carterlovers

Jack is FOUR

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Jack turned four years old at the end of January and as usual, Markelle threw a great party. All the kids had adorable animal hats, and the animal cake was awesome.

Jake was more than a little excited for Jack to open his present.
(The two of them may or may not have sneaked it out of hiding and played with it earlier that week.)

Sarah has literally worn this little lamb hat every day since the party.

Cute little Van.
I can't believe he's turning one next month.

Birthday boy.

Funny Ian.

Saying hi to Nona and Poppy on the iphone.

Isn't Mia sweet?

All the "party animals".

Happy birthday, Jack!

I miss John Hughes

2012-02-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

The other night I stumbled across a documentary on the Biography Channel on John Hughes and the making of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It was pure bliss.

I've actually been thinking a lot about my relationship with John for a while now... actually, I've been thinking a lot about my infatuation with the eighties, and after watching this special on Ferris, and psycho-analyzing my movie and music collections, I think that it all may come down to John Hughes.

I mean, there were other great parts of the eighties too... Yaz, Depeche Mode, The Go Go's, Back to the Future, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Say Anything, Stand By Me, Xanadu, U2, The Cure, The Clash, Pee Wee Herman, the Cabbage Patch, the Hearthrob board game--I listened to my Blondie CD so much it wore out and had to buy another one... but it's John Hughes' that holds my eighties heart in his hands.

Let's face it though-- I'm a little too young for the eighties. I was a teenager in the throws of the nineties: the era of grunge. And while I rocked the straight-hair-forever-in-flannel look and saw Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins in their hey-days, I was secretly hoping that Echo and the Bunneymen would go on a reunion tour.

I'm sure a lot of my "eighties thing" can be attributed to my aunts. Lara and Lisa taught me everything I needed to know about big hair and big hair bands. My parents saw Ferris Bueller several times in the theater when I was a kid, but didn't really appreciate Hughes' stuff until I was a teenager myself. There is just something about those movies that totally get me... so much so, that my sisters even threw me the greatest John Hughes movie themed 30th birthday ever.

Sixteen Candles: Oh, Jake Ryan! You can drive me anywhere in that sweet sweater vest of yours. And I'm pretty sure this features some of John Cusack's first work ever.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: This is a Lee family favorite and in my opinion, Hughes' best film. It's timeless and funny and thoughtful all at once. It has great dialogue and too many perfect movie moments to count.

Some Kind of Wonderful: I just love that Watts gets the guy in the end of this one. Also their kissing scene in the mechanics shop still makes me sweat and swoon.

The Breakfast Club: Maybe his most serious content and oh, so good. A great one for breaking down the lame social barriers of high school. Killer last song, too.

Pretty in Pink: My favorite. Not sure exactly why, but this one was always the one I went back to and watched again and again. This movie may also be the reason I dated Blaine in the first place. Plus, the soundtrack is amazing. I think my favorite moment of this movie is Duckie Dale's lip sync scene in the record shop. Oh, man. I should watch this movie soon. It's been a while.

There are other greats too, Mr. Mom, She's Having a Baby, the Vacation movies, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck... the list goes on and on.

The man was a genius.

"Early Evening"

2012-02-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

I think the best thing about this clip is that Michael J. Fox is the voice of the "teen wolf"... thank you, Phineas and Ferb. This show just gets me. :)

Happy February

2012-02-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... this is a ridiculous amount of pictures.
But these little sweethearts are so freakin' cute and my new photography lights are so freakin' awesome, that I'm posting {almost} every one I took.
Happy February.

Makeovers

2012-01-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

My old dishes cupboard (I got it for Christmas when I was three from Santa Claus) and I needed a little makeover. I still need to put a final coat of polyurethane on her, but the kiddos love her just the same...

I'd like to think they love me just the same too. Even with a shorter, blonder do. Jake told me that I look like Rupunzel... you know, when her hair gets cut short at the end. haha Love that kid.

By the way, I love Jen (Paynter) Scott too. I'm so happy she's doing hair again. She's got magic hands and I love our talks.

The Zoo in Winter

2012-01-30T16:55:00.003-07:00

We've been so stir-crazy around here, that when we got the call from the old neighborhood play group to head to the Zoo for their "Wild Wednesday" we grabbed our winter gear and jumped in the car.

Watching the giraffes eat trees was pretty awesome. :)

Jake, Tessa, Lily and Sarah.

Watching the tigers.

This picture just had to happen... Kimmy and I didn't plan this. Great minds just think alike.

So, it turns out that the zoo in cold weather is pretty great. I may even almost prefer it to the heat. :)

Better Off Dead

2012-01-25T00:31:00.001-07:00

The other night, Blaine and I watched this classic.
Seriously, how long has it been since you watched this gem?
I was giggling throughout the entire thing and anticipating all my favorite parts with a giant smile on my face.

I died during the scenes with Lane's dad trying to talk to him in teenager language.

The scene where Lane pokes his food and it slithers away was so, so awesome.

Charles De Mar telling the pig fetus in-a-jar to wake up killed me.

So did the classroom scene with the Geometry teacher wooing his students with mathematical jargon.

