Trunk or Treat

We had a great time at our neighborhood trunk or treat, on Halloween! I love that I don't have to take my kids house to house! Not that it was really cold down here, but I prefer the "get it over with in a hour" version of trick or treating! And we were done in a hour. They were happy because their baskets were full and I was happy because I was already done trick or treating! Daxton didn't make it to long! He fell asleep after about 15 minutes of getting candy. Good thing I was really just taking his basket around to get candy for myself-like I really need more candy!

Parties, Parties, and More Parties!!!!

Wow, am I tired and Halloween isn't even over! We have had so many parties the last couple of days, my kids are going to be in a candy coma by the time Halloween is over tonight!

Kamren had her Preschool party yesterday. They got to sing a few songs for all of the parents and then go trick-or-treating. My daughter, was the only one without a costume on because last year the preschool didn't allow costumes, and this year they didn't send a note home saying yah or nah, so I just went with last years rules! My bad!!! Oh well, she didn't even notice!

Next, we had Karlin's Halloween parade, this morning. She was a very cute Jasmine, but very distraught that her mom was helping in her sister's class and not hers! How dare I!!! So daddy to the rescue, Tony went and helped in her class-What a hero!!

Next, Kamren, Daxton, and I went to Kaylee's middle school where they have trick-or-treating to all of the classes! Kamren got her entire pumpkin filled up! Kaylee loved showing off her little baby Yoda. I actually had to pry Daxton from her to leave. I think she was just enjoying getting out of class!

Finally, this afternoon, I helped in Kenzie's class because I signed up to be one of the party moms for the year. It was a really fun party! I enjoyed meeting all of the kids that Kenzie always tells me about and I really enjoyed helping. I love all of their different little personalities, it is amazing to me that even at 6 there are already so many different ideas! There are the talkers, the "that's stupid kids", the quiet kids, the goof offs, etc. I love that my little Kenzie is the kid that does everything by the book, at least what I have seen of her. She is so afraid of getting sent to the Principal's office, which she has never even seen, that she is great at school. Not at home, but at least at school! We made these cute Tootsie pop spiders, which I got off the Family Fun website, we played bingo, did the donut on the string thing, and decorated cookies. I asked Mrs Foy if she could take Kenzie home with her for the rest of the evening, because that is WAY to much sugar for one afternoon! I actually came home from the party, and my sweet sister had made chili for my family like our mom used to when we were kids. She is the best, thanks Stac!

All in all, it was a fun day, and we still have Trunk-or-Treating to look forward to tonight!

Karlin's Date

We told our kids that if they filled up their sticker charts(for doing their chores and other things), that we would take them on a date. At first, we told them that they could pick who they wanted to go with and then decide what they wanted to do on their date. Well, Karlin has been the only one who thought this sounded like something worth shooting for, and tonight she got the first date. As her chart started to fill up, and her date was seeming to become a reality, she started to ask some questions. The first one was, "Is it alright if I take both you and Dad on my date, because I love you both"? So sweet, but the questions got better. The next one was,"Would it be alright if we go to the temple and see Jesus"? Okay, what Mom or Dad wouldn't be proud by this point! So we took her to eat and Durangos, then to the Visitor's Center at the Temple, and then to ice cream before we went home. Thanks Teresa, for taking all of the rest of the rag-a-muffins, even Daxton. I owe you one! We followed her around the Visitors Center like she owned the place. She wanted to go up the big stairs by the temple, watch the family movie, listen to Jesus talk, and look at all of the pictures of Jesus' life. It was a great date! Tony and I decided that taking one kid with us on a weekly date, is just as good as going out alone. We kill two birds with one stone, we get out together and only have to keep track of one kid, which is cake compared to watching four at the same time!

Staheli farm with our "playgroup"!

Well, our "playgroup" ended up being quite a group! When I started making calls, I was beginning to think it may just be me and my girls! I called 6 families, and left messages for all 6 of them. I really thought we were going by ourselves. But that afternoon my phone started ringing off the hook, and everybody I called, plus some were coming. I was so happy to have such a big group! We had a lot of fun. I think the greatest part for me, was that my kids could run around and play, and I could just chat with the girls without kids climbing up my leg, or trying to get my attention. It was great!

Mickey's Trick or Treat!!

