Dressing UP!!!!

Don't they say the family that scares together stays together?  Or something like that.  This was our family on the night of Alex's Birthday. According to Sammy mom is a butterfly and dad is scary.  We can't wait to take Samantha and Alex trick or treating.  After having Jim dress up, I don't think they will be afraid of anything.  I've been surprised to see how much they have enjoyed looking at all of the spooky Halloween things. Hopefully tonight all will go well, and No Jim isn't going to wear this tonight and scare all the neighborhood kids. Happy Spooking!!!!!

Boo!! 

Samantha as a Fairy Princess, what a cutie!!!  She just loves her princess crown.

Alex as a Puppy Dog- Woof, Woof. What a darling Bernese Mountain Dog.  I just love these dogs and with Alex crawling all over, he's just like a little puppy.  During the day he will be Charlie Brown and then at night the puppy. 

Super hero Batman. What a tough looking kid.

Sweet butterfly and 50s girl.

Happy Halloween

Here are a couple of cute Halloween Costumes.  What a fun holiday to be able to dress up in something spooky, cute or heroic.  Have a Happy Halloween!!!!

Alex the puppy dog with grandma the kitty.

Kennedy with her cute halloween mask

Macy Tinkerbell.

Spiderman and Luke Skywalker-aka Carter and Braden

The cousins at our Halloween Party with their super hero masks.

Where did my baby go?

Sometimes I feel like I've blinked and this year has gone by.  I can't believe Alex is already 1 years old.  Where has my little baby gone to?  He has been such a sweet little man, with the best snuggles, kisses and loves.

I'm so thankful for pictures to capture those precious lips, fingers and toes.  It's so hard to remember how little babies truly are.  I wish there was some way to capture their sweet baby smell and  little sighs. 

Last year he was such a little orange pumpkin- with his jaundice.

Now he is a little bit bigger and still an adorable pumpkin.  What a cute round face. 

Alex has truly been such a delight in our family.  He has brought so much love and happiness to our little family.  He was such a great baby and is turning into such a fun little man.  He has put up with all of the girly, princess things and is now establishing himself by wrestling and playing with anything ball.  I feel so blessed to have this little man in my life and can't even express how much I love this baby boy.  Happy Birthday and I can't wait to see how much you will develop this year.

Our cute chuck brown.  I've always LOVED snoopy, so it's only fitting that I have a son who resembles Charlie Brown. 

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Alex turned 1 this week.  On Sunday we had a Happy Halloween Birthday party for him.  It was so fun to get together with family and celebrate our sweet baby boy.  There is nothing like a little kids party to really bring out the birthday spirit and joy of a celebration.  Alex loved being surrounded by all of the kids, balloons, pumpkins, presents and yummy Halloween treats. 

Alex studying his cake.  He wasn't quit sure of what he was to do with the candle or the spider cake. He was so cute when everyone sang Happy Birthday. He got a little shy, not use to being the center of attention.

At first he delicately picked at his cake, and then he figured he could really have it. 

Everybody was such a good sport with all of the Halloween activities, especially the guys who started the donut eating contest.  Todd won with his great techniques and ability to get a great portion of the donut into his mouth at one time.

The little kids really liked the donut eating contest, but we had to give a time limit so they won't make themselves sick.  They also did a great job with decorating their pumpkins.

It was really a fun evening!  I'm sure there will be more Halloween Birthday parties in Alex's future.  Its such a fun way to celebrate this time of year and kids and costumes are so fun together.

What little boys are made of...

For Alex's Birthday I made a quilt for him-my version of "What little boys are made of".

Lizards and snail and monkey tails.

I think I have redeemed myself from my last quilting project with Anna-at least a 1 year old won't know any difference.

The best part is Alex just loves this quilt and loves climbing all over it.  He is such a blanket loving baby.  Doesn't every kid need a fun, cozy blanket to play on. 

I just love the fabric, its perfect for a little boy.

Hallo-Week Fun!!

Isn't there something about an upcoming fun holiday, like HALLOWEEN, that makes us want to have as much fun as possible!!!  It wouldn't be the same with out spooky decorations, pumpkins, yummy treats and as many occasions as possible to dress up.  On Friday, my mother created one of these great moments with a fun halloween party for the little kids.  We had so much fun with mummy dogs, homemade soup, relay races, bobbing for apples, and mask making.   It was such a beautiful Fall day and we had so much fun playing and enjoying being young and carefree. Shouldn't every holiday be a week long.

Who are these masked men?

Just in case you didn't know- I will reveal my secret identity.

Fun in PA

It's not a true trip to PA without a stop at Hershey's World.  We had fun going on the how's chocolate made ride and looking at all the delicious chocolate treats.  It was the perfect outing for my little ones. There's nothing better than the taste and smell of fresh chocolate.

Samantha just loved playing with Nana's baby stroller.  She loved taking her baby doll on walks around Nana and Papa's house.  She also loved feeding the squirrels with Nana.

On afternoon we went and got pumpkins at the cutest pumpkin patch store.  Samantha and Alex just loved picking out the perfect pumpkins for the mission home.

What cute little pumpkins!!!

Alex in Nana's cute high chair- enjoy some yummy noodles.

We had so much fun in PA.  We loved going to the gourd store, Hershey World, the park, on walks, watching conference and spending time with Nana and Papa. The perfect trip.  The kids were also amazing on the flights.  Heading home Alex just chilled or slept and Samantha spent 31/2 hours playing in her Princess coloring and sticker book.

Visiting the PA Mission Home

The first of October, our family was able to go and visit Jim's parents in the PA mission home. This was the first time for Alex to see Nana and Papa.  He just loved all of the adult attention, and being able to crawl around a new house.  I'm sure there's still finger prints everywhere!!!

Samantha took an instant loving to Nana!!!  She was in heaven with Nana indulging her with her favorites-Princess, ponies and baby dolls.  She really was in heaven and loved waking up to see Nana and Papa every morning. 

Samantha spending time with Papa in his office.

Samantha was so excited to discover not only one, but two pianos in the mission home.  She loved having concert time, when she would have everyone sit down and listen to her play.  She even had everybody else share their musical talents - we were very impressed with Papa and Lizzy's talent. 

We loved every minute that we were able to spend with Nana and Papa.  It went by way too fast!!!! Samantha and Alex had so much fun and it was so great to have them see their grandparents in the mission.  If you ask samantha where Nana and Papa are she will say "there at church".  We can't wait to see you again. XOXOXOXO