Halloween 2009

By the time it was all said and done, this year we attended 5 different Halloween parties. I think by the time Halloween night finally arrived, we were pretty tired of the whole thing! Charli didn't even want to wear her costume, and Boston had already lost his Optimus Prime mask.

Boston had his first Preschool Halloween party...it was a blast! Well, at least I think it was! I had the privilege of putting on the "Monster Mash"...and I had a great time! We made mummy hot dogs and mummy pizzas for lunch, along with "witches brew" with gummy worm ice cubes. We did a "Halloween Hunt" and made monster masks, spider lollipops, and spider cupcakes. And of course, we ran out of time. I think my favorite part, though, was watching all those crazy boys sing their Halloween songs! I don't know how Ms. Buffie got them all to sing!



I got to go be part of Charli's kindergarten Halloween party, too! That was super cute! It was fun to see her being "too cool" for her mom, giggling with her little girlfriends, and trying to ignore the little boys who kept trying to talk or play with her!
Here she is making "monster hands" with Conner's mom and her teacher Mrs. Rayburn (in the Halloween scrubs). We LOVE Mrs. Rayburn!



On Halloween night, we had dinner with our friends the Evers, Brocks, Bruces and Henricksens, and then hit the sidewalks for trick-or-treating. Boston was excited to spend halloween with his future wife-to-be Elle Evers. He tells me he's going to marry her because "she's pretty and fun to play with". I love her parents, so it works for me!



Unfortunately, the candy didn't even make it a week! It amazes me how much candy they can put down! But, I'm glad it's gone because now they eat their meals! Charli says she's "a chocolate kid, and Boston's fruity"....doesn't quite sound right...but I get what she means!




All in all I think we had a fabulous Halloween! I can't wait for next year! Scott promised that next year he and I would dress up with our kids....we'll see!

Back to School!

Both Charli and Boston started school last week. I guess here in Arizona, they think it's fun to start school in early August when it's like 115 degrees outside! Poor kiddos! Charli started half-day kindergarten, which she really loves! Her only complaint is that she has to go EVERY day! Boston started preschool and loves that he can now wear a backpack and be a "big kid". With both kids gone in the mornings, it makes for a very quite house and a very lost mommy! I don't really know what to do with myself without my kids!

Boston's 4!

On July 19th, Boston turned 4 years old! (If you're wondering what that is on his head, that's our family's "Birthday Hat"! Love it!) I still can't believe that my baby is that old already. Ouch.
He was very decisive about what he wanted for his birthday this year...from the presents he wanted to the food he wanted to eat for his dinner. Usually for the kids' birthdays we let them choose which restaurant they want to go to, but since his birthday fell on a Sunday this year, Boston got to decide what he wanted mom to make him. I like to think that I'm a pretty okay cook, but when Boston told me he wanted "peas, corn, carrots, pizza rolls, and corn dogs", it was a blow to my self-esteem.

He also had an interesting choice of birthday cake. Remember, he could choose whatever kind of cake he could dream of. He told me he wanted "a lemon cake with white frosting and a blueberry dinosaur". What. So, yeah, it's ugly.



One of his favorite gifts was a motorized 4-wheeler that his "Grandma Sugar" gave him. He has hardly given it a rest since he got it Sunday morning! He doesn't even seem to notice that it's like 115 degrees outside while he's riding around!


He even lets his sister have a turn...like maybe once a day.



Boston has been such a joy in our family. He is always willing to help his mom and dad with ANY chores, plays with his big sister even when he doesn't want to play "mommy and daddy", has a crazy sense of humor, and is by far the sweetest boy on the planet when he wants to be...and when he doesn't want to be, he always tells his mom that he "will try to be a better boy". WE LOVE OUR LITTLE BOSTON!

Boston's New Friend

So the other day I was doing some laundry (of course), and Boston walked by talking to a dead fly he was carrying on his finger. This is how I know I'm not doing an adequate job of setting up play dates for Boston. Boston told me his fly's name was "Cody", and "Cody is special because he has only 3 legs". Wow. Cody spent the entire day with us...until Boston accidentally spilled a bottle of water into Cody's "house" and I convinced him that it was time to throw Cody away.

Oh, and yes, Boston does where these headphones quite often...even in public.

Charli's 5th Birthday and Preschool Graduation!

Charli turned 5 on May 9th...can't believe it! (This picture has nothing to do with her birthday or her graduation, but I just thought it was cute!) She decided that she wanted a "Garden Fairy" party....so I had to get a bit creative! We had her party at a park and had the girls decorate fairy wings and we played "fairy games". I also had made flower headbands for each of the girls, and they each got a wand and "fairy dust". It's fun to watch Scott at these girly parties! He's a really good sport! My whole family was in town visiting (minus Ricky at BYU), so it made it that much more fun! Once again, we failed at taking any decent pictures, so sorry these are lame! I don't even think we got a single group picture of all the girls!





Last Thursday, Charli graduated from Preschool! Her teacher did such a cute job...they all had caps and gowns, diplomas, the whole deal. So cute! Kindergarten here we come!

Aunt Julie's Wedding

Last weekend, Scott's aunt Julie got married! We are so happy for her, she finally found a man who deserves her! We are excited to get to know her husband Nathan even better! I'm not quite sure he's prepared for the family he married into! I think we all overwhelm him just a bit!
So here are a few pictures and some funny moments to help us remember the night!

Charli was thrilled to get to dress up "all fancy" for the reception...Boston...not so much!

No better time than a wedding to attempt another family picture! Once again, Boston...not so thrilled!
Boston and his little cousin Brock...they look mischievous don't they?! I wonder what they were doing just before this picture was taken?
This is Scottie and me "at the prom"! All I need is a wrist corsage to complete the pic!

Charli's favorite thing to do at the reception was dance! And she danced for hours! Here we see she's recruited her brother...Boston...not so thrilled!

Charli dancing with her cousin Austin...he was VERY thrilled! He was such a good sport, I think he dance with Charli for like 2 hours!


Julie and Nathan with MOST of their YOUNGEST nieces and nephews! Brock isn't sold on the whole group picture idea!

One of my favorite moments of the entire night is when Boston asked me to dance. I almost started to cry! After about 30 seconds of dancing, however, Boston asked if I could pick him up to dance. He was completely passed out in less than one minute! And he was out cold for the rest of the night! Scott eventually just found an empty bench to put Boston on!

The first thing Charli said the next morning when she woke up was, "That was the bestest night EVER! I wish I could do that every night"! She also informed us for the fifteenth time that she and Austin were getting married. I'm not sure that's legal.
We had such a great time seeing all of the extended family! We feel so lucky to have such great family surrounding us.

Boston's Suitcase

I had to post this picture because it gave me a look into the mind of my 3 year old boy, and it made me laugh so dang hard!
When Scott and I went to his company's Christmas party last month, Boston and Charli got to go and have a "late-nighter" with their cousins. They were both so excited and Boston thought that he would like to take a few necessities for the evening. I was in a huge hurry to try and "glam" up for the party and didn't get a chance to see what he had packed until we brought them home later that night.
This is what I found in Boston's Thomas the Tank Engine suitcase:

1 diaper (yes, he's potty-trained!)
2 baseball hats
1 pair of plastic pliers
1 pair of PJ pants
1 neck tie
3 Socks (why an odd number?...I dunno!)
4 pairs of pants (no shirts, though)
2 toothbrushes (always thinking of his sister)
1 tube of toothpaste
1 Christmas door-hanger