Rain, Rain...

We have been getting so much rain lately. Like lots of rain. So when we finally got a break from the pouring we went to go and check out some of the creeks that run through our neighborhood that we always tell the kids sometimes have water. :) We also showed them from a distance the mysterious waterfall that finally showed up after inches of rain. 

Of course as soon as we found it Carson wanted to get in it. 

And Josie. And our friends Grace and Liam got in too. 

I have been loving the rain. Staying inside all day, relaxing with my family, eating tortilla soup and having all our outdoor activities cancelled. No complaints here. 

Trunk or Treat

We had our annual ward Trunk or treat on the Saturday before Halloween. The kids get so excited for this every year and for good reason. It is always lots of fun. It was inside this year because of all the rain and that was awesome. Our kids just ran around, ate food and collected lots of candy. 

This year we have Elsa:

A golfer:

And our owl did not choose to dress up for the trunk or treat. :) 

The kids did the costume parade and Camilla got to walk with Kate. Cue stars in her eyes and a huge smile on her face. You may notice that Millie's two besties are also Elsas. 

Carson cruised it. 

Then the kids went door to door and collected delicious goodies. Brooke was smart enough to realize that if she just sat with me she could fill her dinosaur bucket with our candy. No going around door to door needed. After we got home the kids put all the candy in one big pile and we each took turns dividing it up. I think the kids liked that just as much as collecting it. Such a fun tradition! 

Happy Birthday Brooke!

How on earth did this happen??? My sweet, sweet baby girl has turned 2. 2 whole years since she came into our family. I wish I could begin to describe the happiness and joy she has brought to our lives. She has completely changed me on everything. I want to have like 10 babies now because I have enjoyed her so very much. She is the kindest, sweetest natured little dear. She wants nothing more than to be with her big brother and sister and do everything that they do. She sits happily through dance lessons, gymnastics, swim lessons, soccer, church, play dates and all the driving back and forth to school and activities that are never for her - happily. She begs me to go to "watch Millie." She is so funny, her favorite songs are follow the prophet and scripture power and she begs to sing them all the time. Her favorite book is Waddle and she can act out every animal. She loves to take care of her babies and feeds them, takes them on walks, and holds them. She likes to organize things and any time Millie is at school she can be found playing in her room. Brooke wants to pick out all her own clothes and shoes and has definitely turned into an "i do it" girl. She wants to do everything. But she says thank you for everything you give her and if she bumps into you, she always says "sorry." I could eat her she is so adorable and so, much, hair. For one of our babies, being able to put her hair in a pony tail already is crazy. Brooke loves to say the prayer and likes to choose who can help her. As soon as the phone rings she is running for it because she loves to hold the phone to facetime with Daddy.

Brooke's birthday was a pretty busy day. But we went and had breakfast tacos together and then in the afternoon we opened her presents (which she looooved) and had pumpkin bread. She sure loved telling everyone she is "2." She told me she wanted to have a party at Grandpa's house but she had to settle for our house. :) Then that night was our ward trunk or treat so she had a lot of fun. 

Its hard for me to explain how much I love this girl and how every, single morning when she wakes up my heart is filled with joy. We feel so blessed to have her in our family. 

The highest of highs and lowest of lows

We always say that Camilla gives us the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. She can be the most fun, sweetest girl in the world and she can make me want to pull my hair out! 

We just love watching our girl play soccer. 

But could do without the fits where she says she can't walk. 

But really I just have to express my gratitude for how good she has been lately. She has started doing quiet time like a champ. She hardly ever comes into my room before she is supposed to. She helps me with anything she possibly can and is beyond helpful with Brooke. She is also turning into a very obedient girl and genuinely wants to make good choices. "Just like Nephi" she says. I am grateful for this girl in our family and have been especially grateful for how much she has matured lately. She loves going to preschool and all the fun activities she is involved in and we love watching her creative, fun personality continue to emerge. I love nobody like I love my Millie. 

Everyone's favorite

I'm sure I've said it before but Brookey is everyone's favorite in our house. Seriously, just ask any member of my family. Well now I'm pretty sure she is Josie's favorite too. Brooke was eating breakfast outside on the back porch and I looked out to find this. 

One bite for herself and then one bite for Josie. Love her, love her, love her. 

McKinney Falls

Carson's number one thing he wanted to do over Fall Break was go camping. We have been wanting to go to McKinney Falls for a long time so we booked a Thursday night months ago (Friday nights must need to be booked like a year in advance). The kids were very excited and Aaron took them to the store to pick out all the food to really get them pumped. :) 

We kept things super simple for this trip because it ended up being kind of crazy to get out and we had to rush to get back to leave town the next day but our kids don't mind simple. We didn't get to the campsite until after dark Thursday night so it was straight to campfire, hot dogs, s'mores and then bed. Brooke was beyond excited to be sleeping next to the Cs. 

Friday morning we got up and relaxed together for a bit and then got all ready to go on our hike. We hiked over to the falls. Now sometimes these have water going over them. I'm sure its gorgeous when they do. It was still very pretty. You can swim there. Too cold for us though. 

We hiked for awhile longer and then too the road path back. Aaron ended up carrying the girls. They sure have a nice Daddy. 

It was a quick  trip but I sure love camping with my little family. 

Fall Break Recap

Carson has been on Fall Break for the past two weeks. I could write a whole paragraph about how much we love having Carson home every day with us... its the best. It wasn't a super exciting, stuff going on every day, kind of break but we enjoyed just sleeping in and spending our days together. 

We did go to one of our favorite parks and we made it a family affair and brought Josie. 

Lots and lots of money bar climbing, swinging (Millie has learned to swing all by herself and she swings for-e-ver), and racing up and down this hill. 

We went to Ikea one morning. You would have thought I told the kids we were going to Disneyland they were so excited. Does Ikea wear anyone else out? After we finally got home I sent everyone to their rooms and shut every door and demanded some quiet time. I was wiped. 

So when Aaron came home he put the shelves together with his best helpers. 

A big part of Carson's break is going to all of Millie's activities. He does it all without complaining and just watches her. He really is the best. 

Millie started gymnastics again this week. She loves it. Here she is doing her back bend. She is so big! 

Picking up Millie after soccer shots. So sweaty. :) 

Having 3 kids home all day has worn me out some days. One night I gave the kids a jar of peanut butter and a few spoons. Then we spent the evening laying in the grass and playing in the backyard. 

We are capping off Carson's break with a camping trip and a trip to grandma's house! 

Date Weekend

Carson and Camilla had quite the weekend. They were lucky enough to both have full sticker charts. Well Millie got to pick her date first and she picked a bounce house (of course) and she picked Carson to go with her and Daddy to take her. So Aaron took them to bounce. They had a great time and loved playing. 

It had trampolines too and as you can see they had the place to themselves practically. 

And they were given a few quarters to play in the arcade afterwards because Dad is sooo fun. :) 

On Saturday afternoon we took just the big kids to see The Little Mermaid. the kids were so excited and we had a lot of fun. It was a great show for kids and we loved spending time with the kids. 

Aaron and I couldn't agree on who got to go to the play so we both went. What a fun day to be with my kids for the first show!  

Get the party started!!

We had a party to kick off the beginning of fall break and celebrate the end of summer. We had a lot of fun swimming, eating, and listening to Taylor Swift on repeat. The water was really cold as it ended up being a cool evening but the kids didn't mind and that made it really nice for us to sit outside and enjoy the evening. We went meatless and did veggie burgers to please our non-burger loving friends. (For the record a cheeseburger and fries is still Aaron and I's very favorite food. Austin hasn't gotten to us yet. :) 

Such a fun night.