Halloween traditions!

Here's just a preview of my adorable little trick-or-treaters!! This was before our ward trunk-or-treat last weekend.

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Last Monday we had a little family day and spent the afternoon at Bishop's Pumpkin Farm with the kids. This has become a family tradition of ours each year! Kali and Zach had so much fun riding the train ride, petting and feeding the animals, and going on the hayride to the huge pumpkin fields where they got to pick out their very own pumpkins!!






For some reason they were into pumpkins with green on them. Madelyn even got her very own pumpkin that Zach and Kali picked out for her. :)






We then carved our pumpkins for family night with the Hinson's. The kids had a great time! I actually carved Zach's very cool green pumpkin!



Mark carved the two big ones, the pirate skull and the witch (if you can't tell what that one is on the left). I was so amazed at the time Mark took on these two pumpkins this year. Good job honey! This is a rare occasion in our house when it comes to pumpkin carving. I am usually the one who does the carving but I think Mark was out to prove me wrong this year!! Aren't they awesome?!! Neal carved the big jolly/joker/freaky smily face on the right. I think it's kinda cool looking... I love the big smile with the scary eyes!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN & Happy Trick-or-Treating!!

I've been tagged!

8 IS GREAT!!!
I am the worst at actually doing these tag things but I really do enjoy reading them on everyone else's blogs. Since my sisters and sister-in-law have already done this I guess I really have no choice but to just suck it up and DO IT!! HAHA!! Love you girls!! Okay here goes nothin...

8 TV Shows that I love to watch:
1. American Idol
2. So You Think You Can Dance
3. Heroes
4. LOST (can't wait til next season starts!!)
5. One Tree Hill
6. 24 (if it ever comes back on!)
7. Grey's Anatomy(seriously I know, but it's so addicting!)
8. House

8 Things that happened to me yesterday:
1. I actually got up and got ready on time before 9 am!
2. I went to the dentist and got a cleaning and checkup. Too bad I have to go back on Thursday for two fillings! DANG!
3. I finally got Madelyn to take a bottle for the second and third time!! WHOOHOO!! Well, actually Mark gave it to her and for those of you who didn't know, she has wanted nothing to do with the bottle. This is a huge deal because now I am free to go!! No longer completely attach at the boob!! YAY!
4. I went to the post office and mailed Kelli's cd of pictures that she has so patiently been waiting for. Love you sis!
5. We went to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm as a family and Zach and Kali loved every minute of it! (see next post for pictures and details)
6. We met Kristin and Neal and their kids at Costa Vida for dinner. YUM!
7. We carved pumpkins for family night with Krisitn and Neal and the kids.
8. We put the kids to bed and stayed up and played games with Kristin and Neal... something we haven't done in a really long time and it was a lot of fun! We're sure gonna miss Neal this deploymment!

8 Favorite places to eat:
1. Ruth's Chris (the best steak I've ever had)
2. Tahoe Joe's (great steak for a great price!)
3. The Cheesecake Factory (Godiva chocolate cheesecake is to die for!)
4. Costa Vida
5. The Melting Pot
6. P.F. Chaings
7. BJ's
8. Macaroni Grill

8 things I am looking foward to:
1. Halloween to be over. This is not my favorite holiday. I know I am so lame! Although, I do love everything else that comes with Fall!
2. Going to Hawaii in February with no kids!!
3. the Holidays! Thanksgiving and Chistmas! I love this time of year!
4. Christmas shopping. I love to shop!
5. Going on a date with my hubby with no baby in tow...(b/c she takes a bottle now! YAY!)
6. My brother and his family coming from Japan to visit for Christmas! They're coming Dec. 11th!!
7. My sister Kelli to have that baby boy Michael! And my old college roomies Amber and Heidi to have their babies!!
8. finishing this post!(I am not the best at these things!)

8 things on my wish list:
1. to pay off my house and cars and be debt free!!
2. for my children to sleep in past 6:30 am! & for Madelyn to sleep through the night consistently!!
3. a new decked out mini van!!!(Mark is anti mini van so chances of this happening anytime are pretty slim)
4. to start working out on a regular basis
5. to be a better wife and mother!
6. for PROP 8 to pass!!
7. a maid and a dinner fairy !! (sorry I copied your idea Kristin. Who wouldn't want these?!!)
8. to go on a cruise someday

8 people I tag!
1. Heidi Hage
2. Lisa S.
3. April S.
4. Teneil D.
5. Amber B.
6. Megan S.
7. Rebecca C.
8. Miranda G.
and whoever else wants to do this that I didn't tag! Thanks for reading!!

San Diego Trip!!

We took a trip to San Diego with the Hinsons last week and we had a blast!! It was so much fun to get away from our everyday routine and just play and have fun and not worry about naps or schedules. The kids had a great time with their cousins and they loved every part of the trip...even watching movies for 8 hours in the car was fun to them!!! Hooray for portable dvd players!! Anyways, we went to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the Miramar Air Show, the beach on Coronado Island, and Kristin and I even got a little shopping in there one evening! We even traded babysitting and got to go on dates! The weather was perfect! We had a great trip and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful and fun place to visit!!

We love our cousin Alexa!!

A few weeks ago, my sister Kelli and her husband Shaun and their adorable little girl Alexa came to visit us all the way from Texas!! We had so much fun while they were here and we already miss them tons!! Zach and Kali loved having Alexa here to play with every morning when they woke up until the minute before bedtime! We took them to Apple Hill and to have fun at Mark's parents house who live five minutes from Apple Hill. The kids had a blast together! I only got pics from that day because I left my camera up at my In-laws for the rest of the week on accident. So here are the few pics I got. Kali and Alexa were two peas in a pod.













Zach took cousin Justin for a ride on the 4 wheeler! They had a blast going in circles around Grandma and Grandpa Stacy's property. Kali and cousin Justin Capell just liked to pretend they were riding!!


Just some random pics of our sweet Madelyn and the silly pink ball that she liked to lick. Oh yeah and one picture of my birthday celebration. I turned 28 on the 28th!! WHOhoo! My brother-in-law Jeff Capell's birthday was October 3 so we celebrated together(see the cake frosting? Happy Birthday Jeff & Kari!")

Dancing fun!

We decided to put Kali in this little dance class for fun so she could do something while Zach is in preschool. While Kali is in preschool Zach gets to go to soccer once a week. Anyways, here are a few pics of her in her adorable little class where they get to do tap (if that's what you call wearing loud shoes and stomping around in them)and a little ballet (or running around the room with ballet shoes on while watching themselves in the mirror). It's actually really cute and Kali loves to go with her friend Kinsey. Wenesdays are the highlight of her week! What little girl wouldn't be in heaven when dressed up like a ballerina and surrounded by mirrors and music!