But the high school dance scene with Ricky's big dance moves and the "shave your date" jab was probably my favorite of all.

And Lane Meyer playing his saxophone for Monique over a candlelit TV dinner still made me swoon.

Oh, John Cusack. I still love you oh, so much.

Two Three-Year-Olds

2012-01-24T23:35:00.002-07:00

This took place during Sacrament Meeting in my Nannie's ward in Arizona:

Jake is patiently waiting for the Sacrament to be over so he can eat the piece of gum in his hot little hand... while Kaiya's nicer mom told her she could eat hers now...

Jake: Are you kidding me Kaiya???!!! (Shaking his head and rolling his eyes) You are supposed to wait until the water is over!!

Kaiya: (Gestures with her hands and shrugs her little shoulders whilst chomping on her delicious bubble gum.)

Jake: Uggggggghhhhccchh! (Whispering now) Are you kidding me??!

This happened after church in the car--getting ready to go in the house and recover from church:

Michelle and I are both turned around attempting to have a meaningful chat with the kids before going inside...

Michelle: Okay, you guys-- there are going to be a lot of people at Nannie's house tonight. We are going to go inside and change our clothes and have some fun playing and watching movies. You guys need to remember to play nice and be happy.

Alicia: Yep-- you guys need to be happy and obey Michelle and Alicia, and Nannie and DeeDee.

Kaiya: Yeah, and Heabvenly Falther and Jesus.

Alicia: Yes.

Jake: Yeah, Jesus Cwrist.

Kaiya: Aaaaaamen!

Michelle: Okay! We're done... let's go inside!

Arizona Love

2012-01-21T11:12:00.003-07:00

Last year's January Arizona trip was so great, we decided to do it again. Michelle and I loaded up all four kiddos in the car and headed south to the land of delicious citrus, palm trees and warm weather. We loved it... but mostly we loved visiting with our Kempton cousins and hanging out with Nannie and Mom. I love this new tradition and am already scheming to get down there again soon.

Cindy (holding baby Reid), Kate, and Lily.

I had some serious flash-backs of my childhood when Lily and Maddie called everyone in to the family room for a "talent show". Once we were all in Maddie thanked us all for coming, then Lily led them in a choreographed dance. It was so awesome and brought back so many memories of us as little girls.

Jakey in Nannie's Snuggie... all cozy and ready to watch a movie.

Sarah wanted to join in too.

I really sucked it up at taking enough pictures of the whole trip, but at least brought my camera to the park where we played with LaChae and her kids for the day.

This may have been our kids' favorite part of the whole trip.

Here's Sarah trying so hard to be big on Kate's princess scooter.

I love that LaChae's girls will always pose for me. Lily kills me.

Michelle helping Kaiya down the hill.

LaChae, Wyatt, Nannie, Ben, and Mom.

Eating pizza and snacks.

Little Benny.

Wyatt.

Jake and Lily playing in the sand.

Kaiya.

Kate.

A sad Kaiya... Don't eat the sand! :)

Sarah.

I saved the best for last. This girl is hilarious.

Arizona-- I love you. I hope to be back soon.

All that Jazz

2012-01-20T16:35:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Franklin-Covey and Viawest, Blaine and I got to go to a Jazz game last night. Honestly this kind of perk is kind of wasted on a couple like us, but it was a lot of fun. I got a bit of a giggle-bug during the Viawest presentation, but the catered meal was killer and my date was wicked hott.

We had to bail early due to kiddos... and on the way back to the car passed The Depot and a gaggle of people waiting to get inside. I looked at Blaine and was so happy to be done with that part of my life. Not that I regret my single and kid-free days at all. I relish the happy memories and I had a lot of fun. But Blaine and I talked about how much happier and more full life is now. Some days are hard. Parenthood is no easy task... however, the ups are seriously awesome.

Thomas, Spencer, and Jake

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

I think Jake has found a buddy who loves Thomas as much as he does.

We were lucky enough to have Spencer and Brian (minus Christy) over last week for lunch and trains. These boys are destined to be besties... Pethels-- when you move back to the States from Germany, please move to Salt Lake. Please!

As promised, Christy, here are the pictures of our boys.
By the way, you were/are missed. :)

New Year's Eve

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

We threw a little New Year's shindig this year. It was supposed to coincide with our big basement kick-off, but alas-- we are still awaiting that happy day.

Anyway, it was really fun to have both our families to celebrate the new year.
Actually, we did a fake countdown for 2012 at about 9:30 pm.
Hey-- kids (and parents) have gotta sleep, right?

And yes, we did have some yummy food (if I do say so myself): Martha Stewert's Mac & Cheese, mini Monte-Cristo sandwiches, queso, green-chili dip, Markelle's won-ton salad, home-made chocolate mousse, and s'more bites. Yum!

Blaine and his hand-made balloon drop. :)

Can you feel the anticipation??

I love these little faces.

Oh, what fun and amazement.

Jen, Doug, and Van.

With some fake smiles.

Michelle and the girls.

Markelle and Brent were actually in the middle of a very heated game of balloon toss...

