Halloween Party

This year, Halloween was the holiday that never quit.  It just kept going and going and going.  It started with a party that my friend, Chelsey, and I hosted at my house.  We invited our kids closest friends and their moms over for the event.  

The house we are renting here in Phoenix  lends itself well to the Halloween spirit.  Many of the walls are orange.  Super festive, I know.  Here's some of the decorations the my mom and I put up while she was in town the first weekend of October.  

This was so much cuter in real life.  It made me smile every morning when I came out to the kitchen and saw it.  

We had to put up our bats that we do every year.  

I thought this was so funny.  I have this picture of Lucy with her friends from when we lived in Lemoore.  Apparently, she and Graham would move the heart to cover each other's faces.  Sometimes I'd walk by and Lucy's face would be covered in this picture.  

Then, on another day, Graham's face would be covered in this picture.  All done without any words.  

Chelsey and I had so much fun making all the food for the party.  These owl cupcakes were my favorite part.  

Our skeleton veggie tray.

Here's my little ninja enjoying the good eats.

Benny liked to change up his costume a couple times throughout the party.  Here he's Batman....obviously.  

We played the mummy wrapping game.  Check out Madeline, dressed as Violet from Willy Wonka.  Too cute!

I even got into it and dressed up in an old Gladiator costume that Jason bought many moons ago.  

We took the crew down the street to the park to play some Halloween Bocci and Goblins and Ghosts.  

Madeline's brother, Jake, dressed as an Oompa Loompa. 

Lucy enjoyed herself.  

Benny freezing in our Ghosts and Goblins game (Red light/Green Light)

Lucy was a witch this year.  She wore the same costume she wore when she was 4.  She just wore leggings under the dress this time around.  I was thrilled!  

We had a great time!  I was super worn out when it finally ended and my house was a complete wreck, but it was totally worth it. 

Lake Pleasant

On Labor Day this year, we wanted to get out and see more of what the Phoenix area had to offer.  We were all a little bitter about the heat still and wanted to find a place to cool off a bit.  

We had heard about a lake about 45 minutes away, so we packed some snacks and made our way to Lake Pleasant.  It was "pleasant" enough, but it was still super hot and we didn't last as long in the heat as we thought we would.  There wasn't much of a beach.....just mud, but we spent a few hours there swimming and taking in the new scene.  

Benny wasn't loving it, as you can see.  

Once he got a floaty from a neighboring group, he perked up a bit.  

There was an old  couple camped out next to us that kept us company.  They were pretty funny, actually.  Super friendly and super white trash, but it made for some interesting and entertaining conversations.  

Graham wanted to go exploring, so we walked to the top of the hill and then over to some big boulders that he could climb on.  

I love this last picture.  I love that crazy kid!

Benny's B-day

We had yet another birthday to celebrate!  Benny boy turned three years old on October 16th.  We were at Sea World for his actual birthday, so we celebrated a few days after we returned home.  

We spent a few hours at Germ Central, oops, I mean Peter Piper Pizza.  Have I mentioned before how much I hate places such as this?  Chuck E. Cheese, arcades, etc?  No thank you.  But, I have to say, this particular establishment was pretty clean and less chaotic than other flu infested places we've visited.  My kids, like most other kids, LOVE the idea of playing for prizes that we could buy for a fraction of the price at the Dollar Store.  Bottom line:  it was my little boy's birthday and so I sucked it up, got a Diet Coke, and followed my birthday boy around as he played skee ball and wack-a-mole.   

Ben-O's favorite part was putting in the tokens.  

I think Graham loved it most of all.  Hence the mother/son date location a couple weeks later.  

Benny loves his Incredible Hulk cake.  He's in a superhero phase and I love it!  I love watching him bound around the house trying to do flips and jumps.  His sound effects are top notch, too.  So cute!

As you can see, he was pretty thrilled with his first present.  

He loves his mask and cape from Mom and Dad.

Grandpa and Grandma got him six different Sesame Street figurines.  His favorite is Cookie Monster.  We ended up spending 45 minutes on YouTube later that night watching Cookie Monster clips.  By far, my favorite Sesame Street character, too.  The creature is hilarious! 

Happy Birthday, Benny Boy!  We love you!

Date Night

Back in October, Jason and I were able to get away for a little date night.  We try to go out once or twice a month.  This one was a little extra special.  We wanted to think outside the box and do something other than dinner and a movie.  So, we went down to Tempe Beach Park to do some paddle boarding.  We were all decked out in our swimsuits, but when we got there, we were told we couldn't paddle board because it was getting dark.  Our only option was to paddle boat.  We were disappointed, but decided to go for it anyways.  

It was so fun!  We were able to paddle and talk and paddle and laugh.  We had a great time dreaming about the places we might be stationed next and laughing about the kids latest phases.  

I feel so blessed to be able to spend and share my life with Jason.  He is, in so many ways, my perfect match.  

Book of Mormon FHE

Earlier last month we had a Family Home Evening on the Book of Mormon and how it came to be.  Side note:  I have loved using the Preach My Gospel manual for our FHE lessons!  I already know what our next lesson should be focused on and the doctrine is laid out for me!

We ended the evening making our own gold plates from graham crackers and yellow frosting.  Side note:  Lately, Benny has been calling Triscuits "Benny Crackers" because Graham crackers are "Graham's Crackers".