A few cute moments this month

I had my camera on hand for a few cute moments this month. Family sure is a blessing.

Montecito Holiday Party

The Montecito fire department puts on a nice Holiday party every year and we all had a nice time attending our first year. I volunteered to help plan and put on the party with a few other wives in the womens association. I was put in charge of the beverage bar, kids craft table & helped with set up as well.

The party was in the engine bay at station 1, this way all on duty could still be a part of it. (Billy was on duty) There was a bounce house for the little kids, a Christmas tree to decorate, a face painter, ornament making, games, a visit from Santa, caroling & a taco bar catered dinner. There was also a blow up money vault where you get inside and try and grab money that is blowing all around inside. At the end of the evening, they put real dollars in it and kids took turn getting inside and grabbing for cash. William ended up with $7, Zachary grabbed $11, and Jameson came out with $5. They thought that was pretty cool.

I was a little surprised the boys wanted their faces painted! They have never wanted to do this before, but they all stood in line & took their turn, and told the lady what they wanted. All their cute faces turned out awesome! The face painter was REALLY GOOD.

It was a long day, we went to the station straight after church and didn't leave until 8pm, but it was a good time. We can't wait for the party next year :)

Thanksgiving Recap

I can't believe it's been a month and a half since I have posted an update! Sorry. Life seems to go at warp speed when the end of the year approaches.
We made the trip out to Utah for Thanksgiving. Billy was able to get a couple of his shifts covered to open up a 10 day span of off days. It was a blessing to have him join us on the long drive out to Mapleton and be part of the Mills/ Anderson family gathering for Thanksgiving day to honor my Grandma. It was a special day and one that will be in our memories forever. We had everyone shy of 2 people, 53 in all, to celebrate my Grandma and eat a huge feast together. It was a beautiful gathering!
There were crafts, visiting, eating, laughing, and a talent show of acts for Grandma to enjoy. We took family pictures and even got a picture of all 52 of us family members together!
Here is just the Great Grand kids- 30!

I got to get out on a couple cold runs, one in the light snow fall, and a hike with my sisters as well. I had a couple nice visits with my Grandma as well. I'm glad I got a few special moments with her as this was the whole reason why we made the trip. I love her so much & wish very much I could spend more time with her. She is a wonderful example to me and has taught me much throughout my life. I feel very blessed to be her grandchild.

Christmas is now 1 week away! Time to get back to prepping....

 And a picture with my siblings :) got me right after a run... oh well.

Halloween 2015

Billy had to work again this Halloween, so there was no rhyme or reason to the costumes, no family theme. But hey, we all had a costume on so that's gotta count for something!

William wanted to be a cowboy this year!

We borrowed a few awesome accessories from our ranch neighbors who have it all when it comes to cowboy attire. The hat, chaps and belt/buckle made the look legit for sure! They even let us borrow some real spurs... but they were pretty heavy and a little too big for Williams new boots. William made his own little lasso and he was as happy and cute as they come!

Zachary wanted to be Superman!

This was super easy because he has super man pajamas! We found a cape at the toy store yesterday and we were good to go! Cozy, easy, and so cute.

Jameson wanted to be a dinosaur!

This was a costume we had already (pretty sure William wore it just last year) So easy and so so cute.

Leila really really wanted to be a ballerina :) Haha!

Well, it was a really cute outfit I got at my baby shower and it fits her pretty well at the moment. This was a no brainer.

I recycled my Wendy costume from our peter pan family costume year. Mostly because I could easily nurse in this costume :) No picture was taken, since I was the one holding the camera (barely).

We went to the trunk or treat at our church parking lot. They were serving hotdogs and chili! Boys got candy & dinner in one shot and it was fun and easy. William and Zachary even felt comfortable enough to ditch me and my chatty self and do the loop without me :) Loved it!
After it ended, we followed Jonathan & Jane Dukes to their new house off Hope street and trick or treated a few houses with them and their cute girls.
We also went to the fire station before trunk or treat to visit Billy for an hour or so. He has been at work since Wednesday morning and wont come home until Monday night, so it was nice to get a little time with him too.

Happy Halloween!

Doesn't get much cuter...

Than a little baby in your kitchen sink!

The power to our pump for our well went out last night amiss the thunder and lighting show, so no baths could be had. Leila was the lucky one who got clean today :)

Lane Farms Outing

Last week we attended an outing with the boys school to Lane farms to experience the pumpkin patch. We come here every year, at lease once, but had never come as part of a school group. It was a whole different experience! We were greeted by a very nice and informative staff person, given some cool facts and info on the farm, and then handed a clipboard. It contained an educational tour of the pumpkin patch with information to find and fill in by the kids. The boys were super into it! There were about 6 stations to visit and read information about farming. The small garden they have growing on site is really impressive. The boys were a little bummed that the corn maze was closed, but, it's probably better that we didn't get lost that day. It was HOT. They did get a tractor ride though!

At the end of the trip, the boys each picked a sugar pumpkin and that was about all we could handle in the heat of the day. We headed home for smoothies to cool off.
Hopefully we will go back as a family and get another family picture at the pumpkin patch!

6 months old!

My little princess is growing up WAY to fast! How can she be 6 months already! I wish I could slow down time just a little bit.
Her check up 2 weeks ago (which means she is really 6 1/2 months!) was a good one. She is healthy as can be. 15 pounds, 25 inches, sitting up well, and as I discovered this morning getting her first tooth!!!
She is starting to really stare at Billy with a lot of love in her eyes, it's priceless. She laughs with her brothers, gives me kisses, and is just a joy. Her smile makes me melt and I can not imagine our family without her.

We love you Leila!