Robyn and Brett being photo-bombed by Michelle.

This is as things were winding down... Kaiya was intent on holding hands with both Jake and Scott while watching Tangled.

I really wish I had some pictures of the Carter boys remembering their golden days of stake dance moves and grooves. Hilarious. We turned on the tunes and let the memories flood over us. I wish I had video.

Happy New Year!

XMAS-N'-NM

2012-01-10T17:15:00.003-07:00

Christmas in New Mexico was fantastic (as usual) this year.

We mostly stayed in but went out a little too. Santa found us at Nona and Poppy's house and we even went on a real sleigh ride.

Actually, aside from the "Christmustaches" it was a perfect holiday.

Doug, Sean, Brent, and Blaine with their brand new "Christmustaches".

Sorry, Carter boys... but I think only Magnum P.I. can really pull this look off.

Still funny though. :)

A shot of all the gifts under the tree. Wow.

We went all out this year and put out some cookies and eggnog for Santa (and a little something for the reindeer too).

Our attempt at the Nativity. It was actually, really adorable.

Chris bought all these Nativity hats for the big night... I only wish Jake was less lame and would have let me take this picture of ALL the Carter kids.

I'll bet you didn't know that one of the wise men had a mustache.

Opening Christmas Eve jammies.

Reading "The Night Before Christmas" with Markelle.

Aaaaaannnndddd........ Christmas morning.

I loved that Jakey and Jack were totally into Santa this year. It made everything so much more magical for me.

A Finn McMissile car!!!

Lalaloopsy doll.

Walkin' Van.

New trains!

(James, Harold, and Deisel 10.)

Sarah brushing and loving on her new Cinderella dolly.

I had to get this one on here too... she wouldn't take those boots off all morning.

Growing us, we used to get a letter from Santa in our stockings each year. I loved reading them as a kid and had to begin this tradition with my own kids. I know they didn't really "get it" this year, but tradition is tradition.

My kids got a lot of great stuff this year. It was so fun watching them open everything that I sucked at documenting much of the morning... not that I regret it. Sometimes there is a time to put away the camera and take it all in.

Aren't these horses pretty? They weren't any of ours, but I thought they were so pretty to look at.

I love this New Mexico tradition of the sleigh ride.

Thanks, Steve and Chris!!

Little girl.

Van and Sean.

It was a beautiful day. Sunny and not too cold.

Taking a picture of Sean taking a picture. Love it.

Our awesome driver.

The other sleigh held Steve, Chris, Doug, Jen, and Van.

Our sleigh (minus Sean and Brent).

Sean was nice enough to take some pictures with my camera while Blaine and I wrestled the kiddos.

Jack checking out the horses and sleigh. So cute.

The Carter Crew.

A sublet of the Carter Crew.

Oh, those cheeks!

The kids LOVED climbing all over this snow pile. I don't want to think too hard about what may have been under it.

Good thing I sprung for the snow bibs this year. :)
Merry Christmas!

SIX YEARS.

2012-01-07T00:15:00.000-07:00

Before & After:

These past six years have been pretty awesome. I waited a while to find Blaine and oh{!} I'm so happy I did. Thanks for six great years, love. I love you more than I know how to tell you.

LOL

2012-01-06T11:36:00.001-07:00

This poster is hanging up (in plain sight!!) at our favorite mechanic shop.
I died laughing... then took a picture for proof.

Who needs correct word usage and grammar anyway?
How does this even happen?

Shiny

2012-01-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Is it weird that this pretty, shiny, red stapler makes grading papers sooooooo much more fun?
It's the little things, right?

Kaiya is Three!

2011-12-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Kaiya had a Mickey/Minnie Mouse-themed party. Sarah especially loved wearing her birthday ears... she is all about Minnie these days.
She's pretty adorable.

See? Told you. :)

I think she is waiting for Brad to give her a treat or a drink or something when I asked her to pose for this picture. She is such a ham. I love her.

My little butter-ball, Scarlett.

Isabel playing with Kaiya's big present from Michelle and Brad.
And, just in case anyone is wondering, Ben can climb up into this house and fit comfortably on the second floor.

Sarah must be a true Italian with that weird backward-hand-wave thing. :)

Gingerbread Kids

2011-12-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening was kind of crazy... we had the annual Gingerbread Festivus at Molly's house and Kaiya's birthday party in Payson to go to as well. So, we hit Molly's early and let the kiddos do their own little houses. These pictures are kind of redundant, but I just love the expressions on their faces as they are fighting over the candy and decorating their tiny cottages.

Sunday Morning with Nona and Poppy

2011-12-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

We were a little early for church while the Carters were in town this last weekend, so I thought we had better get a picture of Sarah's dress Nona bought well before she could even dream about it fitting her little girl.

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-22T01:47:00.000-07:00

Our ward's family-friendly Christmas party was pretty great. We sang songs, ate amazing food, and even met Santa. :)

Jakey was hilarious and wanted to go sing with the rest of the Primary kids during their special number. Once we saw some other Nursery kids up there on stage, we let him go. He loved it and pretended to sing his little heart out. I don't know where he learned to lip-sync (Ashlee Simpson?) but he was pretty good at it.

