Trick or Reading

 The fourth graders at Emily's school hold an annual trick or reading event around Halloween.  This year it was the day after Halloween and the kids had to dress up again.  This time as the main character of a book they had read.  There were no requirements as to length or level so Emily chose a book that would be easy to dress as and make a pumpkin.

 She painted this Arthur pumpkin all by herself.  I was pretty impressed.  I did help with the ears, but that was it.

 Emily at her desk ready to tell the rest of the school about her book.  She also makes a pretty cute Arthur.  A fun way to get kids excited about reading and books.

Braces Again!

 Tyler had a huge palate expander and jaw springs inserted in August, but no one could see them.  He finally got his top braces on this week. He has done really well with the brackets.  I think his mouth is used to about anything at this point.  He should be done with the orthodontist just before he drives.

Happy Halloween!

 What better way to start the day than a Halloween party with Emily's class.  They had a parade and then stayed in their costumes all day.  I love the fourth grade.  All of them were so excited to play the games and still had fun.  I brought Pictionary with Halloween words and the kids did amazingly well.

 When school was out our ward held a trunk or treat.  This picture is of a family in our ward who go all out for Halloween every year.  The mom of this family actually made these minion costumes with no pattern.  They were even more amazing in real life.

 Emily went as Thing 1 with Sarah who was thankfully happy to go as Thing 2.  Tyler and Megan didn't even dress up.  They were more interested in getting home and watching our scary movie and having dinner.

 For dinner we had to have our traditional caramel apple teeth and dinner in a pumpkin.  After dinner, Emily and Wendell went out to hit the streets for candy.  The rest of us stayed to watch "The Ring."  A really stupid movie--or maybe we are just too stupid to understand it.  Because of all the trunk or treats around, we didn't have very many ring our doorbell.  Those who did come got lots of candy from us.

Our pumpkins lit up welcoming the trick or treaters.  Tyler just showed me how to turn the pictures so hopefully our next post will be better.

Carving Pumpkins

 The Monday before Halloween is always reserved for our annual carving of pumpkins with our good friends.  I think we have done this since we moved into our house and the kids are finally big enough to carve for themselves.

 Luckily the weather was pretty nice and we could keep the mess in the garage.

 The girls wanted their own picture this year to show off their masterpieces.  Megan's is a shark in case you couldn't tell.

 All of the finished products.  Not too bad for a bunch of kids.  I think we are finally ready for Halloween.

Mammy's Murder Party

 One of the highlights of October is Mammy's annual murder party.  This year the theme was Twisted at the Transylvania.  Our costumes were a little of everything.

 Emily was more than happy to dress as the rich socialite.

 Wendell the bumbling mummy.

 Megan was a vampire.  Her teeth hurt her gums so she didn't wear them very often.  Her friend, Bridger, was Frankenstein and by chance ended up being the murderer.  It really wasn't a set up.

 I was a safari guide.

And Tyler had the best costume of all, the Wolfman.  He was the DJ for the evening.  Mammy was the inspector and fed us until we felt like we would explode.  Fun night.

Almost an Eagle

 On Saturday, Tyler completed his Eagle project.  The weather was perfect and had to be considering he painted fire hydrants.

Thanks to all the boys and leaders who showed up to help.

I think Tyler had fun and if clothes are any indication he had a great time.  Red oil-based paint does not come out of clothes.

 The finished products.  It had been over 10 years since they had been painted in our neighborhood.

 A couple of more merit badges and Tyler is officially done.  Great job!

Our First Concert

 At the beginning of June, we heard that Imagine Dragons was coming to Weber State.  The kids love their songs and the tickets were pretty cheap.  We bought the tickets and they sat on our bulletin board for almost 5 months.  This past Friday, the day finally came.  Wendell made us stop and get ear plugs on the way up to the Dee Events Center.  I actually used them. I must be old.

 We made sure we were there in plenty of time.  The first band was not that great, but Imagine Dragons was definitely worth the price of the ticket.

 They did an amazing job.  Our pictures aren't very good, but it was a packed house.  All tickets were sold out.  A great concert that was actually family appropriate--a hard thing to find in today's world.

 Emily spent the night dancing and singing her heart out.  She got into even more than Tyler and Megan.  I think we all agreed we would go again if they ever come close by.