Being Thankful!

In family home evening last week we learned all about being thankful. I was amazed at what the girls were thankful for as we went around the family a few times to make a list. Afterwards, it was really fun to let then pick anyone they wanted to to write a thank you note to. Neeley chose her teacher. I love what she wrote and I love that she spelled it all on her own without help. Kayla chose "Granma and Granpa" and Lilah chose her "berry best fwiend" (and cousin) Austin. It tickles me to see them being thankful for so many things around them.

I too am thankful for such beautiful and fun girls!

Spider jacket!

You've all heard of a straight jacket, well this is our kid version: The spider jacket! Daddy, being the big tease that he is, decided it would be fun to tie Lilah's pants and shirt together. Kept her down for a minute, that is at least until she figured out how to pull her arms out! Life just wouldn't be life around here without Daddy's teasing!

Halloween Fun!

Miss Vicki, Kayla, Cade, Bridger, Ryker, Gage, Emmeree, Chloee, and Haylie.

Both Neeley and Kayla learned this cute little Halloween song at school:

5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one says, "My it's getting late!"

The second one says, "There are witches in the air."

The third one says, "I don't care."

The fourth one says, "Let's run, let's run!"

The fifth one says, "Isn't Halloween fun!"

Oooooo went the wind, out went the lights, 5 little pumpkins went rolling out of sight!

Between helping at Neeley's school with her party, watching Kayla's little program and parade at her school, trick or treating at Grandmas and sorting our candy, Halloween was a blast this year!

Down on the Farm!

Nothing's better than an afternoon on the farm: tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch, train ride, bounce house and giant slides. But our favorite was getting lost in the corn maze (literally since the girls decided the furrow was a path and followed it into the field), and playing in the corn box (like a sand box only filled with dried corn). My sister was nice enough to let us tag along with her pre-school for their field trip. Down home fun I tell ya! Down home fun!

7-UP

Yes that is right, Neeley is seven. After months of planning, her party finally came. She wanted a carnival party complete with games, tickets and a store to cash them in. Invitations went out and then more and again more. In the end we ended up with 27 giggling girls running around the yard. We started out with a craft of making their own candy necklaces. Then the games began. We had everything from fishing and pumpkin bowling to tending baby ghosts. At each station the girls earned tickets. After they were all done we opened the store and they all went shopping. They bought everything from cotton candy to toys and trinkets.

Next was time for cupcakes and a few more games to wrap up the night. It was an easy party but seemed to be fun for all the girls. After that much giggling, Jer was ready for a fishing trip. I tend to agree with him.

Happy Birthday Nells Bells!

Kater Tot turns 1!

Having Kate's birthday the day after Kayla's certainly makes cake a little less appetizing but it sure doesn't take the excitement out of the party!

Kate's birthday was split into two different parties. The first was a celebration dinner with the grandparents. Kate was so excited to open her giant present from Grandma and Grandpa Greyhair which she got plenty of help with. My mom mentioned that with so many siblings I didn't get a chance to open any presents on my own until I was at least 5. I am sure Kate will experience the same.

The next celebration came when all the family got together to celebrate the birthdays for the month. Kate enjoyed her cake so much she licked the bowl. I even got a picture of my favorite "Kate" face - the surprised look!

Kate really is a joy to have. Being our last, I relish each day with her. Every moment of her day is filled with adoring sisters doting over her. Kate is always happy and rarely cries. She loves to crawl around and follow anyone she can, she loves to unload the bathroom cupboard, has mastered the stairs going up and down, loves oatmeal, spaghetti, black beans, peas and just eating in general, loves playing outside, loves balloons and most of all loves her sisters! However she hates the car and hates, hates, hates to be left out of anything!

Kate, you will never be lacking in love. This is evident as the girls fight over who can get you out in the morning as they race up the stairs! We love you Toot!

Turning 5!

Kayla has always seemed older than she is to me. We have video of her at 18 months singing the full alphabet along with numerous other songs. She has always followed so closely in Neeley's footsteps that it is hard to remember there are really 2 years between them. So this year, as she is turning five and still has another year before kindergarten it seems unreal.

Following in Neeley's footsteps, she thought it would be really cool to have a witch party like Neeley did last year. I thought is sounded great so we began planning. It was quite easy to plan because it was a carbon copy of last year. Invitations were just a matter of switching out names and dates and the games just needed to be put together. And of course there was the matter of contacting the witch to see if she could fly by for a visit.

Grandma always makes the best witch around and often fools the kids into thinking she really is real. In fact this year as she was leaving one little girl tried to follow her out to the parking lot to see her take off on her broom.

I have to say the hardest part of the party this year was the cake. In fact, I had a bit of a

cake-tastrophe. It was supposed to be a perfect sphere that formed the head of the witch. After I got it put together, it all started to slide and I ended up with crumbles. Kayla was so cute, she just looked at it and said, "It will be alright Mom. The kids don't care what it looks like as long as it tastes good!" But I do think she was happy I started over when she saw the finished cake.

Before the witch arrived we made some candy necklaces and let the kids feel some spooky things like teeth, bones, brains and worms. Then when the witch arrived she mesmerized them all with her stories, a treasure hunt and a magic witches brew that went from clear to a different color in every glass.

Kayla, we are glad to see you add another year to your wisdom and enjoyed creating the magic for you while you still believe in it all! We love you birthday girl!