Every year we attend the Halloween dance at the kids' school.  I'm pretty sure it's Kale's favorite activity that they put on all year.  He loves the loud music, the fog and flashing lights, being able to dance on the stage...plus, there are games and food.  What could be better?

 Jax kept that little eyepatch on for almost 2 whole hours!  I couldn't believe it.  Any of my other kids would have ripped it off after the first 5 seconds.

 Kale would occasionally stop dancing to come and eat some cotton candy.  The girls (with the exception of Rachel) could not be convinced to dance at all.  Sky wanted to, but felt too embarrassed, and that made her cry because she really wanted to be dancing!  She had kind of a rocky night.  Rachel left my side the second she saw her friends, and then we only had periodic sightings of her for the rest of the night.

 Jax was not a real fan of the festivities.  It was too dark, loud, and there were crazy costumes everywhere he looked.  As a result, I ended up holding him for most of the night.  

I felt super tired by the time we got home, but the kids were so glad we went.  Rachel has declared that it was the funnest Halloween dance we have been to so far.  Now we can start looking forward to next years party!

First Day of School

The kids were so excited for the first day of school.  They were all up by 6 and ready to go by 6:30.

 I always love the first week of school too -- the newness of it provides all the motivation the kids need to be ready on time.  As a result I don't have to nag anyone to finish getting ready before the TV goes on, I don't have to worry about anyone sleeping too late, and everyone remembers to get homework done right after school.

 It seems crazy that little Sky is starting school this year.  She is so excited, and yet so very scared.  The first day we got to go with her, but then she was on her own.  I dropped her off, and she just stood by the classroom door and cried.  I knew that staying wasn't going to help, so I just quick gave her a hug and made a hasty exit.  I felt so sad for her!  None of our other kids had any tears, so it was doubly hard.  But, her teacher, Miss Parkinson, is very sweet and I think that will help Sky adjust.  She still gets nervous to walk into class, but as long as I have her at the front of the line, Miss Parkinson holds her hand while they walk and that seems to make Sky feel more comfortable.

This year is going to be a busy one with soccer and football happening during the week (at least in the fall).  But, so far we're managing just fine and no one feels deprived of anything -- if anything they seem happier being so busy.  Looking forward to an exciting year!

Camping

The kids have been dying to go camping all summer, but with the musical and the kids soccer tournaments we couldn't find the time.  So, the weekend before school started we decided to make a quick trip down to Arches National Park for our much anticipated camping trip.

We went on lots of mini hikes (nothing over half a mile) at Arches and hung out at the visitors center.  Then it was back to the campsite for hotdogs, s'mores, and campfire songs.

 On the way back to our campsite, we stopped for icecream and shakes at Denny's.  Jax was crazy about the oreo shake.  He drank almost all of mine and Jon's.

 The kids built the fire themselves -- Jon even let Rachel light the match and start the paper on fire.  They were so delighted by their accomplishment!

 We put Jax to bed before the campfire festivities started and, miraculously, he slept through all the cooking, singing, and preparations for bed.  Hooray!

 While I cleaned up the tent, Jon took the kids exploring.  They found lots of rocks to hike around on.  They showed me how high up they went, and I was really glad to have been back at the campsite.  I'm sure I would have been too scared for them to have allowed the adventures.

 

 It was Jax's first time camping and he loved it.  Playing in the dirt, getting filthy dirty, and wandering all around the campsite.

On the way back home we stopped at a giant sand hill.  The kids loved hiking up it and jumping off the rocks; although, they all got kind of scared and more or less just stepped off the rocks instead of jumping.  But, fun was had nonetheless.

While getting ready for camping trip, I was questioning whether it would be worth it.  It was so far, there was so much to be done before we could go, etc.  But, despite the distance, it turned out to be super fun -- a lot of driving, but definitely worth it.

Sky's 5th Birthday

When asked what she wanted to do for her birthday, all Sky knew for sure was that she wanted a pinata.  Everything else was extra.  After further prodding, she decided a water balloon party with friends was in order.  She was really excited until she realized that she only had 3 friends who weren't cousins.  Luckily, some of the cousins were able to make it, so it felt like a true party.

She wanted to have crepes with her party, so it was decided to have a breakfast birthday celebration.  Hooray -- breakfast is the best!

 

 Jon (creative genius that he is) thought up a bunch of different games you could play with water balloons.  The grand finale (and the most loved) had someone running down the middle of the columns of people and everyone just threw water balloons at them.  Sound fun?  I didn't think so, but the kids loved it -- everyone had to have a turn!

 After Sky's friends went home, the cousins came and spent some time at our community pool.  The kids loved having some friends to play with in the water.

It seems crazy that little Sky is going to be starting school this year.  She is so excited!  We love her spunky personality so much.  Thanks for making our lives so fun.