A Halloween to Remember

You take Obi Wan Kenobi

a tall witch

and a small witch

and you take them to the church a week before Halloween for the Trunk or Treat. There you will find Obi Wan Kenobi working on his Jedi skills,

the tall witch taking a break and eating corn bread,and the small witch chillin' beside daddy to help pass out candy or to eat all the candy.At the trunk or treat they will score lots of good candy and their mom is thinking they don't really need to go trick or treating in a week. But of course she gives in.

Obi Wan Kenobi, the tall witch, and the small witch all wanted to carve pumpkins (okay, maybe the small witch had no idea that she wanted to carve pumpkins). So for Family Home Evening we did just that.

(It looks like I'm the only one having fun in this picture.)

And this is what resulted from that fun carving party...
(These pumpkins barely made it to Halloween before they turned all yucky inside. Next year we better carve them closer to Halloween.)

The Jedi and the witches were looking forward to Halloween day but little did they(and their mom) know that a special trick or treater would show up a day early. Around 11:40 on Friday morning there was a knock at the door and it was Grandma Cottrell. She woke up early that morning and drove to our house by herself to surprise us and spend the Halloween weekend with us. We were thrilled!!!!

The mom and dad of the Jedi and witches decided to try the Treat Street put on by Mix 94.1. Little did they know that it was so far away and that the small witch would scream for half of the ride there and for half of the ride home. The screaming and the long ride proved to be worth it for the great amounts of good chocolate candy they were giving out and

for the chance to see Jim from The Office.

Who could ask for more? It was definitely a Halloween to remember.


Treat Street Pros and Cons:
Pros: one designated area, free stuff, great candy, perfect for little kids
Cons: far away, you come home with way too much candy (I guess this is only a con if you have no self discipline like me and end up eating most of the candy.), it was only about 7 or 8 houses (but you could go around as many times as you wanted)

Before the Halloween Post...

I thought I would share something that I found that would be fun to do for the month of November. Luke just started his track break and I have been thinking of things to do to keep him busy. I thought some of these ideas were cute and fun.

P.S. We are now on day 4 and having fun with the ideas. My kids are really enjoying it and it makes me feel like I am doing something worthwhile with them at least once during the day. :)

18 Months Old

Ashley turned 18 months old on the 3rd of October. This is a big deal at church because now she can go to nursery and we no longer have to walk the halls during the second and third hour.

Looking at that cute face and smile you would think she would be excited about nursery...

but the following picture truly describes her first day in nursery. Even though she was crying to go outside this is exactly what she did in nursery. We let her cry it out for a little bit and then Kevin stayed with her the rest of the time. Luke and Katelyn went to nursery so easily, but we knew Ashley would have a hard time. She is still such a momma's girl.

This is an image I see all day long. :) It's a good thing she is cute!

Ashley's highlights and maybe a few lowlights ;) at 18 months...

• talks a ton and will copy almost any word we say to her (Luke loves to have her repeat words after he says them. He loves to tell everyone he taught her how to talk.)
  
• she can say some short phrases
• just started saying "thank you" and it sounds so cute
• she can be very polite and says "scuse me" after she burps (she has been doing this for awhile and it still makes me smile each time she says it)
  
• mimics everything we do
• loves purses and putting things inside them
• loves to be outside
• she's a climber (This is new to me because Luke and Katelyn were never climbers. It is a whole other ball game trying to keep track of her and what she might be standing on.)
• wants to do everything Katelyn does (which doesn't always make Katelyn happy) and gets mad if she can't do it
• likes to hit and scratch :( and it hurts
• knows what to do for timeout
• likes to shut doors
• likes to pretend to go potty on the toilet (because she sees Katelyn doing it)
• LOVES to color and will often say "I color"
• still learning to color only on paper
• sings "Happy Birthday", "Popcorn Popping", and "Ring around the Rosies"
• cries whenever I leave even if she is with daddy
• sleeps well at night and most days will take a good afternoon nap
• loves to play in the toy kitchen and "help" me in the real kitchen
• likes to watch Hi-5 with Katelyn and dance
• doesn't like sitting in the cart at the grocery store anymore
• sometimes has an opinion about what she wears-i finally made her a cute tutu and was hoping to get a picture of her in it, but no such luck. I'm still determined to try and get a picture and it may just have to be a crying picture.

• She is still very attached to her "dinky" and asks for it all the time. I need to get brave and take it away during the day.

• She calls Luke "wuke" and Katelyn "Ka-ten"

She definitely keeps us on our toes with her spunky personality. We love our Ashley and have had fun watching her change so much in the last 18 months.

Her stats:
23 lbs. 14 oz.
32 inches tall

Yes, it's that post!

The first day of school pictures and a little more!

Luke is getting used to the idea of going to Kindergarten everyday, but is loving it! However, he had to miss today because he got sick with a bad cold and fever. Here's hoping he recovers quickly.

