Dinner and a Walk Down Memory Lane

We've been trying really hard to overhaul our dinners and start eating a whole lot healthier. We're still working hard at it but a few months ago we had this for dinner and it was WONDERFUL!!! The kids loved it because they could pick out exactly what they wanted and got to customize their own plate. They also got to eat as little or as much as they wanted and that made them very happy, mostly because I tend to over serve them.

This meal was also fun for me because I have fond memories of when Paul and I first started dating and our early months of being married and we'd be over at his parents house and his mom would pull out a few blankets and a collection of things like this from the pantry and fridge and everyone would join together and have a great time eating and talking and laughing. I remember the first time we did it Kathy started pulling out the blankets and everyone seemed to know what was going on and I just sat and watched as everyone got together and waited for the snacks to arrive. It was so fun to watch a different tradition and it's something I hope we do together in our small family as we grow up too. So far we haven't had a "picnic dinner" in the front room because the kids are too small but we try to have a meal like this a few times a month and we try to keep it really relaxed and just let the kids eat and enjoy making whatever meal they want for the evening. So far it's been a lot of fun.

Our trip to Washington from July

Right after Paul's graduation he was supposed to resume his training with work and was scheduled for a trip to California. I wasn't prepared to be home alone with all three kids so we planned a trip home to Washington to play with family while Paul was off getting his work stuff done.

It was quite the adventure for us and we learned a lot about flying with kids AND traveling with oxygen equipment and all of that fun stuff. It took a few weeks and lots and lots of phone calls to get everything organized but come the day of the flight we were ready to go.

When we got to the airport the kids were so excited to help and get going. Riann was responsible for a suitcase and Colby was responsible for riding along and staying put! Everyone loved watching Colby ride on him suitcase and he had a pretty good time being toted around.

Riann walking around with "her" suit case and Colby hanging on for his ride. The bottom two pictures are from lunch after we checked in and got to the gate. Glad they were just happy to be there!

Once we finally boarded the plan the kids had a great time checking everything out. Thankfully Roslyn was asleep before we got going and taking off made Colby a little queasy but he was able to rest for the first thirty minutes of the flight and sleep it off. It was fun having both babies cuddle me while we were in the air. Once Colby was back up and we had our snacks everyone was pretty happy. Riann and Colby had a great time looking out the window and playing around with everything they could. They were great on the way there and it was so fun to watch them explore our seats and be interested in anything and EVERYTHING they could get their hands on.

On the plane resting just after take off and during the flight while the kiddos checked out everything they could.

After we landed we waited until everyone was off the plane to get off. We had to carry on Colby's oxygen machine and getting it down and off the plane with all three kids was kind of a pain. I had LOTS of help from the flight staff though. As we were getting down the isle to the door one of the flight attendants asked if we wanted to go visit with the pilot and check out the control panel. I remember getting to do that as a kid so I was excited to be able to take the kids to check it out. Both of them LOVED all of the buttons and the pilot was wonderful and was so kind as they knocked over and pushed around all of their charts and maps. He kept telling me they were okay and he let them touch just about everything they could get their hands on. I'm glad some airlines still let kids do this. It was really fun for me to watch them from the parent perspective.

We had just landed and the kids got to check out the cockpit and see what it's like to fly a plane. I can't imagine how they know what to do with all of those buttons!!

One of the first events we got to participate in when we got home was the missionary farewell for my cousin Jeremy. It was great to attend church with family and to listen to Jeremy speak and to hear him and my other cousins sing. We got to spend the afternoon at my aunts house and it was great to get to say goodbye to him before he left on his mission. Later that afternoon we got to go to my brother, Tanner's, Court of Honor for his Eagle. We are so proud of him for this big accomplishment and it was great to be there with him and to get to participate in it all. It's hard for me to be away from family, especially with all of these big events going on in their lives and not being able to readily help or participate in them. We were very lucky that Tanner's Court of Honor and my cousins farewell fell on the same weekend as Paul's training so that we could participate and be there for all of it.

Tanner getting his Eagle's knot and the awarding of the pins to both my mom and my dad. It was a really fun ceremony. He's a good kid.