After waiting in the longest line ever to see the big man, Jake ran up to Santa's lap happily, but Sarah was scared to death of him.

I actually wish these pictures turned out better... there are few things greater than a screaming child on Santa's lap photo-op.

Jake was a champ. He made sure to tell Santa exactly what he wanted and we decided the line was worth this moment.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

2011-12-22T00:57:00.001-07:00

This time of year plays home to some of my very favorite movies ever... which just so happen to also be Christmas movies. Some are more appropriate than others, but I love them all nonetheless.

"Flick says he saw some grizzly bears near Pulaski's candy store!"

"Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window. "

"That's shocking!"

"Invite him out for a drink and then, after about twenty minutes, casually drop into the conversation the fact that you'd like to marry him and have lots of sex and babies."

"There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?"

No third quote here... this movie is so great is deserves two pictures.

" I believe... I believe... It's silly, but I believe."

"Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don't you see? It's not just Kris that's on trial, it's everything he stands for. It's kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles."

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny [f-ing] Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white a$$ down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of [a-holes] this side of the nuthouse."

"Miss Haynes, if you're ever under a falling building and someone offers to pick you up and carry you to safety, don't think, don't pause, don't hesitate for a moment, just spit in his eye."

"What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary."

"A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town."

Christmas-Themed Girls' Night

2011-12-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

This year's gift-exchange-dinner-with-the-girls was, as always, exceptional. We talked about anything and everything, ate great food, drank a lot of coca-cola, and laughed at how each of us brought a gift we would have bought for ourselves if given the chance. :)
I love my friends.

Emily, Lizzy, me, Rochelle, Dot, Ang, and Janelle.

Liz and me.

Liz brought sweet baby girl, Lauren with her. She is perfect.

Cho, Ange, and Janelle.

Dottie holding baby Lauren Emily.

Sleeping Boy

2011-12-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Found this little boy {with a present with his name on it} in our new, comfy bed the other day.

Too cute not to post.

Couldn't have said it better...

2011-12-20T12:45:00.004-07:00

My cousin, Robby's blog made me smile (and cry a little) today.

I thought this was a fitting 500th post topic given the time of year.
Actually, I had no idea this was my 500th post until just now.

Family Pics

2011-12-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

We had a little photo session with the talented Kristin. {Check her out!} Kristin was nice enough to accommodate us by having two sessions-- since Sarah was barfing during the first one {SERIOUSLY??!!}. So, some of these are at Daybreak's lake and some are across the street from our house.
Here are a few favorites...

Coco

2011-12-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

I came across this wicked-awesome picture of Conan last night while surfing the web and watching Crazy, Stupid, Love with Blaine.
I had to blog this one out for two reasons: #1 It's maybe the greatest version of Conan ever. And #2 The old fridge in my college apartment was home to this exact Conan pic back in the day. I think I nabbed it from Candice's Rolling Stone Magazine if memory serves me right.

Pillow Talk

2011-12-12T22:47:00.002-07:00

This may be the single greatest thing I've ever seen.
If it wasn't $70.00 (SEVENTY DOLLARS!!!) I'd buy one for both my sisters and my mom and every girl who has ever seen and loved this fantastic Rock Hudson/ Doris Day movie.

P.S. My day with Laurel was awesome.

Photo Checklist and new Christmas Digs

2011-12-11T23:07:00.001-07:00

My Relief Society had a wonderful "Christmas kick-off" party and I was asked to talk about photography and "Capturing Christmas".

It was terrifying as I really don't have any clue what I am talking about. Ever.

But I loved doing it and getting to know some wonderful women in my new ward.Anyway, I had come across a few cute photo checklists on Pinterest, but nothing that was on the mark. So, I made my own version for the event.

I took some new pictures of our new digs to mix in with some older photos... and since my little lesson was on "Capturing Christmas" and how to celebrate the season through photography, this is me sharing...

Our advent calendar.
It doesn't fit on the kitchen counter like it did at our old house, so it sits in the window above the sink.

The decorated front door.

A couple new ornaments on the tree.

We gave the tree a little lift in our new house. It seemed a little short with the vaulted ceilings, so we threw her on top of a little table. I likey.

Finally, and real mantle for the stockings.

I still love these stockings my mom monogrammed for me.

I love that my "White Christmas" movie poster has a better spot here. It got a little hidden in our old house. *Oh, Bing!*

Jake Says:

2011-12-09T00:32:00.001-07:00

While drying Jake off and getting on his jammies
Jake: Oh no... What happened to my finger, Mommy?
Me: What's wrong? Is it hurt?
Jake: There are tracks on them. (looking at his wet, wrinkly, bath skin)
Me: Oh really? (laughing)
Jake: Ya! For Thomas and Percy!

Thanksgiving and a Prelude to Christmas

2011-12-08T22:37:00.001-07:00

This year was our first year hosting Thanksgiving dinner. I absolutely loved every second of it--even the annoying new house kinks like a bad circuit breaker that kept on shutting down our ovens. Ugh.

