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Halloween Night 2019

11.01.2019

"It's Halloween night. A night to beware. A night to scare." -- Olivier Dunrea I couldn't help myself. I've been reading Ollie's Halloween to Conrad on repeat; the words are just stuck in my head. Even Conrad quotes it! Haha.

One of my favorite holidays of the year came around again: HALLOWEEN! After summer is over and school begins, I live for all things Fall. (Except for pumpkin spice. You crazy folks can keep that nasty flavor.) There's something about the crispness in the air, the colorful leaves spread all over the ground, and the anticipation of all things spooky and fun that just gets me excited.

This year, Jed had his heart set on becoming a creepy vampire for a night. (Don't you love his makeup?? I'm pleasantly surprised with myself.) Levi found his kick butt ninja costume for $2 at Once Upon a Child. And Conrad, well, he wouldn't let me sway his decision to be a pumpkin on Halloween night one bit. His mind was set in stone. It was so funny and cute! Ever since we carved Jack-o-lanterns last season, Conrad's intrigue in pumpkins has only heightened.

We've been living in our neighborhood eight years now and we've developed a tradition with our neighbors on Halloween night that I think we've all come to love. It's super simple really. First, everyone gathers in our front yard for pictures. (Yup, you guessed it, I'm the official photographer.) And then we all head out together as one giant group of friends to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood. Some years the turnout is bigger than others, but the invite is always there and my boys love, love, love the tradition of going door to door with their friends. This year, we did just that again. Such sweet childhood memories! Halloween night would not be the same without our awesome neighbors.

7.31.2019

This cool kid turns 7 years old in a few days! I cannot believe it. He is getting so big and grown-up. Like, how are his hands 3/4 as big as mine already?! We celebrated his upcoming birthday with something Levi has been talking about doing for a long time with his friends: a Nerf Gun War + Night Games!

You guys, this was hands-down the easiest, most fun, and thrifty party I've ever hosted. Forget Pinterest. Simplicity is where it's at.

Levi said he wanted a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. I came through with a Funfetti box cake poured into a 9x13 pan. Then I spread some green (Levi's favorite color) homemade frosting and sprinkles on top of it a couple of hours later. Voila. No stress and little mess!

As for décor, well, I lost my birthday box full of balloons and streamers and more! I asked Bron to pick up some balloons; he accidentally bought a bag of pink and purple ones thinking they were multi-colored. Bahaha. So no decorations for Levi. Honestly, he didn't even notice.

I did order a bag of glow sticks from Amazon and my friend Janie generously donated this box of 500 bullets. Genius. It was honestly all we needed for a good time. That, and ten of Levi's best friends, of course. Friends always make the party.

So after some cake, ice cream, and presents, the boys loaded up their Nerf guns and went to war!

They played a version of tag with two teams. Each team had a secret medic. When a guy got shot, the medic could rush to his aid and revive him.

Then as it got dark, I busted out the glow sticks and Bron taught the kids how to play Steal the Flag. I think it was every boy's first time playing the game. I am so proud we were the ones to introduce it to them; it really is the best summer time game. They played five rounds before someone squirted himself in the eye with glow stick juice. Ouch! It was about time to call it a night anyway.

The kids had a blast! They were all high on life and adrenaline as I dropped them off at their homes. We are totally going to have to do this again.

A big thanks to all the neighborhood boys and their moms for making this dream of Levi's a reality.

Happy Birthday, Bud! I love you so much. Levi, you make me so proud in so many ways. I can't wait to see what you do this year and for many years to come.

4.30.2019

We heard that Honolua Bay was one of the best places in Maui to snorkel, so on our third morning we went to check it out! It didn't disappoint. Just the walk from the road to the rocky shore was incredible; it was a jungle in paradise. The water was warm and relatively clear. And the coral reef held a wide variety of sea life. We saw red sea anemones, a parrot fish munching on coral, eels, and a plethora of the iconic Hawaiian state trigger fish: the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. My favorite. It was so cool!

2.11.2019

There was so much snow on Sunday that church was canceled. So we played in it... Idaho style! We really do have the best neighbors and neighborhood. A big thank you to Ty for entertaining the kids all afternoon! The boys had a blast.

No further explanations needed. The pictures tell the story...

1.29.2019

^^Puppy kisses!^^

1. Conrad started potty training! He's doing so well. No kidding. I tried it a few months ago and my efforts failed miserably; he just wasn't ready. But over the last couple of weeks, Conrad has intermittently ripped off his diaper and peed in the toilet all by himself! What?! I took that as a sign that I should probably try again. On day one he had accidents all morning, but by evening had some successes. Woohoo! On the morning of day two (today), he pooped in the toilet. And as any parent knows, that's a big win. I think Conrad might be just as excited and impressed as we are! He's smiling from ear to ear and telling me all about it -- even though I was there. Hehe. We've been loading on the praise and the treats. I am so proud of him. However, potty training has made Conrad a lot more clingy and emotional. I can only imagine. What a huge feat to suddenly learn to control your body like that! So Conrad has been getting lots of extra cuddles today.

