October in Review

Somehow October got completely away from me.  So here is an onslaught of pictures and a quick review.

One of D's chores is putting away the silverware.

 J took the kids to see the new Scheels store while I was doing a funeral luncheon:

 The Gluten-Free Expo.  I had intended to purchase tickets in advance, but never got to it.  When we got there an official looking man walked up to us and asked if we had tickets.  I was worried he was going to tell me they were filled to capacity, so (a little deflatedly) I told him no.  He handed me free tickets and told me to enjoy!  Oh boy did we.  When we walked in AP and AJ both commented on all the people and how they had no idea there were so many people who had to eat like we do.  There were so many yummy samples that we were past full before we reached the end of all the vendors.

 D got tired of taste testing and went with J to enjoy the inflatables

The Relief Society was in charge of the chili cook-off at the ward Halloween party.  J left that night for a trip, so this is the only picture I got of him and D together in their costumes.  I'm so sad it's blurry.

These were the prizes.  The three big ones were for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.  I filled them with Boston Baked Beans (Traditional), Jelly Bellies (Flavorful), and Red Hots (Spicy).  I found the cute little jars in the wedding favors at Michaels and gave one to everybody who brought soup or chili as a thank you.

Cousins!  They gave AJ lots of awesome duct tape for her birthday.  Duct tape is all the rage right now and she is having a blast covering notebooks, folders, water bottles, and making things out of it.

AJ performed at the Spooktacular at the gym. Here she is with her "crew"

Here are the boys hanging out while we wait for her performance.

 And some blurry shots of her dance.

 Preschool Halloween Parade

 AJ's class party

 Since J wasn't around for Halloween night AP agreed to dress up as Shaggy and take D trick-or-treating

 Halloween decorations 

And D trying out karate.  We had him doing a sports sampler class at the gym, but it got cancelled because he was the only one signed up so we thought we would try out karate instead.  He did a great job for his first time and being the littlest guy there.

Birthday Beauties

For her birthday party, AJ opted for a sleepover with 3 of her closest friends.  On the one hand it is so nice to have girls who are a little older and don't require a parent for constant supervision.  On the other hand I was amazed by how much noise and craziness 4 pre-teen girls can make.  Whew.

Anyway.  We started the sleepover by making individual pizzas and then did presents and cake.  AJ requested a marble cake and wanted to decorate it herself.  I was so happy to comply.

Her friends know her well.  She got a cheetah lamp, a BFF picture holder, a temporary tattoo sprayer, decorate your own flip-flops, and a hair beader.  Can you tell how much fun they had just opening presents?!  They are all FULL of personality.

After that the girls headed downstairs and entertained themselves doing make-up and playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii. 

Then in an effort to help them settle down, I gave them each a mini facial.  We washed off their make-up and then I put cucumbers on their eyes and applied mud masks.  While the masks were drying they each got a little neck massage.  They did settle down quite a bit for the facials and were really cute about it.  They kept making comments like, "Wow, this is really relaxing," and "My face has never felt so clean; I think I can feel my pores clearing out," with a reply of  "Yeah I think I won't have any more zits after this." One friend said, "This feels really good.  How does your mom know how to do this?"  AJ's reply, "Because she's awesome!"  

Then one of the girls said, "Let's all hold hands; I read online that can really help people relax."  Admittedly I had to stifle a few giggles throughout this whole process; good thing their eyes were covered so they couldn't see me smiling.

The hot wash cloths may have been their favorite part of the whole thing.  Lot's of exclamations of delight as I put them on their faces and then wiped away the mask.

After facials I set up a popcorn bar and they settled down for a movie with their snacks.  If only they had fallen asleep then... instead they were up ALL. NIGHT. LONG.  Oh well, when has sleep ever been part of a slumber party anyway?

Here is AJ the next afternoon, making up for all of the fun she had the night before...