Katelyn started a 3 year old preschool this week and feels like such a big girl! I think she might be the youngest in the class, but looks like the oldest. :) She was beyond excited about getting a new backpack.
(I think it's kind of funny how both Luke and Katelyn have the same smile and pose in their pictures. I didn't even take them on the same day.)
I had to post this one too because I actually got a real smile from Katelyn without a fuss!


And this little one who is now 17 months old is loving her alone time with mommy on Tues and Thurs mornings. However, the extra attention does not stop her from being mean to Luke and Katelyn. She loves to hit and pull hair. It drives me crazy and I am having a hard time figuring out how to get her to realize it isn't funny. She has seen Luke and Katelyn go to "timeout" on the stairs. So the other day she was being mean and I told her "no, you need to be nice" in a stern voice. She gave me her look that you see in the above picture and said "I sit" and ran over and sat on the stairs. Of course, I had to take a picture and she got up about 10 seconds after sitting down. It took a lot for me to not start laughing at that face she gives me and seeing her little body sitting in a timeout. Now she probably thinks "timeout" is a game. Oh well, we will figure it out somehow. What a stinker, she definitely keeps things exciting around our house!

Establishing Traditions

With my first one going to kindergarten I wanted to start some back to school traditions. Here's hoping I can keep it up throughout the years. To start off, Luke and I went on a "date".
(not sure why blogger feels like it needs to underline everything, i can't turn it off)

Despite the look on Luke's face, he was really excited to just go out with mommy.

We went out for pizza, Luke's favorite thing to eat. He was so cute while we were waiting for our pizza. After we finished talking about kindergarten it was quiet for a minute. He started fidgeting in his chair and then leaned back and said, "So, what's going on?" It was so cute because he was trying to keep the conversation going on our little "date".

I didn't take pictures of the next parts of our date, but after pizza we went to see the movie G-Force. He LOVED it and I thought it was pretty cute! When we were walking into the movie I was commenting on how hot it was outside. Luke then said, "I think I know why it doesn't snow and get really cold in Las Vegas. I think Heavenly Father forgot about Las Vegas because he was too busy making other places cold." I said, "hmmm, that's an interesting idea" The kid cracks me up with his ideas and his never ending questions.

After the movie we quickly ran and bought him some new shoes for school and then got some ice cream. It was so much fun hanging out with my little man! I can't believe he is going to kindergarten tomorrow. Here's hoping I can hold it together. :)

I got my next idea from nie nie's blog. I love her blog and am so inspired by her and her story. If you have not heard of her or read her blog, you are definitely missing out. She was in a horrible airplane crash along with her husband and another man that did not make it. She and her husband have endured many hard things since this crash, but have amazing faith. I am so inspired by her, her family, her faith, creativity, courage, and strength.
I loved her back to school feast idea so I implemented my own version. Mine was definitely not as fancy and with picky eaters the menu was quite simple.


The table was dressed up "fancy" in our terms of the word "fancy". Real plates versus paper plates is fancy at my house. The kids thought the candles and the "fancy" glasses were the best thing ever.

We ate chicken rolls w/gravy, cooked carrots, fruit salad, and had some sparkling juice.

Luke saying "kindergarten".

Katelyn saying "pre-school".

Ashley was supposed to be saying "mommy" because that is all she cares about right now.

We ate and then Kevin gave Luke and Katelyn father's blessings and we finished the night off with the best chocolate cake.

Katelyn turned 3 on August 8th

One of Katelyn's birthday requests was to have a "cone shaped party hat"! So she found one on the table right when she came downstairs in the morning and put it on. I think she is pretty pleased in this picture.

Katelyn had two birthday parties to go to on Saturday and none of them were her own party, but she still loved it. This was her year for a small family party. So we went out to breakfast at the Pancake House, then she went to a friend's birthday party, opened a few presents, had lunch, opened a few more presents, had cake, watched a movie, went to dinner at Taco Bell (her choice), and then went to her uncle's 30th birthday party! Quite the day for a new 3 year old I think!
Eating breakfast at the Pancake House. Party hats and all!

She has wanted pom poms forever and so she finally got some for her birthday. Here she is doing a birthday cheer for us.

Her favorite present was a princess castle. She has been into the whole princess thing lately so we kind of went with that theme for her "party".

My super easy version of a princess cake. Katelyn loved it and now she has some princesses for toys.

Enjoying some cake!

Really enjoying her cake now! So much easier than using a fork.


This is my Katelyn over the past 3 years. I like to take a picture by their birthday sign each year. This year Katelyn was so wiggly and would not stand still. If I knew how to do a small collage I would show you the many different photos I got of her. The last one here was the best one and it is still blurry.

Looking back at these pictures makes me miss my kids as babies and I can't believe how much she has changed from a year ago.

Three things about my Katelyn:
1. She has so much spunk and amazes me with her energy.
2. She loves to draw and color. Usually on paper, but sometimes on herself.
3. She loves to line things up... like her toys, her crayons, or anything she is playing with at the time.

