Halloween

 Happy Halloween! We had lots of fun. Ali volunteered at Jake's school's fun fair:

We of course decorated and craved pumpkins.

We had our traditional Halloween party for friends, but I didn't get great pictures. We did it a little different this year and had Jake's friends over separately (last year I noticed some of Jake's friends shrinking away from the grown-up sized kids that were there). Then we did the older kids' party later in the evening, with Eli's friends leaving a little earlier than Ali and Logan's friends. It may sound complicated to do it in shifts like that, but it went well and every one had fun. 

We had a headless horseman, a dark angel, Frankenstein, and a bank robber this year.

My friend Liz and I matched at the ward party:)

I actually bought Max this costume after Halloween (because, sales) and put him in it one evening when everyone else was gone. Then Max and I got to enjoy everyone's surprise and joy at seeing this cute hot dog when they came home.

Ali and Max

Max was especially excited to see Ali this day after school, so she let him love on her for awhile-even though that meant she had to use the lint roller after his snuggles!

Shedd

The Shedd Aquarium offered a free day on Eli's birthday, a day that Ali and Logan had a remote day because of testing and Grandma was in town, so we had to go! We hadn't been in a few years, so it was good to be back.

I think I could stay at this huge tank all day.

We got to feed the stingrays this time, something we've never done here before.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

My parents came for a visit on a fantastically busy week. Eli had a choir concert and a band concert, Logan had a football game, and Jake had the primary program. They were also here for Eli's birthday.

Happy Birthday Eli!

Happy birthday to our awesome Eli! We had fun celebrating this kind, energetic, brave, happy boy with a crazy party with a bunch of friends. 

Rainy Fun Run

I went to watch Jake's grade do their Fun Run Fundraiser, and was a bit annoyed that they were still having them do it outside even though it was raining. I saw Jake's class come out, and watched for the reaction I knew would come from my boy who doesn't like getting rained on one bit. When I saw him getting upset, I caught his eye and motioned for him to come to me. I decided there are a lot of things a kid has to do at school that they don't necessarily want to do, but getting wet in a 45 minute outdoor event (and therefore staying wet for half of the school day) when one's mom is nearby with an umbrella shouldn't be one of them.

Jake had fun dancing to the music, nice and dry, until the rain stopped and then he joined in on the run. I'm still learning how to advocate for my kids, and I'm pleased when I get it right.

PJ Twins

These two got ready for bed and I realized they were twinning, so I had to snap a picture.

Teens

One of my teens' favorite places to be in the evenings before they go to bed is in MY room on MY bed!

End of an Era

Ali and Eli have been taking piano lessons remotely from my friend Josette since she moved away last summer. The two of them, along with Logan, also took lessons from her for about a year and a half before that. Josette had too many draws on her time, and decided piano lessons was the thing that had to go. Ali was almost done with all the beginner level books, and Josette doesn't teach intermediate level anyway so it made sense to be done once she finished those books. This was the end of the last lesson, sigh. Josette was a great teacher, and for now Ali has decided to just play on her own, and because she had a great teacher she is able to do just that. (Can you see Josette on the tiny phone screen?)

St George

Jason spent a week in October in St George with his mom. I'm so glad he got to go and spend some time with her.

Halloween Excitement

For some reason, Eli was extra excited to decorate for Halloween this year, even to the point that he was considering using his own money to buy some more decorations for the house. I decided I could maybe buy one or two new things, and we have been loving our Halloween House this October.