Right before left on our trip Colby had gotten the flu but I thought it would be okay to travel the day we left because he was doing lots better and no one else seemed to have gotten it. After we got to Seattle and got settled in Riann ended up spending our first full day there sick. She was such a trooper and did a great job handling it all and was able to sleep it off by the next day. After we got passed her sickness and realized no one else was going to get it she was happy to get out and play. It was so nice having a fenced in backyard that the kids could just go out and play in without me having to worry where they were and what kind of trouble they were getting into. They also loved the freedom. Colby isn't a huge fan of trampolines yet so he didn't go out and play too much with Riann but he had a great time running around and playing with as much dirt as he could.

Riann loved jumping on the trampoline and even did her first back flips. She's my little dare devil!! 

This trip home I wanted to make sure I saw a few of my really good friends because the last few times we've traveled home there just hadn't been time to see everyone we've wanted to see. I was able to meet up with some of the friends I used to work with at Red Robin, before Paul and I moved out to Idaho. I met up with Reyna and Kacie for dessert at Shari's (they're one of the few places that stay open late enough for me to get away) and later my friend Lyndsey for lunch on a different day. I'm so bummed I didn't think to pull out my camera while I was visiting with Lyndsey. She took me to lunch at the Seattle Brewery and it was amazing!!! I'm still craving the sandwich I got there!! It was great to finally catch up with everyone and there were many other friends I didn't get to see. I've missed them so much being away. Hopefully we'll get more time together next tine we're in town... whenever that will be...

Reyna, Kacie and I at Shari's. Roslyn was great and tagged along too.

Later in the week we planned to meet up with Granny and Papa and headed out to Centralia, Washington to see them. Centralia is half way in between Renton, WA and Scappoose, OR where they are from. I was kind of hoping I would have the time to take the kids all the way to Scappoose but with Riann getting sick and everything else going on we didn't get the chance to go all the way down. It was still great to see them and I'm so grateful they were willing to travel to see us. We stopped at a cute little mom and pop restaurant just outside of the outlet mall right there in town. I want to say it was called Country Cousins but I'm not 100% sure. The kids had a great time visiting. The restaurant had an old tractor that they were able to climb on and a chicken coupe with a really sad looking rooster living in it. The kids loved checking it all out and Roslyn loved the cuddle time she got from both Granny and Papa. Also before we had to pack ourselves back up in the car we headed over to a park across the street and they were very happy to get out and run around. They were pretty worn out for the trip back.

At the restaurant with Granny and Papa. Colby loved making faces at Granny and they both had a great time checking out the rooster. Colby, my little car man, LOVED climbing all over the tractor. I'm surprised I didn't have to pry his hands off to get him back into the car for the trip back.

Playing at the park. Colby wouldn't sit still for a picture. There was just way too much to do and see. Roslyn was happy to just snuggle with Granny and she got her to sleep pretty quick. Riann was just happy to be out of the car and in a place where she could go crazy and be as loud as she wanted.

On the way home Colby crashed pretty quick. His car seat looked pretty comfortable!! Riann was my little helper in the back seat everywhere we went. She loved sitting so close to Roslyn and did her best at keeping her as happy as possible. It was fun to watch them interact when I could sneak a peak while we were driving.

After our trip out to see Granny and Papa we stopped back off at Paul's parents house because we were nearing the end of our trip and I wanted to spend a little more time with then I had gotten to. It was hard to fit everything in in just a week and I still feel bad we didn't get to do more with them while we were in town. I'm so grateful Kathy was on top of everything and made sure we were able to see as many people from Paul's side of the family as possible while we were there. I love that she made sure that happened. Where we can't head home as often as we'd like we're so grateful for the moments when the kids get to see and build memories with their great-grandparents. We are so blessed to have all of our grandparents still with us and we want to spend whatever time we have left with them while we can.

On the left are Kathy's mom and dad, Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt and on the right are Dave's mom and dad, Grandma and Grandpa Vreeken. We love spending time with them!!

After visiting with the great-grandparents, Papa Dave took the kids out to play with some of the toys they have there at their house. The photos from below are actually a mixture from the two different days we spent time at their house but the kids had a blast playing on the forklift and the 4Wheeler. Colby is just like his dad and loves anything with an engine so as soon as grandpa offered him a ride he was ready to go. I think the forklift was their favorite part and I think grandpa had just as much fun, if not more fun, taking them around and lifting up anything big he could find. I can't remember how long that tree has been there on their property, I know it's been used as seating during quite a few dances and it was fun to watch the kids "inspect" it after he picked it up.

