Halloween

I think I can speak for Sydney and say that her first halloween was a success. Except, come to think of it, she didn't really eat any candy, so she might be thinking that her first Halloween was actually a total 

rip-off. I guess I'll never know how she truly felt. 

We went with Jylare and Scarlett and some of their friends to Gardner's Village for lunch and 

Halloween festivities during the day. Wish I had more pics, but this is all I got. 

Clayton the Lion and Sydney the cupcake 

I love these two together.

Christian got home late that night from being out of town and came and met up with us while we were trick-or-treating, which explains why he is in his work clothes and not dressed up. 

This sweet couple in our neighborhood make the most AMAZING homemade donuts for Halloween every year. They are famous for them! And they deserve the fame, they were delicious!

I totally opted out of dressing up, lame. 

These two were having a little love fest that night. 

There are a few families in the neighborhood who have an annual caul-de-sac party. They grill hot dogs, brats, have lots of food and cider.  They call it the "Hallowiener", in honor of the hot dogs. 

Sydney and Clayton's trick or treating after party!

I was such a bad trick or treating hostess! I left in a hurry and forgot to even put candy on the doorstep! So when we pulled up to our house at like 9:30, these three adorable trick or treaters were standing on our doorstep. From my car window I yelled, "don't go away!  we have LOTS of candy for you!" When Christian started pouring an entire bowl of candy into each of their bags, they got the most shocked looks on their faces and started speaking spanish as fast as they could to each other. It was awesome. 

So cheers to a really great Halloween!

Costume Competition

The Parkers (below) have an annual couples Halloween party. Prizes are given out in 7 different categories for costumes.We thought that we were pulling out the big guns with our Ariel and Eric costume and that we were SURE to win in at least ONE category. BUT OH were we wrong! There were some AMAZING costumes to be seen that night. I really under estimated the creativity of these people. Needless to say, we didn't win any prize for costumes, HOWEVER, there was also an incredible scavenger hunt involved in the night, and our group DID win that. Which in my book, is what really counts. (I'm actually just saying that to feel better about our lame costumes).

The Host and Hostess 

(she is actually pregnant and worked her brains out for days on end to put this incredible party on.)

The winners of the "best costume" contest. They are amazing.

Group # 8 - Winners of the Scavenger Hunt.

 Only a few major traffic laws were violated in our efforts to win.

They rented out Eggs in the City (a nearby restaurant) where they had appetizers, dinner, and dessert. 

It was all very delicious!

voting for costume winners.

It was such a fun way to kick off Halloween weekend!

witch's night out!

Halloween is the best. What other time of year do you get to dress up as a witch and go out with a bunch of girls? Never.

We started out at Beth's house for drinks & appetizers..

those are three adorable witches.

And then we all caravanned to the Melting Pot for dessert! 

Such a fun night!

three very special visitors

Mary Martha is pregnant with TWIN BOYS!

Can you imagine anything better for this girl? She is going to be the best mom in the world. We were  lucky enough to have this pregnant lady make the trek ALL THE WAY out here to come see us. It wasn't easy, I am sure, but she was very brave about it. It was one of the most fun weekends I've ever had with her, and that is saying something. It was quality time to the max. 

We threw a little baby shower for her with just some of her close friends here in Utah. Dayna, Heather, Crystal, and Lauren Magleby helped A TON. And if it weren't for the generosity of Monnett Magleby, this shower would not have turned out. We had so much fun getting it all ready. 

What a beauty.

that right there, in my opinion, is the best baby bath on the market. 

That weekend we stayed up at Mary Martha's cabin and enjoyed the fall leaves. I can't believe how few pics I took. It's pathetic.  

Guru's - one of my favorite restaurants in Utah.

Real Salt Lake game. 

It was such a great time. I am so grateful that she and her two babes came to see us. It was an unforgettable weekend full of trips to wendy's to get frosty's, good long chats, sleepless nights for Sydney, a car packed to the brim of who knows what- so we could always be on the go, letting balloons go in honor of many wonderful things, talks about twin boys, a good dose of sheer honesty, and just good quality time with my very best friend. 

sydney: from the view of a blurry phone camera

Sydney is at her peak, and I am sure of it. I don't know how she could get any more fun and loveable than she is right now.

These are just some random pics that I have taken of her on my phone recently. Some of the pics are REALLY poor quality, but I don't even care, I have to document her age right now, and so far, this is all I've got. I need to step it up  and make picture taking a priority in my life.