Gingerbread FHE

The first Monday after Thanksgiving is always our gingerbread FHE. This year I was smart enough to do a lot of the assembling before hand so all we had to do with the kids was add the candy. They of course had a blast eating all the candy, I mean decorating it. Bryce was especially happy because it was one of the first times I let him have candy.

Thanksgiving

We had such a nice, easy going Thanksgiving this year. We Spent it with the Hilton side at Scott's Aunt and Uncle's house. I made REALLY yummy yams. You can get the recipe here.

This was Brycey's first Thanksgiving. He had a lot of fun eating like a big boy and being the center of attention.

We all had fun hanging out with family.

The kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousins.

And of course there was pie!! Or should I say Chocpumple.

Christmas Decorating

This Christmas is going to be Baby Brycey's first Christmas (he missed last years by 4 days). It is fun having him be so old for his first Christmas. To some little baby extent it is like he knows what is going on and seems just as excited for Christmas as the kids. He loves "singing along" when we sing Christmas songs, he loves Christmas lights, and he love the Christmas tree.

Just before Thanksgiving we got out all our Christmas decorations. We started Decorating while Bryce was down for a nap. When he woke up and I brought him down stairs he said yeah and started clapping when he saw the newly decorated family room.

Right away he wanted to "help."

As you can imagine he was very helpful. He has been pretty good about the tree. Several times I have found him under the tree with a strand of popcorn or a cookie in his mouth, but he is very soft with it and has yet to pull it over. After we first put the tree up I had to rescue him a few times because he would put his head down and crawl under it and then get stuck. But he learned his lesson after a while. I guess he thought there would be a really great view of the lights from under there.

Emma was a big help decorating this year. She took it upon herself to over see the placement of each ornament as we put them on the tree.

The Nutcracker

For YEARS I have been wanting to take Emma to the Nutcracker. Getting dressed up and going to the Nutcracker is one of my favorite Christmas memories and I really wanted to make those memories with Emma. This year I decided she was finally old enough to really understand and enjoy it. SHE LOVED IT! She sat there totally entranced by it.

We got all dressed up to head out for our special date.

On the drive to the theater I told her the whole story so it would be fresh in her mind and know what was going on. Then during intermission I let her pick out a Nutcracker from the gift shop. She spent the whole second half holding her Nutcracker and enjoying every minute of it. I think we will be making going to the nutcracker a new Christmas Tradition.

November Photo Catch Up

I don't understand how Logan manages to fall asleep in places like this. He doesn't take naps anymore, but sometimes it is like he just crashes.

In November Brycey turned 11 months old and has gotten very good at climbing on things and playing like one of the kids.

He is also our little explorer. He loves to climb in and out of the bottom cabinets while I am in the kitchen.

And he is SUPER helpful! He LOVES to help me unload the dishwasher.

Emma in her pilgrim hat. CUTE!

I was upstairs folding laundry and Logan came up to show me this. We have had several talks about not drawing on things like bodies, walls, furniture, or your baby brother. I guess it hasn't sunk in yet.

Bryce has become a super good supported walker and he LOVES to look out the window. I will often find him here banging on the window jabbering on about something.

This was a first for Bryce.

Halloween Fun

\\We needed to make up for the lack of fun we had last Halloween. So this year we had days of fun. Our fun started on Friday with a trip to IHOP for their free scary face pancakes.

Scott was able to join us before he went into work.

After our fill of pancakes we headed over to Gardner Village to check out the witches.

Emma and Alan did a super cute and funny dance to the creepy music.

I let each kid pick out a piece of candy from the candy store before we headed home.

Then Saturday morning we got up, got in costume, and headed out to the Zoo for a little trick or treating. I don't even know if I should tell every one about how awesome trick or treating at the Zoo was because then it might so awesome next year. But it was awesome, the animals were out, there was plenty of candy, and it really was not very crowded.

We were so close to the tiger it almost didn't seem like the mesh net separating us was quite enough.
Poor Bryce, doesn't it look like he wishes he could get in on the trick or treating? Next year buddy.

Check out the cute little monkey.

My pretty Fairy Princess.

It seemed like every one we walked past commented on the cute monkeys. I don't think it was because their costumes anything special (after all I saw about a dozen kids in the same costume). I think it was the volume of monkeys that made them so cute.

Emma petting a Boa Constrictor

I LOVE this picture.

We walked right under the clump of bats. There was nothing separating us from all these bats. It was gross, creepy, and interesting all at once.

Logan didn't really want to be in this picture.

After the zoo we took the kids to the Monster Block Party at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake.

The kids had a ton fun making these masks.

Next we headed over to Scott's parents for dinner before heading out from more trick or treating. Trick or treating was very rainy for the first half, but then it actually turned out to be a really nice night. Emma and Alan told me it was their best night ever.

Halloween was actually the Primary Sacrament Program. Emma and Alan both had parts and did really well.

After church we had a few neighbors over for a little Halloween Dinner Party. We had all kinds of Creepy foods. Scott and I had made root beer the night before and we also had a spooky salad bar, bone bread sticks, monster claw chicken, and other creepy food. It was a fun way to spend the night. I vote we always trick-or-treat the night before so we can just have fun on the actually night. The kids had fun with their friends and we had fun with ours.