El Seis de Mayo

Yes, we celebrated a day late, but it was still fun.  Thanks to our friends for continuing a great new tradition!  This year was much warmer and much nicer.  Hooray for Mexico!

Vamos a celebrar Cinco de Mayo!

Hooray for Mexico!  Thanks for giving us an excuse to get together and party!

It's really all about the food.  Everyone brought some really yummy Mexican dishes. Too bad I was getting over the stomach flu and couldn't eat much, but I'm sure it was all delicious!

Cody: "I can't look at the camera or my food will blow away!" (Notice the food on the table, that was from his neighbor's plate - it was a little windy)

Despite being slightly chilly (yes, on May 5), a good time was had by all.

And you can't have a Mexican party without a piñata!

Thanks Jessica and Stan for hosting and getting us all together for good food and good fun!

The Last Hurrah

2009 couldn't have ended better. We spent New Year's Eve with great friends and had a great time.

We spent the day sledding and playing in the snow at Russ's parents with my friend Jen and her son Jimmy, who also happens to be Corbin's good friend. After trying to make our own sledding trail, we gave in and let Russ pull the boys around behind the four-wheeler. They loved it! Colton even had a good time. When he first fell in the snow and couldn't get up, he just layed there and started eating the snow. He didn't even cry when he fell off the sled and landed face first in the snow. What a trooper!

That night the whole family went to a "Rockin' New Year's Eve" at our friends' house. We played Rock Band, made cool hats and shakers and ate lots and lots of yummy food. This was the first time we have let our kids stay up until midnight and I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. I was certain at some point there would be a major meltdown and we would have to go home - but all the kids did great! At midnight we toasted in the new year and ran outside screaming and yelling and shooting off our little poppers. It was great! Colton even learned how to say "Happy New Year!" It was such a fun night! Thank you, Kyle and Mary!

Saying goodbye is hard to do

We had to say goodbye to our dear friends and neighbors this month.  We sure will miss them!  Of course we couldn't send them off without a proper goodbye . . .

The kids party:  crafts, games, cookie decorating, and lots of smiles and laughs.

The adults party:  food, visiting, more food, an ornament exchange (hey, it's Christmas time), and lots of smiles and laughs.

We sure will miss you, Thompson Family!  Be safe and good luck in Germany!

Trick or Treat

Not too many stories to tell about Halloween this year. I always love seeing my kids dressed up in their costumes and they love trick or treating.

Ready for trick or treating on Main Street . . . I was a gypsy ( it started out as a fortune teller, but the boys lost my awesome crystal ball and I was no longer able to foretell the future). We used to love the Main Street Trick or Treat, because it gave us something fun to do during the day on Halloween, but now there are SO many people; I don't know that we will do it again next year. We may have to find some other fun activity - any ideas?

At any rate, it was fun and Corbin's costume was VERY popular. At first he really didn't like everyone pointing and commenting, but I explained to him that this was a good thing. It meant that they liked his costume and they thought he looked awesome. By the end he was totally proud of it and was smiling from ear to ear every time someone said something.

Corbin and I had been looking at lots of costume ideas in magazines and online and when we came across this, we knew it was just the one for him. He picked yellow because that was his favorite color. I made the hat a little different than the one we saw, and I think the whole costume turned out pretty sweet.

Cody found this costume in our costume box weeks ago, and has loved it ever since. Aside from the fact that we always call him "Cody-bug", I think it totally fits his cute, busy little personality. I loved watching him run around cause the little bum would wiggle as he ran from one person to the next. I also loved that he refered to him self as caterpillar ("Caterpillars love suckers", as he opens yet another piece of candy), and we were expected to do the same ("Mom, you have to say 'Caterpillar wash your hands, not Cody wash your hands'").

Have you ever seen a cuter monkey? Colton's costume was very fitting as we have called him "Monkey", or "Monk" for short, since he was about 9 months old and would do this cling on thing with every time you held him. Plus he has these scrawny little arms and legs and can manuever like only little flexible 1 year olds can. He's just so cute! I wanted to paint his face like a little monkey, but I figured that wouldn't work so well, since I spend half my day wiping something from his nose, mouth, chin, etc. Colton spent most of the day with a sucker or other piece of candy in his mouth. My only consolation was that he drooled most of the sugar onto his outfit and he rarely actually finished what he was eating before moving onto the next piece.

Back at the homestead we got ready for some more trick or treating around the neighborhood. I love where we live, it is so kid friendly! Although, thanks to Russ's awesome webbing skills, some kids were afraid to come to our door - there were several parents who came bearing their child's bag.

As we headed out that evening, Cody decided he would rather hang around with Dad and play, so I pushed Colton around while Corbin trick or treated with Hermoine and a storm trooper (aka Nadia and David).

Ahh, spring!

Spring is supposed to be a time of warmer weather and beautiful blooming flowers, but since we have no trees or flowers in our yard (yet) - this is what spring looks like at our house . . .

I did try to spray them off, but hopefully my neighbor will forgive me for sending her kids home wet and dirty. :)