Halloween Festivites

Halloween for us this year started with our ward party on the 25th.  The Primary presidency did an awesome job putting on a Fall Festival for everyone.  There was chili, hot dogs, carnival games, hay rides, and a little bit of trick or treating.  It was so much fun!  It was also our yearly neighborhood Halloween block party too, so we made sure to head over there for a little bit first.

Max was so fascinated by all the kids in their costumes!  Especially, those also dressed as Mario characters, and especially the boys dressed as Luigi.  It was like meeting a character at Disneyland for him.  He was so excited to meet Luigi!  haha.

The following night, that Saturday, we went to a neighbors Halloween party.  No pictures of that event, but if you ask Kate about the Haunted House she will tell you all about it!

Then on the Wednesday before Halloween, we had our preschool Halloween party.  Kate has been planning this for months!  Of course, we couldn't do everything she had planned, but I think she liked how it ended up.

Also that day for dance class, the kids were allowed to wear costumes, and they did a Halloween dance for everyone! 

Then on Halloween we traveled up to the mountains.  My sister decided to surprise everyone by getting married on Halloween.  She had only gotten engaged two weeks prior.  So we drove up, went to the wedding (post to come) and then got changed into our Halloween costumes.

We went trick or treating in Pinetop with cousin Emma.  Her brother Layton was actually so sick that night, that they ended up taking him to the hospital.  I'm glad we were there and she was able to have a fun Halloween with us.  

 

We only really went down one street before the kids were done. Kate said, "I think we have plenty of candy now, let's go home I'm cold and tired."  haha.  My valley kids don't handle the cold well!
You can't see it too well, but the lower right picture is a picture of a huge Jack Skellington that somebody had carved.  About 6 feet tall.  It was awesome and my kids were so excited about it.  If I haven't mentioned it already, they LOVE that movie.  Kate knows all the songs.

We had an awesome Halloween!  I think that other than Christmas, this is my kids' favorite holiday.  They just love it and it was fun to spend it with family this year.

30 weeks

I haven't taken many belly pictures this pregnancy so here I am at 30 weeks pregnant.  I can't believe I'm this far already.  This is just flying by.  I'm glad I have my two kids to distract me from my pregnancy this time, but it also causes a very surreal feeling as well.  I know that I'm pregnant, but I haven't fully accepted that I'm going to have 3 kids in just over two months.  I'm so excited to have a cuddly little newborn again, but there is also so many things that I'm stressing over already!  The no sleep, the crying, how my kids are going to cope...it's going to be an adjustment that's for sure!  He's a very active baby.  He's always moving inside my belly.  I love to feel him moving and squirming in there.  I'm also to the point in the pregnancy where you can clearly see the baby kicking you.  I love that part.  It's so entertaining to me. 

This pregnancy has been really hard for me.  Luckily I don't get sick, and I am so grateful for that, but I've never been so uncomfortable EVER!  With all the stretching of scar tissue, and the ligament pains, and the widening of the pelvic bones, it literally hurts to do most things.  When I turn over in the middle of the night, I will wake myself all the way up each time I do it because it hurts so bad.  It's painful to put on pants, walk up the stairs...ugh.  It's just not fun!  I think it's just because it's my third pregnancy, but I'm also curious if I threw something out because its so painful.  I've only gained 25 pounds so far (which is good for me), but I still feel so friggin fat, and I'm just over it!  Pregnancy always makes me so tired as well, but man, I just feel like my fatigue is so much worse this time around.  Also, I just found out that I didn't pass my glucose test which means I have to take that horrible 3 hour test AGAIN!  That's 3 for 3 pregnancies.  I've never had gestational diabetes with the other pregnancies, so I'm not too worried, but what if I did this time?  To be diabetic during Thanksgiving and Christmas???  That would be awful.

Okay, I really didn't mean to complain so much, maybe it's just been a hard day.  I really am grateful to be pregnant, and I'm so excited for this little one to join us.  With the holidays coming up it is just going to FLY by.  He will be here before we know it!  Can't wait to meet you little buddy!