Luckily, the turkey was done by the time the breaker started blowing.

And luckily, our mustache-sporting, lone-turkey-eating / Firefly-watching neighbor allowed us to bake our rolls and sweet potatoes in his oven. {Yes, I did invite him over for dinner but he kindly declined.} Michelle and I had a bad giggle-bug hauling the food back and forth... Somehow, the whole ordeal made it awesome.

Even more awesome was this year's early annual "Funny Santa" gift-exchange. Some less tasteful than others-- but all hilarious.

Our table.

This was Robyn's virgin year. I think she dug it.

A picture of a high-school-aged Brett in a teeny-tiny wrestling singlet.
{Oh, and she got the singlet too.}

A pair of tighty-whities that have been passed back and forth between Brad and Brett for at least a year.

And another, more sacrilegious one for Brett.

Michelle's might have been my personal favorite... Sheet music Laurel had printed up and copyrighted of a song Michelle wrote when she was about eleven.

The classic one-hit-wonder: Joe and Moe

Brad's was pretty rad as well.

A framed photo of Blaine mooning the camera while on LaCamas Lake last summer.

This was kind of a part II of last year's gift to Blaine. It was equally crass. And maybe more rad.

Laurel loved her little old lady gloves and Barbie calendar maybe a little too much. :)

At first, Jason was confused by the over-sized warm-up suit Blaine fanangled over a year ago.

But when he actually put it on and paired it with a puzzle of the ultimate "dream team" {minus a few pieces}.

My parents made this incredible belt buckle for Scott. He's got an affinity for big buckles and this one takes the cake.

The funniest thing about Scott's present was when Robyn jumped up to show off her own big buckle.
She is a true Country Gal.

I got the acclaimed documentary, "American Mormon". If you know why this is funny, then you know me pretty well, and who I "dated" in college. :)

Blaine got my Grandpa Kempton's {Papa} old mid-nineties laptop that I've been hiding since last January.

Check out this bad boy.

My mom got a package of Starburst and a fake "Accident Report" in celebration of the time she accidentally hit a kid in the head with a Starburst for answering a question correctly.

And finally, my Dad got the biggest bullet paperweight ever.
Which just so happens to be a live round.

The Christmas Card

2011-12-06T13:32:00.001-07:00

To whom it may concern:

I am trying to pull together all my addresses to send out our Christmas card this year. Please, If something thinks I may not have their address, shoot me an email and I will gladly slap a stamp on an envelope and ship it off to you. If you think I am lame in pretending to think that people want my mail, then you are right. However, I am vain and LOVE getting lots of Christmas mail. {It's the only time of year I check it regularly and happily.}

Thanks,
aliciacarter06{at}gmail{dot}com

Trick-or-Treat

2011-12-03T23:50:00.001-07:00

I promise that this is the last Halloween post in December {this year, at least}.
Hey, don't judge--we had a lot going on this spooky season :).

Anyway, here are the pre-trick-or-treating pics. It's official: my kids are adorable.

They loved everything about trick-or-treating... knocking on the door, yelling "trick-or-treat!", getting their candy, and even saying "thank you" for said candy.

I loved, loved, loved basking in the Halloween magic in our new neighborhood. This neighborhood is so awesome.

Later on that night, we hauled the party to Molly and Wes' house to show off the kiddos with the rest of the Carter clan. Jake and Jack were hilarious running around to Molly's neighbors with their buckets of candy. We did not go to the "scary pirate" house like last year, as much as Markelle and I wanted to see the boys scared stiff again.

Proof that Miles was the cutest Peter Pan ever.
Nuff said.

Annual Halloween Party at the Carters'

2011-12-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

This year's annual Halloween partay at Brent and Markelle's place was so much fun. I really wish that I had more pictures of everyone in their costumes... How did I not get at least one picture of the Brent fam in all their glory??? (Jack was Captain Hook, Markelle was Tiger Lily -so awesome-, Brent was Mr. Smee, and little Miles was Peter Pan.)

Anyway, the games were awesome, the food was stellar, the costumes were killer, and the photo-booth set-up in the garage was hilarious.

Well... see for yourself.

We Lees really shouldn't be allowed to partake in this kind of thing. We are much too egotistical, vain and self-important to not go overboard when given this kind of opportunity.

The captain.

Doug, Jen, and Van as the Dharma Initiative and their little monster.

While out in the garage, some of us couldn't pass up the chance to try the pull-up bar.

Kaiya was actually hanging on all by herself here.
Tough gal.

And little Jack just wouldn't do it without his trusty hook.
Hilarious.

Brett and Robyn as Karl and John.
Circa 1990?

Michelle was the greatest teacher ever.
I was lame and went with a witch.

Here's where things turn a strange turn...

These ones just make me laugh. Blaine as a ghost is so funny to me.

Michelle was flying solo-parent tonight (if anyone was wondering where Brad was).

Proof that Kaiya is Michelle's daughter.

Love this girl.

Carving

2011-12-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

Carving is a family affair at our house, but Mom always seems to take over.

I just can't resist a classic jack-o-lantern face.

