Pumpkin Carving with the Parks:)

We LOVE Halloween at our house.  And we LOVE carving pumpkins.  My husband is actually an amazing artist so carving pumpkins for him combines two of his most favorite things--drawing and power tools:)  We invited some good friends--the Park family--to come and join us this year.  They were NOT fans of pumpkin carving but we had so much fun that I think they may have changed their minds:)

All the kids had chosen their pumpkin faces (from online) and brought their print outs to trace onto their actual pumpkins.  Then the REAL fun began:)  These are always my most favorite pics--the gross out faces as they are cleaning out the pumpkins:

 After the kids did their part, they were off to play while the men took over with the cutting tools.  My husband's tool of choice is a jigsaw.  Lots of loud noises going on between the saws and the kids yelling--it was quite a madhouse:)  But just look at the finished product!!!  AMAZING!  Chris and Kevin really out-did themselves this year:)

Definitely WAY more fun with friends so we'll be doing this again next year:)  Fun new Halloween tradition:)

Here are some close-ups of the kids's pumpkins:

Carlie's: 

Ethan's:  (Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas)

Max's:

Tatum's:  (from Monster High)

The Grand Canyon....FINALLY:)

So Chris and I have been married for 14 1/2 years and have lived in AZ the entire time.  We have taken some amazing trips over the years but had NEVER made up to the Grand Canyon right here in AZ.  Well, fall break was upon us and we had absolutely no plans--between Carlie's rehearsal schedule and Ethan's basketball schedule we really couldn't do much of a trip.  So we were not going anywhere and I was totally fine with it but then....just like so many of our other trips that just happen....Chris said one night, "So I have some Marriot points for hotel nights, why don't we take off for a couple days to northern AZ."  WHY NOT?!:)  So we drove up to Prescott, AZ late on Thursday night--after Carlie got out of rehearsals--and saw as much of northern AZ as we could in 1 1/2 days:)

Our first stop...Grand Canyon!!!  Yahoo!!!  And it was spectacular!  I've always been told that pictures don't really capture the beauty of the canyon and after seeing it with my own eyes, I totally agree:

There were 3 trumpeters sitting on different ledges echoing each other--made for a really cool mini-concert!

She's just so darn CUTE!!!  Couldn't resist taking a pic of "Gangsta Tate"

Ethan like to give his mom heart-attacks!

On Day 2 we drove through Sedona, AZ.  I think this is the most gorgeous area of all of AZ.  LOVED it!  

My favorite pic of the day!

My kids can NEVER resist these silly things!

On our way home we also hit "Montezuma' Castle."  NOT as cool as the Gila Cliff Dwellings in NM but still worth the stop.  You don't actually get to go inside this dwelling (in NM you do get to go inside) so we walked around the outside and took some pics.  Really interesting history to this place.  People lived here for about 400 years and then they suddenly disappeared and they are several theories why but no one knows for sure. 

We then had to rush back home for rehearsal and a game:)  But hey!  We made it to the Grand Canyon FINALLY!  Huge check off our list!  Plus it's always fun to get out of town for a few days as a family.  We love family trips no matter how long or short:)

Tatum's 5th Birthday!!!

This has been a long-awaited birthday (almost as long-awaited as Carlie's 12th:).  With both of my girls being the youngest in their classes, it just seems (to them) that they are LAST in everything:)  But the day finally arrived!!!

Tatum was born on a Saturday night--the first day of fall break 5 years ago.  And her birthday just happened to fall on a Saturday again this year.  Funny birth story:  I was in the hospital in full-blown labor on Saturday, September 27th--right at the beginning of an ASU football game.  I had gone in about 7:30 that night and because of past experience I knew that if I had let them give me an epidural that the nurses would then make me sleep through the night and push in the morning--NO WAY!!!  This was my LAST baby and I wanted to be D-O-N-E!  I figured there would be time for an epidural later.  Well at about 8:45, my water broke--this was right at the start of half-time in the game--it was then that I realized that there was NO TIME whatsoever for an epidural!  So after a small panic attack and without even a tylenol in my system I truly experienced natural childbirth as she was out in 2 contractions at 8:53 pm.  The baby and I were all cleaned up and moved to our new room at the end of the ASU half-time.  Chris got to watch the rest of the game and ASU WON!!!  What a nice wife I am right???  BTW...ASU again had an afternoon game this year (2012) and yep...they won.  September 29th is a lucky day for them:)

So here is my beautiful little girl in all her birthday glory.  We had a fantastic birthday party with all her friends.  I have learned by experience that over-planning a party always backfires on me.  So my only plan...HUGE beach balls!!!  Everyone got to take one home:)  SUPER fun:

Birthday guest:  Bianca:)

And of course, a Chris obstacle course--which are ALWAYS a huge hit:

Max got a SERIOUS work-out today--he pushed ALL of the guests on the tractor:)

Birthday guest:  Barrett

Birthday guest:  Chloe

PIZZA TIME!:

Barrett. Tatum, & Natalie

And then we all decorated cupcakes!!!

Chloe's Creation:)

Mmmm...Looks good:)

Singing to the Birthday Girl!!!

Presents:

From left to right:  Ryan, Natalie, Sydney, Chloe, Tatum, Bianca, Barrett, and Ella

The doggie door was a HUGE hit with the kiddos--it was their "secret entrance"

And my good friend Nicole came at the end of the party to give Tatum her last gift....PIERCED EARS!!!   My friend Nicole is one of my dearest friends and she always keeps the crazy in my life which is what I love about her the most!  I had NOOOO idea that you can buy the earring gun kits at a beauty supply and pierce your own kids ears at home:)  I was just going to take her to the mall!  But Nicole put in all in perspective when she said, "Buffie....WHO do you REALLY want to pierce your daughters ears...ME (she was an EMT for many years) or a "trained" teenager at the mall.  Okay, okay.  Great point.  Tatum was a SUPER trooper and NOT A TEAR was shed!!!  And now her ears are OOHHH sooooo beautiful!!!

Nicole explaining it all to Tatum:)

I'm a wimp so my mom is holding her head just in case:)

WOO-HOO!!!  NO tears!!!

And later on that night--after Ethan's basketball game and Carlie's rehearsals--BUSY day--we headed out to T.G.I.Friday's which is my kid's favorite place to celebrate their birthdays!!!  (SOOO glad that we've moved on from the McDonald's phase:)

Then we headed over to the San Tan Mall for Tatum's final request of the day:  Build-a-Bear!!!

Tatum's creation which she named "Love"

And we made it!!!  This was the first real party that we had for Tatum and we sure had a BLAST!  I can't believe that my baby is 5!!!  We just love her sooooo much and are sooooo blessed to have her in our family.  LOVE YOU TATUM JANE!!!