stop the WHOLE time. I find it strange how easily I can switch back to west coast time! Here are the highlights!


Jenny's Market! I believe the donuts were a lot better this year, warm inside and crisp on the outside. Their cider was good but I think Wiards still has them beat! Little Zach loved his first Michigan donut and the big boys love the straw maze!


The Ford Museum! I've been A LOT but I never get sick of it. The boys loved the touring Lego castle interactive display, I loved Amelia Earhart's plane, and Miranda loved seeing Rosa Park's bus!




By far the highlight of the visit was our trip to Sandusky, Ohio to the Kalahari (the largetst indoor waterpark in the country). This place doesn't get old and getting a great room at a sweet price made the experience even better. We had a 4,3,2 and 10 month old and it could have been a huge disaster but they all loved it and slept so well at night! If you live in the area you should go NOW!

Of course we had to have a nasty rainy day while she was here so we took the big boys to see Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D at the movie theater. We had the theater practically to ourselves and they loved it, Miranda and I were able to take turns napping:)

The night before she left we went to a college town dive called "Mr Spots"! They are know for their Philly cheese steak but I couldn't get enough of their barbecue wings! Thanks so much for coming to see us Miranda!

Why I hate living in Michigan!

Nope, it's not the weather, my three oldest nephews were baptized by their dads (my brothers) last Saturday and we were not able to be there.

While I'm sad we missed it, I'm so happy for them and their families!