Family Photo Outtakes 2011

We FINALLY got around to getting some family pics done this year...for the first time in four years. Yikes! And as usual, I did them myself, since the hubster has a photog-phobia (I know, ironic, right?) and would probably be mad for a month if I made him pose in front of a stranger. This condition is also the reason we end up in the middle of nowhere for our pics, so we don't have an audience. :-) But it's okay, because it fits our personality as a family to hit the outdoors and find somewhere new.

Now that I've started the photography blog, the finished family photos will appear there (IF they ever get finished!), but I'll post a link here. Now that it's been almost 4 months since these were taken, I've decided to post some of the funnies (unedited, something I never, EVER do!) here for a laugh, and hopefully a kick in the pants to get some on the wall!

 

Autumn at Our House

This fall has been an interesting time at our house. With Kylee in school all day now and my schooling finished, Aedan is beside himself with boredom. Mom is just not cool enough, and Brianna is too little to be much fun. So Aedan has gotten himself into some pretty interesting situations, all in the name of fun.

Aedan decided he needed to do something about all the leaves in the backyard. He filled up the wheelbarrow and wheeled it to the truck in front. This first picture shows his original idea...loading leaves into the pickup by the handful.

Clearly, that wasn't working. So he went for the snow shovel.

 

While the shovel held lots more leaves, it was a long walk to the pickup with that heavy load. So he eventually put the shovel down and moved the wheelbarrow right next to the pickup so he didn't have as far to walk.

The whole event was really quite entertaining to watch. I was amazed at how quickly he would reach a conclusion and go for a solution. The next day he decided to put away the lawn mower, worried about it being rained on. I found him outside like this:

Using the car ramps to try and get the mower into the shed. :-) Usually we just tip the mower back until the wheels can reach the floor of the shed, then we lift it right in. That little step up must have looked like a mountain to Aedan, so he went for the ramps. Unfortunately, they weren't quite right for the job.

Aedan isn't the only one looking for mischief around here. Brianna fulfilled what must be mandatory for my kids...the first venture into the flour bucket. She was covered in it, as were her trusty blankets that are never far from her side. Boy was she ticked when I took them away to be washed!

Just to show the tradition, here's Brianna and Aedan, both about the same age, both covered in flour. :-)

It certainly hasn't been dull around our house! Now we're done with our fall fun and ready for some SNOW!

Halloween 2011

Yep, it's me. We're still here, slugging along. :-) I was reminded by one of my BFFs from high school that I've been an absentee blogger, so I thought I'd go ahead and get a start. This one's for you, KelDawg. :-) (How long's it been since someone called you THAT?! haha!) Besides, Halloween was only a month ago, so I'm doing okay.

Halloween around here was, as usually, absolutely insane. From my annual determination to make costumes, to this year's new goal of holding a costume party with friends, it was just completely, certifiably nuts. :-)

When Heather mentioned to me that she wanted to have an honest-to-goodness costume party with some of our friends from the ward, and hinted that maybe she wanted some help getting it done (haha, lot of help I was!), I jumped on board and we made it happen. The original plan was for the party to be held in party tents outside Heather's house, but the wind made the cold simply too unbearable, so we switched last minute to the church. Kinda handy having keys in the house. ;-)

I spent way too much time on the food and decorations, and the kids' costume (which, by the way, were FAR from done at this point, one week before Halloween) so Brett and I barely managed to scrape up some semblance of a costume, just to avoid being party-poopers. We pulled out his jerseys from high school and painted our faces. We decided to go as high schoolers. :-)

The party turned out great and I think everyone had a great time. Here are just a few pictures I managed:

Brock and Heather made the BEST nerds! Made me wonder if there was something in their past... hahah!

Had to double-take when I saw Gordo in a suit...He was a high councilman! hahah!

 

Kylee got to wear her costume to school the day of Halloween, and they had a costume parade for us to come watch. It was kinda fun to see her with her class. Kylee was Tinkerbell, despite the fact that the wings were not done until after school. ;-) 

Ky's friend Kiera was the one in the leaf costume. She's the only one I managed to get a shot of...the kids were practically running cause it was so cold!

Ky's teacher, Mrs. Tokita

After school, the kids and I piled into the car and headed to Blackfoot, something we never do on Halloween. But this year, Grandma Kathy's work decided they would have trick-or-treating in the office for all the employees' kids and grandkids, so we decided to make the trip. They set up a photo booth outside the front door, and it was cold! This is probably the best shot of the kids' costumes. Aedan was Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon. Brianna was supposed to be a scarecrow, but it didn't happen. And I don't really feel too bad about it! :-) These pics were pulled off Facebook, so they're pretty blurry.

Ky and Aedan with their cousins, Hallie, Dewey, and Hank. Aren't those the cutest monsters you've ever seen?? :-)

With Grandma and her traditional kitty-cat costume-slightly updated from the 80's version. :-)

So that's Halloween in a nutshell. A very tiny nutshell. I was sure glad when it was over, but it's always nice when the kids have a good time.

Happy Birthday Dad!

 Today is my dad's birthday! We've always struggled to know what to buy for Dad (and Mom for that matter) for his birthday or Christmas because if there's something he wants, he'll just go buy it! This year was no exception, so today I'm just going to throw up some random pics of the old man and say Happy birthday!

Dad has changed a lot as we've all gotten older, married and had kids. I think the grandkids have made him soft. :-) He's a favorite with most of the grandkids, three little boys in particular, and usually has one of them hanging around. With the younger grandkids, it's all cuddles and adoration. With the older kids, it's usually bunny ears in a photo. :-) But then, he usually gives as good as he gets!

Happy birthday, Dad! I love you, and I'm proud to call myself your daughter!