Happy Halloween from the Hollands! The witch, the football player, the bunny and the creepy skeleton! The kids had a blast roaming the neighborhood filling their bags with way too many treats. The weather was actually quite warm this year - you just never know what Halloween in Utah might be like! Summer enjoyed a good nap in the stroller and Austin was in heaven just being with the "big boys". Crazy I have 4 little monsters to tote around this year!

October Tradition...kind of!

Welcome to Halloween in Utah where it is rarely warm and often snows just in time for the trick-or-treaters to be out! I love the seasons in Utah but hate that Halloween is usually a very cold and miserable holiday. I am kind of scrooge when it comes to Halloween anyway. I hate spending money on costumes and I hate buying candy. I like to eat candy but I don't like to have an endless supply around for myself and the kids to munch on. Does anyone dislike this holiday as much as I do?

We kept our October tradition this year and carved pumpkins. We usually get together at my parents house the Sunday before Halloween, but because we are a family full of coughs and runny noses we decided we would stay away from the twins and the new baby and invited our neighbors to join us instead. It was a really fun night and though I missed our usual tradition it worked out great and the kids loved it...which is the point, right? My mom, Kelsey and Wes came and joined in the fun which made the night almost as perfect as it would have been otherwise. The Gibson and Holland kiddos.
The Holland kids.
The Gibson kids.
Mr. Nick working hard on his pumpkin which ended up being two faced...happy and mad.I posted this picture just because. I think these two are pretty cute girls if you ask me...but then I might be a bit biased! :)

Thanks to the Gibson's for joining in the fun of pumpkin carving!

Fall Break Fun

With Tyler out of town and the kids out of school I decided to load the car and head to Logan for the weekend! The weather was PERFECT! We had a great time hanging out with Grandma & Grandpa Holland and the Cache Valley cousins. We went to the Heritage Center on Thursday afternoon and the kids had a ball riding horses, jumping in the haystacks, getting lost in the corn maze, going down the "big slide", enjoying ghost stories told by witches, and riding the train! It was well worth the $6.00 entrance fee! The view from the visitors center...it makes me miss Cache Valley...for a minute!
The kids and the goats. They spent 30 minutes petting all the nice smelling animals. The goats were their favorite!
A trip to the Heritage Center wouldn't be complete with out not ONE, not TWO but THREE rides on the train.

I think I will make a trip to Logan over Fall Break our new tradition. Cache County was out of school the week before so the Heritage Center was not busy at all. It was the perfect way to spend a few days having fun while dad was gone!

Welcome Baby LUKE!

Congrats to Sarah and Ryan on their newest addition! He made a quick entrance into the world early this morning and is just perfect. I have yet to meet him but LOVE this little guy already! Welcome to the world Luke!

Chubbiness and Drill Camp...

Summer had her 4 month appointment this week and it is official...SHE IS CHUBBY. She weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds 7 ounces which puts her in the 95%. I love each and every roll and think that chubby babies are the cutest! She HATES being on her stomach so she decided that she better learn how to roll those rolls. She smiles all of the time and is seriously the best baby ever. I am convinced that Heavenly Father decided that having three difficult babies was enough and so he sent me an angel. Love her!Since we no longer have any cheerleaders at MVHS we decided to switch gears and support the Lehi High School drill team. To say that Kylee loved it is an absolute understatement! She had a fabulous time and loved every thing about it. She performed at halftime of the LHS football game tonight and did great. She was pampered by the Paul Mitchell hair school girls before the game who did her hair in a very funky do. She was thrilled! A few of the cute neighbor girls attended the camp with her which made it even more fun. Go Pioneers!!! (Seriously, that has to be the lamest mascot ever!)

Lexi, Krishelle, Kylee and Emeri

Sleepy...

I love the look on a baby's face as they sleep. I often wonder what they are dreaming about that makes them look so peaceful. We are hoping that Aunt Sarah doesn't have a baby anytime soon because that means that we have to give back her favorite sleeping spot, the swing! Anyone have one I could borrow for a few months?

Fun with the buddies!

We had Brady and Easton over the play with Austin this week and it was a riot. They seriously had me laughing the whole time they were here. I fed them lunch (chicken nuggets) and they all enjoyed shredding them to pieces and throwing them at me. I asked them to put their shoes by the door so we would know where they were and I found them all nicely lined up. For some reason it made me giggle. We LOVE that these cute kids are back in Utah and enjoy the time we get to spend with them. We call them the triplets and these three together can make you laugh and make you cry - depending on how evil they decide to be when they are together! Thanks for playing buddies!

N (Nick's) F (Football) L (League)

So the NFL party went off without any major problems other than we were almost out of propane while trying to cook hotdogs for all the hungry mouths. It was the perfect day for a football party and the kids had a great time. We have great neighbors and Nick is surrounded by wonderful friends who came to help us celebrate big #6. Here are a few pictures... The cupcakes that are supposed to look like footballs...don't judge my decorating skill...Kelsey and I really tried hard! :)
Not the best shot but I thought this was a fun picture of all the kids that were there. I was tired after it was all said and done, wonder why?
Kelsey's boyfriend Wes taught the kids how "real football players" warm up. They all thought that it was pretty cool that Nick's "uncle" played football.

A day of HATE and LOVE...

I hate kids that are mean. I also hate knowing that it is possible that my kids are mean to other kids. I hate that I picked Kylee up from school today in tears because she didn't get invited to a birthday party of one of her friends as "punishment" for a fight they got in. I also hate having to hold her why she cries while trying to explain to her that sometimes things just don't go the way we want them to. I hate that I suddenly feel like a very overprotective mother who wanted to call the mother of the "birthday girl" and give her a piece of my mind. (Seriously, who passes out invitations at school anyway?) I hate that the world we live in today is evil and our kids have to deal with so much crap. I hate that I can't be at school with my kids to mediate every fight. I hate that this whole birthday party issue is bugging me so bad and has officially ruined my day. I hate feeling angry.

On the flip side.

I love my kids. I love that I was blessed with 2 boys and 2 girls with very different personalities. I love that my husband is a great dad and seems to fill in the gaps in our kids lives where I struggle. I love that Kylee has good friends that hopefully cancel out the bad ones. I love that we are surrounded by good neighbors and I have good friends that will listen to me when I need a sounding board. I love Kylee's teacher, Mrs. Davis, and think we are lucky she is in her class. I love that our house is a place of refuge for our kids from the evils of the world we live in. I love my Kylee and hope that she bounces back tomorrow and will try and be a better friend.

P.S.

Dear Obama,

Please don't make my kids be in school any more hours in the day than they already are. I need them home with me where I can love them, teach them, and protect them. That's what they need.

Sincerely,

Renee