Crazy Hair Day--Bantu Buns

I forgot to take her picture when she had the buns all over her head, but this is what it looked like right after we took them out  :)  She was so excited! I quickly realized we had done too many buns! Haha

A darling afro! As you can see, she LOVED her new 'do'!

The back. Can you imagine trying to get a brush through this?  :)  Next time we do it, we'll lessen the amount of buns by half!

Awww...still happy even though it's crazy.

This was fun to try! Annabelle has such pretty hair, and I need to start trying some new hairstyles on her. I have found a few cute blogs from Pinterest that have lots and lots of cute, inspiring styles to try. I look forward to more crazy fun hair days in our future! She is such a good sport--when it comes to fashion, hairstyles, and as you can see (her very own princess makeup she plays with on accasion), she's up for almost any and all experimentation and play!

Sweet Princess Dreams Annabelle

So Sweet

Halloween 2011

All ready to go and looking gorgeous!

So excited to show off his costume to Season!





The only picture I could get of them together! They were such an adorable duo.

Stopping in at Grandma's to say hello and run around for a little while.

Stockton: "I'll figure this out and get us a drink Rusty!"
Rusty: "I'll take a coke!"

Stockton: "I think if I push this it will work for sure..."
Rusty: "Hurry up! She's coming!"

"Maybe there's a coke in the garage..."

This is how the cheerleaders dance!

At the end of a fun night checking out her candy! Her eyes look so sleeeeepy  :)

Halloween was an awesome day! Josh had left the day before for a 3-week business trip, so I had the kids by myself this year. I got the kids ready in the morning, stopped by the Bryson's house to show them their cute costumes, then headed over to Mimi's work for some serious trick-or-treating through Sandy City Hall. We were so sad not to have Olivia and Brody with us this year; Liv was in school  :( The kids had a blast and got TONS of candy--double and triple helpings from the Ute fans! Haha. Mimi was so kind to introduce them to everyone, and take time out of her day for us--we LOVED it!

Following Mimi's work, we headed over to Grandma's house to show her the cute costumes and play for a while. I tried to get more pictures of the kids in my mom and dad's photogenic yard; Annabelle posed great, but Stockton had to be photographed on-the-go! Luckily, we scored some pretty darling shots of each of them. Little Rusty the Cowboy was there too, and he and Stockton were so cute together! They walked around and tried to get drinks from the Coke machine. I hope they will be best buds one day!

To cap off a wonderful, fun-filled holiday, we headed over to Nikki and Eric's house for some dinner and trick-or-treating. Dinner was delicious. My sister-in-law, Nikki, makes the BEST cider you'll ever taste! She hands it out to the parents when they come trick-or-treating with the kids--so nice and thoughtful. Eric and his friend were so nice to take the girls out; Annabelle had a blast hanging out with Liv and her friend, Angelina! Stockton was SO TIRED and was done for the day, so I worked on getting him to sleep while the the guys took the girls to get started. Stocky had a rough time and didn't want to sleep in the pak-n-play, so after about 30 minutes of trying to get him to sleep, Mimi, Papa, and Nikki helped to watch him while I went and caught up with Annabelle. THANK YOU!

Ohhhhhhh I am so glad I got to spend a little time with her out there! She was absolutely, completely adorable, and looked so little compared to all the other kids running around. Eric and his friend took the girls all over! It was awesome. Annabelle filled her bucket to the brim...again!  :)  She was so cute going up to all the doors! There was one boy, about 10 years old, who was dressed up as a big ice cream cone--Annabelle didn't like that at all! She kept on talking about "it" and if "it" were at a house, she wouldn't go up to the door until "it" was gone. It was cracking me up! I really loved being there with her, being able to devote all my attention to her. She is such a unique and precious little girl and I love her. Stockton was still awake when we got back, but happy nonetheless--Stocky is such a happy little guy most of the time. Annabelle and I were happy to see him again and we headed home soon after we got back. It was a peaceful ride home with my two little snoozers in the back. What a GREAT Halloween! Thanks for a wonderful time everyone!

Grandma and Papa's Ward Halloween Party

Our University of Utah Cheerleader! I've never seen one so adorable!

Getting into the spirit and practicing some moves

Our University of Utah Football Player! He already looks the part!

Walking around and checking things out. He wouldn't stay still so the pictures are a little out of focus, but he still looks soooo cute!



The girls after the trunk-or-treat. They scored big time  :)

What an AMAZING night! The kids had so much fun I couldn't believe it. My parents' ward threw an awesome party--they really know how to plan ward parties over there  :)  They had a costume parade (one of Annabelle's highlights), a story time room, where they had ladies dressed up as witches telling Halloween stories and giving out candy, a cupcake walk (another one of Annabelle's highlights--she kept winning and giving the cupcakes to Stockton), lots and lots of fun treats, more fun games, and the trunk-or-treat at the end of the night. Annabelle hit each trunk about 4 times I think. The people were loving her and letting her come back again and again! She was so darling! She would go to a car, wait in line, say trick-or-treat, beam with happiness when it dropped in her bucket, and then run back over to me and my mom giggling and squealing the whole way to show us her most recent treasure. She had SO MUCH FUN!!! The girls all compared buckets at the end and went back to grandma and Pap's house to check it all out. I took Stockton around to fill up a bucket for me--I mean him--to eat later  :) 



2011 Witches Festival

Finishing lunch and excited to go!

Annabelle loved her special hairstyle!

Cousins and besties

Making their witch cackles

I always love going to Gardner Village during Halloween! It's darling and so fun for the kids. I couldn't believe how many cute photo-opps there were; I only wish it weren't so crowded so you could actually use them long enough to get a good picture  :) The kids looked so cute and were excited to spend the afternoon together before going to Grandma and Grandpa's ward Halloween party!

Our Sealing Dinner

We were so lucky to have this AMAZING catered dinner following our temple sealing. My parents have some good friends, Charlotte and Dick Hill, who have lived in their neighborhood for many years. Charlotte has been my mom's visiting teacher for many years as well. They were so sweet and kind to offer their services to our family! The dinner was so good: Salads, rolls, pork chops, mashed potatoes, veggies, and an incredible brownie topped with ice cream and peppermint. It was delicious! Not only was the food spectacular, but the service couldn't be beat: The Hills enlisted the help of their family members to serve us! It was so nice to be able to sit down, talk with our family and friends, and enjoy the night while having everything taken care of--luxury!

It felt so nice and elegant because of the work my mom and dad had put into setting up the room as well. The tables were beautiful, and there were even a few decorations from our wedding reception that were thrown into the decor. It was nice to be able to recall that wonderful night as soon as we walked in the room. At the end of the night, every family was able to take home a flower in a vase from the tables. The thoughtful details make all the difference!

A big thank you goes out to the Hill Family and to mom and dad! Thank you for this beautiful, memorable night--we love you and appreciate you more than you know.

To all our family and friends who were there in the beginning, the middle, and now:

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."

Thank you for being those "friends" to us! We love you and wouldn't have made it to this point in our lives without you!

I didn't get pictures of Josh's parents, my parents, Pieter, Brady and Angie, or Kristy, but we were so happy they were there to share the night with us. We also missed the Bryson family, who joined us for our temple sealing but couldn't make it to dinner.