Family Night Fun

We always enjoy our family night Activities. A couple weeks ago, we were playing Cranium (family edition) for our FHE activity.
We were playing Parents vs. Kids. It was Caleb's turn to draw for his team. Now, Caleb is a very bright, intelligent, and creative boy. But, if there is one thing he is not, it's an artist. Especially, when he is given just one minute to draw a pine cone and have his sisters guess what it is. Well, he started with the pine cone, but he figured they'd never guess it unless he drew a squirrel too, so he tried to draw a squirrel.  By the time the timer ran out, all of us, including Caleb were on the floor laughing so hard we couldn't breathe!
We were DYING! It took us a good 10 minutes to get ourselves under control! We'd think we were O.K. then, we'd glance at the drawing and start busting up again. We joked about submitting it to the Friend Magazine with "Caleb age 8" printed below. Caleb joked that he thought the card read "a squirrel after being hit by a nuclear bomb."  Even a half hour later, when it was time for family prayer, we were struggling to stifle our laughter over his drawing.
These are the moments I live for!!! I am so grateful that we follow the prophets counsel to hold regular Family Home Evening. I am grateful that Caleb has thick skin and is confident enough in himself to laugh at himself every once in a while.
He gave me permission to post the picture on the blog so it can be in our Family Year book. We keep the original displayed in the kitchen for those times when we need a little cheering up.
Thanks Caleb! You're Awesome!

Caleb G. Age 8

Halloween Happenings

We had a wonderful Halloween Holiday this year. Last year, there was a shortage of pumpkins for sale, so we ended up having to carve gourds. This year we planted our own pumpkins and ended up with more than enough to carve. The kids enjoy carving pumpkins, but they do not enjoy cleaning them out. EEW.....Sticky Icky

As you can see, the Jack-O-lanterns turned out great.

 

The kids all picked out and helped make their own costumes. Sarah was a snow princess, Caleb was Harry potter, and Eliza was Superman

 

Five Princesses

 

Two Harry Potters

And the one and only Super-man-girl!

 

We hosted our Annual chili cook-off and Trick-or-treat hayride. We ended up with over 80 guests from our ward and neighborhood. We had a blast and the kids got tons of yummy candy.

 

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Soccer Star

Eliza just wrapped up her soccer season. Her team this year was the Black Mambas. It was her first year playing on a team without Sarah and Caleb playing by her side. Sarah and Caleb decided they wanted to be involved in other activities this year, so that just left Eliza on the soccer field.
So I'm totally going to brag right now, but I just have to say: Eliza is AMAZING!!! She is SO good at soccer! She was the fastest one on her team and can get the ball away from any opponent. She was the second highest scoring player on her co-ed team and she just keeps getting better and better.
I really wish our little community offered a club soccer program because she is so sad that the season is over, and that she has to wait until next fall to play again. Luckily, we have a nice big yard for her to kick the ball around in and practice for next year.



We love the expression on the face of  the boy from the opposing team just as Eliza kicked the ball away from him. That's our girl!

We are so proud of Eliza and her dedication to this sport that she loves!

First Day of School (a little late)

Our First day of school pictures were lost for a while, but now they're found! Yay!

The Trio started Third grade this year. It is their last year at Taylor Elementary, So they are "Big man on campus!"  Next year they will start fourth grade at Taylor Intermediate.

 

 

Eliza is in Mrs. Christensen's Class

Sarah is in Mrs. Hamling's class

Caleb is in Mr. Rodger's class

Having Third graders is awesome! They can get themselves ready for school all on their own. They even pack their own lunches (with supervision of course). They know that right when they home, after having a snack, It's time to do homework and they rarely need to be reminded. They are developing great study habits and they are learning to manage their time responsibly. Yep, they're growing up. it's a little sad for me, but it's also very exciting.