A Best of Both Worlds Halloween

We would like to thank Disney for providing costume ideas for our children this year. Gracie was going to be Jessie from Toy Story until we were at the Halloween story trying to hunt down a Jessie costume and she saw a Hannah Montana costume. From then on, it was Hannah or bust. And Gracie wasn't just Hannah on Halloween; she also got to dress up for gymnastics and school. And the perfect Hannah Montana she was!


Our little Ellie Bean was Minnie Mouse this year. The dress has been hanging in her closet for months, and she was SO excited to finally get to wear it. So excited that she didn't want to take it off when we got home from a Halloween party Saturday night and then she wore it all day Sunday, even during her nap.


We went to the Halloween party with Brian and Becka, who went as Ghostbusters.

And because we were unable to give our undivided attention to the Giants in game three of the World Series, we thought it was fitting that Scott dressed up as SF Giants Pitcher Brian Wilson (fear the beard!!!), and I went as his biggest fan.

We had a great time, and Gracie even won the prize for the Best Looking Kids Costume. Hope you had a great Halloween too!

A first for everything

When Scott went hunting this year, Gracie very seriously gave him permission to shoot one deer and only one deer. It's a good thing that's the way it works since he got his first deer!

A little of this and that...

What have we been up to lately? Well...

Gracie played in the rain...

Ellie started doing this all the time...

Gracie continued to act far older than her actual 4 1/2 years...

Ellie mowed the lawn...

Scott and the girls took a trip to St. George so Candice could run the St. George Marathon...

We spent the weekend in St. George and had a great time with Boyd, Kamille, Connor, Kody, Taylor & Dallas...

Gracie ran with Mom...

and we found this really cool flower in our backyard.

Terrific Two...Take Two

Our little Ellie turned two on September 5th!! At two, our Ellie Bean is this tiny but feisty little thing. She is smart and stubborn, serious and so tenderhearted.

Ellie had a great time celebrating her birthday with all her "cousins." She LOVES everything Toy Story right now and chose a Toy Story cake.


She loved her cake, but wasn't a big fan of everyone singing Happy Birthday. She shook her head and then covered her ears until we were finished (she does this when we sing at church too). But then she was happy to blow out the candles!

Her Jessie and Woody dolls from Grandpa and Grandma were one of her favorite gifts.

And yes, she had a cast on her arm for her birthday. After a black eye in all her first birthday pics, we were hoping the cast would come off before this year's event. Let's just hope this doesn't become an annual thing in our little Ellie Monkey's life!

Of course, we also had to document Ellie at two with some pictures.

Fun in the Arizona Sun

In July, we took a girl's trip to Arizona. Gracie, Ellie and I braved a road trip to Grandpa's and Grandma's house without Scott. The girls were really good, especially considering Ellie isn't a fan of spending long periods of time in the car. The only meltdown moment came around nap time when Ellie was beyond exhausted. The drive took longer than usual with potty stops and snack breaks, but it was worth it for all the fun the girls had once we got there!! And the drive back was cake because Grandma is awesome and decided to come along for the ride.

In addition to the hours they spent playing with Grandma's toys, they got to play with their cousins...



do projects...

swim...

and swim...



and swim...

Better Late Than Never

This is an official catch-up post. Here is a quick recap of a few things that have happened in the past few months...

Gracie graduated from her first year of preschool. She asks almost every day when she gets to go back to school. She LOVED school and her teacher, and we are all very excited that she will be able to have Miss Farrah as her teacher again this year.

Gracie got to help Scott at work. The girls love to visit their daddy while he is working!

We've spent lots of fun time with Parker & Xander, including a day at the petting zoo and another fun-filled adventure at the aquarium.

There was some water fun while jumping on the trampoline with the Jacobson kids.

The girls became sparkler pros in their pjs.

We had some more water fun in our own backyard.


Gracie became a pro at riding the four wheeler (not alone as the picture suggests). This is a big deal because she has always been terrified of it.

And there has been lots of sister love.

Those are just a few of the moments captured in pictures since May. Along the way, we also made some amazing family memories with Brian and Becka, celebrated Easter, partied at Aly's wedding, family reunioned and took a few trips to St. George. And that just covers our lives through June.

Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii

By the time we got home from Hawaii, Ellie had added the word to her vocabulary. Only she always says it in threes: Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii. And she always finishes it with this little smile that says she knows we love when she says it. Seriously, it is stinkin' cute.

So yes, we went to Kauai for a week in March. It was the first Hawaii trip for all of us, and we had an amazing time. It was the perfect family vacation!

Fab Four

Gracie is FOUR and her birthday celebration ended up being an ongoing event! The Tuesday before her birthday, she took cupcakes to her class and got to wear a birthday crown all day. There was also a patriotic program for the parents that day, so Ellie and Mom got to see her perform in her crown.

Because we were going to be in Hawaii on her actual birthday (March 7th), Gracie's birthday party was on Thursday the 4th. Gracie chose to have her party at Kangaroo Zoo with her friends. She also chose what her birthday cake would be. When Mom asked if she wanted a princess castle cake, she said: "A princess cake is for if you are going to Disneyland for your birthday." She chose a flip-flops cake since she was going to Hawaii ("for her birthday").

The Cake

Best friends

Opening presents

Blowing out the candles

The girls

The party room