Digging a Sand Pit

Ethen was on a mission to dig a sand pit that was deep. At first he thought going up to his waist would be good, but as he kept digging down he wanted it to be over his head. After a lot of hours digging and playing he did manage to dig deep enough to cover his head. He had to even put a step in the side wall so that he could get out. Each of the kids had fun taking turns getting in and being stranded for a bit. I just love how the simplest things at the beach bring so much joy.

Digging Deeper

Sand Sculptures and a Day with Wild Dolphins

We had a lot of fun digging in the sand in Fort Walton, Florida for Thanksgiving break. Here are some of the masterpieces we created.

Luke is a crab and thought it was funny to be in sand up to his neck

Paisley is our little mermaid. She liked it so much she stayed there for a really long time and kept smoothing out her tail fin.

We started to just bury Ethen deep and then decided he would look so funny as a mermaid as well. The sun was right in his eyes

so Dad's shades completed the look.

Phoebe formed a starfish and dolphin, but I didn't get a picture of the dolphin.

This turtle was made by someone else and was what got our creative juices flowing. Eventually the turtle became a cake after a few days.

We were pleasantly surprised, on our first day at the beach, to have a pod of dolphins hang out with us for most of the day. My battery died on the camera so I didn't get any pictures except for this one. There were probably a total of about 12-14 swimming right off shore from us. They were having a good time playing in the water and Ethen and Phoebe even got to swim right by them. They were floating out on the boogie boards and came within 3 to 5 yards of them. It was so amazing and cool to watch. After that day we didn't see them the rest of the week, so we felt pretty lucky to have had such a great day with them.

Thanksgiving Preschool Feast

Paisley's preschool had thier Thanksgiving feast yesterday. She made a drum and her own indian costume at school. Since she is our 4th child to attend the same fantastic school, we have heard these songs for many years and I never grow tired of them. They are so cute singing and happy and all dressed up like little Indians. Paisley was very happy to beat on her drum really loud and do all the hand motions that went with the song. Can't believe this will be our last preschool Thanksgiving feast! Over the years the school has learned that the little kids prefer chicken nuggets over a real turkey and tatter tots instead of mashed potatoes. Not the healthiest of meals, but a small feast non-the-less.

Last game

Last night was Ethen's final football game of the year. A storm rolled in an it only lasted about 6 minutes, but in that time both teams scored. Happily we came out with the win 8-6. These are the only pictures Ethen would let me get of him off of the field, but I know that someday he will be glad I made him take them. It was a great football season and so fun to watch Ethen on the field.

Proud Dad

1st Banditz gig

Phoebe's band The Banditz had their 1st official gig this past weekend. We had some sound/technical difficulties in the beggining, but they performed great. I mostly took video so I don't have very many pictures. They all did such a great job and lots of people come out to support them. It was a great night with yummy food at Petra Mexican Restaurant.

Lucky 4 Leaf Clover

Today Luke found a four leaf clover in our yard. It was the only one and I don't know how he spotted it, but he was sooo excited and keeps asking why he is so lucky. I am hoping it brings our home some good luck. Nothing quite like finding a four leaf clover in your own yard!

Halloween 2011

This year Halloween was a busy night. Not only was it on a school night, but Ethen had a football game as well. Scott, Grandma, John and Liz all went to the football game to cheer Ethen on, and I took the little kids out to trick or treat. Phoebe was out at 6 with a group of friends making quick work of the neighborhood and I didn't see her til 9. She is beyond loaded with candy now. Thank you to Grandma Bergen for making a great Spirit costume for Phoebe! Luke and Paisley were with me and some friends and Paisley was done pretty early on, however after carrying her for 2 blocks she got a second wind and made about 8 more stops. She was more concerned with eating the candy than getting it :) ! I had fun doing the makeup again, but next year I am hoping they won't all want full face makeup as removal is very time consuming. Here are pictures from our night.

Luke's loot

Paisley's loot

Phoebe's loot

Happy Halloween

We had our annual Trunk or Treat activity last night and here are some pictures of my creepy goblins. Everyone wanted to be something scary this year. Ethen wasn't into dressing up for this one this year and he has a football game on Halloween. Paisley is Lady Dracula, Luke is a skeleton and Phoebe is a Spirit. It was fun doing their makeup.

Crazy Hair Day

It was crazy hair day at school for the kids. I had fun coming up with these crazy hairstyles!

Adult Halloween Party

Scott and I had fun dressing up as Snooki and The Situation for a Halloween Party. He came up with the idea and I think we pulled it off perfectly. It was a fun time and the kids just thought the whole getup was hilarious. We had a great night "partying" with friends :)

Ethen's 1st Choir Concert

I only got a little video before I ran out of space on my camera. These boys surprised us and sounded really good. I was shocked when Ethen decided he wanted to take choir this year, but he has really enjoyed it and is doing so well. His choir teacher, Mr Chritchfield, is amazing and has a great gift. I wish I had more of this song it gets really fun, and the boys were all smiling and received lots of applause from the crowd!

Tractors On the Square

Our town square had some cool old tractors on display one weekend, so we ventured out to have a look and play around a little. There had been a large pumpkin display, but they had already removed it so we just took some funny pictures by the stand.