Thanksgiving.

At the rate I'm going, my next post won't be until Christmas! My apologies, I'll do my best to not let that happen. Well, we were lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving with my whole family in WA this year {I'm actually still here}. We took one heck of a flight here, then drove from Seattle to Spokane (6 hour drive),where my parents now live...and I'm here for another few days, while Ben is back in NY doing a hospital rotation. We had so much fun getting together with everyone for the holiday and got to watch the cousins reunite, play Zarahemla, go 4-wheeling, and make hair clippies and other fun crafts {of course!}. Here are some pics from our trip. The computer is being weird, so there are more to come. But here is my first batch...

Sisters and the momma.

These two are like sisters...guess that's what happens when you've got an 8 year gap between the 4th and 5th child.

My oldest sister, Steph & her girls....{I'll go ahead and brag for her...she's lost 30lbs and counting...way to go!!} What a fun surprise!

The whole gang.

Our fam.

Stay tuned for more pictures, once I can figure it out!

happy halloween!

I know, I know I'm a slacker blogger lately. You don't have to tell me, I feel guilty enough for the both of us {for some reason!}. Hopefully this post will tide you over for the next few days {ha ha, is there anyone even out there reading this blog anymore..?!}

We enjoyed a delightful trunk-or-treat at our church last night. It was filled with stress, uncomfortable costumes, whiny children {boy am I am downer!...i think it was my wig} thrilling games, and CANDY! {my favorite part}. Maddie and Camden were so excited to try each and every game they saw immediately. I didn't have more than a second to stop and say hello to anyone...what was I thinking? It's times like these that I wonder if I can handle more than 3 children. For some reason it felt so chaotic and crazy, but the kids enjoyed it, so it was worth it, I suppose. So, here are the pics:

please tell me you know who I dressed up as...?
Yes, that's right--Kate Gosselin from Jon & Kate + 8. I had a few people not know...and that just made me feel stupid, like I just like to wear crazy wigs on a daily basis. Some people just thought I had chopped my hair too!

The cute witch and giraffe.

the sweet little butterfly/fairy/flower.

I'll admit it, Hazel already knows what candy is. When she sees it, you can bet she comes a crawlin'!

Hazel longing for Cala's candy.

so intense! making a ghost lolly pop

hi--my name is kate!

Cam's costume is best from the side...

or from behind...

he had no clue how big his rump actually was!

donuts on a string!

mmm....

caught it!

and there you have it. happy halloween everyone!

Natural Mommie Giveaway!

It's giveaway time for Cranberries & Capers! Starts today & goes through November 2nd. Just in time for the holidays! Now go win something!

As promised.

Please excuse this massive picture post. I neglected to document some of the things we did lately...and even some from summer, yikes! So, here they are...

{Apple Picking.}

My favorite thing to do here in NY.

Do you think we have enough apples? Cam kept adding to our stash.

These three were all sitting in a circle. One would take Hazel's binky out, the other would get mad and put it back in. Made for a fun game with little Hazel in the middle of the dispute...and she didn't even seem to mind.
the beginnings of the take Hazel's binky game.

the kiddos...aren't they cute?

apple picking buddies.

and then there was the...

{Toby Keith concert}

It was so nice to get out with just the two of us...doesn't happen a lot these days with no teenage girls around to babysit.

It was a good concert, although I felt a little old amongst the drunken teenagers, dancing and singing along.

Next up--

{camping}

Our branch had a little camping trip over Memorial Day weekend. We had a blast bunking up with the Liljenquists (cabin camping, my favorite kind!)

our cheese ball.

Pretty nasty morning pic, but just needed to document that I was actually in attendance.

And lastly was ...

{the Altamont Fair}

My friend, Tiana, invited us to join her. We had a great time!

We came across a little pony, named Maddie. Notice the sign that says "I bite"...just the kind of horse you want to go and pet.

The pig racing was the best!

Their favorite ride, the swings. It's only fitting, b/c they were my favorite as a kid too.

Maddie & Cam also got to take part in a backyard circus. They LOVED it. Maddie got to be a ballerina...

and Cam got to be lion, hilarious!

And there you have it! I think I'm all caught up now!

Benny boy.

One year older and wiser too, happy birthday, to you! Yesterday Ben turned 29, yes that's one year away from 30! I've been teasing him so much, I think he's really starting to feel old! Since it was Sunday, it was a little more laid back, but I hope he had a good day nonetheless. I made his favorite, Crème Brulee French Toast to start off the day. After church some of our friends were good enough to have us over for a delicious dinner.

the B-day Boy.

The kiddos now insist that we do a scavenger hunt to find his presents like we did last year.

Ben is just the best, what can I say. He does everything for our little family and we love him so much! He's the most hard working, loving, fun, not to mention good-looking guy I know. We love you babe! Hope you had a good day!