Halloween 2016

We had another great Halloween. Mom and Dad recycled their Han Solo and Princess Leia costumes, and Seth switched from the dark side to the good side by dressing as Mace Windu. He actually asked if he could paint his skin brown, so we gently denied that innocent request. Mark and Dax took the easy route and dressed as their dream jobs. For Mark, that meant a Red Sox player and Dax dressed up as a basketball player. We were thrilled that they made life so easy.

A few weeks before Halloween our ward had a party. We got to go in our costumes and there was a big chili cooking contest. Mom made an awesome chili, but the boys were just excited to get to preview their costumes.

School Halloween parties were on Monday this year, and Mom attended with Dax, while Dad got to celebrate at school with Mark. For trick-or-treating, Dad took the boys around our neighborhood, and then when Seth got tired, he went home to help Mom with handing out treats. Mark and Dax kept knocking doors until Mark's bucket got so heavy the strap broke and Dad's legs nearly fell off. It was a really great Halloween!

Dax was excited that mom helped at his party even though he did not want to take this selfie with her.

Ready for Trick or Treating! 

Mom's Birthday--She is OLD!

Mom had a wonderful birthday this year. She was super spoiled and the boys took good care of her.

A few days before her birthday, Dad and the boys surprised Mom with flowers, presents, and a cake. We had a busy day on Mom's actual birthday so they decided to surprise her and celebrate early. Mom got a pedicure coupon and a new toilet seat. Both were wonderful gifts. Her flowers are still alive almost two weeks later, and the cake was amazing. It was a mint chocolate cake which is her favorite, and everyone enjoyed it.

Mom was pleased to have a surprise birthday a few days early.

This cake was amazing! Mom hopes to get it every year for her birthday.

The next day, we made the traditional trek down to Brick Oven for the birthday dinner. We had to hurry after dinner because Mom and Dad went to the temple afterward. Even though Mom shut her fingers in the car door, the session in the temple was wonderful and it was another great birthday outing.

We love going to Brick Oven even if Dax is always freezing!

On Mom's actual birthday, there were 3 soccer games and a basketball game, and they were all at the same time (almost). Mom saw just a few minutes of Mark's game before going back to pick up Dax and take him to his soccer game, while Dad coached Seth's soccer game and then Dax's basketball game, even though Dax couldn't make his basketball game since it was the same time as soccer. Mom had fun watching her boys play and was grateful for the warm, sunny Fall day.

Dax works hard when he plays goalie!

Dax actually does play a great goalie and had some good stops! 

Mark and Mom hung out on the sideline of Dax's game, and
didn't realize they matched until they took this selfie to prove it!

Mom's parents were in town and they took her out to Kneaders for lunch. She didn't think to take a picture, but she had fun seeing her mom and dad on her birthday. They bought her a mint brownie because they know about Mom's obsession with mint chocolate treats!

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing. Mom read her book for a little bit, and she played baseball with the boys. Mom also received her other present in the mail which was a bluetooth speaker. It has already been the best present. She has used it every day since she got it. We ended Mom's birthday with a game of Kick-the-Can, and then had the rest of the delicious mint chocolate cake. It was a wonderful birthday weekend. Mom loved every minute of it, other than the getting old part!

Mom is so glad she has these wonderful boys who take good care of her.
This is in front of the Cedar City Temple a few days after mom's birthday.

Pumpkin Carving 2016

The boys love carving pumpkins. 

The boys are always super-excited to carve pumpkins, even though Mom and Dad need a little encouragement. This year we collected a lot of pumpkins from all of Seth's Fall field trips and the Pumpkin Train, but we only carved five even though Dax wanted to carve them all.

It was a beautiful Fall day, and after Dad finished mowing the lawn, we covered the table in newspaper and started carving. This year, Mark and Dax carved their pumpkins entirely on their own (well, Dad helped clean out the seeds). Mark went with a face with a scary mouth. Dax did a face with ears and hair. Mom helped Seth with his angry pumpkin with "mad eyebrows." Mom and Dad both tried something new. Mom was really proud of her witch with a hat, and Dad did okay with a skeleton face. Maybe we shouldn't have dreaded pumpkin carving so much!

It is fun that the boys can be more independent on this task.

Seth told mom exactly what to carve and even drew pictures to help her.

Dad is always the most creative with his pumpkins.

Mark did well all on his own.

Dax added ears to his pumpkin this year.

Mom's pumpkin hopefully looks like a witch to you!

We love seeing them all lit up on the front porch.

We are going to try and remember that carving pumpkins was a big success this year.

Bear Lake Hullabaloo

Bear Lake in October is cold, but still beautiful!

