Halloween

In our ward, the Primary presidency is in charge of planning the Trunk-or-Treat.  I'm sure planning any ward activity is stressful, but it was especially so for us since we're all newbies and it was only two days after the Sacrament Meeting Primary Program.  All our hard work paid off and it was a hit!  We had a chili dog potluck, followed by the actual trunk-or-treating, and then everyone came back inside for carnival games.  We had a bingo table, a cake walk, a bean bag toss, a witch hat ring toss, pumpkin bowling, donuts on a string, pin the face on the jack-o-lantern, face painting, a photo booth, fishing for toys, a coloring station for the little kids, a raffle and a "guess how many candies are in the jar" table.  We had some of the youth man the stations and they did such a great job.  And I was so impressed at how many people stayed until the bitter end to help us clean up.  I love our ward!

On Halloween night we went to our friends' house for a party.  We all went trick-or-treating then came back to their house for dinner and games for the kids.

Pumpkin Patch With Friends

Happy Birthday to Me! #29

I had a wonderful birthday and was thoroughly spoiled.  I got my nails done, Paul made me dinner and a cake and I got lots of fun presents and babysitting offers.  September and the beginning of October has been uncomfortable hot and in honor of me, I turned down our AC three degrees on my special day and it was heavenly!

We had our friends over for cake.  All the kids took turns blowing out the candles before it was my turn.

 Paul made me a beautiful almond cake that we served with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.  Mmmmmm...

I had to act especially surprised about this gift.  It's a cutting board and something that I told Paul I wanted. A few days before my birthday the kiddos and I were at Target and I said, "Oh! we should go look and see if they have any cutting boards while we're here," to which Parker responded with a whisper, "But Mom, we already got you a cutting board for your birthday!"  I said, "Parker, you're not supposed to tell me.  It's supposed to be a surprise!"  I think he knew that, which is why he whispered it, but me saying that really embarrassed him.  He wouldn't look me in the eye for the rest of our shopping trip.

 Kate loved the cake and presents, but by the time we were done it was way past bedtime and she was one tired girl.

Thomas and Angela Visit

Thomas and Angela came for a quick weekend visit.  We loved having them!  It was a wonderful vacation for us too and we didn't even have to travel anywhere.

On Friday we went to the zoo and in the evening just the adults went to Old Town San Diego for dinner.

On Saturday we did a little garage sale shopping (Parker scored a scooter for $2) and then the boys (minus Parker) went on a fishing voyage on the ocean.  The rest of us watched a movie while Kate took a nap and then went to the mall for some retail therapy.

Thomas and Angela responsibly left Sunday morning so they could make it back to Arizona in time for church.  The weekend flew by and we hope they come see us again soon!

(Thanks for these awesome pictures, Chomas!)

This monkey was so funny and kind of freaky. It kept smiling at us and raising its eyebrows and just generally acted quite human.

Anniversary #8

Trudy came into town the day after our anniversary (for Kate's birthday) and we got an extra special gift from her: free babysitting!  We went kayaking at the La Jolla caves and then out to dinner and I kept thinking how nice it was not to be checking my phone for missed calls from the sitter or worrying about the time and having to rush through dinner to get back home.  Plus, we knew our kids were in the very best of hands and that Parker and Kate were having a great time too.

In honor of our eighth anniversary, here are eight of our favorite things:

1. Favorite Season: Summer (Paul)

2. Favorite Book: Gone With the Wind (Courtney)

3. Favorite Meal: Carne Asada Fries (Paul)

4. Favorite Job: Organic Chemistry TA (Courtney)

5. Favorite Car: Audi R8 Spyder (Paul)

6. Favorite Dessert: Creme Brulee with Fresh Berries (Courtney)

7. Favorite Smell: Surf Wax (Paul)

8. Favorite Location Lived: London (Courtney)

Yellowstone

Before Erin became a grown up and got a job, but after she took the bar, my family wanted to get together for a vacation.  We decided Yellowstone would be a great location.  My best friend in high school had a cabin near Yellowstone and I joined her family on several occasions during the summers.  One time my dad and brother came too and then it became a summer tradition for our family as well.  Even though we'd stay in a hotel instead of a rustic cabin, it was still so fun.
Yellowstone was a nostalgic choice, plus Paul had never been.  We rented a cabin so that we could all be together and I'm so glad we did.  It was perfect!

On Friday we went into the park and saw clay pots, paint pots, Old Faithful and lots of other geysers.  That evening we saw a play at the Playmill, which is an absolute MUST in my opinion when visiting Yellowstone.

On Saturday we went to a lake and rented stand up paddleboards and canoes and had a picnic lunch.  That night we played a silly game of Munchkin after the kiddos went to bed. I recall that a lot of M&Ms were eaten that night...

It was a wonderful vacation and the only downside was that it was too short.  Aren't they always?

When planning this vacation, I didn't really consider travel time.  Except for Matt and Jamie who live in Rexburg, I knew that getting to Yellowstone would require 5+ hours of driving for everyone (we flew from San Diego to Salt Lake City, then rented a car), but I didn't think it would be a big deal.  It actually wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good, if you know what I mean.  There were several candy stops along the way.  At one of these stops Paul insisted on getting an Idaho Spud.  A "when in Rome" type of thing, I guess, even though I told Paul that real Idahoans don't eat those nasty things.

 Parker did this weird claw thing in most of the pictures.  He said he was being a Minion... ???

 I love this picture because Kate and Paul have the same smile.

 Our plan was to hike down to that waterfall you can see in the background here, but we ran out of time.  Next time!

 Parker is not bugs' or small animals' biggest fan.  He liked this little chipmunk from a distance, but got nervous when it got too close.

 Look!  Joe's profile and Erin's arm!  Next time I need to pay my photographer extra to also take photos of people that aren't named Parker or Kate.  Or I need to do a better job of getting pictures from other people's cameras...