Sleepy Hollow Color Run

Throw color dust like confetti while running around like crazy?? Yes please! The kids sure loved the school fundraiser tonight!! I was also a fan. All I had to do was buy the shirt, and then watch them run around and around in circles while getting progressively more colorful. It was a fun night for the whole family. As a surprise bonus, Grandma and Grandpa Howe showed up as a surprise at the house just before and were able to join us in cheering the kids on!

Before and After

Charlie with a very purple arm from throwing dust :)

Colorful event calls for a colorful treat!

Amarillo December Fun

This year we left for Dallas on December 18, which left us just a few short weeks to squeeze in all the local Christmas fun. Now that we have lived in Amarillo for a few Christmases, the kids are starting to remember and look forward to the different activities from years past and we keep discovering new fun things around us!

In addition to our usual favorites, this year we also went to a synchronized light display at a house owned by one of Dave's students that was fun. We also attended the elementary school Christmas party that we weren't able to go to last year. And Charlie's favorite activity of the season was just driving around to look at lights. Our neighborhood has some really impressive houses and we drove through at least a few times a week to enjoy the light displays before leaving town.

Grandma Howe sent Sophie this adorable reindeer dress

We decorated for Christmas and even Diamond got a little something to make her tank festive

These look more like fall pictures, but we had a really nice day in December so the boys and I went outside to clean up all the leaves that had blown into our backyard.

The kids always look forward to walking Candy Cane Lane and this year we were lucky enough to find Santa again at the end of the street!

Sophie asked for more CDs, Charlie said he wanted a choo choo, and Davey just wanted to get his free candy cane and leave :)

Sophie wrote a letter to Santa on behalf of all the kids this year

Sophie drew this adorable Christmas T-Rex picture for Davey

While the boys and I were gone in Seattle, Sophie and daddy had lots of fun back in Amarillo. They went out to eat, got donuts, and met Santa at the ward party!

Davey's letter group had a Christmas party where they each brought a book to exchange and made a cute reindeer headband craft

Sleepy Hollow Elementary had a Science With Santa event that we went to one night. They had a few different activity stations and story time with Santa in the library. Sophie set a record by stacking 14 sugar cubes, and since we never checked back later in the night to see if anyone surpassed her, we let her assume that she was the champion!

We also were able to squeeze in a visit to the Botanical Gardens for their light display before leaving town for Dallas. Davey looks a little stunned in this photo, but he was able to pull himself together enough to ask Santa for a Remote Control Batman car.

We celebrated "Grandmari" Christmas early so the kids would have some time to enjoy their gifts before we had to leave them to go to Dallas. They loved everything they received!

November & December Video Clips

Fall Fun Friday

We had two fun events this Friday! First up was a trip to Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm. A group of moms from our stake all met together to go as a "preschool field trip." Our family will all go together later in October, but for today it was just me and the boys.

It was a beautiful day (maybe a little too warm at times) and Davey had a fabulous time. His favorite part was repeatedly climbing up the big hill to go down the slides. He also liked riding on the cow train, and playing in the corn pit, which was nice to see because last year he was too afraid to go in. He was covered head to toe in dirt and corn dust by the end of the day, which is the sign of a good outing for a little boy.

With my friend Candice. She has a little boy Davey's same age, a baby girl just a few months younger than Charlie, and a daughter that is Sophie's age as well. 

Picking the pumpkin was actually the worst part of our day. We took a hay ride out to the patch where Davey spent 2 minutes choosing a pumpkin, and then they left us there for AN HOUR. It was hot and dusty, with no shade and I didn't bring any snacks. I debated several times whether or not to walk back, but knew Davey would never make it, and I couldn't carry him and Charlie both. 

There was this big tractor to look at while we waited to return to the farm

Charlie was so hungry he started eating hay :)

After the patch we went to the corn pit, where Davey jumped right in, but Charlie was not so sure

He was a daredevil on these slides!

I also met up with my friend Jessica there. She has two boys that Davey loves to play with, and a baby Charlie's age as well. We spent a lot of time chasing the big boys all over, so we parked the babies next to each other so they wouldn't look abandoned whenever we had to run off. 

Friday evening was the Horseman Harvest, a fall carnival at Sophie's school. Davey loved the pumpkin bowling, fishing game and all the candy. Sophie's favorites were the animals, face painting and bouncy houses. It was hard to keep track of everyone and help them with the games since Dave was out of town and I was on my own. We lasted 90 minutes before everyone got cold and I ran out of patience. The kids had fun though, and I'm sure we'll look forward to this event each year!

Charlie was asleep when we arrived so I put him in the wagon. He took a good nap, and then when he woke up, I sat him up so he could watch the action. 

Matchbox car races

Lonestar Scales & Tails, the company where Sophie had her birthday, was at the festival. I love the look Davey is giving her as she showed him the igauana. 

Sophie insisted on hold the snake by herself

Pumpkin bowling

The classic fishing game is always a favorite

The face painting booth was run by middle school kids (12 year olds), so the art wasn't that amazing, but the kids didn't care. Davey was going to get a spider, but then when he sat in the chair he changed his mind to a football. 

Match the ducks & bean bag toss