Ward Halloween Party

Our ward has a Halloween party each year and it is sooo fun. It was where I was first introduced to Trunk or Treat and everybody really gets into it. Having a way small primary helps too because the whole rest of the ward puts on the party for the kids: the adults cook and bring dinner and put on the trunk or treat, the YW and YM set up games for the primary kids, etc. We include our whole neighborhood so, it is fun to meet new people and to spend time with familiar people. With the primary theme this year being: Building Eternal Families, we as a primary presidency decided to be builders with white hard hats that read "Building Eternal Families" and tool belts and orange vests. The Bishopric was trying to think of what to be (3 musketeers, 3 amigos, 3 stooges???) and I suggested that they go as biker dudes. I mean, we always seem them dressed up in a suit and tie, so proper and nice - I thought it would be fun for them to be the total opposite. Cole's costume is a biker dude, so, it might be fun. The other two bailed and Steve ended up being the only biker (borrowing leather chaps, leather jacket, bandana and Harley t-shirt from our neighbors). That's ok - he and Cole were a fine pair - so cute... er ... so bad and mean.... whatever. Reagan rounded out our family as the beautiful witch and we were off to the party. Here's some pics of our festivities!

Bad to the Bone.... sort of

Being the well-prepared mom that I am (OK - being the shopping mom that I am), I had the kids' Halloween costumes months ago. Reagan was going to be a witch and Cole was going to be a pirate. Well, the best laid plans.....you know. We weren't out of the store, having just bought the costumes that Reagan announced that she no longer wanted to be a witch - she wanted to be a princess. Add to that the fact that she wanted to be a pink princess and she wanted Cole to be a blue princess. "What?" she kept asking me. After I convinced her that he was NOT going to be a blue princess for Halloween, she acquiesced that he could be a pirate. I figured that she has so many princess getups that I could pull that one off without much effort if she really refused to be a witch. Then came Cole's birthday a few weeks ago. If you'll remember, Steve's parents gave him this Harley looking jacket, which he loves! So, I began thinking he could be a biker dude. (Shannon and Matt would love it). I took the pirate costume back to the store and scored some Harley boots (a size and a half too big, but...) on E-bay. Grab his own sunglasses and a black bandana and voila -- a bad, not so mean, biker dude. He loved it. Our friend Stacey told me that she had just taken her boys' pics at Target and that they have this little Harley as a prop. We headed out, not having taken pics at Target before, and were happily surprised. Here are some of the proofs they e-mailed me (sorry for the low resolution). You've gotta love it! Cole loved being the biker dude and Reagan loved having stars and makeup on her face to be a witch - everyone is happy! Thanks Stacey for the tip and thanks to Mom and Dad for getting that jacket and starting this whole thing. ps - stay tuned for pics of the ward part

Scarecrow Festival

Last weekend, we hit the Scarecrow Festival. It was held at Thanksgiving Point and is a festival with games, face painting, booths, a pumpkin patch, food, music, games and ... best of all.... bouncy bounce!!! It benefits a worthy cause as well - Westridge Academy, which is a residential facility for troubled youth. It used to be called the "Boys Ranch" and Steve was a counselor there both before and after his mission. Having a good time AND helping a good cause? We're all about that! For additional fun (and help), we asked the Abbotts to join us (I mean, what would we do without them?) and, luckily, they agreed. Pam, her daughter Stacey and Stacey's boys rounded out our crazy group. We had a blast!!! Literally.. we made and shot off rockets, bounced to our hearts' delight, saw animals, took a wagon ride (with the Headless Horseman following closely behind the wagon -- ooooohhhhhh), ate, played and slid down huge slides. Thanks Abbotts for a great day (again) and thanks to Westridge Academy for putting on such a great Scarecrow Festival (again). Until next year.....

Fall is Here!

I love to see the change in seasons here in Utah. The mountain trees turn such beautiful colors. I love to see the color travel down the mountain as each day the color reaches a bit lower in altitude. We literally see it coming before it hits our yard and we are full into fall! I love that the weather is a bit chilly and yet pleasant enough to be outside. I love that the kids can explore in the yard and play in the leaves - even the creek started running again ... go figure. Maybe I love it so much because I know that in a few short weeks, the snow may fly and we'll be unable to enjoy the yard as much as we do in the summer. Whatever the reason, fall is here and we're lovin' it. Here's some pics of us and the yard this fall.

Petersen Siblings Party

With the days getting shorter and shorter and the leaves turning colors fast, Steve thought it would be fun to have a party with his sibs (you'll remember that he's one of 11 kids, so, this is no small event). We even invited his parents!!! Really, it was a great night. Not all of his sibs could make it, but we had a blast with those who did. We barbecued, we played in the yard, we played in the house and we chatted. It was so fun to just be together. Reagan and Cole's favorite part was getting thrown, swung and tossed by all the adults at the party... oh and playing with their cousins. Thanks everybody for a great night!

Happy Birthday Cole!

Cole's birthday party was a sports theme since he is such a boy. We had soccer stuff, basketball stuff, baseball stuff and football stuff. We played ball in the yard (and in the house), ate some great food, opened presents and played some more. We had to stop after opening each gift because Cole (and all the other kids) wanted to play with the stuff we just opened. Shannon and Matt, our little motorcycle crew, brought a Harley Davidson gift bag along with a card that featured a motorcycle and played "Bad to the Bone". I was a bit nervous, but Shannon assured me that it was nothing to do with motorcycles; they just loved the bag. Truly, inside the bag was stuff from Baby Gap ... score!! Then, Grandma and Grandpa Petersen's present ends up being this Harley looking leather jacket with zippers, patches and stuff all over it. I hadn't been worried about Grandma and Grandpa bringing motorcycle stuff, but He LOVED it! He wore it for the rest of the party and Shannon and Matt were so proud (also glad that they had someone else pushing for the biker lifestyle). Grandma and Grandpa also gave him a toy motorcycle that he carries around and I can only seem to get out of his hands if he is in the bath or asleep. Great guests, fun presents, good food and lots of playing. Thanks everybody for a great party (and stay tuned for the Smith Family October Birthdays party - whenever we can all make it on the same day). Happy Birthday Cole!

