Friday, November 28, 2014

November 2014

Easton's baptism.  In our ward, you get baptized the first Saturday of the month after your baptism.  For Easton, it was November 1st, the day after Halloween.  We scored an afternoon time in order to recover from the prior evening events!

Here is Easton before the big event!
He was ready and confident.  I'm not sure how, but I'm grateful for it.

Easton got baptized along with a friend, Sophie Wither.  Sophie's mom used to babysit Easton when he was born.  I worked 24 hours a week.  Sophie was born the same day as Easton, so it was cool they got to share this day together as well.  Aside from David forgetting a shirt to change into (which then became driving back/forth from home and taking 30 minutes to change)...everything else went as planned!




The great puppy show presented by Easton and Cache.


Either a zombie or a dress, I can't remember.



It's fall!  We have a giant Oak tree (which I hate) that gives us plenty of leaves in the backyard.  After the boys helped rake, they did their best to enjoy the pile of leaves.





Some cute playdough activity charts given to me by my neighbor.  


Xander and Declan spent 1/2 stacking the matching squares and putting them in order.  I love a good attention span.


Xander is becoming quite the little artist. 
Yes, those round things in the bellies are belly buttons.  


 Declan just drew his first person!




Welcome to Easton's 2nd grade diorama.  After searching pinterest for an hour, I came up with a good solid plan.  Then Easton and I went for a bike ride and collected real materials and created his forest diorama.  He needed 3 animals with their habitats and food sources.  This is what it looked like after 2 weeks and materials naturally falling apart, but you get the idea.



Happy Thanksgiving! 
 Somehow we almost made it through the season without created our paper feather hats.  


Easton insists on eating the leg of everything!  


Let the feast begin!


We were invited to eat with a couple friends but decided to just stay home this year.  I thought it was a great choice.  It was a nice quiet day and dinner was not stressful.  David did the turkey and I did everything else (stuffing in a crock pot, jello made the night before, mac&cheese, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes made by Costco and re-heated.  We also made a grasshopper ice cream pie, a silk pie (both the night before), and had costco pumpkin pie.  Our new tradition - eat pie for breakfast the morning of Thanksgiving.  Pumpkin pie has never tasted so good!


You can't really tell here, but Cache has had the craziest swollen tonsils.  I don't see how this kid can sleep or swallow or breathe!  I took him to the ENT and he said it is technically ok.  How can this be ok?  Poor kid.  I hate to have them removed (it's a painful surgery - we know since Easton and Xander have both had theirs removed), but I'm not sure what else we can do!


Did I mention we had a white Thanksgiving?  This was Cache's snowman and he lasted a couple of days.  I love how he melted.  Did I mention how sad I was when the kids kicked him down?  He was so cool :(


Let the birthdays continue...
Happy 4th Birthday Xander and Declan!



One rainbow (inside the cake) puppy cake for Xander.


One rainbow circle and tall cake for Declan.


Our good friends, the Airmets, happened to be driving through town on the twins birthday and stopped by.  They joined in for the festivities and we met their not-so-new baby.  The twins favorite teenagers also joined, thanks Marcy and Kensley!

No 4 year old birthday party is complete without a pinata!







The simplest 4th birthday party ever.  Invite 3 cute girls (already such smart boys..and 2 were older women)...play some games, eat leftover cake, and you have 2 happy campers!



Thursday, October 30, 2014

October 2014

Welcome to my busiest month!  Life has been a whirlwind since school started.  Easton and Cache have birthdays 2 years (minus 3) days apart...October 17 (Cache) and October 20 (Easton).  Easton celebrated big #8 this year.  He decided to go with an underwater cake theme.  He decorated it all himself!


Cache is really into soccer (it is almost the end of the season) and decided to go with the soccer theme cake.


I grabbed a great Groupon this year - a travelling video game trailer with 5 xbox consoles and tvs.  We had the party on Monday the 13th, a school holiday, and decided to rock the house.  Cache had his party from 1-3 and Easton had his party from 2-4.  Each boy had 1 hour with his friends in the video game trailer (and spent the other hour with his brother's friends).  The trailer was here from 2-4.  Cache had cake, ice cream, and games from 1-2.  Easton had cake, ice cream, and a giant nerf fight from 3-4.  Then wallah, it was done!  We had 30+ boys (and 1 girl) through the doors in those two hours, but everyone was happy and had a great time! 










We had a rainy day and as I walked out the front door, a box turtle caught my eye walking under our neighbor's car.  Of course I grabbed and it and saved it for Cache's after school activity.  A couple of friends (Ezra and Levi - twins from down the street) came over after school and joined in the fun. 


It's too bad we found this turtle late fall.  He was awesome.  He was sociable and active.  Most box turtles are boring and hide from contact, but not this guy.  


I love finding things like this...a random drawing in a random box on the front porch - compliments of Cache.


Remember how I mentioned our school attendance would be decreasing...well, we skipped school again!  It's Friday, Cache's actual birthday, and we decided to go to Temple Hall farm's fall festival.  Another beautiful, quiet day - sooooo much better than school!



The great wall of plastic rock.
 The boys all attempted, but no true victors.  

I'm learning Easton is afraid of heights.  He started to panic about here...


Our friend, David, has about 8 inches on Easton - makes for a little easier reach on the wall.  



If Declan had a little more height...he would have conquered this wall.






Maybe half way up, not bad for Cache.


A random little tractor ride.  Bumped the bacheezers out of us, but was a pretty ride.



Technically I should call this a selfie.


Temple hall has an impressive corn maze.  A little frightening it's so big.  I worried a few times about losing children.  


Attempt #1, Easton closed his eyes.


Attempt #2, Easton closed his eyes.


Attempt #3, Cache covered his face.


Attempt #4, David closed his eyes.  Seriously?!!!


Happy 8th Birthday Easton!  
It was so great having their parties early.  We already had cake and all the excitement.  We were able to choose some alternate treats on the actual birthdays and play some quiet games at home.


Xander's puppy home.


Where's Xander?


Xander?


Happy Halloween!
This year I got smart and realized the kids hardly care about costumes...and change their minds too many times to truly make an effort.  The twins were super easy.  They fell in love with puppy costumes from Target - buy one get one free.  $25 for two, done.  Easton was a skeleton ninja and Cache was a soccer player.  Easy, warm, good mobility - done!


This year's candy winners - Easton and Declan.


The truly impressive thing about Declan was I took him and Xander to all the same houses.  Not even exaggerating - Declan came home with 3x the candy of Xander.  Some houses set out bowls and some people let the kids pick candy out of the bowls...I guess Declan helped himself!  I didn't go to any of the doors with them (I waited on the bottom of the driveway - they love their independence)...but now I wish I had witnessed it for myself!  Love this kid.