Halloween 2011

We had a fun, successful Halloween this year! Chayce got into it and enjoyed his time trick or treating with Peyt and Daddy. These two boys make holidays so much fun! I'm not really a Halloween person but with them around it makes it great!

Peyt is iffy on when he'll decide to take a good picture...never know if I'll get the cute, genuine smile or the cheesy, fake smile. Either way I think he's a pretty cool Jack Sparrow.

And we love our cute Mickey! We bought a little Mickey doll for him at Disneyland last year and he's been attached ever since! So it was a fitting year for this costume...and Lucy was Minnie so it worked perfect!

We had fun at Grammy and Papa's a few days before Halloween to carve pumpkins and have dinner together. Lucy was freaked out by Papa's Halloween costume and didn't want anything to do with pictures...poor thing! With five people taking pictures of kids at once this is the best you get...but they all looked so cute!

McKay had just come home with Dan from a weekend hunting trip to Logan...where he got his four point for the year! They had been up most of the night before but he managed to carve a pumpkin for the boys.

On Halloween we made our annual trip to Prosper to trick or treat. We tried to snap a few pics of Lucy and Chayce. Between Luc being sad and Chayce not wanting to smile it didn't go amazing...

But as the kids walked hand in hand to daddy's work things got a little better.

My kids ended up with a good little stash before they even really went trick or treating! We've been eating it for the past two weeks and I'm about done with it!

Our next stop was Grandma Ruthie. She loves her great grandkids and always has something fun for them when we come over. We love you!

Last but not least was trick or treating to Grandma Neiger (Grandpa was at work).

Finally got a few decent smiles for the day...

And here are our cute trick or treaters at my door waiting for candy! We have the BEST neighborhood for trick or treating. I went through 15 regular sized bags of candy if that says anything about how many kids live here! We love it!

I've been basing the count down for baby girl to get here on holidays that come and go. Only one more week to Thanksgiving and a short month after that Christmas will be here! I think she'll be here sooner than I think :) Which makes me very happy! We are getting excited to meet her...

McArthur Halloween Party

Lisa threw another great Halloween party for the kiddos. They look forward to it every year!

Our two Jack Sparrows. Peyt saw the hat in the Disney store a few months ago and HAD to have it.

Little neighborhood buddies. Mark, Bradley, Porter and Peyt


Chayce is going to be Mickey for Halloween but I didn't want him playing around outside in the little tuxedo. So he wore the cowboy costume Peyt wore a few years ago. He is Khloe's little prince :)


Pinata fun. Always the highlight of the party.

Thanks Lis! The kids had a great time! Bring on trick or treating now!

Pumpkin patch with Grandma

We had a fun afternoon at the Vineyard Nursery pumpkin patch with Grandma last week. What a fun time of year!

Chayce is fascinated by animals. Peyton preferred to jump on the bounce toys and run around the play area while Chayce was fine to sit and stare at the animals.

I was proud of Peyt here. He conquered his fear of heights and climbed a pretty steep side wall to get to the top of this slide. The reward was worth it!

Thanks Mom for yet another fun afternoon together!

A great birthday

I had the most wonderful birthday week and only have this bad picture of me (but cute of the boys!) to show for it!
I had delicious meals with friends and family throughout the week...nothing better than eating out :) Thanks to all who treated me to such fun morning and afternoons out!

On the actual day McKay "surprised" me with an overnight stay in Park City. My Mom came over and we took off for an evening alone...so needed and so nice! We stayed at Newpark Hotel which was a very nice place...just across from the outlets and connected to the new Cafe Rio.

After spending a few hours at the outlets (and mainly purchases for our two, soon to be three, children) we headed to Baja Cantina for dinner...highly recommended by friends and it was great! We picked up an apple pie caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and headed back to the hotel to relax for the evening.

Before McKay headed out to help his Dad at their property in Coalville the next morning we stopped at Starbucks for some breakfast. McKay swore Jennifer Aniston was there with us much to my arguing that it wasn't her. After some fact checking he indeed was right and we were amongst a celebrity. Way to go my celebrity spotter husband! Although I'm not really into doting on other human beings who probably think they are above the rest of us...who cares!

The week ended with a delicious dinner on Sunday at my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun night! We have one party left to go with the Ercanbracks next weekend...I love birthdays!

Again thank you to my amazing husband for making it a great day...

Still a girl!

Our 20 week ultrasound was yesterday and it was reconfirmed its a girl! I was pretty sure anyway but it's nice to have a double check! She looks perfectly healthy and beautiful! January can't come soon enough!



Her little hand was up by her face most of the time.

The tech was having fun with the fact that you could see some muscle definition in her little arms :) Watch out brothers!