Playing on the fork lift with Grandpa. Riann had to be told a few times not to touch certain handles but Grandpa let her lift and lower the tree on her own. She was pretty excited about that.

The first thing Papa did when they got there was pull out the 4wheeler and take them for a ride around the yard. Colby was in motor heaven and even got to push the throttle himself... even though the results from that adventure were a little scary.

Before Grandpa got the forklift out for our second trip up to their house he pulled out the hot wheels jeep they have there for the kids cousins Jackson and Jeffrey. Riann doesn't know her controls very well and also wasn't listening to Papa's instructions and "accidentally" ended up driving the jeep into their mailbox, causing Colby to bite his lip. Even though it seemed to hurt he was a trooper and smiled for a picture once they moved over to the forklift and lifted the garbage dumpster as high as it would go. He was just happy to be using a big machine again..

In the middle of our week in town my mom worked on some crafts with the kids and they made these hats. Riann was so excited and I often find her playing with her's here at home. They also made one for Paul. I wish I would have gotten a picture of him in his once we got home.

Showing off their hats. Colby kept his on for maybe 10 minutes, Riann kept her's on for a few hours. Even now no one is allowed to wear it.

We took our trip the week before my birthday and as a gift to me my mom and step-dad took the kids and I out to dinner. I've never been to the Rainforest Cafe and my mom had suggested it so I was excited to give it a try. I didn't get any good pictures of the kids inside because they were a little crazy but we got a few out at the tanks in the front. It was a lot of fun watching them get excited about all of the decoration and animals they had there.

This fish was so funny. Colby loved to watch him because he was right at his level but when we finally looked at him up close we noticed that he was hanging out at this vent eating the bubbles. He wouldn't leave it alone and even fought off a few other fish to keep his place. It reminded me of the shrimp on Finding Nemo that was obsessed with the bubbles.

Colby loved raiding my mom's pantry and was even happier when he could get his hands on her bags of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Half way through the week you couldn't find him inside at my mom's house without a bag of cereal in his hands. He was so funny and would get pretty upset when we had to put it away for meals.

In these photos I had just taken away the bag he had been working on for most of the afternoon not knowing there was another bag in the pantry. After he got his emotions in check from the loss of the first bag he wandered back to the pantry to see what else he could find and to my surprise he found another bag. Unfortunately he brought it right to me to have it opened and wasn't too happy a second time when I said no.

Sadly our trip came to an end a week later. It was hard to leave and the kids really didn't want to say goodbye. My mom took us to the airport to drop us off and getting to the gate was a little chaotic but we made it on time and everyone was all in one piece. I wish I could say the flight home was as easy as the flight there but I think everyone was a little over tired and sad to be leaving. Riann was a pill the whole way home and I'm so grateful we sat next to come pretty sympathetic people because she made the flight a little hard to handle. Thankfully it wasn't a super long flight and it was great to be home, once we finally for there.

Saying goodbye to Grandma at the airport.
The kids were excited to see the plains again but not as excited to get back on them.

On the flight home. Riann wasn't too excited to let me take photos of her on the way home. We also had a little bit of trouble with her sharing the window and throwing tantrums but we made it home and when we finally landed everyone was happy and glad to be home.

When we landed in Salt Lake we asked to have a cart come pick us up to take us to baggage claim. They didn't have any trolly carts like they do in Seattle but they offered to bring us a wheel chair that the kids could ride through the airport. The kids were excited to be pushed around and had a great time sitting together while we walked through the airport. It was hard to keep them in their seat when we had to stop in the elevator because they really wanted to push the buttons but we made it through the airport quickly and together. The guy who helped us get through the airport even walked us all the way to the curb and it was wonderful to have the extra help.

Our trip to Washington was a lot of fun, although we wish we could have had Paul there with us. It was wonderful to see all of our family and we are grateful for the time we got with them to build memories. We don't see our family and friends in Washington often enough and we hope that things will change for us sometime in the future so that we can be a part of more of the things going on there but for now we are happy with life and so grateful for trips like this that we are able to take the kids on. It is a blessing to see everyone there and fun for us to have the chance to build and recreate some of the fun memories we have gotten to experience when we were kids.