11.01.2018

Halloween 2018 will probably go down as the year of independence and utter chaos, but it will also be the year I have never felt more grateful to live here in this beautiful neighborhood among so many amazing friends. I think I say that every year though. Halloween just brings out the good in the community and I love every minute of it.

There was no family costume theme this year. I knew it would happen one day. Jed is eight and when he saw the creepy grim reaper costume, he just had to have it. A similar thing happened with Levi. He had enthusiastic plans to be Viking alongside his little red dragon, but when his eye caught hold of the Halo costume, he begged me to let him change his mind.

"But you've never even played Halo," I argued.

"Yes, I have! All the time. Outside with my friends!"

Hahaha. Definitely the better version to be playing when you're six. I relented. Levi has an obsession with all things army and guns at the moment. I would not be the least surprised if he grew up and joined the military one day. In fact, it would make me a proud mama, but that's off topic.

I made this costume for Jed (Oh, the time I used to have with only one child!) and it was so painstakingly difficult to sew, that I have made sure it was worth the effort by having each child wear it on Halloween one year. It brought back so many sweet memories this year seeing Conrad wear it yesterday. We closed on our home a few days before Halloween in 2011 when Jed was just 18 months old. He wore the costume to the trunk or treat at Kimberly Park and then I remember spending the rest of the evening painting trim while he slept in a pack 'n play. It's so fun to look around now and see how much has changed - in our lives and around our home - including two additional boys!

Anyway, I turned on Hocus Pocus after school for the boys and made an easy dinner, but the evening still turned out stressful trying to wrangle three wild boys into their costumes. Conrad knew something exciting was happening and would not quit screaming! Jed was so wound up that he refused to take the trash in from the curb for me and beat up my wreath with his sickle instead; it nearly lost him his opportunity to trick-or-treat. We settled on no t.v. privileges for the rest of the week.

But all is well that ends well, right? They made it outside into the front yard for some pictures and gleefully waited for their friends to arrive so they could start trick-or-treating. The evening was dark, cold, and cloud covered. A very appropriately eery Halloween setting.

7.06.2018

We enjoyed yet another fantastic Independence Day, full of friends, food, and fireworks. It doesn't get any better than that! The 4th of July is hands-down one of my top three favorite holidays each year.

We began our day by loading up the truck and heading into the South Hills with the Horsleys and two sets of Stangers. We drove all the way up and over to Bostetter to beat the heat and the crowds. Then Bron turned into a master chef and made dutch oven fried chicken. Delicious! The kids did a craft and we all tried shooting some bows and arrows. It was a simple afternoon full of eating and chatting. Sweet memories already.

6.24.2018

I am determined to make mountain bikers out of all my friends. And when there are fields yellow sunflowers like this, it makes me pretty confident that I'm gonna conquer that goal. We had a blast riding bikes around Eagle Trail with Don and Angie one evening. They brought along an e-bike. That thing makes a rider feel invincible!

11.02.2017

Another exciting and candy-filled Halloween is over and down in the books. The boys had so much fun this year. I love that Jed and Levi can pick a costume theme, actually agree on it, get super excited, and stick to it!

This season, Jed and Levi wanted to be characters from Guardians of the Galaxy. They happened to choose their theme just as the second movie made it to Red Box. Naturally, we had a movie night with popcorn to watch it--crude jokes and all. Ooops. Mom fail; I should have previewed it. Fortunately, most of those crude references seemed to whisk right over their innocent little heads. Haha. Whew!

It was Conrad's very first Halloween! He just began walking this month. I actually thought he'd make a better Frankenstein with that funny little hands-in-the-air toddle than anything else, but he didn't have a choice. Conrad is a member of the Nelson trio and therefore a part of their shenanigans. It's so strange to think I was hugely pregnant just last year. And now my baby is walking! After handing Conrad a lollipop, he surprisingly caught on to the festivities as well. Conrad insisted on a combination of walking and crawling up to the front door for candy with everyone else! Smart kid.

7.07.2017

^^What camp looked like the second evening.^^

^^I'm so lucky Conrad isn't crawling just yet. He was happy just to stay put and play in the weeds and grass our first night!^^

Since we enjoyed our day rock climbing on the Fourth of July last year so much, we've been planning on doing it again--but better. A few weeks ago, we booked a couple of campsites nestled in the trees among the giant granite majesties of the desert and loaded the truck with practically everything but the kitchen sink. Between three families, I think we had enough food (but not enough ice) to last a week! Our Independence Day camping trip may not have gone completely perfectly, but it will no doubt forever live in my boys' minds as one of their favorite childhood memories.

