Halloween 2009

Halloween brought so many different adventures this year! Too many to be honest. We're going to try and keep it a lot simpler next year, for sure. But it was fun.This was at the Children's Museum. They made the cutest Haunted House for little kids that I have EVER seen. I thought this picture was rather fitting. Autumn can be quite the witch sometimes, but look at how cute she is.
And so it begins... Each day he is getting braver and braver. I give it no more than a week. Again, don't mind the date on the picture. Our camera is SO out dated, but it still manages to capture the moment and only costs in batteries, so I guess we'll keep it around. (At the top of my wish list) but moving on...

This is at the Ward Trunk or Treat. It was like, 40 degrees outside, so they moved it indoors. Thank heavens. Ethan was Iron man, Autumn was a "Pink Tink," and Carter was a dragon. It was so cute to watch him crawl around in that costume. And for some reason, I managed to not get a picture of all three of them in there costumes. Hum.

This was my pleasant Autumn at the Cherubs Choir Halloween Party. She likes to stand out in the crowd. Literally.

Children's Museum Haunted House.

So October was BUSY to say the least. Carter turned ONE! We had a little party and some cake. I had my first official Parent Teacher Conference. It went well. For the Halloween Festivities, we went overboard! Our neighborhood does the ghost thing, so we made treats and left them at there door. We went to the Children's Museum Haunted House, The Cherubs Choir Halloween Party, Ethan's Halloween Parade and Party at School, the ward Trunk or Treat, and then went Trick or Treating. It was a bit much and I am sick to death of CANDY!

We've had a lot of projects to keep us busy and few girls nights/ guys nights to break up the monotony. Looking forward to the next Holiday, because all we really HAVE to do is EAT! One of my favorite things to do.

Summer Fun in the Hot Hot Sun 2009

Four Generations! Going to and coming back from Lake Powell is a lot easier when you know you're going to Grandma Joy's house.

This picture has a story behind it. When we were out in Utah we went and visited my Grandma Runia while she was in the hospital. While we were waiting for the valet to bring our car around, an older Downs Syndrome gentleman walked by, and Ethan could not stop starring. I tried what I could to get his focus elsewhere, but it wasn't working. After this man walked passed, Ethan stuck his tongue out, and we weren't the only ones in the room who watched him do it. He just had this look of confusion on his face with his tongue sticking out. Kids just don't know. It was HILARIOUS!

All of us together again. Next to never happens with us all spread out. Can't wait to do it again!

For old times sake. Forever Powell!

Check out that diaper action! It couldn't be attached to a cuter kid! Although, she wasn't really all that cute there. She was Satan wrapped up in a cute little Autumn shell.

Can't wait to do this again! Little Sahara, here we come! Thanks Kye and Nat for the memories, and the wheelers.

Ethan couldn't stay off! He drove this four wheeler all day long, all by himself! I can't believe that's my baby!

Lovin' it!

Autumn and Jayda at the Children's Museum in Salt Lake.

Ethan couldn't get enough of the helicopter on the roof to play in. He kept butting in line.

Oh the times they have in Nanny's bath tub. She LOVES to play with them, and they LOVE to go to Nanny's house. I've never seen such proony kids.

Thanksgiving Point at the Children's Gardens. Those of you with Children know how difficult this can be to get every kid in the picture, and then to have them smile... Yeah, right. But we had a blast! Can't wait to do that again.

Playing the tree drums.

Ethan and Skylynn Harmon at the Trail Center. He's quite the lady's man... Already! At least he has good taste. She is SO CUTE!

Our garden 2009. It started out beautifully, and then got a disease, and it pretty much killed everything except for the bell peppers and jalapenos. Fun while it lasted.

The party was at our house all summer long. My neighbors Mom let us barrow her blow up slide and we put it right out in front of our door. It was quite the event and tons of fun. Yes, I went on it, are you kidding me! I was not letting that pass me by.

Autumn turned 2! She got to pick out her cake at Sam's Club, and she chose the princess cupcakes. She got a baby doll and stroller, and all the accessories. Car seat, swing, etc. She thought she had died and gone to heaven. She loved it!

He LOVES his car! He's very protective of it. Such a happy kid. Always has a smile on his face.

So that does it for our summer fun. I miss the warm already, but am really looking forward to some Utah snow. It's so different than Nebraska snow. Trust me, there's a difference.

