Baptism Prep

We decided that we wanted to print invitations for Grace's baptism that we could hand out to neighbors and friends, and that could serve as announcements to loved ones who wouldn't be able to make the trip. So, on a sunny Saturday a couple of weeks before her birthday, we set out to take some pictures. All the greenways in our neighborhood were in the midst of being reseeded (as was our backyard) and were yellow. So we drove down to the church building - this ended up being so much fun. The security guard at the Temple opened the chain link fence for us to get a less obstructed view of the Temple grounds. And Grace found a butterfly in a nearby bush that stuck around with us for a few pictures. I just can't help feeling how much Heavenly Father loves Grace when I look at her smiling face, and I will always be grateful for these moments captured at His house.

Halloween

 Grace almost realized her wish to be a horse for Halloween this year. I was grateful that she was excited to be a cowgirl, and that Amazon could be so accommodating.

 Eden wanted nothing more than to be a witch. I was asked several times where we got her costume and she must have been paying attention because by the end of our ward's trunk-or-treat, she was telling everyone that she was 'the Costco witch'.

 Grant as Sonic the Hedgehog. I told him to make a Sonic pose. Et, voila.

 Our ward had their trunk-or-treat at the baseball diamond down at our stake center. Our ward is so very large these kind of events are difficult to manage indoors, and really take a toll on the building. We all thought things went much better outdoors.  Grace and Grant made the rounds in the costume parade, and then helped themselves to the activity booths. Cori ended up helping at one of the booths all evening, and so Eden and Jeffery and I played and visited.

 Cori was still out on the field and JJ was needing both my arms, so Grant and Eden helped me hand out candy for a while. Once Grace showed up, they grabbed their buckets and built up their stash.

We carved up the pumpkin Grant got on his field trip to the farm. Our house was dark on Halloween night. We went up to Cottonwood to be with Papa Ray, Grandma Sandy, and Papa Ray's family. They had a lovely fireside memorial for Great Grandmother Irene who passed away earlier in the Summer. We were so glad to be able to spend a little time with them, and they were very kind to us and our kiddos.

It is great to be eight

It will come as no surprise that Grace chose to celebrate at her birthday party with art and animals. We invited friends from school and church. It is true what they say about birds of a feather. It was a happy little crowd of type A busy bodies. We just had to get them started and then get out of the way. First, they painted jungle creatures.

Then we played a game Gracie dubbed 'lion head.' Shower caps + shaving cream + giant cheetos... The children look like they are being assaulted in the pictures (those cheetos pick up some velocity), but they all begged to do it again.

The final game Grace wanted was some jungle limbo. We covered the broom stick and cued up a little a-whim-a-whop.

We finished up with cake and presents. I attempted to make a zebra striped bunt cake. Pinterest FAIL! So sad. I very carefully followed all the directions. The stripes were a bust and the cake didn't even taste that great. The ganache was fabulous though. When Grace was ready to open presents, her friends quickly organized an assembly line of gift deliverers, trash collectors, and opened-gift and card stackers.    Grace loved every second of it.

The fun continued later that evening at our neighborhood watch block party. We really live in a special little corner of the world. Families in our neighborhood contributed to a money pool that paid for a petting zoo, a bunch of pizza, and assorted prizes to come to the park at the end of our street. We got to visit with our neighbors, and Grace finished off her big day with her arm around a Shetland pony.

Meanwhile...

These are photos from Cori's cellphone. Sadly, the point and shoot I sent him with was not charged, :(, but he still got some good memories. The guys all stayed at a rental cabin in Sundance. They had meetings on campus during most days, and spent their down time hiking, watching sports, eating, and bonding. Good times. I don't think there is a more beautiful place than Provo Canyon in the Fall...