6.14.2017

Dani and I are the same age and moved into our neighborhood the same year. We met on a walk when Levi was just nine days old and her son Rhett was just four months old. Our friendship was natural and just meant to be! We've been taking the kids on outdoor adventures in the summer every week for years now. We began this summer's weekly adventure with a short hike to Ross Falls to eat lunch and play in the water.

I'll let the pictures tell the story. Wow, I take too many pictures. Did I really just say that? Can that really be a thing? Probably. But here they are anyway, for memory's sake.

^^Dani + 3 year old Paisley^^

^^There is so much water EVERYWHERE this year. It's incredible.^^

5.03.2017

The idea started as a conversation among friends at church but snowballed into an actual Spring break adventure getaway! The last weekend in April, Bron, Conrad, and I along with five other couples (and two more babies) drove down to St. George, Utah to enjoy the sunshine, climbing, biking, hiking, and shopping. I still feel so lucky we got to do this! It snowed on I-15 as we made our way down, but as I stepped out of the car on Thursday evening underneath a palm tree, it was a balmy 70 degrees. It strangely felt like home. Bron immediately turned to me and asked, "Wanna buy a condo here?" My reaction was immediate, "Yes!" Well, that condo it still to be determined, but we didn't miss a beat jumping into some fun. With the last of the daylight, we all did a little climbing on the red rock.

4.26.2017

A birthday party for my 7 year old!!! Jed was soooo excited! He invited ALL of our family friends to celebrate his special day with him. And of course, true to form, it rained. Jed wanted a Ninja party, but I've decided that Pinterest has officially ruined the birthday party. Whatever happened to good old fashioned cake and ice cream, presents, and games? So that's pretty much what we did, with the addition of a "ninja obstacle course" in the backyard because it's important to compromise. But I think Jed won out in the cake department. I could have eaten half of that Reese's Peanut Butter Poke Cake by myself! I'm smacking my lips just thinking about it. Yum!

When Jed opened presents, he was surprised to actually find a rock inside of a box! Boy should know better by now; his dad loves to tease him. Underneath the rock was a note that led him to a stick located in the back of the pickup truck with another note that told him to check our master bedroom. There, Jed found his big present from us: a barrel of Lincoln Logs! It was a fun little scavenger hunt to play with our new reader and a successful birthday party. Someone was always available to entertain Conrad and I think I'm finally adjusting to the chaos of having a million children around for a few hours.

I love you, Jed! I hope you had a great birthday and look forward to an even better year of fun and growth ahead.

3.14.2017

Goodbye Winter! Hello Spring!!! The snow has finally melted and it's suddenly warm enough to venture outside wearing just a sweater. We've been enjoying every sunny minute.

The warmer weather means that all the snow from our very long winter is finally melting. We had this grand idea to see how Shoshone Falls was looking last Saturday afternoon. Apparently, so did all of Idaho and their dog. Literally. Haha. I've never seen the park so busy. But everyone was kind and patient as we all ooohed and aaaahed over the powerful spectacle. Shoshone Falls usually runs at about 3,000 cubic feet of water per second. On Saturday, it was running around 16,000 cubic feet of water per second and is expected to run over 20,000 cfs in the near future. Wow. Just wow. It was incredible. And as an added bonus we got to see some pretty rainbows rising from the mist! How lucky are we to live so close to some nature's most extraordinary attractions?!

11.02.2016

The Holiday Season is officially upon us. And I am feeling the buzz! Lucky for us, the Holidays are made 100 times better with little kids around. Their enthusiasm and excitement just seems to rub off on me. Plus, we'll be adding another little jumping bean here in just ten days or so. TEN DAYS! It's going to be a crazy but special year. I can just feel it.

This Halloween, we found our costumes more than a month ago at Costco one day. I wasn't too concerned about Levi changing his mind because the kid is dead set on becoming a storm trooper when he grows up. He talks about it all the time. I did convince him that he needs to finish high school first though before he flies a tie fighter... which perhaps the military will develop in a few years. So maybe that dream isn't too far fetched.

I'm not sure what the boys' fixation is with the dark side of the force, but since Jed chose to be Kylo Ren, we just ran with it. Bron became Darth Vader and I became the Death Star on account of my huge pregnant belly. It was super simple and fun!

However, I admit, those pictures up top were anything from simple. Ha! I spent a solid hour or more in Photoshop editing each of those individually. But I am silly proud of how they turned out. And the boys are "over-the-moon" stoked about how cool they themselves look in them! Definitely a fun experiment and worth every minute.

Now pictures from Halloween Night!

