Halloween Scariness...Boo!

So my cute friend Cassidy found this little set-up in front of a business office that was way fun, so we decided to take pics of our little kidlets in their costumes! I think they actually turned out a bit more comical than cute, but hey...that's what kids are for, right? :) Ashlyn couldn't keep her hands off Bridger (which is not that unusual:)


This picture I had to add just cause it's so dang cute! After the picture session with Cass and Bridger, I had an Activity Days with the gals in the ward. This little cutie belongs to Emily Caplin, her name is Madison. Ash and she had a ball with the girls.



And of course, what would Halloween be without our annual friends Halloween party??? Darin and Kali Priday hosted (thanks again Kali it was FABULOUS!!!), and Dave and Laurel Horchem and Nate and Cassidy Hansen and kids joined us for an evening of yummy food and pumpkin carving. I'm really sad I don't have a group pic (I have no idea how I didn't get one but you know how it goes:) But everyone looked great and the kids were hilarious! These shots obviously are of Ash, Ammon and I and our AWESOME pumpkins!





Of course this post wouldn't be complete without some pictures from my dad's surprise 60th birthday party!!! We decided to do a combo party for dad and Becky, since his birthday is Halloween and her's is the 1st of November. It was way fun! The first shot is dad opening his awesome new power tool. The next two are dad opening his book (I finally managed to get a shot with his face in it amidst all the kids:) And the last is Becky with the blanket I made for her new beautiful baby girl Jane.




And last but not least, all the cuties in their Halloween costumes Halloween night! Let's just say the youngest ones weren't that thrilled to be in their costumes (you can totally tell by Ashlyn and Ellie's faces haha), so we're lucky we got the pics we did! At least they weren't throwing fits or tantrums, right?!! Overall, my dad's party was a success, and Halloween was super fun. I don't think I've ever seen that many trick or treaters. We totally ran out of candy (8 bags later), vs our house last year where we had ONE trick or treater (and it was our neighbor). Craziness!!! It was a very fun (and busy) month. I'm sad it's over, but looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ashlyn has been having lots of fun this month. She found mommy's stash of winter gear and put it on (with daddy's help). She totally looks like she could go to Hogwarts, right? :) Her top two middle teeth have finally come in, so we tried to get a couple of shots of what's left of the "fangs" before they're totally gone! I already miss them...I thought they were seriously cute! Ammon and I traded babysitting with my sister-in-law (thus her two adorable kids Ellie and Benji-Maggie went with them) so we played with our neice and nephew a couple weekends ago. They were hilarious! First...they are bottom-less pits! They ate dinner right before they came, but they both had a cheese tortilla, a yogurt, craisins, marshmallows, and yogurt covered raisins. Who would have thought??? Second...they were both so cute the whole time - they kept following Ashlyn around trying to keep her happy. Third...Ellie saw me dressing Ashlyn for bed and apparently really liked the nightgown and kept saying, "If that's too big you can give it to me" and seriously she said it like 10 times! It was so cute! It was way fun to have them over and we can't wait to switch again! My sister Carrie and her little girl Ellie came to visit a couple weeks ago and Ash really loved pushing and pulling Ellie around in her baby-doll stroller. It was so funny! If I can get the video to upload, I'll post it.

September

Well, September was a very fun month! Ashlyn finally got interested in books...and now her favorite thing to do is bring books to mommy or daddy and have us read to her. Ammon is very patient and reads the same books over and over...thank goodness for daddy!

We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Carter in Salt Lake for about 10 days and we partied! (In case you're wondering, she was taking out all the corn on the cob and peaches and playing with them) It was so fun and made me wish I lived with them permanently! Grandma and Grandpa are always such gracious hosts and take such good care of us!

We also got to go see Grandma Gill every day and Ashlyn just loved to sit on her lap and eat cinnamon rolls!

And of course by the time we left Ashlyn thought she had a new permanent playmate...Mommy was so boring compared to Grandma and Grandpa!

We also went to the cabin for a weekend getaway with some friends. Of course all the kids had a blast...not to mention the adults...4-wheelers and paintballing are always fun for the boys!

Bridger and Ashlyn playing tug-a-war with the infamous beads...does it ever end?!

Ashlyn and Lincoln partying on the chair...dang those things are comfy!

Kylie and Ashlyn hangin' out on the deck.

Ashlyn and I then stayed in St. George for a week where we swam with the fam. Courtesy of my brother Grant's ingenuity, Ashlyn was soon floating in the pool all by herself with floaties! She really loved it, but was kinda scared!

We had loads of fun and can't wait to go back!

Summer Fun

Ok...so this is what we did during August...


Ashlyn had her 1st birthday and got a rocking horse!



We had fun in our kiddie pool with friends...Bridger and Kylie!



Lincoln and Ashlyn...Ashlyn kept attacking Lincoln...naughty girl!



