Pumpkinland!

Hayden's preschool class went to Pumpkinland on Tuesday. Hayden had been counting the days until we could go. He could hardly wait! We got to ride with Jana and her boys, and Hayden thought that was pretty fun. We had a good time (even though we lost Justice for a minute, and 3-yr-olds sometimes don't have functioning ears). At the end, they got to pick out pumpkins. They had a blast! (Not sure about us Moms though - I think we were worn out after chasing them around!)

Second Miler

Well, Jared may be a little upset when he sees that I posted this (he doesn't like to toot his own horn, so I'll do it for him). Jared was given a scouting award this past Thursday - the Second Miler Award. It is given by the District to scouting leaders who go the extra mile. I just have to say... our boys are so lucky to have someone like Jared as their dad. Someone who is so excited about scouting and so willing to help these young men do their best and get all their merit badges. Coming from a family with NO boys... I didn't really understand how neat the scouting program really is. It's a great thing for boys. Jared's dad was such a great example of scouting at it's best, and Jared is following right in his footsteps. He can't wait for our boys to get into scouts. I'm so proud of him for all that he does. He really cares about the boys in our ward and neighborhood, and they all love him. (And so do we!)

B the V.I.P.

Bryson's Kindergarten teacher does this cute thing called V.I.P. Each week, someone's name is drawn to be the V.I.P. for the next week. Bryson was the first one! We had to make a poster talking about his family, things he likes, and other things about him. We put some pictures on it, and Bryson wrote all the words. It was so cute. (I kept waiting for him to bring it home so I could take a picture of him with it for the blog, but it still hasn't come home yet.) He was so cute about it. He took his poster in to school just beaming! He couldn't wait until Friday (when parents and siblings can come and talk about their V.I.P.). The night before, he was showering and told Jared "Dad, I need to wash my armpits really good, because tomorrow is a big day!" We just thought it was so cute - he'll probably be really mad someday when he realizes that I told everyone! But I had to write it SOMEWHERE so that I would never forget! The girls get out of school early on Fridays, so Kaitlyn came with Hayden and me to tell Bryson's class all about him. The class sang a cute little song called "I'm a V.I.P. in my family." Then we passed out little prizes for the class. And Bryson got to draw the name out for the next V.I.P. He is definitely a V.I.P. in our family!

Contest...

Hey guys! I entered a portrait I took of KK in a photo contest. It had to be a portrait, and this is one of my faves of her. Off to the right of our blog is a little picture... if you click it, you can vote!!! Vote please! (And leave a comment to let me know if it worked - if it let you vote, so I know if the little link is working). You just click the picture and it will take you to a bigger version with a little VOTE button underneath it. THANKS!!! Love ya'll! You MIGHT have to join... if you do have to and don't want to, that's ok, but if you have time and don't mind joining and voting, it would be great!

"C" is for... Community Helpers!

Hayden's preschool class went on a really fun field trip yesterday. They have been talking about Community Helpers for the letter "C" so we went to the Fire Station and the Post Office (apparently the Police Station couldn't let them come, or something). Hayden has been asking everyday "is it my field trip today?" so FINALLY the day had come! Our first stop was the Fire Station. They learned about fire safety and what to do if your house is on fire. Hayden remembered what they said, because this morning he told me "if your house is on fire, you have to go outside!" Good job Hayden! They got to see the equipment and the trucks (they even got to go inside the truck, but Hayden was so fast that the picture I tried to take just didn't work!) Bryson was super lucky and got to come, too, because he doesn't go to school until afternoon, and the field trip was in the morning. The Firemen gave all the kids Fire Chief hats, which they LOVED! Next we walked through the block to the post office. The kids all got to mail a letter to themselves, and then go into the back of the post office to see where the letters go and how the post office works. They thought it was pretty cool! After a snack, we headed back home.

Snow Way!!!

Wow - what a crazy end to a crazy week! I had heard the forecasts, but secretly hoped they were mistaken. I LOVE fall, and I'm so not ready for cold, winter, white weather, but what do I see when I wake up this morning? Yep - SNOW!! I could hear Hayden in the living room looking out the window saying "It's Prismas!" (His exact pronunciation) and wondering when the Polar Express was coming.

It was a really busy week for us, anyway. Seems like we had something going on every single day. On Tuesday the kids all had dentist appointments. B, Eryn and K are all pros, but this was Hayden's first time. He was super cute. He held so still and did everything they asked him to do. He talked to them very politely and answered their questions. He was the model of a perfect child... did he have them fooled or what?! Just kidding. We love Hayd - he keeps us rolling on the floor. Three year olds are tough (just ask my sisters and anyone else who's ever had one) but just at the right moments, they are ANGELS! He makes us smile. Check out these smiles! I forgot to take my camera to the dentist office (DOH!) but managed to get them to pose with their new toothbrushes when we got home. And all the kids were cavity free!

Also this last week: Eryn participated in the Sleepy Hollow show in AF again, and Bryson was the VIP in his Kindergarten class (I'll post about that later)

Forgot to add...

Oops... I got looking at our pictures, and realized that I didn't even post these of all four kids together. So here they are! This is the end of the family pictures. I promise I'll get on to other things now. Oh, and obviously we got real creative in the posing. They were tired of pictures. We were glad to just get a couple of all 4 of them together. It's a rare thing!

Kids' Pictures

I'm kinda biased, but we definitely have the best kids in the world. The only problem is... they are just growing up too darn fast! It's crazy how fast time flies! Here are the pictures we did of the kids when we went to Midway (two times!) They were so good to stand and pose just how we asked them to. It's so fun to be their parents... they make us smile! (And laugh a lot!)

I know... the post said pictures of the kids. But hey, we still act like kids. That counts, right?