Another Interview about Daddy

Two years ago I interviewed Luke about his Dad for Father's Day. I thought it would be fun to do again and include Katelyn this time. I used the same questions and it was fun to see which ones Luke answered the same and which ones he changed.

Luke's answers at 5 years old...

What's your daddy's name? Kevin
How old is your daddy? 35
How tall is your daddy? ummm...I don't know... ummm... maybe 20 feet
What color are his eyes? blue
Is your daddy strong? Yes How strong? he can lift up the couch
Where does your daddy work? at his work What does he do? builds stuff and gets money
Does your dad ever get mad at you? Yes
Why does he get mad? because sometimes I hit or push
What does he do when he gets mad? he sends me to my bed or puts me in time out
What do you like to do for fun with daddy? wrestle, got to fun stores, go to the playground...lots of fun stuff
What is he good at doing? playing What do you like to play? ninja warrior
Is your daddy smart? yes, he knows what 100+100 is and he teaches me lots of stuff
If your daddy was a superhero who would he be? Wolverine
Is your daddy your best friend? Yep!


Katelyn's answers at 2 1/2 years old... (it took us three different sessions to answer all these questions)
What's your daddy's name? uhhh...Daddy
How old is your daddy? maybe 2
How tall is your daddy? big
What color are his eyes? brown
Is your daddy strong? Yah How strong? he does push ups
Where does your daddy work? far away What does he do? push ups
Does your dad ever get mad at you? uh huh
Why does he get mad? "I make him happy." What do you do that makes him mad? "because I'm not happy"
What does he do when he gets mad? maybe he puts me on the stairs in time out
What do you like to do for fun with daddy? wrestle and go to Depot, Depot (this is what she calls Home Depot)
What is your favorite thing to do with daddy? go to Disneyland
What is he good at doing? work
Is your daddy smart? yes, he rides in a truck
If your daddy was a superhero who would he be? a man What kind of man? spiderman
Is your daddy your best friend? Yes

My kids are so lucky to have such a fun, smart, hard working daddy. He is always involved and helps me out so much. We love him!!!!

I also want to give a shout out to my Dad.

My dad has always been my number one fan. I have fond memories of seeing my dad in the stands at all my high school basketball games cheering me on and sometimes giving the refs a hard time. :) Many times he was there in a suit having just come from work or a church meeting. He has always been a support and strength to me. Not only has he been a wonderful father, but he is a super grandfather. My kids love to go to grandpa's house and help him in his garden or play in his fun backyard. He is always willing to take them to the park and have fun with them. Thank you for your great example Dad! I love you!

Creativity At Its Best or Worst

Katelyn loves to color, draw, and paint. She has really progressed a lot in her coloring and drawing. She can now draw a circle face with the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hair in the proper place. She wanted to try painting and did really well the first couple of times. No big messes and she was occupied and I was happy.

Well, I guess regular painting on the paper was not creative enough for her. She started painting her hands and trying to make hand prints on the paper. Of course she was using watercolor paints so the hand prints weren't really working, but she did have a mess on her hands and down her arms. I let it slide the first and second time, but by the third time I told her no more painting for awhile. That made her so mad and the tantrums began. Even though it wiped off easy it left a dark stain on her hands for the rest of the day.

On Saturday I decided to give her another chance. She hadn't painted for a few days and she was needing something to keep her busy. I told her that if she painted on her hands we would put the paint away and she couldn't paint for a long time. I got her all set up and then left her to do a few things around the house (this was my mistake). Each time I would check on her she was quietly painting and the last time I checked she was done and sitting on the couch(with her back to me) watching TV with Luke.

I cleaned up the paints and then a few minutes later I heard Luke saying, "Katelyn has paint all over her face!" What?!?!.................










She was just sitting there like it was no big deal and I guess it wasn't a big deal to her. I guess I need to be more specific with her. No paint on your hands, face, knees, legs, feet, ears, etc. Luckily it wiped off pretty easy and there weren't any dark stains left.

Preschool Graduate

Preschool has been soooo good for Luke. He has come a long way from the beginning of the school year. His behavior has improved so much and he is now reading and writing. He would sound out words and write words all day if I could be there to help him with the ones he doesn't know and be able to give him my attention all day.
His preschool experience was a little different because he had Miss Kathy from the beginning of the school year until the first week of April and then went to Miss Heather's preschool until the end of May. Miss Kathy had to stop because her son was sick. I was worried how Luke would transition, but he surprised me and did really well.

(Signing the ABCs. I was cracking up because the teacher was going a little fast and Luke couldn't keep up. He said really loudly, "you are going too fast!" That's my boy, not afraid to say what's on his mind.)

(The fam minus dad in Luke's first preschool room.)

(Miss Kathy-she was so patient with Luke)

(Miss Heather-(not a great picture of Luke)she had a dog that Luke learned to love. This is pretty amazing considering how terrified Luke is of dogs.)