And let's face it, Jake and Daddy don't really like to touch the pumpkin guts anyway.

Pump-a-kin Patch

2011-12-01T10:29:00.001-07:00

We went to our favorite pumpkin patch again this year to pick out our pumpkins. It was freezing cold but it was awesome. The kids loved pushing the little wheelbarrows and choosing little pumpkins of their own to take home, and we loved watching their excited little faces.

Gosh, it's great to be a parent.

The Village

2011-11-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

The Playgroup hit Gardner Village long ago and far away.

It was really fun and well-worth documenting.

The kids all loved the scavenger hunt and finding all the witches.

The moms loved eating the cookies and chatting it up at McDonald's afterward.

I have the best friends.

Alex, Jakey, Josie, Tessa, and Lily

Lily, Jake, Carley, Tessa, and Josie.

Proof that Sarah really was there, too.

Karley was too. That's her little hand reaching through.

Royal Twins

2011-11-30T11:29:00.001-07:00

It turns out I did take a few pictures at Ben and Scarlett's birthday party. Four--actually.
Here are some snapshots outside Laurel's house of the disastrous pinata. It was so awesomely funny.

The theme of "the twins'" party was princes and princesses. I loved little Sarah in her too big Sleeping Beauty dress. And I loved squeezing Jake into last year's Halloween pirate costume and calling him Flynn Rider.

Hood Halloween Party

2011-11-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

Right before we moved, our neighborhood had an HOA Halloween party that was the bomb. It was the perfect last hurrah for us. We loved it.

Sarah, trying so hard to be a big kid.

Super-hero princesses, Lily and Tessa.

How amazing are these costumes?

Jake, the little vampire.
We were going for more Damon Salvatore, than Edward Cullen.

Cutest little bumblebee ever.

My mom was snapping her fingers and telling Jake to look up at her.
He decided to copy her and looks like he is a Latin dancer.

Karley the owl and Sarah. BFFs :)

Jake really took the pumpkin bowling seriously. He loved knocking all the ghost pins over.

These cute girls are my friend, Melanie's girls, Carley and Josie.

Aren't they pretty? Carley's cheeser kills me.

Rachael taking charge of the hula-hoop toss.

Everyone gathered up for the guessing game prizes and getting ready for the movie.

Alex and Jakey.

Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin".

Kimmy and Tandy made all this happen. It was epic.

Touch-A-Truck

2011-11-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

My parents were able to come in town for a work thing my dad was involved in. Every year, Altec does this event called "Touch-a-Truck". It's up at Rice Eccles Stadium and it's kind-of amazing. And even though Jake was too afraid to go for a ride with PopPop in the bucket truck, he was in heaven with all the trucks and big-rigs he got to climb in and play on.

Sarah was a little nervous, but braved the bucket-truck anyway.

There we are.

Waaaaaaayyyy up there.

Smokey the Bear!

Driving the tractor.

Running back and forth in the refrigerated truck.

Playing on the school bus.

Silver Lake

2011-11-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

The playgroup hit Silver Lake a while back and it was killer.

Seriously, does it get better than this? Perfect weather, perfect colors, and perfect friends.

Could next fall come a little sooner so I can do this again? It was awesome.

Kimmy, Haley and kids.

Katie, Tessa, Lily, and Jake.

Rachael.

Jake loooovvved the water. He thought that walkways (or tracks, as he called them) were pretty cool.

I love these kids of mine.

Rachael with her girls and Jakey.

Mindy and Alex.

Kimmy with Karley and Haley's girls, Katie and Annie.

And Haley with little Carter in tow.

Just taking a little break.

Sarah girl.

Beautiful.

Miles is One

2011-11-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Little Miles turned one back in October. As usual, Markelle went all out and it was a smashing success.

How much does this kid look like Brent, huh?

Looks like I sucked it up and don't have pictures of Ben and Scarlett's birthday party. (Ben, Scarlett, and Miles were born within fours days' time.) I guess I better get on it.

C'mon, Alicia.

Brobyn

2011-11-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Waaaaaayyy back in September (the 24th, exactly) my little brother Brett married Robyn in the Spokane Temple. It was so awesome. I loved every second of this weeding trip (as short as it was). Everything about the wedding was amazing, but I think my favorite part of it all was the actual sealing ceremony. It was really special to be there with my entire family... my parents and all of my siblings (minus Elder Matt Lee), plus my hubs and all my in-laws as well.

Well, a lot of my pictures didn't really turn out very well, so I stole some from Laurel. Get ready for a bunch of pics. I figure it took me long enough to get these on here, I should at least pay a generous tribute to the blessed event.

The happy couple.

Kaiya ran right past Uncle Brett to hug her new Aunt Robyn. It was awesome... even if Brett felt a little snubbed.

Pretty Isabel.

Blaine and his little doppleganger.

Dads and kids and cute.

I think Kaiya insisted that Robyn tie her sash.

Awesome.

Megan and me.

Nannie Belle.

DeeDee and Benny.

Robyn's cute family.

Brett with his new sisters.

Robyn and her mom, Jennifer.

