I am SO Thankful

Our Thanksgiving break was packed with lots of fun and cousins. I took the littles to The Leonardo downtown. Watson had a great time exploring each area but his very favorite was the art room. One very nice lady there gave him "real" clay and talked with him about everything in life as he created his own masterpiece. She really was exceptionally kind and genuine. Watson loved that part of the day. Daisy had fun standing on tables and any other uneven surface she could find. She also loved this little crazy stair exhibit, climbing up and down repeatedly. Right now she is getting six or eight or ten teeth, so she has her Binky nonstop. I will do whatever she needs to help her be comfortable.

There was a cool light box/stage area. Watson had to bust a move and it was pretty awesome.

This was a tree of wishes. It was sweet to read what so many others long for. I should have added my own to put good thoughts into the universe. To be honest, I was just trying to keep up with Daisy. Man, that girl is busy!

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving family time together thoroughly at Grandma Nettie's house. The weather was pleasant enough for a little family pic. Too bad my eyes were closed. But, I needed to document how happy I really was to have my whole little family together for a few days. Sometimes it's hard to get our busy teen home and rested. We sure love having Chandler around as much as possible.

Of course the food was delicious! My mom always makes the best turkey dinner. There was one little glitch, though, with the turkey roaster... Now it's just a joke but I think my mom may be getting some new turkey cooking tools for her birthday.
I made the cake and Challey made two of the pies, Channa's sister in law Kellie made three more pies. If you left hungry it was totally your own fault.

One more little glitch to our Thanksgiving tradition was the missing Bingo game. We bring little wrapped prizes for the winners and the kids love to trade things around. Who knew the biggest hit would be cement surprise forms. The three oldest boys did everything they could to win those prizes. It was pretty funny to watch them uncover their "treasures."
My heart is so completely full for all that I've been given. My God is so generous and loving, nothing I have has been earned but comes completely from His grace. I really am SO thankful to Him.

Baby and Biking

Daisy is definitely becoming more fun as she gets older. She loves to snuggle and wrestle and roll around on the floor while Watson is being crazy. She loves being with her family and I think she is amazing. She is finally getting more teeth...four or eight, maybe? This is making her a bit more clingy but it won't last so I need to cherish it. Right? She is really moving into toddlerhood quickly.

Watson continues to amaze me as he explores new interests and develops his talents. He loves, loves, loves riding his bike, especially with his dad. Scott and Watson had some fun at the bike park in Park City. These two have also picked BMX racing back up for the winter. The track has moved to the equestrian center close by. They are loving all of it.

Halloween ALL Month Long

How how we love you, Halloween. October is always so fun. Watson definitely makes it much more fun and Daisy wants to keep up so badly. We got to visit Gardner Village for the Witch Scavenger Hunt. Watson was brave enough to touch the witches this year and loved the cookie reward at the end. Daisy loved it all and gave one little witch a little love pat.

I found the cutest bee costume for Daisy. It was completely fitting as she doesn't sit still for longer than 2 seconds. Unless you are reading her a book or offering her something good to eat. She was so good about leaving on the antenna and even picked out her own shoes.

Dad took the kids to Cornbelly's while I was away for one weekend. Watson had a blast exploring with his buddy, Cache, and Daisy was in heaven wandering wide open spaces. I took the kids to Hee Haw Farms for a little fun together. Both of them loved the corn pit and the animal train ride. We visited the pumpkin patch and found a couple to bring home with us. Both of the kids braved the extra tall slide and went down again and again.

Watson loves to dress up. He put together this little outfit from several past costumes. He picked this year's, Kylo Ren, from quite the Target selection. 

We carved a couple of our pumpkins at Chad and Amy's again this year. Watson was beyond excited to use the knife by himself this year. He did a pretty good job!

Tradition continued with a little visit from the Halloween witches. We love them so much, and the donuts are pretty good too.

I braved a bit of a crowd and took the kids to a Halloween party in Provo. Daisy absolutely loved the kids everywhere and danced, a lot. Watson got to play lots of fun games and ate plenty of treats. We won a few prizes, including a new outfit for Daisy. It was definitely a good time.

We did a little trick or treating at Bluffdale City's Trunk or Treat and spook alley. It was chilly and a little wet but Watson had a good time.

Of course I dressed as a beekeeper. I mean, who else manages the hive around here? I love my little busy bees.

The cousins are always fun to be with. Even Chad and Amy got in on the fun and dressed up too. Everyone is getting so big!

Our Cute New 7 Year Old

How can it be? My sweet baby boy is growing up faster and faster than I can handle. We celebrated Wonderful Watson for a week. He got a special breakfast with whipped cream and a little bit of waffle on his birthday and had a fun celebration at Grandma Nettie's with family that night. We gave him his own BMX race bike and a new helmet. He enjoyed a maple bar as his guests ate the rest of the donuts. We also had our annual Hoopes Labor Day campout. Watson literally partied all night long on his birthday. 

Saturday we hosted a dozen boys for a game of baseball and a party of water games and hot dogs. I loved to see Watson be so excited to be with his group of friends. We invited a couple of boys from his old elementary school, one from his new school, and a few from our neighborhood. They got along great and other than one threatening to drench me with water balloons, it was a fun time for all. Wow. 7 year old boys can be stinkers. 

Lovely Lake Mary

Labor Day was the perfect day for a family hike. We made our way up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird. Daisy and Watson were troopers during the whole hike. Of course Watson wanted to throw rocks in the water for hours on end and Daisy wanted to sit down and play. The water was pretty cold so we just dipped in Daisy's toes. The lake was beautiful and we watched little polliwogs swim around.