Pre-Halloween Fun

Lots of fall fun this week!

Our walks are getting colder. The days are getting shorter. The leaves are getting thicker on our lawn. The boys are stoked for Halloween, and we had a ward Trunk or Treat on Saturday plus a neighbor Halloween party on Sunday so they've had a good taste for what Monday will be like!

We loved going to our first assembly at the boys' school this week to see Bennett get an award for respect and kindness. There were no assemblies the last couple years due to Covid so it's fun to see things increasingly get back to normal and be more connected to our kids' school. We are so proud of how hard Bennett is working at school. He wants to do what's right and is learning so much and is such a good friend. 

Camden checking out the world with his flashlight. I love this map so much.

A quick library book to get the boys a book with their Halloween costume character in it to carry in their school parade.

Got some riding gloves for this cutie.

I'm obsessed with this hat and this is the last walk that it successfully came home with us. Asher lost it the next time we went out and I loved it on all four boys so much. Another goodbye to baby times.

Getting ready for the boys' classroom Halloween parties.
Those Capri Suns are the tin man from Wizard of Oz, which was the theme of Westin's class Halloween party.

This Wednesday was operation leaves. Camden and I cleared most of the front yard while Michael had some meetings in the morning, and then we did the back in the afternoon and there are still lots.
But boy do we love that big tree when it turns gold in the fall outside our house.

Someone was lying down on the job pretty quick.

Last ladybug spotting this year, maybe!

We helped Teresa with her leaves that night, too. 
I have to have a record of this story... she gave each of the boys $5 even though I told her they definitely did not need to be paid for raking. When we got home I reminded the boys how tithing works, since most of their money is birthday money or other money that's not really earned, but this was definitely a hard-earned $5. Westin got really grumpy and when I pressed him on it he said, "...did you know some of the tithing goes to BYU?! And they're so bad at football!!!"
Then I had them watch Latter-day kids tithing videos on my phone while I giggled behind it and he said, "Watch this part!" And sure enough they put up a picture of a temple, a church, missionaries, and... the BYU logo. So we had a good talk about WHY money goes to BYU, where else it goes, what else it's used for and how everything we have comes from Heavenly Father and to give a little back is showing gratitude and faith. And I just still think it's so funny. This kid and football right now. BYU and football right now...

Our morning walks are getting colder but we're not slowing down yet!

My frequent view. So much wrestling around here.

Bennett received an award this week for showing respect and kindness to others.
We were so happy we could both be there, thanks to my sweet neighbor who came to be with Camden and Asher. Bennett was really proud of this and it was adorable. His teacher chooses one student a month for this award.

Talking about Bennett back in his classroom.
We sure love his teacher!

Harvesting and carving our pumpkins!

I never bought a bottle.
I got these free when I bought maternity clothes.
Westin used them a little, Bennett used them a little, Camden used them even litter, and Asher used them two times. And now there are no bottles in my house. Constant little milestones with this change!

We carved our pumpkins that we harvested from our garden!
Bennett drew his own face (left), Camden picked this one out (middle) and Westin picked his out too (right)

I was saving Westin's second grade picture and did a little side by side.
He's growing up... such a smart, friendly, wonderful boy.

24 Costcos are all stocked up with my book for the holidays!

I'm obsessed with this dalmation costume on my babies. 
It's size 18 months so he's wearing it when it's 6 months too big,
and honestly I hope he can wear it next year when it's 6 months too small.
I just can't get enough of holding them in this or watching them crawl around with the little tail.

Camden was all about his firefighter costume.
Grandma Daetwyler gave it to Westin years ago and it's the best costume I've ever seen.

Our car turned into Mater and Camden was thrilled about it.

Michael was wearing a shirt he got from a blood drive on Saturday and I said, hey I have that shirt too... it says blood on it, we can be vampires. 
Not our best work. Not our worst work -- considering many years we have just not dressed up, haha.

I can't even handle this.

Our neighbor, Teresa, throws the cutest Halloween party for the kids each year.

Teresa and just a few of the many kids who absolutely adore her.

The boys were happy outside during lunch time and I finally went out to see what was making them so content, and Camden was just pouring water on Asher's head. They were both just calmly enjoying it. 
Ali had just told me about Elise doing this to Dallin in the car so I found it extra funny.

Cali Time & Family Time

Our Cali trip with the Cannons was so much fun. They were so sweet to let us come play with them for a few days, and we sure did play! 

Sunday was laid back and fun to celebrate Anthon's birthday. 

On Monday we did Harry Potter world and a lot of the rest of Universal Studios with Shelley and Clayton. I loved watching Camden watch the animal show, holding Westin's hand on the Harry Potter ride, trying all three temperatures of butter beer, seeing Bennett use a "real wand," watching Bennett + Clayton + Westin hold hands and have fun together, and chatting with Shelley. Also I'll never forget Camden on the Studio Tour as he tried to sort out what was real and what wasn't, and Bennett's scream on the dinosaur ride when Michael said, "Whoa, there's a real one!" Haha they are so much fun.

On Tuesday we did the beach with Quinn, Shelley, and Clayton. Michael took the boys out on a kayak ride first thing, and Shelley and Quinn and Clay saw some dolphins on their ride! We ate donuts and snacked and played in the waves, and I'll never forget when Michael decided to go help a guy who was trying to fill a bottle with ocean water without getting his shoes wet and it turned out to be our good friend Christian from Jerusalem. The most joyful coincidental moment that was no coincidence. We tried to get the kayak out one more time and I failed at getting on through the waves... next time! Asher LOVED sand. Ate it. Laid in it. Stuck his face in it. Crawled all around in it. He crawled straight for the water so many times and I feel like if we didn't intervene he would have just crawled on in and tried to swim straight on toward the horizon. I also keep laughing remembering when Camden asked me where daddy was, and I said playing football (behind us). Next thing we know, our clingy-water afraid-daddy's boy-never far away from us-kiddo is full on sprinting down the beach while I'm nursing Asher. Shelley and I pause our chat and watch him thinking, what is he doing? I felt sure he'd come back because Camden NEVER strays far. But he ran, and ran, and ran, and Shelley got up and ran after him. Then I noticed a guy playing football with a dog WAY down the beach and realized Camden was thinking that guy was Michael. Then when he realized Shelley was chasing after him, he only ran faster, yelling, "Not you! Daddy!!!" It was free entertainment for everyone along the beach, and Shelley did manage to make him understand where exactly Michael was, and he came back to the people who love him. Kids are wild.

Then Wednesday we did one more walk past the busy freeway bridge where trucks honk for the kiddos, to feed the horses some carrots, past the fire station, then home to load up and hit the airport. We got to sit together on our flight home and it was a smooth travel day back to Denver then Fort Collins. Such a good trip and we are grateful to have family that we love being with so much.

We got the boys back in school for a couple days and then Friday we picked up Grandma and Grandpa from the airport! We had the best weekend with them. We grilled burgers Friday night and ate outside during the last warmish week of fall. Then Saturday we toured the Noosa dairy with them, watched the BYU football game (yikes), the boys rode bikes to Sprouts with Grandma and Grandpa, then we hit a pumpkin patch where the boys loved shooting a corn cob cannon and running through a corn maze. 

Sunday the boys did a great job in their primary program, then we rushed down to Katie's and had fun celebrating Jack at his birthday party. It's always so fun to see our 7 little boys together!

Our week was full of fun and family and we just felt lucky to get all that time in with people we love.

Showing his parents how fun the Wordle, Quordle, and Worldle are.
We each do all three of those every day and our kids love watching them.