(I wish I had some pictures of their choreographed dance routine at the reception. It was hilarious.)

May May and Scotty.

Awe.

I love this one.

The Richardsons.

Nannie and Lisa representing the Kempton Clan.

Sarah loved her pretty dress, bow, and bracelet that matched Mommy's

Jake would not let go of these "train friends" the entire trip.

Lovin' on Jakey.

Cute cousins.

This would be the cutest picture of my kid ever, were it not for the river of drool pouring down his face... What's going on?? This is weird that he always does this, right?

Some of Brett's cute buddies.

They were so cool to make the trip up for the wedding.

Oh, the dreaded family picture.

Why is is sooooooo hard to take a decent group picture?

This picture is so funny to me.

I love these guys.

Robyn with the gang.

(That's her darling friend, Jill with her.)

Playing with trains. On the ground. In his suit. *sigh*

Not sure what's going on here... She might be trying to copy Robyn in the next picture?

My wonderful parents.

Laurel got some very cool shots of the Temple.

My pretty sisters.

Me with my pretty mom.

The sibs.
Sure miss Matty, though.

Cute.

I love these ones.

This is Brad telling everyone to act shorter. haha.

The reception was at this really cute city park in Rathdrum.
It was really charming.

And the kids loved playing on the playground.

Another attempt at a family photo.

Our attempt at a Carter picture. Dang-it, Jake.
Well, I didn't have my cute shoes on anyway.

Robyn's mom, Jennifer made the cake!

Goofs.

Daddy-Daughter.

The kids wanted to party too...

Sarah trying so hard to be a kid.

She loved dancing.

Cutting the cake.

I love how Robyn is looking at Brett here.

Scarlett, the little butterball.
I love this little, round, tiny walker.

Everyone got a little crazy when Brett and Robyn's friends took over the dance floor.

It was a blast.

Isabel danced her little socks off, and crashed hard that night.

My brother is so cute.

I'm so glad that Laurel got these pictures of the road-trip... this trip was really beautiful.

Laurel and Jason spent a little "stalking" time in Dillon, Montana on the way home. They actually got this picture of Matt on his way into church. Crazy!

It's official. Officially.

2011-10-31T10:18:00.001-06:00

Aside for the floors needing cleaning and a couple more random loads, we are officially moved out of our first home and into our last (hopefully). If I have to move again before retirement, I'll... I don't know what. :)

Anyway, we love our new digs. We miss our friends (a lot) but we are excited about making new ones, too. Our new ward is huge with four nurseries and over 250 kids in Primary. Ours aren't the noisiest kids in Sacrament anymore. Hooray!

The wonderful family that is renting our townhome is set to move in the 7th. I'm excited to meet them.

Today is Halloween and we are super-pumped to trick-or-treat at Daddy's work, then again tonight in our new neighborhood and at Grandma Molly's house too.

We've been pretty busy lately... I'll try to catch up the blog soon.

As for today, Happy Halloween!

Two lefties???

2011-10-22T13:46:00.000-06:00

These kids keep switching things up on us--left hand--right hand, and back and forth again.

But, this night during cake and ice cream they both favored lefty.

For the record, I think Jake is a lefty and Sarah's a righty.

But, time will tell.

Meh.

2011-10-19T23:52:00.000-06:00

Tuesday night movie night was meh... I've had better. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great, either.

Everybody Cut

2011-10-18T15:08:00.000-06:00

I watched this last night with my mom, my sisters (ALL of them) and even my brother, Scott.
It was so rad I can't explain it. While I still love the original (hello... Kevin Bacon! Sarah Jessica Parker!), this one rocked my world. I loved it.
It was just the right amount of "new" and "retro".
Especially when Ren said, "Jump back." and "I thought this was a party. Let's DANCE!"
Awesome.
Go see it if you want to smile. A lot.

The wedding drive...

2011-10-14T23:15:00.001-06:00

The drive to Spokane for Brett's wedding was long, pretty, and (mostly) not so bad.

Michelle and Kaiya sleeping. Adorable.

There was another sleeping Michelle that is still on my phone. Since I am such an awesome sister I will not post it here.

However, with the right bribe, I will consider it. :)

Michelle was trying to get in on our rendition on "Little House in the Woods" from the front seat.

This one of Kaiya kills me.

Here's Jake giving his Percy train a "wash down".

Sleeping Sarah.

Sleeping Ben.

P.S. Ben is the best kid on a road-trip I've ever heard of in my life. Seriously. This little boy is the sweetest, most gentle little guy ever.

This super creepy Ronald McDonald is proof that we were indeed in Dillon, Montana for a little bit.
Hi, Matty! Sorry that you have such a creeper at your McDonald's. That blows.

I.Q.

2011-10-11T22:19:00.006-06:00

Another movie night... only this one was a treat as it was while Blaine was out of town and my friend, Kimmy came over with her very own selection.
This was really cute. Although, I have to say it was Walter Matthau and friends who won my heart.

Payson Temple and a Famous Sister

2011-10-10T12:30:00.000-06:00

My sister, Laurel made the news. I love her "Wheel of Fortune" voice.
Check it out.

