trick-or-treat

posted by daddy

we celebrated our first halloween in our new house and it was so much fun. we went trick-or-treating and decorated a haunted gingerbread house. there were tons of kids in the neighborhood and more than enough houses handing out halloween goodies. you know you have struck gold when you have to stop by the house midway to unload your candy and still have more houses to visit and fill up your bags again. even though it was a cold night, the kiddos made it to a ton of houses and had lots of fun. now we have to figure out what to do with all the candy.

the steeler, purple cat and jedi

candy, candy everywhere

decorating a haunted gingerbread house gift from grammie and gampa

the candy decorations were a hit

the kiddos were very particular. owen wanted it to look
exactly like the one on the box.

happy halloween!

movies and pumpkins

posted by owen, everett and eloise

the weekend before halloween, we went to the miller activity complex (mac) in castle rock for a fall festival movie night. they had pumpkin carving, food vendors and free popcorn (for the movie). it was a cold night so we brought along lots of warm blankets and jackets to watch "it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown" and part of "goonies". we were too cold, though, and didn't make it long before leaving to get yummy treats at sonic!

we picked up a few jimmy john subs to bring with us

enjoying a fun family night

warm blankets during the movie

chatfield corn maze

posted by daddy

for one of the boys' homeschool field trips, we went to the chatfield corn maze and had a blast! a giant jump pillow, yummy corn dogs, a corn maze and lots of other activities helped to make it a fun family outing.

the boys' orange shirts weren't even planned, yet fit right in!

all the kids were able to use antique tools used to
shuck corn and grind it into bird feed

we all enjoyed barrel train rides!

cozying up together to get out of the sun and rest their legs

the corn dogs were awesome

fun in the corn maze included picking up cobs and
attempting to shuck them by hand while getting lost!

sweet treats included kona ice, caramel apple with m&m's,
and laffy taffy

daddy's birthday

posted by mommy

this year for james' birthday, we surprised daddy with a morning in the foothills. we enjoyed a beautiful crisp fall day hiking in Lair 'O the Bear park and eating a picnic lunch.

finding good hiking sticks was a must

evie is a true daddy's boy

amazing trees perfect for climbing

and no one can pass up some true rock climbing

a much-loved daddy and his kiddos

we love you tons daddy! happy birthday!

FAMP 2017

posted by kelly

every year our church hosts a family camp here in colorado. we were so happy to be able to join in the fun this year at horn creek! we all enjoyed our weekend away over labor day, spending time with other families, playing games, diving a little deeper into God's desire for relationships, and being together. the kids all looked forward to the kids-only times when our amazing children's ministry staff played with and took care of them so the parents could study together or go out for date night. we all can't wait to go back again next year!

a quick family shot during family devo time

a perfect hiking stick

afternoon free time...water slides!!

a little family bowling

the boys couldn't wait to do a little rock climbing

yeah, don't mind the crocs...they're pretty much what he lives in!

happy 5-year birthday everett!

posted by everett

i turned 5 years old today! i chose a special breakfast (buttermilk pancake muffins with lots of yummy toppings) and dinner (homemade mac 'n cheese with hot fudge sundaes). i've really been into star wars lately so mommy and daddy themed it up with one of my favorite characters, darth vadar. daddy even had darth vadar sing "happy birthday" to me. just like owen and eloise, we went to the zoo in the morning and saw all the fun animals. we even rode the carousal and as a birthday boy, my ride was free. i also received lots of fun gifts from my family, including really cool walkie talkies! we finished the day off by playing fun board games and going outside for some basketball.

i woke up to a darth vadar-inspired door of streamers

star wars decorations

a happy birthday sign created many years ago
by my cousins that we still use!

star wars and pj masks tattoos from eloise...i'm obsessed with tattoos!

a darth vadar lego watch from owen

a new scooter from grammie and gampa with light-up wheels

our annual birthday whipped cream shots!

fun breakfast pancake muffins

my family sang me happy birthday

rocking my birthday shirt from mrs. beth

my birthday pin from the zoo and a crown i brought from home 
since i was king evie for the day!

having fun at the zoo

me and daddy

owen wanted to take a few pics, not too bad owen!

me and mommy

riding the carousal

my goofball brother

walkie talkies from mommy and daddy

my birthday dinner - homemade mac 'n cheese with hot dogs and salad

it was an amazing day. i'm pooped!