The Never-Ending Week of Halloween!

Will this week ever end?

Tuesday =
Second Grade Spider & Bat Fair

I needed to include Jackson Bateman's habitat so you could understand the idea...Lulu's Bat Habitat was awesome! She used a flashlight to illuminate her bat-cave! Jackson's wasn't too shabby either!
Wednesday = Trunk or Treat!Butler Girls with Pops and Thompson Girls with Dad!
Ruby refused to wear her costume and decided on a dirty, old recital dress
Thursday =
School Halloween Parties & ParadeLu and her darling friends Jackie, Grace and Kate!
Have you ever seen such boo-tiful girls!
George and his buddies Nolan, Skylar, Connor and Gio!
Aren't they spook-tacular?!
Lulu's very, first Halloween Parade!
Thank you Bartlett
for making a new tradition this year!
Ruby refuses to wear her costume to her pre-school Halloween Party and carries a "Chef" costume in her bag to school!
Friday =
Ballet Costume Party & Pumpkin Carving
Ruby refused to wear her costume to Ballet...
at this point, I've given up on any possibility of her in a costume!
Saturday =
Thompson Halloween Party & Trick or Treating!
The girls had a blast at Abbie and Daisy's Halloween Party on Saturday morning! Ruby still refuses to wear any costume and at the party wins the
"Costume Most Like Yourself" award!
*thanks for the pics Lindsay!
Rubes decides to surprise us all and dresses up in a
"last minute, six dollar, Wal-Mart Pop's purchase"!
We figured she just wanted to be like her sis!
She even wore face paint!
For Halloween evening, The Dawahare's, The Thompson's and The Rich's joined us for chili & breadsticks and then,
Trick or Treating in the neighborhood!

A fun and exhausting week!

This Really Is The Place!

Okay, so I found a new favorite spot in SLC!

This is the Place Monument

So much fun! We did a full Cousin/Dee/Aunt/Grandma day! Everyone showed up in shifts! All lightweights! Of course, Sam and I are die-hards and spent the whole, dusty, 100 degree day there! The kids had a blast! Activities mixed with a picnic, mixed with history, mixed with ice cream, mixed with a gift shop, mixed with a farm... these are a few of my favorite things! In talking to a pioneer volunteer, I found out you can dress like a pioneer and volunteer with your kids all day! The kids just get to run free throughout the little town streets and farm! The kids agreed it would be crazy-fun! Next summer we are so doing this... I just need to break the news to Rich!

Lu and George playing "pioneer kid games"!
Don't they look like naturals?

Rubes, George and Memphis (the only ones without aversions or allergies) rode ponies and fed the baby sheep with bottles of milk!
Rubes, of course made fast friends and wanted to take one home!

George, Allie, Morgan and Lu
in front of the first BYU building!

Another fun summer day!

Every Tuesday & Thursday!

Anyone who knows me even a little, knows I LOVE Wheeler Farm! So just imagine my excitement when my sister Sam, not necessarily a "Farm Girl", agreed to meet me and the kids after work for a picnic! Wait, it get's better! This turned into a s u m m e r - l o n g tradition! Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, after Sam finished work, we would all meet at The Farm for dinner. Some nights Grandma & Grandpa would stop by as well. The kids were in heaven! They created a game call "Apple Races" where they would pick crab-apples from the trees and float them down the stream. We fed the ducks and Geese. Some nights we wouldn't even visit the animals, we would just play under the big oaks on the grass or swim in the stream. Sam and I would sit in the shade and catch up on the week. The only thing better than the Farm, is...

Family at the Farm!

Morgan, Lulu, Ruby and Memphis

Wondering about Mem's huge goose-egg?
Yes, it's from Ruby! Our first week in SLC, Ruby accidentally hit her in the forehead with a golf club!

Apple Races!

A Bit of Summer Reading!

I made Lu and George a deal at the beginning of the summer... read a full book series over the course of summer vacation... choose your reward! George choose the Lightening Thief Series of three good sized books. He finished the series @ 10:00 pm the night before school. Just squeaking by! He loves this series and is now reading the fourth book, Battle of the Labyrinth. His reward?

Well Lulu's passion is reading and she finished her Romona Series (Beasus and Romona,Romona the Pest, Romona the Brave and Romona and her Father) by the end of June! She then went on to read the second series (Romona and her Mother, Romona Forever, Ramona Quimby Age Eight, Romona's World) all by the end of July! Her well deserved reward was...drum roll please....

A salon manicure & pedicure!

Whatever Lulu does, Rubes wants to do too! The best thing about sisters is getting to share everything! The girls had soo much fun being pampered!

The Fourth of July!

I love Fourth of July for so many reasons, but the top of my list is seeing my proud Pop's in his ol' Willey's Jeep with the American Flag flying!

Fourth of July @ Brighton has become such a great tradition for both Rich's and my families! We meet up at the top of Brighton Proper first thing in the morning on the Fourth. There's a big pancake breakfast, a small parade, lots of friends & neighbors and larger than life beauty all around! The kids have a blast with all the cousins and friends... and of course the great outdoors!

Me and my childhood best friend and next-door neighbor, Jenny Lund Lemberes.
Growing up, we caused quite a bit of trouble! Jenny and I were ruthless big-sisters! Thanks heavens our sisters have forgiven us! Jenny's little sister, Mandy, is Sam's best friend. All of our kids are about the same age... it's so fun to see them all together!

Sam's Morgan, My Lulu, Jenny's Gabe and Mandy's Abbie!

The Butler/Judd Cousins

The Butler/Start Cousins with Grandpa

You might be asking, "Where is Ruby in all these pictures?"...

You can usually find her here... in Papa's arms!

Lulu's Recital

Lulu and Kate

This year's dance recital theme was High School Musical and it was held at a local High School Gymnasium. Lulu danced in two pieces: Jazz/Tap and Ballet. Ballet is Lu's favorite and it shows! She is amazing! Because of the magic of carpooling, Rich and I hadn't seen her dance all year. So when she performed her first number, we were in tears! Lulu can really dance. She is such a beautiful ballerina!

Bravo, Bravo!