Isn't Halloween over?

Our week was entirely consumed by all things spooky. From the pumpkin walk at school, all the Halloween/fall parties, carving pumpkins, and eating our weight in candy, we are glad to finally put the Halloween box away!

Neeley was constantly asking to make pumpkin seeds so I deemed it her job to gather them up, put them in a bowl and clean them off. Here is cleaning:

And cleaning some more...

aaaannnndddd cleaning some more...

Like I said before, she is a little OCD about cleaning. I think she secretly just loved to feel the slimy pumpkin seeds and wasn't interested in cleaning out the pumpkin. Meanwhile, Ryan was doing all the dirty work.

I think we have hit a milestone in our lives. The girls didn't want anything to do with dressing up as princesses! WOOOHOO!! On the other hand, Hattie was excited about this new darker attitude and, with dad's help, carved herself a skull. And dressed as a devil. And thoroughly LOVED every spooky house we visited.

One of our favorite halloween traditions? Getting together with cousins Sophie and Ellie and trick or treating to our favorite neighborhood.

Even though Hattie was completely enthralled in the "dark side," Neeley didn't venture too far out of her princess comfort zone and opted to be an angel.

Westy was Hattie's little minion but couldn't keep the horns on long enough for a picture.

Hattie embracing her dark side. Can you believe she just walked up to this stranger and wanted her picture taken? What is going on here? I never thought I would see the day!

Neeley doing what she does best: Eating candy!

Yeah, I think he pretty much hung the moon....

About face

It should come as a no surprise to say that we are having a major love affair with our little Westy. I'm not sure any little boy has been more doted on. I was going through some images from our recent trip and noticed a common element-Westy's face. He's making the SAME face in almost every picture. Is he happy? Sad? Bugged? Someone should tell him his face may freeze that way.

I wonder where he gets his goofy faces...

A spoonful of sugar...

I have to post this one. I was in the office doing something important, I'm sure, when I heard this going on in the kitchen.

Catching up

Okay, so we missed the last two Amazing Race episodes but DVR-ed them so we could watch them at a later time. (How on earth did we ever survive without DVR?) Ryan and I put kids to bed the other night and turned on one of the episodes we missed. We were heartbroken that Zev and Justin came in first only to find they had to be eliminated because they lost their passport!!! It made us so sad!
But, we did get a good laugh on the preview for this upcoming race. Did anyone see when Canaan almost threw Mikah down the HUGE slide? I CAN'T WAIT to see this one. They are recenty dating...hmm, can't imagine how this relationship will turn out. Oh, we are such Amazing Race junkies.

Fall Colors

After an absolutely exhausting run of "Savior of the World" we took off the next day to see family in Utah and soak in all the beautiful fall colors. My kids were shocked to see that trees actually DO change colors and fall off the trees! Poor Arizona kids...

Hattie was completely set on making a pile of leaves and jumping into them. Unfortunately for her, we didn't have a rake. That didn't deter her from her goal.
Grandpa Tom was happy to take it upon himself to throw leaves at her.

Even Westy got in on the action.
There is nothing in the world like Provo Canyon in the fall. The smell is intoxicating. Love it.

Bridal Veil falls.

Savior of the World

For the past year, our family has been totally immersed in the musical production "Savior of the World." Ryan was asked to direct it and assemble a production staff and debut it for the community and church here. What an undertaking! "Savior of the World" was originally produced for the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002. The purpose was to show the world that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in Christ and that He is our Savior. The LDS church has since made all of the music, scripts, and material available to congregations everywhere.

So, after so much time, sweat, tears, and inspiration, Ryan, the production team, and cast put on 3 wonderful performances! Hattie was a townsperson in charge of skipping across the stage and an angel and Ryan, in addition to directing, played Thomas the Apostle.

Long before we were married Ryan was very involved in musical theater and even went to college on a musical theater scholarship. After his Freshman year in college however, he took his last bow and never had anything to do with theater from that point forward. That was 16 years ago. This production was a fun way for Ryan to renew and rediscover a past love and talent in his life.





Hattie took her part very seriously. She even wore a microphone and had a line!








This has been a completely overwhelming, yet transforming undertaking. Our testimonies in the Savior have been strengthened and we have had a special spirit in our home while Ryan has spent so much time and energy on the production. It has been a wonderful experience and a great memory.