Race #2 - Teton Road Runners Zombie Chase 5K

This was my second 5K this year and we, Adele and I, decided to do another one that was really different. I had heard of this one for a while and had always thought it would be fun so we decided to give it a try. It's called the Zombie Chase and its held right around Halloween every year. We were also able to talk a few more friends to do this race with us this time because it was local. It was so fun to do it with our little group. Racing is a lot more fun when you do it with a "team". We also liked the idea of this one because when you sign up you choose wither or not you want to run as a survivor, they get a 1 minute head start, or a zombie. They also "suggested" that you dress up as whatever you decided to run as. How fun is that?! We had a great time and even though I wasn't one of the fastest people, the first person to cross the line did theirs in just over 15 mins - EAK!!, I was happy that I ran the whole thing without walking. That was a big deal for me. It was also nice to do the race in the evening when it wasn't as hot, or as early, as most races. That kind of seemed to set the stage for a good time as well.

Here is a little overview of the fun time we had.

My race tag.

I asked Riann if she wanted to join me for our "face painting" party over at Audra's house. She was really excited to come and participate. This was her before we got started.

And her during and after. She's got a great "living dead" face.

Finally done! She had a lot of fun posing for the camera.

This was my before shot. Pretty zombie already like if you ask me. Haha.

My during shots. I didn't get 100% finished until we were about half way there.

DONE!!!! Am I Zombie enough?!

Adele and Audra just about done with their looks. Audra had t he great idea to paint our shirts which I think added a lot to the look. It also made it more fun and felt like we were more in "character".

Just before we walked out the door. We're all squatting a little because Riann was our photographer at this point.

Frank and Christi and their kiddos met us at the location to do the race with us. Everyone but the two youngest dressed up too. It was fun to have Frank and Paul there to watch the kids so we could hang out with them after. Riann, Leo and Frankie also got to run in the free kids 1K and Colby met me just before the finish line as I warmed up with Riann and he finished with us so everyone got special medals for participating.

Christi and I crossing over the finish line. Audra and Adele were just in front of us.

The race map and my finishing times.
You can also kind of see everyone else's times there too, I just didn't circle them like I did mine.

Before and after the race. You can tell we were much happier to get done than to start. These girls are awesome!!

All of us together after the race. So glad my family is willing to come do all this stuff with me. Love these guys so much!!

Finally home and all cleaned up. I SURVIVED THE ZOMBIE INVASION.... well, sort of.

Halloween 2012

To start this off I'll give a little background on our idea for Halloween this year... I'm crazy when it comes to Halloween and like to be prepared with an idea of what we're going to do as soon as possible. I have a friend that does a family theme each year and after seeing what she did with her family I thought to myself, "I want to do that too! At least for as long as the kids will let me." Since then we've tried to do something together. This was our second year with a theme and although our costumes aren't as elaborate or as beautiful as what my friends put together, it has been fun to challenge myself to make this happen. Last year I knew in February what the kids were going to be and got right on buying a lot of the stuff I needed so that I could get a lot of it on sale.

Unfortunately this year ideas were a little harder to come by and I just didn't know what I wanted to try to do. As I was looking through some photos of a friend I stumbled across the top photo below. It was then that I thought it might be fun to try to do a family theme centered around Pac-Man. At first tons of ideas started floating around in my brain about how I could make this work and slowly things started to come together. I started searching online for more images of Pac-Man themed costumes and found some pretty good ideas. The bottom two photos in the collage below are the other two images that helped me get the full idea going.

 How the idea got sparked. 

Once I knew what I was going to do I asked a friend of mine help me get started putting everything together, once I had all of my supplies. I'm so grateful I had her help because there is NO WAY I could have done what I did without her. I had two people help me with these costumes and with their help everything turned out great!!

Some of the supplies. I had each kiddo "tell" me what color ghost they wanted to me and with the help of my friend we got them measured and started sewing everything together.

Once we had the "bodies" cut out I tested out of few options for the eyes with paper.

This was a really creepy day. As I started putting the eyes together it was weird having them "watch" me as I worked and as I sewed them on. I'm no seamstress, or even handy with a sewing machine so all of the "smaller" things, like the eyes, were done by hand.

Once all of the eyes were sewn together I layed out each costume as a whole and decided how they were going to go on. Paul was a hard sell on the whole dressing up like this idea so he got away with wearing a large t-shirt instead of the big felt moo-moo's we all wore. It still looked pretty good though. He matched great!