Ashlyn continually mooching off Cassidy...thanks for sharing :)



Bridger was partying with the "waterpillar", although he did get sprayed in the face a few times...oops!



I wasn't kidding when I said Ashlyn wouldn't leave Lincoln alone!



Ashlyn also got to try her FIRST sucker, courtesy of daddy of course! She loved it!



We also had pool time with daddy...Ashlyn's favorite!



I'm tellin' ya, she just can't get enough!

Fun at the Cabin

So Ashlyn and I were able to spend a few days down at the cabin while Ben and Janae were in town. It was an absolute BLAST!!! Ashlyn partied with her cousins (Egan, Ellie and Tanner were all born the same year as Ashlyn) 24-7, and of course I partied with the fam!

Here's Ashlyn after a hearty meal...man that girl can eat!


And of course, Ashlyn and Ellie playing in the trunk.


All of us down at the campfire. Ben fixed it up real nice with the help of Carter and Matthew. Thanks boys!


Kirsten loved to carry Ashlyn all around the cabin. Isn't it nice to have big cousins?!!


Here is beautiful Ellie with her bling...it was really hilarious because the for the entire trip Ellie kept walking around the cabin trying to find necklaces and other fun things to put around her neck and wrists. Very cute!


Ashlyn out on the deck playing with Grammy (sorry we didn't get your face grammy!)


And here's Egan trying on two different shoes...did I mention that he picked up Ashlyn by the back of her shirt twice ONE-HANDED??? Amazing...Do NOT mess with this kid!!!


Ashlyn's First Birthday Cake...way fun! And she totally loved it...


The fam singing happy birthday to Ashlyn...thanks Ben for the pic - it's perfect!


Ashlyn enjoying the birthday cake. I love cake!

Ammon's Birthday

We had a wonderful day at Utah Lake last week to celebrate Ammon's birthday with his family. Thanks to Nate and Rachel for planning it, and thanks to Blair and Renee for funding! We love our family and are grateful to spend time with them whenever we can!

I love you so much Ammon and I'm so happy to celebrate your birthday year after year together! Thanks for being a wonderful hubby and father. Happy Birthday!

Family Pictures

Well, I finally got myself together enough to get some family pictures taken of Ashlyn, Ammon and I. Our friend Laurel Horchem is a professional photographer and was very generous in offering to do some pics for us. I think they turned out great!

The one where Ashlyn is doing the unforgettable "stink face" is my favorite...great shot Laurel!

What do you guys think?

If you're interested in Laurel's work, you can visit her blog at http://laurelhorchemphotography.wordpress.com/ and check out more good stuff! She is wonderful! Thanks again, Laurel!!!

Kymberly

I just wanted to update everyone on the situation with our neice, Kymberly. She was able to go into surgery last Thursday, for around 5 hours. She spent the next few days at Primary Children's, and today she came home. Her vision is a little blurry and she has to have some physical and occupational therapy. The pathology results are not yet back, but should be in tomorrow. Hopefully her vision will get better over the next month, and if not then she will need to see the eye doctor and figure things out. We are all so grateful that they were able to remove all of the tumor and that she is doing so well. Thank you to all of you for your prayers, your love and your support. We are continuing to pray for her and are so grateful for all the blessings we've received so far.

Pray for Kymberly

Our precious neice, Kymberly Larson, was diagnosed today with a tumor. It is putting pressure on her brain and spine, and if they do not do immediate surgery it could burst at any time and kill her. We found all of this out this afternoon, after the MRI results from this morning came back. She and her parents are at Primary Children's Hospital right now. They are trying to get her into surgery today or tomorrow. Please if you feel inclined to do so, pray for her. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us all, but I truly believe that if it is His will, He will answer our prayers. Brain surgery is a HUGE deal. And she is only 6 years old. I will be praying that the surgery will go smoothly, that the doctors will listen to the Spirit and be inspired to do what they need to in order to help her survive. Thank you all for your prayers and concern. We love you Kimberly and we will keep praying for you!

Happy 4th!

We started out our 4th of July with Ammon and Ashlyn playing together in the toyroom...very fun!

Later on we had an awesome BBQ at Aunt Cari and Uncle Jeff's house (we also did two extremely fun BBQ's w/friends yesterday but I forgot my camera) where they had their inflatable water slide/pool set up for the kids. Lots of kids...lots of food...lots of fun. What more can you ask for? We even had ice cream cones and fireworks - thanks again Cari! We had so much fun!







Unfortunately Ashlyn took the liberty of ripping out and losing Kennadie's earring, but at least that was our only casualty! She also had tons and tons of fun with grandma and grandpa Condie...especially grandpa - she couldn't get enough of him!







Happy 4th of July to everyone! We love our country and we are grateful for all those who have sacrificed their lives, their time, and their efforts to give us our freedoms. God bless America!!!