We went Trick or Treating at California Adventure, while we were at Disneyland. I had to have my Mom E-mail me the pictures from it though, somehow we got out of the hotel room without our camera, such bad parents!!! It was probably the funnest event we went to while at Disneyland. They had 25 stops all throughout California Adventure. We left there with a giant Disneyland bag full of candy. We tried to tell the kids they don't need to go Trick or Treating now, but they didn't go for it. Daxton's Yoda costume was the only costume I could find that was his size, since I waiting until we got there to get it. I was mad that this was my only choice, but everybody who passed us oogled over his cute Yoda costume. I didn't even know who Yoda was before that night, but boy am I informed now. Kenzie was hilarious that whole night. She wanted her eyes and lips black, because she said she was an evil witch, and she stayed completely in character the whole night-we could barely get the girl to smile for pictures. I am really hoping this isn't a prelude to her teenage years, when she wants to walk around looking like a goth chic!!!

I should have an 11 year old today!!!

I am kind of shocked by the thought of this statement myself! To think that I should have a daughter in 5th grade, and 11 really blows me away. I don't even feel like I could have an 11 year old. I think it is because I have been in "Toddlerville" for so long now that I can't even remember 11 years ago! I always kind of prepare myself the night before it is Rylan's birthday, because I am not sure how I am going to feel the next morning. This morning, I really didn't think about it first off, it took me a couple of hours. It wasn't until my mom called that I really even thought of it being her birthday today. I think as the years go by, time has dulled the pain of her death, and only leaves behind the few memories of her short year on this earth. I don't really feel sadness anymore for her death, I only feel grateful. Grateful that she doesn't have to live on this earth in a body that would limit her, and grateful that I get to have all of the great children that I am blessed with raising. I don't know that we would have had 4 more kids after her if we had to take care of her earthly limitations. There was only one point today when I actually got a little teary eyed, and that was when I was at Great Harvest having lunch. There was a handicap boy there, in a wheelchair, and my girls started asking why he couldn't talk and why he looked like that. Though I don't know for sure that this is how Rylan would have ended up, I did feel some sort of emotion just thinking of the possibility of it. He was so happy and so unaware of the restricitons his body placed on him. I am so grateful that my daughter got to come, teach us all very valuable lessons, and then return to our Heavenly Father to wait for our return in the Celestial Kingdom. It is an awesome feeling to know that at least one of my kids doesn't have to face trials and hardships to get there, she is already there!

We went tonight and did our normal Rylan celebration at the cemetery. We all go and sing happy birthday to her and then let balloons fly up to her so that she can catch them for her birthday in heaven(that is what the kids think happen to the balloons)! We then have cupcakes and take a picture around her headstone. It is amazing how each year there seems to be another kid in the picture. I was touched by Karlin though, this year. She decided she wanted to leave Rylan a cupcake on her headstone, so that she could eat it when she gets to come back to us. I thought that was so sweet of her.

Happy birthday, Rylan! We love and will miss you always!

The Griswold's go to Walley World!!!

We decided this year to take our Christmas vacation a little early. Mainly, so that I didn't have to listen to Tony complain about the wall to wall people and the long lines at Disneyland. Well, I have to say, the lines were non-existent, and the people were pretty scarce(for Disneyland standards)! We had a great time! It is so exciting to be able to say that I actually have been to Disneyland when you can just walk right on a ride! I have always heard it said, but never actually experienced it for myself! The weather was great, around 80 to 85 degrees, and our children were actually pretty good(for having 6 of them with us)! We only lost one child, for about 2 minutes! Of course, I left Tony with the kids to go on a ride and come back 5 minutes later asking "Where's Kamren?" He looks at my Mom and my Mom looks at him, and they both say, "I thought you had her"! I almost killed him, but she was standing about 50 feet from us balling her eyes out! And all she had to say for herself is "I got lost"! I only really felt overwhelmed one time, and that was on Thursday. Daxton decided that 5:30 AM was a great time to get up everyday, and by Thursday I had had enough of getting up at that hour. So when Tony and the other kids got up for the day and started talking about going to the beach, I told Tony to just leave me for the day. He took Troy, Kaylee, Kenzie, and Kamren with him( I can't believe I let him after him loosing one of my children the day before). And I took Daxton and Karlin and we went shopping in Downtown Disney for a few hours. You never realize how easy it is to have 4 less children all talking at the same time and all asking you questions and needing something, until you leave most of them behind. Karlin and I had a great time. We shopped at the Disney Store, went the Anne Geddes store(her favorite), and had lunch and ice cream, and then headed back to the hotel where I took her swimming. We really enjoyed our time. It made me realize how important 1 on 1 time is for my kids and for me. All in all, it was a very successful trip. Tony even commented that it was his favorite Disney trip ever, and that he would do it again if it were like that every time. I am just glad to know that I don't have to do all of that insane Christmas shopping and find meaningless toys to buy my kids just so that they have plenty of stuff to open on Christmas morning!