Halloween Time

On the 29th, our family went to the 2nd annual halloween party at the church. I would guess that 80% of those who attend wear costumes, so when they asked what my costume was I said "I am mother of the year because all 7 of my kids are dressed in costumes and I brought the soup I was supposed to bring." The kids enjoyed the games and activities that were there for them and I enjoyed visiting with some of the 200 friends and neighbors that were there. Matt and Abe stayed home because both of them were not feeling well.

I unfortunitely did not get pictures of the 3 oldest children but Justin wear his black cloak, Jayd was a cowgirl and Chancey a witch. I think the funnest costume was Elijah's as I looked everywhere for the horse for his costume and on one of Matt's and my date nights we were early Christmas shopping and found it!!!

Halloween day the 4 youngest kids dressed again in their costumes and they went trick or treating with Matt while I stayed home and handed out candy to the kids who came to our door. (It was my turn to be sick.) Chancey, Jayd and Justin went to friends homes for Halloween parties and had a great time. Another successful Halloween done!!

Elijah Doing Dishes

Elijah decided that he wanted to start doing his own dishes so last week he pulled a table chair up to the counter and started to wash his oatmeal bowl and spoon. He enjoyed putting the spoon under the water and seeing it go all over the place. I have to say he did a pretty good job on his dish....and getting everything, including himself, wet. Elijah wants to do everything everyone else is doing...the only exception is potty training of course. But we are getting closer to success on that!!

Abraham's Amazing Ears

Isn't this the funniest thing. In kindergarten they cut out the bottom of paper cups and then put them on their ears so "that the sound would be magnified". He was so proud to wear his "ears".

Abe is loving kindergarten. He comes home each day and gets his homework out and always wants to do more than he is asked to do. He now knows how to write both "Abe" and "Abraham" for his papers. Good job big guy!!! We're so glad you are enjoying school.

Lilah Playing Girls Basketball

Lilah decided this year to play girls basketball. She has never played on a team before so it's been a lot of fun for her. Most of the girls on her team are from her school so that has made it more enjoyable for her. We're hoping next year to convince Matt to coach her team. Wouldn't that be fun!!! Great job Lilah...we're enjoying going to your games and seeing the improvements your making each week.

Nana and Papa's Birthday

In September we went to Nana and Papa Vassel's home to celebrate their 29th birthdays....again. The kids love seeing them and going to their house. We are so lucky that they are only 45 minutes away. Cayr made a birthday cake for them and the kids couldn't wait till dinner was over so they could have some.

Jayd Plays Volleyball

Jayd tried out for volleyball this year at her JR High school and she made the team!!! She was placed on the JV team and had a very busy schedule with all the practices. They met 4 times a week after school from 3:10pm to at least 5:30pm then on one morning they played from 6am-7:30am before school. Jayd really increased her skills this year and is excited to try for the varsity team next year. Good job Jayd and the rest of her team!! (On her uniform she is #2.)

Camping With Aunt Chrissy's Family

On the last weekend of September we went up to the Heber Valley Girls Camp with Aunt Chrissy (Lewis/Johnson) and her family. The cousins LOVE to get together!!! We had 2 cabins that we slept in, a great camp fire and an outside kitchen to cook in. The kids had fun making smores and juggling coals from the fire...thanks Uncle Rob for showing them how to do that. I'm not sure how much sleep we got but the morning was beautiful and we even had some deer go past our camp. The kids also played at the sand volleyball court...of course not volleyball but they bburied each other in the sand. It was a beautiful fall weekend and we're glad that we could get the kids together to remind us how crazy they really are. :)
(Courtney, Matt, Chancey, Lilah and Elijah were not able to make it to the overnighter but we missed them!!)

Justin...the assistant bee keeper

This summer Justin worked for Brian Marston helping with his yard. In addition he helped Brian with the bee hives that he had. This was a great learning experience for Justin and he enjoyed it...and with only a couple bee stings for the entire summer. Here are some pictures of them harvesting the honey at the end of the season. They had to take the slats out of the hive. They then moved the slats to where they were harvesting the honey. They put one slat at a time in a bucket that then had a handle that turned the slats fast inside the bucket. This allowed the honey to break away from the bees wax. Thank you Brian for allowing Justin to take part in this!! Unfortunitely we don't have pictures of the spinning process.