Yeah, I know...

It's been a while. We will just start with the now, and work backwards. I'll do a summer vacation post later. I made a promise that I would do this before the week was out, so here it goes. I must fulfill it. This will be random and pretty much in picture form. Why? Because pictures say a thousand words. It saves me a lot in explanations and journaling.

First things first, don't mind the dates on the pictures. Our camera has been bothered by three sets of little hands and fingers. Not to mention it's old. But it works, so here we go. And so it begins. She "wants to go pooh on the potty like Dora does." Then when she flushes it she says "Bye bye pooh!" Then she grabs the stool and washes her hand. She's got the routine down, she's just been misfiring on a few signals. I'm just excited that she WANTS to do it!

This was another Fall Break Project. It made a huge difference! We love it! Didn't think doors would make such a huge difference, but clearly, they do! I'll post another picture later of all the doors. They're all in now, I jus need to touch up a couple of spots that I missed, and of course, think of taking the picture. But I promise, it looks awesome!

It was sitting by the garbage, so we sanded it, stained it, and sprayed it! Can't beat the price. We already had all the stuff, so it went pretty quick. Can't beat the price!

Our Fall Break Projects. So awesome. This is what we like to call our "Callie" moment, when you find something you can use and it was FREE!

Family Photo Opp. Wenninghoff's 2009. They had port-a-potty outhouses for the bathrooms, and Ethan was so excited! He wanted to go in the gray one. He brought me along to show me what it looked like. He thought it was so cool. One of Corey's classmates was taking his boys to the bathroom and was asking where they were. Ethan was so excited he wanted to show him. He lead them over there and said, "See, isn't it beautiful!" He's so awesome. He can find the beauty in a port-a- potty.

Have we mentioned how much we love our commander? We can go anywhere now and not hear a word from the back seat! We just plug 'em in. Notice my dead flowers in the back? It snowed fall break and killed 'em. They looked SO GOOD! I'm not ready for cold yet, but at the same time, it means the holidays are coming, and that I am looking forward to.

Yep, we've had a lot of these kinds of days. Need I say more?

Wenninghoff's Hay Ride 2009. It was supposed to be in the 60's that day, but not even close. It was 46 degrees. We didn't let it stop us though. We had a bon fire and roasted hot dogs and had smores and had a lot of fun! It was a CWDA activity, so we weren't alone. We were out there with a bunch of other crazy Dental students and there families.

He is so easy going. He always has a smile on his face no matter what silly thing you're doing with him. He has started throwing fits. They are hilarious! He sits on his butt and kicks his legs, and spins in a circle, all while screaming and crying at the same time. It's a must see.

I love these pictures. She has done this more than a few times. She can't decide what she needs more, food or sleep. She will never say die, so this is what it comes down to. Sleeping at the table. She has grown up so much. No more kicking the door. She loves watching Mulan. I was doing haircuts on the boys the other night, and she snuck out of the room with the scissors and tried to pull a Mulan on her own hair. She almost cut off the whale spout on top of her head. She also LOVES bowes. She is ALL girl, and quite the artist. She is just, awesome. So cute, and so much fun. There is never a dull moment with any of my kids. It is so fun to watch them and try and figure out what in the world they were thinking. How lucky am I!

Ethan's first day of KINDERGARTEN!! I almost cried, but held back. Why, you ask? Good question. Actually, I was wishing they took 2 year olds instead. It seems like once you get your kid to the stage where they kind of listen to you and help you out, they take 'em away. He is loving school though and is doing so good! He's so smart. He's still a little bit stubborn, but it's not his fault. He gets it from his Father. He is also so much fun and still says some of the funniest things. He likes to say, "When I turn into 8, we are going to move today." And then every few days he asks if he is going to turn into 8 so we can see Nanny today. He loves playing Autobots and still has more energy than any other kid I've ever seen and then some.

It is what it is people. Every day is another adventure, and a welcomed one. I love being a Mom. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have a rollercoaster ride of emotions for my children. I do have a favorite though... It's the one that's behaving.

Our two week break in photo form...

Happy Memorial Day! We decided that it would be fun to have a BBQ with some friends for Memorial Day, and guess what... It was! Ethan wasn't feeling very well so I took him to the doctor today, and he has strep again, for the 4th time in less than a year. Poor kid.

