The Jacksons' Epic Visit

Let's be honest.  Grandma and Grandpa visit us frequently.  The Jacksons, now, they certainly don't come visit us every day.  We had a visit from Kati and Joe about seven years ago, and we have never had a visit that included Jackson cousins.  I only mention this to try to describe how excited we were to have Kati, Milo, and Max come visit us in late-October!  It was the most special thing that has happened to us this year.

I wanted Kati to see all "my places," so she humored me by going for a jog with me and bringing the three boys along.  We stopped at the strength training area and did some crazy awesome chin ups while the boys played at this playground.  

We took a little trip to the Botanic Garden, because I can't get enough and love to share it!  Plus, I really loved watching the changes every week during the fall.

Kati is a major plant and gardening lover, so she went crazy about all the plants (not unlike our dad a few weeks earlier).  Milo took this great photo for us.  :)

Um, I think Ben must have snapped this while we played some games.  Boy, did we have some great night-time conversations.  We learned from Kati's wisdom (we don't get enough of this when we come to Utah because of kids' bedtimes).

I was so excited for the Jacksons to be here for trick-or-treating.  I think I talked up our "perfect Halloween neighborhood" a little too much; I'm pretty sure I jinxed it.  This picture is very deceiving.  I'll just say that it wasn't so adorable to layer puffy coats under everyone's costumes and then run from house to house in the freezing wind, getting pelted in the face by ice and hail.  It sure was memorable though.  

The kids didn't last nearly as long as usual, but I think they still did just fine on candy, since people weren't getting enough trick-or-treaters and so were giving out huge handfuls of candy.  Yeah, we did alright.

Ben watched the kids while Kati and I went out for dinner one night.  Oh, these boys had so much fun playing together.  And such a treat to have them at our own house!

We were pretty bummed to see them leave.  Sam is still frequently talking about what we're going to do next time Milo and Max come, as if it's going to be any day now.  We hope it will happen again soon!

Halloween Happenings

I knew it was coming: the year we all got to be Star Wars for Halloween.  I definitely got to subtly (and heavily) influence the boys' choices for Newsies, artists, and presidents in past years.  This year, I knew Star Wars was inevitable and way beyond my control.  And you know, it turned out to be awesome!  

First of all, we got to borrow several of the costumes, which made for an easy year.  Secondly, I got to buy that awesome Boba Fett shirt, which I plan to wear frequently.  Here you see Han Solo (Ben, Boba Fett (me), Anakin Skywalker (Henry), Jango Fett (Ellis), and the cutest Darth Vader you've ever seen (Sam).

These pictures are from my friend Amy's phenomenal Halloween party.  They had this photo booth in the yard and gave prizes for the best costumes (we won best family!).

She also had a pumpkin patch where kids could choose and decorate a pumpkin.  Adorable!

I got to help in both Henry and Ellis' classroom parties.  Here you can see Ellis with his Jango Fett helmet on, and his cute teacher who dressed up as a pumpkin.

This was Henry's team for the mummy decorating contest.

And Henry's class.

And this is the picture that came home with Ellis in a cute little Halloween frame.  Ellis, why are you so good at posing in epic pictures?  I laughed for a week, every time I walked past this photo!

Iversons Stop In

Not long after my parents game, we got a quick visit from Grandma and Grandpa Iverson!  They stopped at our house as part of a giant road trip to see all of their kids throughout the country.  

We continued our fall celebration with them by visiting the Botanic Garden and seeing how the fall color had progressed over the course of a few weeks.  

We found some gorgeous trees . . . 

and some giant pumpkins!

They had a giant gourd mountain on display.  I loved all the different colors and shapes.

All of us enjoyed the beautiful day.

We had lots of fun grandparent time, especially Grandma reading her fun Halloween books.

Since they drove from Utah, Mom and Dad I. were able to bring eight boxes full of Ben's keepsakes that have been sitting in their house.  Two months later, they are still sitting in a giant pile in our bedroom!  But we did go through several of them and found a few treasures.  This picture, drawn by Robbie Mower in high school, was among them.

Fall Soccer

This year, Ben once again got to coach Henry's soccer team.  They were the Blue Diamonds, and they had a lot of fun!

Ellis also got to start playing on a soccer team for the first time.  He totally got into it.  

I think Henry enjoys soccer and has some great soccer skills.  He has always had fun playing and is a good defender.  I might be wrong, but I dare to say that Ellis has even more fun.  He is super competitive and just wants to WIN!!!  

 He fights pretty hard and ended up scoring several goals this season on the Black Crushers team, coached by our friend Ben Severson.

And Sam is really enjoying being the soccer brother!  He gets extra snacks from all the games just by flashing this cute smile.   I think he's going to be totally ready whenever we decide we're ready to enroll three children in soccer.  It might be a while.  Our Saturdays were crazy with two!

