A Recital And A Snow Storm

Charlie started playing the piano this year, I have been hesitant to put him in lessons, despite Mark's pushing for it, I just wasn't sure if he would enjoy it, sit still for the lessons, pay attention to his teacher, all that stuff that comes with his personality, but this year I decided he could hopefully handle it and I have to say I have been so impressed and proud of him!  He is doing great in his lessons and practicing.  He practices in the morning before school and has his lesson once a week before school and that really works well for him and us.  Then I don't have to pull teeth after school when he wants to play, getting him to do homework after school is all he can handle, this one loves his friends.  He had his first recital and chose three songs to play, one was I Love To See The Temple.  He also played that for the postlude music in primary.  He said it was embarassing to play at the recital but he did great.  

 After his final bow, trying to get out of the spotlight, which is strange for him.

We had a really great snowstorm come in this weekend too.  For a couple days straight it snowed and for three solid days my kids were out there for hours.  Mark brought the four wheeler out this Saturday after the recital and pulled the kids on the sled across the street in the empty lots.  Even Leila loved it.

 She could barely walk through the snow it was so deep for her.

Leila didn't stay out as long as the older kids, what is playing in the snow without hot chocolate after?  She was thrilled to get some "hot chockie" as she calls it.

Halloween

     Halloween was on a Wednesday this year, our ward had Trunk or Treat the night before on Tuesday, the hectic weekend turned into the beginning of a hectic week.  It was nice this year to not have to worry about preschool programs though.  Charlie was very indecisive on a costume in usual Charlie fashion.  I ended up taking back a ninja costume and just buying him a skeleton hoodie on Monday.  Easiest costume every.  I actually had to talk him into painting his face for the ward party but for Halloween he didn't want it, he just wanted to zip the hoodie up over his face, you couldn't even tell it was him but he loved it.  

Leila had just woken up from her nap on the night of Trunk or Treat and was pretty ornery all night.  She was scared of Charlie as you can tell in these pictures.

I had way too much fun with fabric paint this year and made this little pumpkin tank for my morning workout.  They really push dressing up, I've never done it before but this was easy enough.

For school the kids got to dress up and had a parade.  Kenya borrowed this genie costume from Cami, she was wanting to be a lion but I brought her over to Cami's Halloween store (she's had two girls before me so every year she has a few costumes to choose from), and Kenya immediately picked out the genie costume and wanted to be Jasmine.  I really didn't want to spray her hair black again (it was a pain when we did it for Snow White a few years ago) and tried to convince her to just be a genie but that didn't go over and I decided to just buy a wig this year for her.  It turned out pretty good, she loved it.

At the bus stop with Kenzie, Brighton, and Ella.

I met Cami and my mom for lunch then ran over to the library to cast my first ever vote for President.  Wish it would've made a difference but I felt good doing it.

Halloween night we had my family over for dinner and luckily Leila was in much better spirits and let me fix her hair and put her pumpkin head band in.  Still not sure about scary daddy though.

All the cousins

Kids with the dressed up adults

Charlie is totally camouflaged between me and Mark.

My brothers dressed up as Harry and Lloyd, they wore it to work and somehow the news heard about their office and how they get dressed up and came out and did a piece on them.  It aired that night and had quite a bit of Jared and Colby, they rented a scooter and were driving around on it during the day and during trick or treating.  It was hilarious.

Scarlett, Sailor, Luke, and Kaia

Lil' punkin

She loved trick or treating this year.  She'd get done with a house and say "more candy?" She got mad if they tried to put it in her bag, she had to do it.

After we did our street Mark and Nate took the kids to the other neighborhood in our ward on the four wheeler while I went back home with Leila to pass out candy. It was the warmest Halloween on history.  In the 70's, our street has never had so many kids on it either, it was a great night but sometimes I think Halloween can feel more hectic than Christmas!  

Happy Halloween.

Pumpkin Carving

 To top the weekend off we ended it with pumpkin carving on Sunday.  Jared brought his girls over and after dinner we went to work.  Mark was actually very involved this year and I wasn't at all.  This is usually opposite so it was a nice change.  He even initiated it this year, otherwise we might not have ever done it.  I attempted to make caramel popcorn (which I couldn't eat, healthy habits challenge), burned the first batch and made a not very good second batch.  I've never made it before, next time I'll have to find a better recipe.

Kissing her pumpkin, love the snot drip.

I saw on pinterest to cut the back of with the top, made it so much easier for the kids to dig out those guts.

I love this pictures, Mark was hurrying to carve an "L" in Leila's pumpkin as we went out to take the picture, I love how she is beaming in the second picture with her pumpkin as big as her.  All the kids were so proud of their creations.  They did a great job.