Happy Halloween!

This is an odd year for holidays!  With Covid-19 everything that used to be normal is no longer normal.  So, how do you go to strangers' homes and get candy from them?  Well, Tiffany came up with balloons with candy in them so no one had to touch anything.  also, she made it totally creepy!  Way to go girl.  Our kids walked the cousins neighborhood and then I drove them out to their math teacher, Ms. Amend, to trick-or-treat there.  She loved getting to see the kids!  She really loves Halloween too!  I think it was a good holiday, even if it wasn't like a normal year!

The kids who participated in dressing up:  Bree, Mhari, and Sandra were Lumber Jills, Owen was a dragon rider, Lorna was Rey from Star Wars, and Clark was an M&M.   

 

Halloween Masquerade

The ballroom dance class hosted a Halloween Masquerade.  Talmage and Sandra attended.  It was fun to help Sandra get ready and make her all pretty!  I love that they get to go and ballroom dance with other teenagers!  Such fun memories!

 

Fireplace Facelift!

When we bought this house this fireplace was just too much for the small office it was in.  We took out the huge brick hearth and scaled back the fireplace.  We thought about taking it out, but it was built pretty strong and so it stayed.  We really wanted to put up a brick veneer or tile, but never found the right fit.  We decided it was time to just finish it off with some texture and paint.  Grant helped me out with this project.  I think it turned out pretty nice!  It's amazing how some of these small projects help finish up a space!

Primary Pumpkin Patch

Our primary hosted a pumpkin patch for the kids!  They each got to come and pick a pumpkin and hang out and play for a bit.  Everyone loved rolling the pumpkins down the hill!  The kids had a great time!  The little photo area was really cute too!

Window Seat

I've been meaning to finish up the window seat in the loft for a while.  I finally hunted down the cushion and some material!  I then had to create the cover all by myself.  It was a bit of work, but I'm so pleased with how it turned out!  It feels so good to have the window seat done!  

 

Yardwork

It's that time of year to reclaim the flower beds!  It's a good thing I have so many kids to help with the yardwork!  We were able to get so many flowerbeds fixed up!  We weeded, added mulch, plants, and edging.  I helped lay out the positions of some plants, but the kids did all of the planting.  It looks so much better now!

 

The Big 18!

Talmage turned 18!  It's crazy to think that 18 years ago he was born and made us parents!  These last 18 years have gone by so quickly!  Talmage has sure grown up!  It's amazing that he is an adult!  Also, it seems like he's been waiting to be an adult for a few years now.  He's smart, caring, creative, thoughtful, and fun.  He's definitely a teenager, but getting more mature each year!  We love you Talmage!

This year we celebrated at home with family.  Uncle Nathan, Aunt Tiffany and the cousins came over for dessert and presents.  Talmage had a great time opening his presents! 

 

This year is going to be an adventure as he keeps working and gets himself prepared for a mission!  I think that's when it will hit that he's really an adult and our whole family feels different.