Latergrams . . . in which school starts, Fall is enjoyed, and much artwork ensues

Delighted to find that Chicago decided to keep having lovely whether, even after our three week trip. This week, every single day has highs in the 70's! #hardearnedsummerweather #cashingin #seventythreedegrees #happyboys

 "Mom, I'm gonna wear this costume until forever." #takemypicture #postit #instagrambydemand

 Rousing game of family kickball! We laughed so hard at Sam, who did ninja moves before every kick, and after someone tagged him out, he always tagged them back. #ilovesummer #andboys #andbackyards #andwholesomeactivities

 This has been our Friday night babysitting co-op group for the past year. These twelve kids are starting to think they're cousins! So sad to be losing the Halls this week... :( #saddayforchicago #wewillmissyou@chelsearhall

 Nothing like a rainy summer day, imagining a Star Wars adventure with at least three boys who have no idea what Star Wars is actually about! Savoring our last few hours with the Hall boys before they leave for Toronto. #saddayforchicago #hatesayinggoodbye @chelsearhall

 Can this be true? Please? #littleboys #lovethem #andcloroxwipes

 Someone should remind me to go to the library every week. #buriedinbooks #bookheaven #quiethouse #allthreeofthem

He came into our room at 6:00am and whispered, "Dad, I woke up, and the Tooth Fairy brought me a dollar, so I went in the bathroom, locked the door so everyone would think I was going potty, and I pulled my other tooth out!" #moneymaker #twoteethtwodays

It was sure quiet in our house with these two gone today...until they got home! Henry has never given me details about school. Ellis couldn't stop talking, singing, etc. It's going to be a fun year! #firstdayofschool #madeforkindergarten #lovetheseboys

 How long do you think this will last? #legosort #minifigureparadise #aplaceforeverything #legomomsfantasy

 Found: seven bags of Cheerios in the bottom of the church bag. #yearlybagcleanout #seriously #confessionsofanhonestmom #keepingitreal

 All along, Sam has been denying the fact that he is starting preschool this year. This morning, he insisted, "I will ONLY go to preschool if they don't have a dog!" A little phone call with the teacher, who promised the dog will stay outside, and we're in business! #firstdayofschool #samo #dogphobia

Spotted this at curriculum night and instantly knew it was one of mine. Kind of like how I always know it's my baby when they hold it up in the hospital. #ithinkitsthenose #kindergartenart #myellis

 First masterpiece of the preschool year! He told Ben, "and it looks like a Jackson Pollock!" #preschoolboy #littleartist #proudascanbe

Sometimes life totally rules. Like when you not only win the cake walk, but when you win the one and only hamburger cake at the cake walk. #nobrainerdecision #fallfest #lincolnwoodschool #newkindergartenBFF

 Nothing short of a miracle, right here. #littlesammywenttotown #ridingonapony #afterhavingsecondthoughts #animalphobia #proudascanbe

 This is how we feel about Dad going to The Netherlands without us. #itsaparty #butkindofaboringone @beniverson

 Tried to sit calmly and watch the big brothers' soccer practices with this one. Then I finally realized that I was either going to have to full-on wrestle with him or give him his own soccer practice. #samsfirstsoccerpractice #hewasdelighted #typicalboy #unlikehisbrothers

 Our 12-year-old neighbor was ready to pass on this suitcase, and he had a feeling someone in our house would appreciate it! #ellisgetslucky

 Looks like everyone in our house had some art projects they had been meaning to get to! This is what happens when Dad is gone on a rainy Saturday. #samsselfportrait #elliscolorbynumber

 Henry spends time at recess collecting these valuable treasures. He dreamed up how he could make his found objects into little guys, each with hats and weapons. #foundart #daydreamer #creativeboy

 Passing the torch. #dadsturn #longawaitedmoment #jubilationforall

 A modern art take on our fall tradition. #firstdayofFALL #cookietradition #likemostofourtraditions #rothkopumpkin

 After after-school snack treat. #firstdayofFALL

 Don't fancy charts fix everything? #prettyplease happinessproblem #happypoints #graspingatstraws

 Sam's first color by number makes me smile. #coloredthenumbers #soproud

 Check out that girl in the window, finally the owner of a bike that is the right size. (!!!!!!!!!) #eraofthecomfortbike #happyhappyday

 Going to miss our sweetest ever Sister Olejniczak who is getting transferred this week and the incredible Elder Alvey too. We have such amazing missionaries right now. They have filled our home with light. #ldsmissionaries #iamamormon

 Try Henry's t-shirt hood game. It's good times. #latenightlaughs #afterlittlekidbedtime #thingsgetalittletwisted

 Doing sit-ups with this view is my new favorite. #autumnsky #goodformysoul #joggingtrail

And here's what I appreciate: a boy who shares my enthusiasm over finding the perfect little leaf. #perfectsize #fallthings #mybuddy #samo