Our first Halloween party!

Kayli had her first Halloween party at school. She dressed up like Tinker Bell and is sitting with her good friend Baily.


They put orange paint into clear 2 L bottles and made pumpkin faces...very cute.


She played the mummy game and had her leg mummified...

It was a FUN school party.

Trunk or Treat...

This year our church did an outside Trunk or Treat...you decorate the trunk of your car, line up with all the other cars, and hand out candy. A safe alterniative for our community. Kayli dressed up like a Bears cheerleader because it was too cold to go as Tinker Bell. Hudson went as a pirate (seen on the pumpkin pictures) yet his pants are a little small (ok, I bought the costume a month ago) so he wore jeans. We had a GREAT time. Kayli ended up helping me hand out candy and the back of the van was a safe haven from the chilly wind.


My little Bears cheerleader (much to Papa Slayden's delight)


Papa and his babies


Kayli and me huddled in the back of the van.

80s all over again...

Here are just a few shots from our 80s MORP (prom spelled backwards) costume party! We had so much fun tonight. While I waited for the late return of my absent date, I browsed thru the pictures from the party. Everyone dressed up in 80s attire, prom and casual. We had our own little costume party with 80s music, photo op., trivia game, and party favors. These pictures are of me and Dannielle and just me, alone...I went stag. Geoff is on his way home from CA where he interviewed this weekend...I missed hanging on his arm during the party, but managed to keep myself busy taking care of party needs. Thanks everyone for helping out and staying late to clean up!!!


Me and Dannielle (who actually bought her entire outfit at the stors...the 80s are back)


Just me...I was going to crop this but them you wouldn't be able to see the amazing 80s photo op we did!

Ahhhhhh, FAMILY!

Ok, so I have been staying up way late playing with pictures in my pictures file. I am amazed with how much better some of my pictures look if I just crop them a little. And while messing around with some tonight, I decided to post some family photos...do you all even know what my siblings and sibling-in-laws look like? Well, here are a few shots of my family!!



My newest member of the family...my brother and sister-in-laws first baby Liam but you can just call him TC (don't ask).


My mom and dad with their 5 grandbabies.


My mom and dad, brother (Jeff) and his wife (Lori). My sister (Shauna) and her husband (Derek) and their three kiddos (Dominic, Devin, & Shela). Sorry Hudson, not arrived yet in this photo...




My mother and father-in-law. Geoff's youngest brother (Chris). Geoff's sister (Rebecca) and her husband (Lance). Geoff's younger, bigger brother (Jon) and his family, wife (Kristy) and two little ones (Isak and Alee). And Geoff's dad's mom, Mema.


Grandpa and Grandma Slayden with their four grandbabies.

Our little schoolgirl

Here it is...Kayli's first school picture. She looks soooooo cute!! Since I was a teacher once and saw many sad school pictures, I understand that you send them off with the check and the correct box chekced. You just never know what is going to happen during the day, when their class will be scheduled for pictures (after lunch? recess? last of the day?) or what they will do to themselves before they go into the room. You never know if the person taking the picture or the teacher (watching the other 20 kids in line) will say, smile nice or fix their shirt or pat their fly-a-way hairs down. Well, thankfully, Kayli's first picture came out GREAT! Probably the first and last year we will buy...but we sure are happy with her picture from her very first year of school!!!

Peter Pan in the Slayden Family

Poor Geoff, he's been flying all over the place lately and he just got home late last night, worked all day today and agreed to take Kayli and Hudson to the pumpkin patch with me. I cannot do it myself...there is no way I can pose my little munchkins, get them to smile and look at me while I take a photo. So, off we went and he took the photos for me, yeah!! You cannot tell but they were both very cold, cranky, and uncooperitive. But we ended up with some cute shots. Geoff has decided that we need a different camera (uhhhh yeah!). Here they are and ok, we did have a good time...Kayli floated around like the Tinker Bell she wishes she were. I walked Hudson all over that place. He had a cute little hat and hook (he is Captian Hook)but wouldn't leave one on and wasn't as interested in the other as I thought he would be.


