Thanksgiving Break

I was grateful for the week off from school.  The kids played on the court and had fun just hanging out before our trip to a beach house with extended family for Thanksgiving.  One of my favorite things is spending time with our families during the holidays.

Ryder and Jack decided to have a drink stand on a very cold day.  I am sure business would be better if I let them out of the court.

On our drive to the beach Ryder lost his 2nd tooth.  No mess, no blood.  

Joey, Ryder and Jack playing in front of the condo.  We had an amazing view of the beach and great weather for most of the trip.  Thanksgiving morning was spent watching the kids play at the beach.

Sarah and her cousins building and digging.

Just before Thanksgiving dinner.

Black Friday was super windy but I took Sarah and her cousin Lauren down to the ocean.  They made a grave for some poor lonely imagined beach pirate.

Soccer with the dads and kids.  

Joey, Jack and Ryder chasing and jumping waves. 

One of many tries at getting a decent family picture.  We are still working on it.  

The Trophy

All season Jack and Ryder have been waiting for the day they would get their trophy.  I told them they had to earn it by being good at practice and listening to their coach.  The end of the season party came and they both were very excited that they had earned their trophies.

Sarah also had her team party and then she and some teammates were asked to play in the coaches invitational.  The top players from each team were invited to play against each other.  Sarah's team was undefeated this year and she was so excited that 3 other teammates were also invited.  The girls played on a larger playing field and they played under the lights.  It was a great game!

Halloween

In preparation for Halloween and our court party we carved pumpkins and ate candy while doing it.  The kids all picked their own design and "helped" carve the pumpkins.

Ryder and Jack wanted to be everything this year for Halloween.  Each day it was something new so finally we ordered their costumes.  Ryder started laughing when he put the costume on the first time and said, "Mom, I have a raccoon bottom on my head."  The most exciting part of the costume for them was the Grizzly Rifle.  They went to bed with the gun next to them and would wake up and hold it while watching cartoons.  

Sarah and some of her friends the night of our 2nd annual court Halloween party.  Our ward does not have a trunk-or-treat so my neighbor and I put one together.  The kids have a great time together eating dinner, playing games, singing songs and trunk-or-treating.  They ended up with as much candy as they did on Halloween night.

Jack and the mummy wrap.

Halloween night we went trick or treating with cousins and had a fantastic time.

Flapper Girl Sarah

Explorer Jack

Explorer Ryder and Darth Vader Mckay

Sarah and Jenna 

Haunted Houses

Every Halloween the majority of the cousins get together to decorate Haunted houses.  We often miss out on this activity because it is done on a Monday night and its hard to make it after Ryan gets home from work.  This year some of the cousins mentioned it to Sarah and that it was going to be on a Sunday.  After much discussion (persuading by Sarah) we said we would go.  We had already spent Friday night up in Sacramento going to the pumpkin patch and drove back early Saturday to make all the soccer games.  So, after church on Sunday we hopped in the car and headed back to the Sacramento area for dinner and a Halloween family night.

One of my favorite parts of getting together so often with family is that the kids love their cousins and they are all great friends.  It is a huge blessing for them to have each other.

Everyone is ready to stick their Halloween peeps on the house or in their mouth.

Bowls of candy and chocolate frosting.  YUMMY!

The older cousins had a plan for their house and were more precise in their candy placement.

Inspecting the fine craftsmanship.  Can you find the half eaten peeps ghost?

They were starting to place candy corns on the roof to look like flames of fire.

The cousins had a gift for Ryder and Jack for their birthday.  They absolutely loved their Millenium Falcon.  Although they do lack some tact when they commented, "This one is not as cool as our Dad's.  We keep breaking his so he put it in the garage." (Ryan's parents found all of his old Star Wars toys and they are now packed in our garage.)

Silly Halloween Songs with Aunt Robyn.  She is great with teaching the kids songs.

Bishops Pumpkin Farm

Another quick trip to spend time with cousins.  After work we quickly left town and headed to Wheatland to meet the Lambourne's and the Alexander's at the pumpkin patch.  This year there were still pumpkins in the fields unlike last year.


Ryder and Jack having a little fun.

Ryder stood back while Jack fed the little goat.  In Idaho a little goat head butted his knee so he wasn't so sure about this little guy.  After seeing that these goats were a little nicer, Ryder started passing out his apple slices.

The hay trampoline and a bunch of crazy kids.

Ryder and his perfect pumpkin.

Jack found the one he wanted.

Sarah wanted to take home this one.

Sarah, Jenna, Lauren, Joey, Michael, Ryder, Abby, Jack, Matthew, and Josh

The kids always think the train ride is fun.

The hay ride is even better.  Lauren, Sarah, Jenna, and Michael.

Jack, Josh, Ryder, and Joey.

The perfect pumpkins they picked.

And on to the next activity.  We decided to stay the night at Ryan's parents and leave around 7 a.m.  to make Sarah's soccer game on Saturday.

Sarah (in the gold and pony tails) is set to score on this corner kick.

Soccer

Sarah has a great soccer team this year.  This year she is playing on an all girls team and loving it.  Last Saturday she was playing defense as the other team came toward her she ran up and kicked the ball away from her goal, over the heads of the other players and her teammates and the ball landed and rolled into the goal.  SCORE!  Her mouth dropped and all the parents cheered.  We just had to laugh at the crazy shot that crossed over half the field.

This week she started thinking about what would happen if she was goalie and kicked from her goal to the other goal... we'll see what happens.

Apple Hill

A quick trip to Apple Hill after early Saturday morning soccer games.  The boys had never been and Sarah hadn't been since she was 2.  We spent the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa Smyth and the Lambourne family.  The boys asked if there really were apples at apple hill.  There question was answered as soon as they got out of the car and walked through the apple orchard to the little fish pond.  It was a fun quick trip.  We let the kids swim and play at their cousins after our adventure and then headed home.  I love my good husband who will drive four hours roundtrip in one day so the kids can be with family.


Ryder and Jack were so excited to feed the Koi.

Sarah, Jenna and Lauren found a huge sunflower.  They kept laughing and could not believe how big it was.

The crazy, wild, and fast wagon ride.  We had been warned how fast the little wagon goes.  It is pulled by two miniature horses.  I began to worry as the wagon came down the hill and rounded a corner and I saw Jack's face.  I could just picture him being thrown out and breaking an arm.  Fortunately, Lauren put up her leg to guard him.

Sarah

Ryder

Jack

Jack was more interested in the big red tractor than going on the little hike everyone else wanted to do.

Ryder and the scarecrow.