I BEGGED my parents to come out and visit, so they did! We had so much fun. Grandpa John had a blast entertaining Carter while the rest of us played at The Amazing Pizza Machine. It's a must do for kids. It wears them out. Parents too. We all had a little snooze in the car on the way home. Except for Grandpa, of course. He was our designated driver.

Ethan and Corey took first place at the indoor race track at the Amazing Pizza Machine. It was so much fun!

We also went to Mahoney State Park while my parents were here, and we had a BLAST! They have this huge indoor hamster cage and the kids just went nuts! It's big enough for adults, so Corey and I got to chase kids through the maze. I felt like a kid again. My knees didn't, but my heart did. It was a lot of fun.

It also has a couple of slides, and Autumn was queen of hunting them down. She loved the slides. They were a little scary in my opinion, but a lot of fun.

We also went to the Pedestrian Bridge. It's the first Pedestrian Bridge in the United States to connect two states. It crosses the Missouri River, and connects Nebraska and Iowa. It sways in the wind though. It's a really neat place to visit, and isn't that far from our house. Corey and some of his school buddies rode there bikes from Village Green down to the Pedestrian Bridge and then all over tarnation after that. It's also not too far from the Old Market. It was a lot of fun.

After Church on Sunday, we grabbed the kids kites and went down to Ethan's school to play on the play ground and fly kites. They had a blast.

I just had to put this picture in here because, let's face it, HE'S CUTE! And I love the outfit.

I don't know what kind of Super Hero he is trying to be here, but whoever he is, I thought it was very unique. Notice the princess shoes on the hand AND feet. Underwear over the pants, sunglasses, and a chain saw to boot. AWESOME!

She was deceived. They were playing chef outside and there was a kitchen bowl outside that had "mud cookies" in it, and she couldn't resist. Poor kid.

While my parents were here, for Mother's Day, my Mom and I got to go and see WICKED!!! I forgot the camera to take some pictures of us to prove it, but you believe me, right? IT WAS AWESOME, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT AGAIN! It was so nice to have an evening with just me and my Mom. It was certainly comedic, and we barely made it, but that is a hole other story in and of itself.

And then amongst it all, we celebrated our 9 year anniversary. We did get to sneak out on a little date while my parents were here, and we went and walked by the Missouri River and went to Panera Bread for lunch. It was fun. I can't believe it's been 9 years already! Time flies when you're having fun. I LOVE YOU, SWEET!

Now we're back to our good ole chaotic life. We wouldn't recognize it if it wasn't.

Our Months in No Particular Order...

First things first... Happy Birthday Ethan! I can't believe you're 5!

We ended up having a little party for him the day after his birthday, hoping we'd get better weather, but as you can see, it was a little bit chilly still. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun.

Widowed no More!! My imaginary husband has come to life! He has unburried himself from his mountains of books and endless tests and is peaking his head up just in time to see some sunshine. We've got two weeks and counting before he hides himself again, but we'll take it! What a blessing to have the first year of dental school behind us.

So much for New Years Resolutions. I am just excited to finally have a minute to share some of our more memorable moments over the past few months. And since pictures tell a thousand words, we'll start there... In no particular order.

Yes, she can actually take a picture that looks like this. This child has got a big noggen. Like in the 97% big. She is in the 50% for weight and 68% for height. So a little top heavy to say the least, and it has been taking it's toll on her sweet face. In one week, she made at least 4 falls that she really made count. She had two goose eggs. One on each side of her forehead that looked like horns, had a scratch by the side of her eye, and fattened her lip twice. Accident prone; need I say more?

Carter started solids and has really enjoyed sitting at the table with the rest of us. He gets fed at least 3 times per sitting. Once from me, then Ethan, then Autumn. He never goes without.

I splurged and bought myself the first pair of high heels since I think middle school, and Autumn LOVES them! It's pretty sad when your almost 2 yr old can walk better in them than you do.

And Carter at 6 months old. HE IS SO HAPPY!! He is such a good baby. He is finally sleeping through the night now, and our sleeping arrangement has finally worked itself out, so that makes him even that more adorable. WE LOVE YOU CARTER!