She has quite the little collection of clothes going already thanks to Grandmas, aunts and wonderful friends (and maybe Mommy has bought a few things too!) Can't wait to decorate the nursery totally girl!

Her memorial

My Dad conducted a short and very sweet service for my Grandma. She wanted it that way. My brother, sister and I had the chance to share a few memories of her. This was list of 10 things I loved, learned and will miss about her...

1. Pistachios and coke at night and chocolate covered peanutes and 100 Grand's in the refrigerator.

2. Judge Judy

3. Aggravation

4. Her cooking

5. Sitting on their front porch in the evenings playing washers and enjoying the cooler weather.

6. A birthday card in the mail each year with a $25 check to "spend how we wanted"

7. Trips to Disneyland courtesy of Grandma

8. Her organized, clean house

9. Her love for my boys

10. Her love for us

I love the poem my Dad shared which was also shared by Maria Shriver at Tim Russert's funeral awhile back.

The Little Ship

I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea. The setting sun tinted his white sails

with a golden light, and as he disappeared from sight a voice at my side whispered, "He is gone".

But the sea was a narrow one. On the farther shore a little band of friends had

gathered to watch and wait in happy expectation. Suddenly they caught sight

of the tiny sail and, at the very moment when my companion had whispered, "He is gone"

a glad shout went up in joyous welcome, "Here he comes!"

I know my Grandpa was waiting with open arms to see her again. It gives me so much comfort to know they are with each other watching down on our family.

A house that built me...

For the past 29 years I've been visiting this house in Chino, California...

Last weekend it was time to say goodbye. It's hard when both grandparents pass on and the reality hits that everything that was theirs on this earth gets divided, sold or given away. I took a few pictures to help my memory over the years.

Grandma's decor stayed pretty much the same my whole life. She enjoyed a simple life without too many "extras" and was perfectly content with her life that way. I was given the picture in the right corner for the baby's room.

This was my grandparents room. We eventually stayed here when we'd go visit. When my Grandpa passed my Grandma started sleeping in another bedroom in the house.

This game was the one my Grandpa "invented". Typically these two green boxes are about four feet apart from each other and the point is the stand on the end of one and throw washers into the three holes on the other. The front hole is 1 point, middle hole is 3 points, back hole is 5 points. The first to 21 wins!

This was my favorite room in their house...my Grandma lived here. She was such a wonderful cook and everything she made was delicious. Favorites included homemade macaroni and cheese, orange whipped salad, ground turkey sandwiches, angel food cake with sauce and chocolate cupcakes with pinoche frosting.

This picture will always remind me of them. My Dad said he remembers this picture in their home for as long as he can remember.

And the empty chair. My grandparents spent much of their time relaxing in the family room watching their favorite shows. Every night you could find my Grandma sitting here eating pistachios and drinking a coke.

I will cherish all my memories of this home and will miss it. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have that this empty house isn't the end of my grandparents. I will see them again in a perfect and beautiful place.

Preschool Time!

Peyt was so excited to start another year of preschool! We have a few great ones to choose from right around our neighborhood and he's going just up the street which is nice for me!

He decided to be a goof ball the morning of his first day...

All ready to walk in!

He walked out front of the line his first day!

Peyt has about 30 cute neighbor kids his age that will all go to school together. Brooke, Sam, Peyt and Chase are all little preschool buddies!

Here's to another great year of learning Peyt! I hope its a great year for you and we get all ready to start kindergarten next year!

Will miss her...

My Grandma Neiger passed away this morning in her home in California. I'm glad my Dad and Mom were able to be with her. We found out earlier this summer that her lung cancer had come back and it was terminal. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that I will see her again and I know she is in the arms of my Grandpa once again. I'm sad I won't be over to visit for her delicious cooking and great conversation but know we'll meet again someday.

She absolutely adored the boys and looked so forward to new posts on this blog. She and my Grandparents in Washington are one of the main reasons I started this blog in the first place. I know she will now be able to have a perfect view of what happens in our home everyday as I have a strong belief that those who we love watch over us and serve as our angels on earth. I know she will be and will help send on our beautiful little girl coming soon. What a comfort...

We love you so much Grandma and appreciate everything you did for the family during your life. May you now enjoy your beautiful reunions with the others who love you so much.

It's A...

McKay was very kind and allowed me to give into my inpatience and find out what this little baby is a few weeks early. I've always been hesitant to go to the mall to find out for whatever reason...but when I heard an ultrasound tech in a doctor's office does checks I was very excited to try it this time. So yesterday we took the family for the surprise...and guess what...Peyton and Chayce are going to be big brothers and protectors of their new baby

SISTER!

We are thrilled to invite a little girl into our home and I know she will be loved to pieces. We are so excited!