Zoo day

I know I already have a ridiculous amount of zoo pictures on my blog.  But- it's something I keep buying a pass for every year because it's our favorite place.  I usually don't even bring my camera anymore, but this time I needed to shoot for my feature on Let Them Be Little.  You can check that out here.

Here are those same pictures (plus some) that I posted there.  I got to post them here so they go in the book!

High School Reunion

The first weekend of this month was my high school reunion.  It feels so weird to say that as I do not feel old enough to have already reached this milestone! It was fun to go back to Joseph City.  I had not been since Andy's mission report, and that was about 7 years ago. 

On Friday night, we went to the homecoming football game.  Dustin laughed at the fact that we only have one set of bleachers.  I never even noticed that growing up!  Kate loved to watch the cheerleaders.  Max loved the game.  Both my kids were freezing!  They are not in cold weather very often. 

On Saturday afternoon we had a lunch at the park.  It was so fun to see everyone that showed up, although I really expected more people to come! 

That night we had a bonfire at the Badlands.  I had been there so many times growing up, but I'm embarrassed to say we got so lost looking for the right turn into it.  It's a lot different when you're trying to find it in the dark and you haven't been there in years.  We finally made it and it was lots of fun.  Kate loved the fire and Max was pretty grumpy the whole time.  Even though I had my camera with me the whole weekend, I was lazy with it, and the only pictures I took were of that night.  We had to use the light of the campfire because I've never bought the fancy flash for my camera.  I even think this is the only picture taken of all of us.  I don't recall anyone else getting out a camera.  So I'm sorry, but here is the only crappy picture of us all together at the reunion.

Kacey, me, Tessa, Lexi, Kim, Kim, Michael, Shandi, Emlee, Rial, Alicia, Brennon, Lindsay

We roasted marshmallows, played with sparklers, reminisced about the good ole' days, and of course, lit tires on fire and rolled them down the hills.  Apparently it's a Joseph City tradition, but I don't ever remember doing that growing up.  Maybe I just wasn't cool enough to be invited ;).

I'm grateful I was able to grow up in such a small town.  It was very nostalgic to go back and remember life growing up.  I'm grateful I went to school with all these wonderful people.  It was so fun to see them again!

Let Them Be Little

You may have noticed that I've done a lot of posts lately with just pictures. It's because I'm part of a collaborative blog with some other photographers called Let Them Be Little.  We post once a week on Thursdays. I really love this project because it's pushing me to get out my camera more often and take pictures that I love of my children.  I also like it because unlike my failed 365 project, I'm accountable for posting because I do this project with other people!  The other photographers that do this with me are so talented, so it's helping me to be more creative as well.

Anyway, because of this project, I end up with a lot of pictures that just need to be posted.  Even though I only post one picture a week, I still end up with a lot of pictures that need to be in my blog book.  Hence, these posts with lots of pictures.

Our Let Them Be Little blog also features one photographer a week on Tuesdays.  Mine will be coming up next week so watch for it!

Dancing in the Sprinklers

One of Kate's favorite things to do is turn on the sprinklers outside and dance in them.  This time she requested that I take pictures.

 She's such a ham for the camera.  I love it!  If you're wondering what she's wearing, its a shirt she painted herself- a craft project from about a year ago.

When the sprinklers were turned off, Max decided to join us.  The cement was very wet from the water, and I was able to capture them discovering their reflections.  I love this picture so much!

San Tan Singers

Kate's first singing performance was last Tuesday.  She was nervous to get up there and sing in front of everybody but she did so good!

 

Here is a compilation of the songs Kate sang.  The first is her duet  Bibbidi Bobbodi Boo, then the smaller kids class singing Zip-a-dee-do-dah, then two songs that feature both classes You've Got a Friend in Me and Sing. 

720p from Erin Watson on Vimeo.

If you don't watch the whole thing, that's okay, that's why I put her star performance first.  At least watch that.  I love this girl!