Hudson loved the hay and the mud underneith.


Hudson and Daddy getting Mommy...


Daddy and his kids.


Mommy and her kids...


Kayli in her own little world


Trying to get them to smile at us at the same time...not gonna happen.


Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, so cute! Katie, can you help me get that droll off his face?


Kayli looking just beautiful in her little costume....burr she was cold!

Two times the clothes...

Well, I was laughing out loud the other day when we were visiting aunt rebecca and uncle lance. I had told kayli to go get dressed for the day. When I checked on her, she was sitting on the air mattress pulling on what looked like jean capris. I thought, 'I don't remember bringing her jean capris...oh well.' Well, then it dawned on me, those aren't hers. So, I went back into the room and told her, "those are hudson's jeans, silly." I couldn't believe that they fit her. Just to prove my point, here is kayli in hudson's jeans...size 12-18 months. She wears a 4T.

Kansas City

Well, we left Kansas City this afternoon with Kayli kicking and screaming...she did not want to leave. She really would like to live with them, not by herself, she would like for Geoff and I and Hudson to all live there with her and them. Well, actually her dream is to have ALL of her family live in the same house. She is very much like her mom and papa Slayden, she loves it when everyone is at grandma's house (somehow I think she knows that it is both grandma and papa's house but she always refers to it as "grandma's house"). She always talks about the whole family living together. I think it's because every year we all stay in the same condo in Florida together and in the Fall we do Thanksgiving or Christmas all at "grandma's" house. She just loves that and her family....yeah!

Anyway, here are some more pictures of our Kansas City visit!


Hudson is completely obsessed with Dumbo


Kayli and Aunt Rebecca made some sort of strange soup for the birds with the strangest ingredients...then they set it outside. I don't think the birds ate any.


Uncle Lance entertaining Hudson...there was another picture of Hudson with stickers all over his face but he really looked like a girl (stickers on his ears too) so I decided that it would be better for my marriage if I didn't post it. Thanks Uncle Lance.


With all the excitement, Hudson crashed out on their basement floor among all the toys and games. He was a tired boy.

Fall Break!

Kayli has fall break this week. I know, it sounds so strange that she has a break...I can hardly believe that she is in school. Well, we decided that we would drive up to Kansas City to visit Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Lance, and Dog Cousin Roman. Their house has some really neat areas for GREAT pictures...if you can get the subjects to cooperate. I got Kayli and Hudson seperately but could not get the two of them together. Here are a few pictures of them and their aunt and dog cousin. We are having a really good time.

What is the deal???

I keep getting these comments on my blogs. And in person. There is no #3!!! There will NEVER be a #3. Those of you who are CRAZY enough to go beyond #2, God bless you. God blessed us with 2....and only 2!

I've heard this before, "If I'd had the second one first there wouldn't have been a second one". I now understand this statement. Any advice with a child who takes a lovely nap in the afternoon and wakes up on the wrong side of the crib? Cranky and fussy till about bedtime? It is so strange to me. He sleeps 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon and wakes up like he hasn't napped all day. I just went in to his room to check on him. He has been asleep for about 1 1/2 hours. He is just laying there so peacefully. How can someone look like that and make a mom CRAZY during the day? The other one, sleeping in her loft bed with the sweetest look on her face. That is the best advice I've ever received...go now, go look at them sleeping....if you are lucky enough to have sleeping children at 9pm. Just do it...it makes you willing and ready to do it all over again in the morning.




OK, am I crazy for taking these, I couldn't help myself! They are too cute...I am thinking about having them printed so I can look at them during the day while they are driving me CRAZY! Ha!

My kiddos outside this eve. I know it's been a while since my last blog...I've been told anyway. It's so hard to get good photos of my kids together. One is smiling one is crying or they are making strange faces. Well, here is my attempt at getting one of the two of them. And, they are cute, if I do say so myself.