Happy Halloween

So this Halloween we had a lot of fun.  We went to the pumpkin patch over the month of October and picked out a bunch of pumpkins to carve and decorate.  Kiley loved picking out pumpkins and taking pictures with all of the fun scarecrows.  Kiley and I carved two pumpkins, the cat and the spider and then Christian and Kiley carved the skull.  She had so much fun helping and watching.  You can tell from the picture that the spider and cat have been sitting out for over a week, hence the loss of some of the spider's legs. LOL.  Christian just carved the skull tonight.  It turned out really good.

 
For Halloween we went out on Saturday to trick or treat.  A friend of ours had talked to people in the ward and had set up houses for the kids to trick or treat at so we could celebrate Saturday instead of Sunday.  Afterwards we went to their place for hot apple cider and treats so the kids could all play together.  Kiley loved it all.  She got to go with one of her friends Maddy.  She loved it.  She was princess Jasmine this year.  She found this dress at the store and said it looked liked princess Jasmine, I just have to say that I was glad it was modest.  LOL.  Over all it was a fun Halloween and I am sure Kiley can't wait till next year. 

Oh, and btw we grew a lawn. LOL.  We have been working really hard on seeding and watering to get a lawn to grow and we are so pleased with ourselves.  LOL.  Hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Families Are Forever

Grandma Cleo Hoggan passed away on October 6th, 14 days before her 93rd birthday.  She will be greatly missed, but I know that she is happier on the other side now that she has been reunited with the love of her life.                                       

 My mom was there with her when she passed, holding her hand.  I believe Grandma was waiting for someone to be there with her before she left us.                     
I was unable to attend her funeral due to doctor's orders and financial circumstances but I heard all about it and how beautiful it was.  She was dearly loved by all and from what I heard the attendance at her funeral was a great example of that.        
 Many family members spoke including all my uncle's, my aunt Paula, my cousin Cloe and my sister April.  And there was a beautiful musical number performed by my cousins Amy and Catherine.                                                              
 All of the brothers and sisters were there and almost all of the cousins, and trust me there is a lot of us, so that is quite remarkable.  It just shows you how much this women meant to so many, both family and friends.
I'll have many fond memories of her...picking black berries in the garden, her Christmas decorations, candy always on the coffee table (even mixing M&M's with Skittles in the same bowl, my dad was surprised when he grabbed a handful, LOL).  Fireworks on the hill in Solana Beach, walks down to the beach,  games of Croquet and Yahtzee, Family Reunions, and most of all her hugs and kisses, especially her kisses.  She always made sure to kiss us when we arrived and when we left.  She is a truly amazing person with a great work ahead of her, I am sure of it.
Kiss, Kiss Grandma.  I love you! 

 

Yum Yum!!

So this weekend we made some Halloween cupcakes.  Kiley was so excited about this.  I let her pick out the decorations, cake and frosting.  She was a big help. LOL That is in eating them. LOL. 

My little helper!

October Fun

We have been up to a lot lately.  These are just some of the things we have done this month and last.

Kiley and I got to go to the zoo with some friends.  She really liked the giraffes.

I found this beautiful praying mantis on our kitchen window. 

Kiley and I go to story time at the library every week and they read books and then make a craft.  This was her fish face mask that she made all by herself.  She was very proud of it.

Then Christian took Kiley and I to Kings Island (which is like a knott's berry farm) on Toyota day.  They shut down the park for Toyota employees, but from what we found out it was even more crowded than on a regular day.  There are a lot of Toyota employees.  But at least it was discounted tickets.  Besides we have discovered that once you have kids you do these things for them not yourself so no roller coasters for us just rides Kiley wanted to go on. 

This was the only ride I could go on since I was pregnant. LOL.

Christian took Kiley on her first roller coaster ride. 

She loved it, as you can see with the hands up and smile on her face.

This was the only ride that she did by herself.  She never cried she was just acting shy because we were trying to get her attention for a picture.

And this was one of her favorite things.  She loves posing with the characters.  All in all we had a lot of fun and we have been keeping ourselves busy this month.