I'm not sure why our friends named this new tradition of renting out the lighthouse at Bear Lake The Hullabaloo, but I guess it is kind of a noisy melee. We were the only ones in our ward to go this year, but we had a lot of fun with all of our friends from the next ward over.

The first day of Fall Break was Thursday and we drove up to Ogden early and took Grandma Betty to lunch on our way to Bear Lake. We had a nice time, and it is always fun to see Grandma. The boys were especially good this time at sitting still and talking nicely to her. After lunch we crossed the freeway to the Bear River Migratory Refuge. There weren't a lot of birds there in October, but the boys checked out their Junior Ranger backpacks and had a lot of fun catching insects in the nets, dipping for bugs in the water, using their binoculars, and checking their field guides. We also spotted a long-tailed weasel which was really cool. He ran right across the bridge, and he was the prettiest auburn color.

Our boys always ask to visit Grandma Betty. I hope they will have lots of memories of their great-grandma.

Dax would not touch the nice little salamander.

Seth was a lot braver! 

The boys loved these backpacks. There is aton of fun stuff inside to use for adventuring.

Seth really wanted to catch something in his net, but it didn't happen.

This the picture I snapped of the weasel through the windshield as he ran across the road, but I'm pretty proud of it because you can actually tell it's a weasel even if it is blurry.

The refuge was beautiful!

Dax is trying to catch something in his net, but we decided he didn't need to swim.

The boys LOVE visiting this place.

After we finished up the Junior Ranger, we headed up to the lighthouse. After getting checked in to our basement room this year, we had pizza for dinner. Then the boys played and ran with all the other kids. There was bingo and face painting. Seth was painted up to be a dog, but Mark and Dax were painted in support of BYU, who lost as we watched in the theater. We allowed the boys to stay up late and play and watch the game until about 10 pm, but that was only halftime.

The boys all played a soccer game, and the sunset was amazing! 

Dax reppin' the Y!

Mark wasn't going to paint his face, but once he saw Dax's Y, he changed his mind.

Maggie seriously painted almost every kid's face in the house. She was awesome.

And Seth's dog face was adorable!

Seth LOVES Karina. He wanted to play with her the whole time. She was such a good sport and let him hang out with her. They even took selfies together!

After the kids went to bed, the guys played Around the World pingpong. You had to dash around the table, and if you missed a shot, you were out. The last two players had to hit and spin. The winner got to take a free shot at the exposed bellies of the losers. Mom and Dad stayed up and talked with the other adults until late, but they had to be up early to fix breakfast with a few other families for all 77 people that are staying here.

The next morning came way early, but our pancake breakfast was a success, and we got all cleaned up in time for some outside games. The boys and men played tennis and then wiffle ball. After that, Mom took the boys down to the lake. It was freezing this year, but that didn't stop them from going in the water, and they had a great time spending a few hours in the shallows. Best of all, on the way home they spotted a great-horned owl and two bald eagles! That was really exciting! They even got pictures.

The boys played wiffle ball. Mark is up to bat in this picture! 

Dax loves playing tennis.

Mark also loves to play tennis. They think having these courts by the house is the best part of the stay!

Dad always dominates during the tennis tournament. 

Seth is still figuring out how to hit the tennis ball.

Seth definitely has his game face on when he steps on the court, and he's got a really great batting stance!

We spotted this owl on the way to the beach!

The Bald Eagles were in the usual spot, so we found them easily!

The water was FREEZING!

But of course, the boys had to get in!

Dax went really far out!

Mark didn't stay in long. He made bird tracks in the sand for awhile.

After dinner of Cafe Rio pork, the boys played pool with their friends while Mom and Dad socialized. It was a much more relaxed evening until the kids got to bed. Then the adults had an all-out karaoke session. Dad sang Somebody to Love and tried to help Mom with her amazing version of Don't Stop Believin', but his voice was blown out by then. At midnight, the alarm that Seth had set (the alarm clock was nearest his bed, so it was "his") went off. Dax was evacuating due to "the fire alarm" when we finally got it shut off, and all three boys were wide awake. We got them back to bed, though not back to sleep, in time for a few more games of Screaming Feet and Signs. The night did end fairly early, if you call 1 am early!

I should have done a video of Randy because he rocked the karaoke! Everyone was amazed!

The final day was fairly uneventful. We had a continental breakfast of muffins and cereal, and packed our stuff up. Then we decided to drive up to the Bear Lake Wildlife Refuge in Idaho. That turned out to be a mistake as we saw almost no birds. We were hoping that the kids would fall asleep as we drove back down the canyon, but none of them did. After lunch at Angie's we drove home. We were so tired that we didn't even unpack! Mom and Dad took a nap and left the unpacking for later, which is the first time they've ever done that!

The best spot we had at the Bear Lake Wildlife Refuge was a Bald Eagle.