School Party

On Wednesday Brighton's preschool had their Halloween Party.

Brighton and his teacher, Mrs. Starr

playing some fun games

The superheroes gather outside for recess

Enjoying their treats

I volunteered to help with the party and bring treats, so I took some ghost and pumpkin sugar cookies that the kids frosted and decorated themselves. It was a big hit!

I always hesitate to volunteer for class activities because that means I have to find someone to watch the girls, but Brighton was SO excited to have me come. As soon as I got there he introduced me to each of his classmates and told me over and over that he was so glad I was there. At the end he said "Thanks for letting me share you with my friends today", so I was really glad I went. He has a wonderful teacher and such cute little friends, it was a great party.

Happy Halloween!

This year we went with a Toy Story 2 theme. I think the kids look pretty darn cute!

I figured this may be the last year they'll let me do a theme, so I had to get a picture of them together. I'm sure next year Chelsea and Siena will insist on being princesses, and Brighton will want to be Spiderman or something...

It's kind of fun to compare it with last year's picture, too:

Pumpkin Carving

Last night for Family Night we carved pumpkins with Grandma and Grandpa.

The pumpkins before,

during,

and after.

What a fun activity!

New Portraits

It does make it handy that Chelsea turned 3, Brighton turned 5, and Siena turned 18 months old all within weeks of each other. Because of that it seems like I always take the kids to get their pictures taken at this time of year. I went to Target again, and maybe it's because the kids are getting older, but it wasn't as traumatic of an experience as it has been in the past... although, Chelsea seems to have outgrown her difficult phase just in time for Siena to get into it.
Maybe I've just lowered my expectations.

I'm just happy to have at least one cute picture of all of them smiling

And one for Justin's desk

I'm not sure why Chelsea got so serious all of a sudden


This one is my favorite-- I love how they're all holding each other's hands

Brighton- 5 years old

Chelsea- 3 years old

Siena- 18 months old

It's amazing to see how much they've changed from a year ago:

Brighton- 4 years old

Chelsea- 2 years old
Siena- 6 months old

Hanging Out with Dad

While I spent most of Saturday being pampered at a luxurious spa (another one of my fabulous birthday presents), the kids got to spend a fun day with Justin. They watched movies and played, and went and got lunch from Dairy Queen. I just thought these pictures he took of them eating their lunch were very cute. What a fun day!

A Visit with Their Great-Grandparents

On Friday evening the girls and I were going down to Provo for a baby shower, so of course we made stop and visited with Grandma and Grandpa Yarn while we were down there.

It is always nice to see them.

Brighton could not be more proud...

Justin and I were invited to the Cutler's 7th Annual Monster Mash, which was a welcome surprise since in the past we have been such party-poopers and had really lame costumes. Well, this year I was better prepared-- my mom was kind enough to make my Princess Leia dress, and I assembled Justin's Han Solo costume with the help of D.I. and Brighton. Our little resident Star Wars expert explained all of the pieces needed to complete the look, and he supplied us both with the necessary props.

Brighton thought we were the coolest parents ever!

Eighteen Months

Siena turned 18 months old this week. Today I took her in for her well-check, and she is in the 20th percentile for height and weight. She may be petite, but that doesn't stop her from doing everything her big brother and sister do!

Some of the fun things she is doing now:

-She is constructing simple sentences. She especially loves to talk on the phone!
-She is into EVERYTHING, and much to my chagrin, most often it is in my jewelry box and make-up drawer.
-She is very independent and insists on eating, brushing her hair and teeth, and even getting undressed all by herself.
-She loves, loves, LOVES to dance, and I have to say, she has some pretty sweet moves.
-Her favorite thing is taking showers with Dad in the mornings.



She's a little bit stubborn but mostly absolutely adorable. I love how she says "Are you OK?" to Brighton or Chelsea when they get hurt, or "Wake-up!" to her dad when he dozes off on the couch, and "Coming!" when I call her to come to me. She is completely and utterly a daddy's girl, and she certainly has her Dad wrapped around her little finger. She is just a delightful part of our family.

And can I just say how excited I am that she is now officially in nursery!

Our Nightly Routine

Chelsea always has a complete meltdown if we try to skip our nightly story time. Last night Dad had to work late and didn't get home until the kids were about to go to bed, but even though he was tired, he was so sweet to read them a couple of books before we sent them to bed. What a good dad.

I just had to capture this precious moment.

An Outing with Chelsea

For her birthday Grandma had taken Chelsea to Build-a-Bear, and she got this pink teddy bear that she named "Daisy". She had also given her some money to pick out an outfit for her, so last night I took Chelsea to the Build-a-Bear store to get Daisy some clothes.

There were so many outfits to choose from, but as soon as she saw this hot-pink party dress, her mind was made up. She also picked out some glass slippers and a head-bow. She was so proud of the ensemble!

Afterwards we got some ice cream and watched the fountains

Justin and I have tried to make a point of spending one-on-one time with each of the kids on a regular basis. I have really enjoyed the times that I spend alone with each of my kids, and one thing I've noticed is how much each of them talk when we are alone together. I guess when they're all together they kind of cancel each other out. Well, last night was no exception. Chelsea is normally a pretty chatty girl, but I don't think she stopped to take a breath the whole time we were out! So, when I came across this shirt at the Gap, I couldn't resist...

It describes her perfectly!