Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was so fun this year! We got to have our Joyschool Thanksgiving lesson here which is one of my favorite lessons. The boys looked so cute in their hats! I love how if one or two think it's cool to wear the hat, everyone else does. We were so happy we were able to have our family come over for Thanksgiving day dinner. We were able to get a new table shortly before so that we had more room for people to sit. It was fun getting ready for everything.

We used the hat and apple turkey ideas from Joyschool to decorate the "kids" table.
It turned out so cute...I wanted to sit there!

It was still pretty and snowy throughout the day. Luckily everyone was able to travel fine. It started melting as the day and evening went on. We were worried Nana and Papa wouldn't be able to come.

Daniel, Samuel and Angela, coloring at the kids' table. They were supposed to be drawing things they were thankful for but I'm not sure that's what was really going on over there.

Marilyn started helping me in the kitchen as soon as she got there, thank goodness.

Katie too! Good job with the asparagus!

Somehow, we didn't get Mom in a picture helping in the kitchen but as always, she was there, busy as ever.

These two were inseparable all night. I'm so happy Nathan is so patient with Ethan and enjoys the adoration.

They are so cute!

Almost time to eat...let's eat those stale marshmallows while we're waiting.

Yum...Elijah is thankful for his food.

Emren too...just not as enthusiastic.

Dinner is served!

Happy faces are always a pleasant sight at the dinner table.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Katie took our picture for us for our Christmas card photo but it ended up not working size-wise. We had to go with a vertical shot. Darn it but good job Katie!

We are thankful for our family!

It was so fun to be able to have our family over and talk about and celebrate all we have to be thankful for. We are truly blessed by our Father in Heaven and feel his love and tender mercies all around us.

Snow is falling all around...

As a child (and even as an adult sometimes), waking up in Western Washington to snow is something pretty darn exciting. Elijah and Emren really haven't seen much of it and Ethan really didn't remember since last year we didn't have any. They had seen the movie Elf and the part that stuck with Ethan was the snowball throwing scene. The moment he saw the snow, he was sure he wanted to throw a snowball.

They kept saying, "Pretty!"Here's Lijah's attempt at throwing his first snowball...poor guy didn't even have any gloves.

Daddy was the snowball maker.

Emren just looks like he knows the trouble he could get into.

I was Ethan's first target. Lucky me!

Happy snow-day boys!

Ahoy and Happy Halloween from the Pirates Three!

Halloween was so fun this year! The boys were TOTALLY into the candy factor so they were amped for the festivities.

We did manage to get some pumpkins to carve...one big one that Mommy did and then we harvested 8 smaller ones from our garden. Daddy chose to do a small one. He's such a trooper.

The boys decided to stick to paper pumpkins. They weren't too excited for the gooeyness when they tried helping Dad.
Daddy is having so much fun, can't you tell?

Good job, 'Lijah.

Our final product...

Saturday the 30th was the ward Halloween party. We decided to make carmel corn to bring and the boys were insistent upon being my "helpers." They love watching the popcorn come flying out, especially those pieces that seem to escape and jump over across the room. I love my helpers!

All ready for the party!!!

Emren was sure he did not want to wear his hat.

Elijah was alright with it, as long as it got him some candy.

Ethan was just ready for some party-time!

Trick-or-Treat!

I think I want this one too!

Granny and Grandpa were in town so we were so lucky to have them come and go trick-or-treating with us on Halloween. Here are my pirates, ready to get going on their candy collecting. They got the hang of things just fine the night before...they knew what was coming.

Emren was a little better about his hat, since it meant candy.

'Lijah was so cute! He wanted to make sure he had his sword with him at all times.

Mr. Ethan Poser...he's no Johnny Depp but he sure is adorable!

The candy couldn't come soon enough so they decided to snack on their swords.

Wait for me!!!

Look what I have Dad!

Ethan needed Grandpa's help with this one...it was a little spooky.

I think they were a little sad to come back home but happy that it was time to check out their candy.

Granny, can I have this one?

Grandpa, can I have this one?

Mommy, how about these...I haven't had any yet, I promise!

Mommy and Grandma...warming up from the chilly Halloween night.

Grandpa is the best! TV and candy...nothing better to end the night with!

Pumpkin Patch Time...

Because of our schedules and the weather, we thought we weren't going to get to go to the pumpkin patch this year all together as a family. One day we had a chance to make a last minute go for it, so our trip to the pumpkin patch was kind of squeezed in and rushed. We took the boys to the same one we went to last year since it had the big monster truck there and we figured they would be excited about it. Elijah was the only one who showed interest in it and not even enough to take him on a ride. They all thought it was "cool" from a distance but that was it.
It was super muddy everywhere we tried to walk. Most of the pumpkins were sad looking or getting moldy. The wheelbarrow evidently didn't even look enticing...and come on, who can't refuse a wheelbarrow ride?

I only snapped a couple of pics, none of which were very good. I think we'll stick with Scholtz Farm next year. We always have so much fun going there and it's closer (and less muddy!).

This is the one and only family picture we attempted. I don't think anyone was having much fun and then bees kept following us around. They wouldn't leave Elijah alone. We had to run away from them after this shot and decided to just go home.

Oh well, better luck next year.