Once I decided on the theme I had to figure out how best to incorporate each kid into the idea. Since Roslyn wasn't walking I didn't want her to just be tucked in the back as another ghost and I didn't want the older kids to feel bad about the main costume being different than theirs. I also didn't want to play the role or Pac-Man and I knew there was NO WAY I could talk Paul into doing it so that left Roslyn as the best fit for the role. It took a lot of research and a very general idea of how I wanted her costume to look but I asked for help from another friend and gave her the gist of what I was looking for an she took my idea and rolled with it. She did an AMAZING job!!! She was able to get the shell put together for me and then I added the eyes and mouth by hand, with the help of Paul in terms of creative concept.

This turned out AMAZING!!! There is no way I could have pulled this off without the help of so many people!!

Thankfully this year we had a few nights of activities to participate in before Halloween so I HAD to have our costumes finished early. Unfortunately Paul couldn't attend a few of the activities with us because of work but we had a great time when he was able to. The kids were also great sports when it came to getting dressed in the multiple layers they have to dress in the keep warm for Halloween in Idaho. Thankfully I think they enjoy Halloween ALMOST as much as I do.

The kiddos in their warm underclothing. I was too busy getting them all dressed to take pictures of each layer they put on but I promise, they're pretty warm under there. Yes, we did have snow for some of our Halloween events.

Our first big Halloween activity this year was a carnival/trunk-or-treat event at our gym. It was fun to go and see all of the other families the kids go to the daycare with and be out together as a family. The kids also didn't mind getting extra treats before Halloween night too.

All of us dressed up and ready to go participate in the activities at the carnival.

They had a photographer come in and take photos for all of the families that participated in the event. This was the one we got of all of us together. I'm so glad these guys are still willing to do something together.

Our second Halloween event was a party with a few families in our ward and some of their other friends. We were all asked to bring a dessert and there were a few I've been wanting to try so I thought I'd give them a shot for this night. They didn't turn out EXACTLY how I wanted them but they were okay. I think I now know how to do better next time and hopefully we'll get to do more fun stuff like this with the people we live near. It was a great night and the chance to make new friends was wonderful!!

The ingredients for our treats. I tried out a caramel corn and a candy bark recipe.

The caramel corn. It was a little harder than I wanted it but still pretty yummy!!

This was the candy bark. So many great flavors all mixed into one!!

My adorable little helpers. Riann actually wanted to help... Colby wanted to snack.

Our little family playing at the party. It was so fun to have Paul at this event with us because it had to miss out on the gym carnival and the first part of Halloween night because of work. We had a great time with him!!

They had lots of fun activities for the kids to do.

And LOTS of yummy food!!

The decorations were also adorable!!

After our two parties right before Halloween I thought the kids might be tired of their costumes and of Halloween but thankfully they were just as excited for the community trunk-or-treat as I was. The kids were able to go around with some of their best friends and had a great time collecting candy and sharing ours with others.

Our little gang of kiddos.

Walking around getting treats... and sneaking a few every chance they got, even if it meant sitting in the middle of the parking lot to get a candy open.

My happy Pac-Woman. I'm not sure her costume was the most comfortable thing in the world but she was such a wonderful sport and was so happy to just be there.

My cute blue ghost. He is so much fun to watch on Halloween because each treat is THE BEST thing in the world.
I love this guy!!

My beautiful purple ghost. She was so busy helping all of her friends and little siblings get candy and having such a great time that I didn't get many pictures of just her. She is such a great helper!!

Our wonderful neighbor Adele and her kiddos. She helped pass out our candy while I took the kids around with her MIL. We were both without hubbies for the first part of the night so it was great to have someone to team up with.
We love these guys!!

Once Paul got off work he met up with us in town and we did some door to door trick-or-treating. We always head up to a neighborhood in town because we don't get kiddos out in our neighborhood and I like for the kids to get a chance to do some of the traditional trick-or-treating too. They had a great time running between houses and were hard to keep up with. It was also really fun to have Paul with us to share in the kid's excitement.

Getting as many treats as they can before we headed home.

This year I decided to try to do something different for dinner and keep the Halloween fun going. We did some "spooky" items for dinner and the kids really enjoyed them. Next year I'll plan a little better and make sure we have dinner BEFORE our fun night of running around and eating candy. It was fun to see the kids react to the food. I can't wait to do it all again next year.

We had ghost bananas, apple mouths and mummy hotdogs.

And the kids had a great night being together!!!

I just LOVE Halloween!!!