Halloween 2019!

For year I thought Shrek and Fiona would be the PERFECT costume for James and I, and this year was the year I finally did it. James wasn't thrilled at first, but he was a good sport and played the part well! Dressing up for Halloween and all of the accompanying festivities have really grown on me over the years! I need something to still be excited about after summer is over and the days get cold, dark, and bleak. At the ward party, we won the award for "Best Fairytale Costume".

Little Rose at almost 6 months old!

Poppy and Grandma Ce Ce made a grand entrance to introduce themselves as "Grandpa and Grandma Shark", that goes along with the Baby Shark Song that is so popular with Presley!

Jill and Fred provided lots of fun decorations, as usual!

Witch doctor

Dwight Shrewt. Favorite quote " Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, would an idiot do that And if they would, I do not do that thing." I love that all of these kids are loving the Office, like we did 10 years ago!

Bode is about 13 months old and walking like a champ!

We played Halloween Charades... I don't know if it's more fun to watch the kids or the adults try to act out and guess things!

Caleb made fake wounds on all of the kids. They look surprisingly convincing!

Luke won the pie eating contest. Biggest Pig, again. Peter won the kid contest...must have picked up a few tips from his dad!

Jill bought all of the kids these cute glow in the dark bandanas

One of our favorite neighbors, Lane, dressed like Shaggy and is holding his little Scooby Doo. He was told he was the best, and also worst looking Shaggy!

For High Fitness, we all dressed up. My tank says "I would have quit by now, but my trainer scares me!" I ironed on a picture of Heidi...my favorite trainer who kicks my butt several hours a week. She thought it was so funny!

We always talk about stopping by Miss Lisa's house to get a Halloween donut, but this is the first year we have actually done it! She had Jackson, Paul, and Alanna in preschool and we absolutely love her! It was so fun to see her, and to see her reaction to how much her "preschoolers" have grown!

Mod Pizza was offering a free pizza if you went there in costume. I went with my gym friends for lunch, and then wore a different costume and took the kids for dinner! Sweet deal! Blaze and Alanna each made out with around 8.5 lbs of loot! Blaze's favorite "treat" was the can of tuna he got! Funny kid!

Pumpkin Patch...

We loaded up to go to the same pumpkin patch we've visited for 12 years, and found out it has been permanently closed! It was so sad for all of us, but Peterson Farm turned out to be a fun place to visit too! The animals were a little stinky though!

Bad idea...Blaze quickly tumbled out of the wheel barrow!

Paul got almost completely buried in the corn kernels

The kids each picked out a pumpkin and waited in line to have it weighed and priced. Our total came to $46!!! There's no way I would pay that much for pumpkins! We went to Walmart and got similarly sized pumpkins for under $4! Peterson Farm is much more expensive than our other pumpkin patch.

Look at my beautiful Alanna! She's growing up waaay too fast!

CTR Knight...

Blaze's Primary teacher sent me this picture of their class! So cute!

Twinners!

We all know James is pretty chill and really doesn't care what he looks like or how he dresses. On some of his work from home days, he really takes advantage of the comforts of home and just wears pajamas. All day long. Even when we have guests in the evening. I'm afraid my little Blazer is following suit.They are so cute in their matching pajamas though...I should let it slide once in a while!

Fall Mornings...

The last couple of years James has finally started letting us use the fireplace! So instead of huddling on top of the vents and fighting for space, the kiddos eat breakfast by the fire. It's a sweet site to see in the mornings!

Albion Basin with Dad...

Dad and I enjoyed a beautiful fall hike around Albion Basin one morning. We met a couple from Sweden who were visiting several places in the US. They asked us how we pronounce IKEA, and then told us how to correctly say it ...The I is pronounced like a long E. I love meeting world travelers and feeling like we live in such a special place that I can take advantage of whenever I want! On our hike, dad tried to find the place where he and mom got married, just out in the forest, but I don't think he could pin down the exact location. After our hike, we decided to meet at one of my favorite restaurants, the Dodo in Sugarhouse. I took off first and lost dad, so I called him just to make sure he was on the right route. He said "Well Sarah I'm coming. You're in a sports car, and I'm in a truck!" HAHAHA... i was driving the Tesla, and I love that car so much!

Turban??

I walked out of my room to this one Sunday morning. Paul announced that it was his "Turban". I said "are you kidding me?" He got quite a bit of ridicule from his siblings for mistaking a loin cloth for a turban. Silly Paul...always has us laughing for one reason or another!

Blaze's soccer season 2019...

Blaze has played with the same soccer team since he was 3 years old. They are so good, but unfortunately, they lost their last game of the season. It was the first loss they've had in 3 years! The coach took the blame for telling the boys to take a risk and throw the ball to the center line instead of the side. They only had 7 players that day, and no one took breaks. Considering all factors, they played an awesome game, and I was glad that I put on most of my ski gear to stand outside in the 36 degree weather to watch the game!

James and Sarah's Vegas Vacation!

James and I got to take a weekend trip to Vegas to stay at a timeshare location for free...for free after sitting through the 2 hour sales presentation! It was so nice to experience some warmth and sunshine after an unusually early fall. The strip isn't my favorite, but it was the first time we'd been to Vegas without kids, so we were about to see some shows! James thought I look like this, uh, lady, and wanted me to take a picture with her. We both have red hair?

I loved the collection of motorcycle's that were made for Criss Angel that we saw in different casinos.

The highlight of our trip was a guided kyak tour on the Colorado River that started out on Lake Mead. We got to go in Emerald Cave where the water is crystal clear green...like jello! It was so peaceful and serene, and my favorite...hot!

One night we saw La Reve, The Dream. I was glad to have front row seats where we could see the facial expressions of the amazing acrobats. Being so close, we could see the defined muscle movements of these incredibly strong men that could have 2 other big men stacked on top of them, or flinging about in the air above the 1M gallon water tank. The show definitely lived up to all the hype, and I'm so happy that we chose this one. 

We decided on only one buffet, and it still may have been too much! I was doing well until we hit the dessert section...then I wanted to sample EVERYTHING! We went to The Buffet, at the Wynn. It's one of the top rated buffets, and we loved it! In the dessert section they will make you a crepe, they have all kinds of ice cream, cake, fancy chocolate creations, etc. etc. They also had all kinds of meats and seafood, salad, etc. Those are all secondary for me.

We were lured into a soap shop on the strip, and the girls suggested that we wear these sashes for a picture. It was actually lots of fun because I could tell that James liked being the "Sugar Daddy". We drove the Tesla down for it's first road trip! It took us 7 hours instead of 6, but we both agreed that taking the charging breaks was really nice. They just updated the software so that you can watch Netflix while in park, so we had no problems being entertained! The charging worked out really well and we didn't get into any tight situations, luckily. I'm excited to try a longer road trip in it now because it is SO much more comfortable to drive, and faster than our mini van!