Turkey Trot '17

The turkey trot is a much anticipated event at our house. James took 4th place. His friend Ryan placed right after him.

Lynnlee came in around 20th or so. Her athletic ability is amazing but she isn't competitive and was just happy to participate.

They both had fun and had good attitudes about it. James was hoping to be top three but maybe next year he can run some races before to get him ready.

Books and Buddies

James's class had Books and Buddies. The minis came with and James read some picture books to them. I read them some books too while they ate a donuts.
The minis have come a long way in the last few months. At the end of summer through October they were very emotional and needy anytime we went somewhere. I'm happy to say they have done a 180. I can now take them with me to help at the school, go to appointments, shopping, etc and they are happy.

I included this picture because Lynnlee doesn't love reading and she thought it would be more fun to read if she was in a fun place. It was definitely more fun.

First Piano Recital

James and Lynnlee had their first piano recital. They started taking lessons in April and really like it so far. Lynnlee played Deck the Halls and James played We Three Kings. They were a little nervous but did a great job.

Bryce Canyon

We thought it would be fun to take a trip to go to the Cedar City temple open house.  Marshall had a job come up in Panguitch so our trip plans changed a little. We drove to Panquitch Thursday and helped Marshall with his garage door repair. It was such a huge blessing that the kids were angels at the house we were at. It made it easier to get the job done faster.

We had dinner at a local favorite, Big Fish. We had fun playing games while we waited. They had yummy food and it was very family friendly. No one was bothered by the noise level at our table.

We stayed at Ruby's Inn so we could see Bryce Canyon. The pool was a lot of fun and the kids could all go in the hot tub so they loved that. We met a lot of really nice families there and had fun visiting.
I love this picture of everyone's faces before Kaden jumped in.

Friday morning we went to the temple open house. It was beautiful. I'm grateful for these experiences to teach my kids about the temple.

We were suppose to have a couch in our room for Taggart to sleep on. We ended up with two chairs instead and made it work. Taggart loved it and it was just his size.

Friday afternoon we went to Bryce Canyon. It was cooler but at least the sun was shining.

We hiked the Navajo loop. It was beautiful! the short switch backs to get down the canyon and up the canyon were so cool looking.

We drove around to some of the other look outs but didn't have enough time to do any other hikes. I would love to go back and go on more hikes.

Friday night we had dinner at the hotel and then went to the pool. It was very crowded so we decided to cut the pool time short and watch a movie.
We headed home Saturday morning. It was a really fun and quick trip. Stay tuned for part 2 with pictures from Marshall's camera.

Minis

I love having a blog and printing it out for my scrapbook. It hasn't always been easy or convenient but in the end it's worth it. Blogging got a lot easier with smart phones and the Blogger app. I could upload everything from my phone right to the app. It's a sad day though because the app is no longer being updated. Now I'm back to loading the pictures on my computer and then to the blog website. Hopefully I can get caught back up.
Here are some random pictures of the minis. Marshall told them to imitate their dolls.

I always check on everyone before I go to sleep. This was worth getting a picture of.

Puzzle Pieces

We have had one o'clock church this year. There are pros and cons and one of the pros is all the time we have to play before. One morning we played with puzzle pieces for hours. Everyone played, everyone got a long, and it was really fun.

Reflections 2017

James and Lynnlee participated in Reflections for their first time. I'm hoping this will become something they will get excited about in future years. Lynnlee loves the arts and I think she could excel.

Halloween 2017

We went to the Halloween party at the rec center. Marshall had to work late and so I ended up taking the kids by myself. It is a fun party but so crowded. It was exhausting trying to keep everyone together. I'm glad it's not the norm for me to take the kids by myself. We all missed having Marshall there. We had an extra ticket so James brought a friend along.

I like how Taggart stuck his arm out instead of his head.

There was a science booth that was pretty cool. These bubbles are made with dry ice. Each kid got to hold one and then pop it.

This was the best Halloween parade yet. It was fun seeing James, Lynnlee and Kaden. The minis sat still and watched the whole time without any problems.
Kaden was Spiderman the last two years so I was really surprised when he wanted to again this year. Not complaining though, I'm glad the costume still fit.

Lynnlee is the sweetest witch. She was pretty excited when she picked this costume out at the store because it lights throughout the skirt.

James wanted to be a narwhal. He has been obsessed for the last year. This costume was no where to be found in the US for a reasonable price but thankfully I had time to order it from China. This is the second time ordering something from China and I'm completely amazed. Items are the same price if not cheaper. The only hassle is waiting two weeks instead of two days.

We went trick-or-treating in Heber. Marshall and I went all out this year and dressed up as salt and pepper 😆😉  Don't you just love my dad's shark costume!
The minis were amazed that people were just giving out candy. They were so excited the first few houses. Then about forty-five minutes later they were happy staying inside. Kaden lasted about two hours. James and Lynnlee went all out and were trick or treating for four hours with cousins.