Halloween!!

I need to add some updates, but for now here is the family collage...

Carving Pumpkins

Tonight the kids carved pumpkins! Jase and his girlfriend, Ellen, and Ellen's younger sister and brothers joined in the fun too! (Ellen's family was here visiting from South Jordan over their Fall Break). Also, Janika and Brandon dressed up for the Jensen Halloween scary dinner party in Ogden. Brandon is lightning and Janika is struck by lightning!

 Jenna carved Mary Poppins in her pumpkin!! 

 Jaiden's pumpkin! 

Janika and Brandon

Ward Halloween Party

Tonight was the Ward Halloween party, which included a chili cook off, pumpkin decorating, costume contest, children's train, dunking tank, and fish pond. We were all a bit stressed because we had spent most of the day painting the basement and were rushing to finish in order to get dressed up and go! Rick finished up the painting just as we were getting ready to go and said he would go change and get ready. He was covered in paint! We said that he might as well just go as he was and say that his costume was that of a painter! So that is what he did! I should have gotten a picture! Janelle had to work and so she isn't pictured. Josh choose to C-pass on the 05 soccer team for their game that night and so he isn't pictured either. So it was me and Rick and Jenna and Jaiden! Jenna went as a creepy doll and Jaiden went as a princess.

Color Fun Run

Janelle participated in the SCHS Cross Country Fundraiser Color Run this morning along with her friends. She and Ellie roller-bladed the course. She said it was fun! Our family spent the rest of the day with color too -- painting the basement -- only that was NOT fun!!

Janelle's 17th Birthday!!

Janelle is 17 today!! Thus the sign drawn by her sister with a reference from Mamma Mia: "You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen..."  We asked Janelle what she wanted for dinner and she wanted Costco lasagna! So that is what we had. Janelle didn't know what she wanted for her birthday and so I just gave the birthday money to her and told her she could go shopping. But she is so busy that she didn't have time to go shopping and so she didn't have anything to open! Her friends decorated her car for her birthday!

Jenna's Birthday Party!

Tonight was Jenna's Birthday party!! Jenna wanted to decorate monster cupcakes for her party, so that it was we did! We didn't have enough piping bags/tips for everyone to decorate at the same time and so Jenna decided to divide the party up into stations. One was cupcake decorating, one was painting nails, and one was coloring Halloween pictures with gel pens and/or making bead bracelets. The girls really seemed to enjoy all of the activities. But who knew that eleven 10/11 year girls could be so loud and hyper! There were points in the party where they were running around and acting crazy.

Jenna didn't want any of her siblings "helping" with the party like in past years and Rick was in Vegas interpreting and so I was on my own and I would have liked someone there to help out. There were a couple of "incidents" that might have been avoided if I had had someone else to help supervise. One girl accidentally knocked over the kitchen bench and hurt herself in the process and two girls painted their nails and then started painting their skin with nail polish. Ugh!

Other than that everything went pretty well. Jenna opened her presents and was THRILLED to get a PIG onesie from Helena! She also got a giant unicorn Squishamal from Alli, which Jenna says is actually a "Uni-Pig" since it looks like it has a big nose (and she is right, it definitely looks like a pig nose)! She also got a cute backpack with treats from Clarissa and Audrey, and a little piggy squishy and candy from Anna. Other gifts included a sketch pad and colored pencils and more treats -- including gluten free treats. She was really excited about all of the neat gifts.

The party went from 7:00 to 9:00 and the girls finished all of their activities by 8:30 so they ran outside to play "No Bears Are Out Tonight." It was dark outside and so I worried about girls tripping or getting hurt, but luckily they were okay and some thought that the night games were the funnest part of the party. I spent much of the day preparing for the party, then hosting the party, then cleaning up the party -- it was exhausting!! I am not sure I am up for another party next year!!