I had to put this in here because now that summer is here, this will be a lot more common at our house. This is after I passed over it once with the shower. DIRT, DIRT, and MORE DIRT! It makes a mess but it keeps them in one spot and for the most part, pretty content. It's my double edge sword. Let me just expound for a moment. ETHAN has been digging in the mud so that he can find worms to torture and disfigure. and then put in his bug catcher, and I was sick to death of the mud, so I told him NO MORE MUD. He could dig in the dirt, but no more mud. He tried a few times to sneak some water outside, or turn on the hose, but his plans were foiled by yours truly. Then, his clever little wheels got turning, and the neighbor came over and told me that Ethan had just PEED in the dirt. I put him in time out and explained that when he needs to go to the bathroom, he needs to come inside, yada, yada, yada... When I asked him why he did that, he said he wanted to make mud. How genius is that? Always one step ahead of me.

OH, my sweet ETHAN. Never a dull moment when this kid is in the house. He makes me smile EVERY day. I love how Autumn is "brushing her teeth." We have had to pretty much lock them in the bathroom to get any brushing done. Ethan escaped the other day and I don't know what exactly happened, but he came running back to me with spit hanging to his belly button and tears in his eyes, and apparently in all the excitement of his escape, he fell or something, and his "toof brush went down his froat, and it hurt." I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. I'm still laughing. Now he knows why we stay in the bathroom to brush our teef.

My boys! I can't believe I can say that now. I never thought I would, to be honest with you. They are just so cute. Carter is Ethan's, RIGHT HAND MAN. Whenever we take Ethan to school, Carter becomes his show and tell. He likes to tell the kids all the new things Carter is doing. He is such a cute brother, and very protective. Just like BROTHERS should be.

You have probably noticed the trend in most of Carter's pictures, but HE LOVES HIS FEET! They can entertain him for hours. Same with his hands. You should see him get anxious. His hands and feet do there own little dance. It's pretty funny.

For Spring Break in March, we thought it would be FUN and relaxing to go see family in UTAH. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see family, but it was more WORK than FUN. For Corey and I that is. The kids had a blast! This was one of the FUN moments. Carter and Riley got to meet each other for the first time. They are 10 weeks apart. Oh the times they'll have. Look out world, here they come.

These two are partners in crime. This was a wretched week to say the least. And I even turned 30 in the midst of it all. They have this thing with lotion and chap stick. Ethan likes to wear it, and Autumn, well, she likes to say, "Taste good." I had just bought a new bottle of lotion for my face... GONE! Then they found Corey's stash of lotion... ALMOST gone. Instead of kickin' some butts, I got the camera out instead. You see, to save the hair on my head and my sanity these past few months, I had to make an arrangement with my children. When situations like this one arise, and I have the "I'm gonna kill ya face," in their sweetest of voices, I have told them to just say, "MOM, WE'RE ON LOAN." I'll tell ya what, it has saved lives, and has turned my frown upside down.

Autumn: The thief. If it's missing, check her onesie. Ethan caught on to this gig too, and whatever he didn't want me to know he had, he would put it down her shirt, and if he knew I would be really upset, he could blame it on Autumn. HE IS SO SMART!

And yet again, another typical ETHAN thing. This was in the thick of the sickness at our house, and both Autumn and Carter were doing nebulizer treatments. Ethan decided he wanted to be the green eyed man, and this is how he did it. We got a good laugh. He is just so cute! So happy the sick season is over too, might I add. (Should I knock on wood?) We had it bad all winter. They know us very well at the Dr's office. THANK YOU DR KAUFMAN FOR ALL YOUR HELP!
He's awesome, and Ethan especially,just LOVES him!

This too was very memorable. We have the missionaries over to eat at least once a month, and Ethan and Autumn wanted to see what it would be like to "Walk in their shoes," so they literally put them on. This was, of course, after Ethan snuck under the table during dinner and tickled their feet. We actually ended up pulling out the video camera because it was so funny. He got all of us rolling! We'll miss you Elder Perky and Elder Schulz.

Autumn is a book worm, and this is how she reads books to Carter. No, she doesn't like to tease.

OHH, the ATTITUDE. She LOVES to color and she LOVES to paint. And if you don't get to it fast enough, this is what can happen. Actually, I didn't think it was going to get this out of hand, I mean, I was in the room while she was doing it, I was just sleep deprived and loading the dish washer. See what happens. TWO STEPS FORWARD, 10 STEPS BACK. And so goes the story of our lives.

I wouldn't have it any other way. Yes, we have our challenges but WHO DOESN'T? Life is meant to be enjoyed, and lived, and loved, and experienced, and that's what we do best.