I just couldn't resist.... copying Sherine

A little Halloween fun to get you in the mood.....

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Happy Birthday Cole Cole!!!

Our little Cole celebrated his second birthday this week. How can that be? Its as if he was in my belly like five minutes ago. Apparently it has actually been two years. We are having a Smith Family, October Birthdays Celebration next week and had a Petersen party on Saturday, but on Cole's actual birthday, we just played and enjoyed celebrating with him. We went to the gym where we met the Draper Firemen coming out after their workout. We were lucky enough to get to see the firetruck and jump inside as well as to chat with the firemen and take some pics. At the gym, we swam and swam and then we had lunch at McDonalds (is that EVERY child's favorite place to eat?). Then, we spent the evening playing in the yard, barbecuing steaks and just being together with Reagan and Cole. My baby boy is getting bigger every day. What a joy he is!! He is so sweet and tender and yet is all boy: growling, jumping, running, and playing hard. Happy Birthday Cole Cole - two fits you very well :)

Last Full Day

Our visitors had their last full day in Utah (well, in America) on Wednesday and we ran and ran all day. They wanted to do some shopping, so the kids and I hit the mall and Target with them (shopping through lunch and naps - maybe not smart). Then, we went to the Jordan River Temple so that they could take a few pics. After we headed home and took a bit of a break, Steve drove them to see the Draper Temple, another few shops and the granite mountain where the Church records are stored. They headed up Little Cottonwood Canyon and stopped on the side of the road to take some pics of the mountain. Then, they went up to the barrier and contemplated whether they should try to make their way up the mountain when a voice came through the intercom at the gate demanding their identity and their purpose there. They explained they were family history buffs, here from England, members of the Church and interested in seeing where the records were stored. Denied! Later that night, we saw on the news that haz-mat crews had been called up to the granite mountain that day because of some suspicious powder found there. Yep - probably not a good day to be considering jumping over the barrier. Maybe next trip guys. Here's some pics of their last, full day here.

Tomorrow, Dennis and Carole head back to Nottingham. What a fun time we've had with them - sharing stories, exchanging memories and getting re-acquainted (or acquainted in my case). They've been so patient with our little, crazy, loud family and we'll miss them, but hope to see them again soon ... maybe on their side of the pond :)

Here's a little comparison of when Steve first taught them (36 years ago) and now (tee hee). Safe travels guys!

Happy Birthday Dennis

During the time of their visit, our guests from England celebrated a birthday. They mentioned how much they, well... Dennis, enjoyed the buffet they had been to (Golden Corral) when staying with another family. Since he likes the buffet style so much, we thought we'd give them a "proper" birthday celebration. We took them to the buffet dinner at the Roof on Temple Square. What a beautiful view as the sun went down. Lovely. Unfortunately, our time with our friends is almost over; they return to Nottingham on Thursday. Here's some pics of our night.

Conference Sunday

As I said in my last post, Steve's "greenie" companion from the mission field was going to fly up from Arizona and they were both going to accompany the Coulsons to a session of conference. When he was not able to attend, he FedExed the tickets up and I was able to take the fourth ticket. The Coulsons attended the Sunday morning session on their own and we joined them for the Sunday afternoon session (what a great session - Elder Holland...need I say more?). It was great sitting in the Conference Center, listening to the choir and watching the Brethren - an experience that we somewhat take for granted, being residents of Utah. The Coulsons were loving it - the choir sounded better, the Conference Center looked bigger, etc. It was like being with a child who is experiencing something for the first time. What a great day!

Friends from Nottingham

This week, we have the pleasure of hosting a couple from Nottingham, England. Steve taught them while on his mission (36 years ago). They are Dennis and Carole Coulson and are a pleasure. We have had such a good time with them. They flew from England to New York and then met some friends and drove across the US, visiting various church history sites. Then, they stayed in Idaho with friends and visited Yellowstone and Teton National Park and now, for the final leg of their journey, they are staying with us. Steve has had such a nice time reminiscing with them and looking at pictures of them and their family. Unfortunately, Steve's "greenie" companion was unable, at the last minute, to fly up from Arizona to visit. That would have made their trip complete. We'll try to make up for it by showing them the sights and sounds of Salt Lake. Reagan and Cole are thrilled to have guests and it took only a matter of hours for Reagan to proclaim her love for them :)

Here's some pics of us and the Coulsons in our yard the evening they arrived. Later, Steve and Dennis attended the Priesthood Session of Conference. We're looking forward to a fun week with the Coulsons.

Bubble Up!

A sure sign that summer is over is when the Treehouse (our gym) puts the bubble up over the pool. That happened this week (good thing too because from Tues to Wed, we dropped 25 degrees). I love that we can swim all year and it is nice to have the outdoor pool in the summer. Our pool went from this to this...

Unfortunately, our little Mommy and Me swim class is held during the same time that Reagan is in preschool. So, only Cole and I attend now. Cole loves to swim with Miss Nancy and is getting better and better. Here's some pics of our class.

Usually, we have to swim another time during the week for Reagan to have a chance to hit the water. There are usually friends to swim with and the kids love it (well, what kid doesn't like to swim???). With snow falling on Wednesday, it was sure nice to have that bubble up!