10.30.2016

This Fall has been a little different for me. I just haven't seemed to have the energy to get out and go and do {and photograph!} all of the fun seasonal stuff that I love. But that's understandable. I'm very pregnant for the third time. So I'm cutting myself some slack. But we have managed to squeeze in some fun and beautiful colors. And I don't want to forget it.

On Saturday October 22nd, we joined our friends at the City of Rocks. We meant to help the kids do a little rock climbing but the place was crawling with people. Imagine that. A super nice day in October brings people out. :) So we wound up hiking and exploring. It might have been even more fun! (Side Note: Let me just insert here that hiking up and down rocks at 36 weeks pregnant is no easy task because I can't raise my legs more than 90 degrees; there's a baby in the way!) The views from within "the city" are just incredible. Such a unique place out in the desert. I feel lucky we get to visit so often.

10.24.2016

My sweet friends threw me a baby shower Friday night and words cannot express how lucky I feel to have their caring presence in my life! We began by stuffing our bellies full of some AMAZING homemade soups for dinner followed by opening presents. Amy knew I had my eye on a Rock 'n Play Sleeper so the girls all pitched in and bought me one! I'm seriously over-the-moon excited about it. It looks so comfy. I kind of want a grown-up version! Then we all went to the mall for manicures and pedicures. Ahhh, those massage chairs are where it's at. I could have stayed all night feeling those rollers knead my back into smithereens. And of course, a true girls' night isn't complete without a trip into Ulta where Shelly helped Dani and me find just the right eyebrow fillers, a new-to-me add on to my makeup routine! Then we headed back to my house to finish it all off with chocolate cake and a late night chat. It really doesn't get any better than that.

Thank you!!!

8.05.2016

^^My favorite 4 year old!^^

Summer has got to be the best time of year to celebrate a birthday! There are just so many fun things to do and the party doesn't end until the sun goes down--well after 9:00PM. It's like a dream! I know I spoil my kids from time to time, but I just can't help it; they are my whole world. And so a party at Bass Lake to celebrate Levi's 4th birthday was planned! Levi picked three of his little friends and we invited them and their families down to our favorite summer paradise for pizza, swimming, paddle boarding, fishing, cake, and a pinata stuffed full of candy. The weather was warm, the sun was shining, and I'm pretty sure it was a party riot success for everyone!

Here are a couple dozen colorful pictures to prove it.

7.09.2016

I think we convinced our boys that Independence Day is indeed one of the best holidays of the year. There's something about seeing flags everywhere that makes one feel patriotic and proud.

We began our three day weekend with a barbecue and friends on Saturday night (after a full day of chores and errands, of course). By unanimous vote, the kids' favorite part of the evening was lighting the few fireworks we bought. I mistakenly bought a "pooping dog" that the kids haven't quit talking and giggling about since. Boys! Haha. There were also some screamers and battling tanks, and best of all, sparklers!

We began July 4th early Monday morning at a church breakfast and flag ceremony--where I played my violin, the kids sang, and Levi fell on his face and scraped up his nose. Poor kid. However, it just felt right to pause for a minute, to reflect and show respect for the flag: the emblem of the land and country I love.

Following breakfast, we spent the afternoon rock climbing at Castle Rocks State Park with some friends. The clouds rolled in and it wound up being a perfect afternoon. And we had the whole park to ourselves! We couldn't believe it. We all took turns climbing a 5.9- route. I'm always surprised at how easy something looks from down below, but when I actually get on the rock, it's much more difficult! But you know I live for the challenge, even 20 weeks pregnant. And apparently so does Levi! He's pretty much addicted to rock climbing. I think he climbed four times.

Then we polished the day off with pizza, glow sticks for the kids, and a fireworks show in Burley. We sat out on a golf course directly underneath the show. The fireworks were so close I could eat them! I held Levi in my lap next to Bron and Jed. We couldn't help screaming and laughing. It was exhilarating. "This is the best day ever!" Levi squealed. Yes, it's definitely one to remember.

Words don't adequately express how thankful I am for this beautiful country and the freedoms that we enjoy. I only hope I can pass some of that love and respect along to my boys.

(Scroll down for lots of pictures!)

6.06.2016

Summer has officially arrived! Finally. That last week of school (okay, maybe almost the entire month of May) was a killer. Why do schools even bother to stay in session past Memorial Day? I'm telling you, it's dumb. The routine. The homework. I was ready to throw it all out the window because the sunshine, water, fresh fruit, and popsicles were calling!

I know I wasn't the only one who felt this way because all of us neighborhood moms were on board to the idea of a summer kick-off party on Friday afternoon. Dani kindly hosted the rumpus in her backyard. Everyone wore their swimsuits and brought water guns and towels. There were even some water balloons! And of course, snacks alongside an endless supply of popsicles.

SLIDER