I love having a girl

We heard Peyton talking in her room, so we went upstairs and found that she had set up a whole tea party for her stuffed animal friends. She even got water in the tea pot from the bathroom sink. Then she must have realized she was completely under dressed for a tea party and she put on her ballerina tutu. So cute!!

Happy Birthday Mason!!

Mason turned 5 on the 4th and he wanted a camping theme party. We had 9 kids running around our house, it was total chaos. I cleared out the basement and set up our tent, made a fake campfire and campfire cupcakes. We had hotdogs for dinner and the kids each got their own happy camper visor, flashlight and smores kit to take home. We told ghost stories around the campfire, played camping bingo and "pin the sleeping bag in the tent." The kids had a great time but I was so exhausted by the end. I'm glad I don't have to do that again any time soon. I can't believe he's five already. He's growing up so fast.

Guess Who's a Big Girl Now.....

It's Peyton! She is officially potty trained. She filled up her sticker potty chart and got to go pick out a toy from the store. She got one sticker for every peepee, and two stickers and a pair of stick on earrings for every poo. She hasn't had any accidents for a few days now and she is even keeping her diaper dry overnight most nights. Hooray for Peyton! Girls are so much easier to potty train than boys.

Thank You Grandma and Grandpa Great!!

The kids got their Christmas cards today from you and as soon as Daddy got home we went straight to the store so they could pick out a toy with the "dollars" that were inside. Here they are with the toys they picked. As we were getting in the car after buying the toys Peyton kept asking "where's my dollar?" She likes her new toy but you probably remember how she is obsessed with money. Thank you so much for remembering us. We love you so much.

Family Portraits

When we were in California we had our family portraits taken for the annual Christmas card. As usual it was a total circus but we somehow managed to come up with a few usable pictures.

HALLOWEEN CUTENESS

I was brave this year and made their costumes. On one hand it was very beneficial that they could bundle up under their costumes (see photo below about recent weather in CO) The downside was that they could not maneuver very well in the bulky costumes. Peyton's was okay but Mason could not bend over or put his hands together. If the person let them pick their own candy he couldn't put it in his bucket or if he dropped one he was out of luck. It reminded me of that movie A Christmas Story.."I can't put my arms down!" or "Randy lay there like a slug, it was his only defense." The helmet also lasted about five minutes but we got a lot of comments and I think they turned out pretty well. Next year I think I will consider something less bulky.

CALIFORNIA!!

About to get on the airplane

Allison and the kids

About to barf on the teacups.
Churros the size of Peyton

We had a great time at Disneyland. Mason went on every ride except Indiana Jones (he wasn't tall enough) His favorites were Matterhorn, Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. He wasn't a big fan of Space Mountain which was had a spooky Halloween theme, he said "I kept forgetting to close my eyes at the scary parts." Peyton's favorites were the teacups, the Alice in Wonderland caterpillar ride and Winnie the Pooh.




Debbie and Stu's ward Halloween party. Peyton was pretty excited to be dressed up the same as Bridgette



Making a haunted gingerbread house.


At the Fullerton Arboretum with Great Grandma and Grandpa LoweFeeding the Ducks

This is going to be me and Zach in fifty years. My grandparents are so cute! The last day in California we went to the arboretum. It was so beautiful and warm the whole time we were in Cali....

This is what we came home to:

It was fun while it lasted. Mason was so sad to say goodbye to his cousins. He said he wanted to move back to California and I have to admit that right now I am feeling the same way. It was so awesome to see everyone. We can't wait till we can see everyone again.