Persuasion

2011-10-05T22:16:00.000-06:00

Kimmy and I had a great movie night together.
It was great to have a friend on Tuesday night.
Together, we ate popcorn and swooned over this great love story.

Worth it

2011-10-04T08:19:00.002-06:00

This little boy woke up too early from his nap-time and crept into my bed this afternoon during my nap-time.
{Don't judge. I've been doing a lot of late-night Vampire Diaries watching}

I let it slip. It was worth encouraging the bad habit to hear him tell me he loved me and my hexagon shirt buttons in his little voice while I was waking up.
{Yeah, he knows his hexagon shape. He's a genius.}

Oh, Joy!

2011-10-03T11:26:00.000-06:00

My favorite show is coming back!

California Dreamin'... Disneyland.

2011-10-02T11:15:00.000-06:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again-- Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth. For real. Last year, my Disneyland experience pulled me out of Post-Postpartum-Depression. I'm so serious. Disney is magic for the soul... or they put some hypnotic drug in their air there. Either way, I love love love it. And will continue to fork my money over to them in lieu of college funds for my children.

This year we were just in time for Disney's Halloween themed park. I've always wanted to do Disneyland during this time of year. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. The Haunted Mansion/Nightmare Before Christmas was amazing, and Space Mountain/Space Ghost (my favorite ride, by the way) was killer.

Now there's a happy pumpkin.

Gotta love the Main Street wooden Indian.

The Dapper Dans' four-seater bicycle.

There--matching hats. That's better.

There they are... singing "Lida Rose".

Tomorrowland.

"Hey you guys!'

At least she was tall enough to drive the cars with Mommy.

Markelle is right: seeing your kid's name on their Mickey ears is just so adorable.

Just waiting to go on Autopia.

Sarah was a perfect child during this ride. She was very serious and I tried to get pictures of her.

It didn't work out very well.

No good again. Still kind of cute.

I love this little girl of mine.

Awe.
Too bad Jake had no idea how much he wouldn't like The Matterhorn. Worth it.

Oh, Mint Julep. You have my heart.

I didn't eat this. But I wanted to.

This, too.

I know we are bad parents, but this picture is just so awesome. Jake is still talking about how "Splash Mountain is too fast", but loves the theme song. I just hope that one day he actually digs this ride.

Katrina and company came to Disneyland our first night in the park for dinner. It was so awesome to hang out and visit with her, Jeff, and their boys. Seriously, I have really missed this friend of mine.

Plus, the all-you-can-eat barbecue was killer.

Jeff and Christian.

Me, Katrina, and Preston.

My other highlight with the Kirks was getting to ride Big Thunder Mountain with Katrina. We talked the workers to allow us on the last ride of the night.

I loved riding Big Thunder at night. It really was "the wildest ride in the wilderness".

Here we are: the beginning of day two.
We tried to get to the park a little early to make the shorter lines for some of the Fantasyland rides.

On the way in, we saw this little girl... dressed up in cowboy boots, a Belle dress, and a Peter Pan hat to boot.

Picture-taking with Walt and Mickey.

This is a terrible picture (from my phone), but this pumpkin muffin was delicious.
{I should have taken pictures of all the food I love in Disneyland and done an entire post on food alone.}

Riding the carousel.

This one is just hilarious.

We spent a good part of the day in California Adventure.

Jake even got to ride Soarin' Over California.

Best. Ride. Ever.

Funny that Mickey and I are wearing matching outfits.

I love that Sarah is touching Mickey's face here.

Cute Jack.

Again, with the castle. :)

Waiting for Casey Jr.

Jake has been crazy about Dumbo ever since riding this little train.

Oh, I love this little face.

That is MY boy.

The Haunted Mansion's transformation was incredible.

Waiting in line with Sean.

And Doug and Jen.

Jake's favorite part of Disneyworld was the Monorail. He hasn't stopped talking abut it since April.

When we told him Disneyland had one too, he was stoked.

Blaine, Steve, Brent, and Jack all rode the Monorail together... Jake was in heaven. Especially when the conductor let him sit in the "captain's chair" and let him wear his hat.

I love that you can sense how important he knows he is.

We made a special trip over to Tom Sawyer's island. It was a boy's paradise... I can't believe I had never been there before.

Counting up their gold doubloons.

I think that Jakey took this one.

We settled down to eat at The Plaza on Main Street just in time for the evening parade. It was awesome.

Don't let this solemn face fool you... Sarah loved every second of the parade. She was so cute about it--she'd watch, then swing around excitedly to squeal at us with her hands up next to her face.

It was a perfect last evening in the park. The kids were happy, and we were tired but happy too.
I may or may not be already plotting out next Disneyland excursion.

Jake Says:

2011-10-01T20:28:00.001-06:00

Me: Jake, did you know that you have a great daddy?
Jake: I don't want a beard.

Me: (trying to get him excited about watching conference) Buddy, that guy's name is THOMAS S. Monson (emphasis on Thomas, the train).
Jake (later on...): Who is that?
Me: That is L. Tom Perry.
Jake: (very excited now) Perry the Platypus???!!