Pumpkin Carvin' Party......

This year we met at Ashlee's house for a pumpkin carving party. April and Shawn had visited a pumpkin patch a few days prior and their girls had picked a pumpkin each for them. Not sure if Ash just bought theirs at the store or what. Anyway.... It was a great chance to gather together as a family and make new memories. Howie was out of town for work and pretty bugged that he had to miss this activity. He almost drove home from Wyoming just so that he wouldn't miss out on the fun!

Homemade Doughnuts.....

Ashlee had decided it would be fun to make homemade doughnuts. And of course the kids wanted to join right in.

Luke working so hard to measure just right....

Team work with Karah......

Of course Lyss wanted to join in too.....

Look Grandma "T " I can do it all by myself

Lyss, Luke, and Boo loved helping.....

It amazed me at how much the kids attended to this activity. They waited patiently to be able to watch it get mixed all up and ready to cook.

Team work.......

This was their first attempt to make homemade doughnuts. They were DELICIOUS! In fact Luke ate AT LEAST six or seven of them himself!!!

They also made these yummy miniature carmel apples. They took a melon baller and cut out small balls from an apple and then they use carmel or frosting to dip it into. They were a hit with the kids as well. YUMMY!

Brayden is about the pickiest eater I have ever known and he even enjoyed them. YEAH!

And of course Lukie liked them. He eats ANYTHING!

My girls.....

My Sticky Kids.....

Play Time......

If you noticed in the cooking pictures Brayden was no where to be found. He was playing in the other room with his dad. They love to rough house and wrestle for hours. I love to watch them but sometimes it gets a little scary. Ty will lift him high above his head and body slam him on the couch. Jack just gets up and comes back for more. Even if he gets hurt he just brushes it off and returns for more action. The grankkids and I just sat on the steps and watched and laughed. The girls are a bit afraid of Tyson at times so they are hanging on tightly to their Grandma "T" for protection.

It was pretty funny when Ty was not looking - Karah and Lyssi would run from off the steps and throw a pillow at Ty and quickly run back to me as fast as they could. You should see the terror in their eyes as they ran back to saftey. They certainly did not want to be captured by their uncle TY!!!

Ashlee joined in on the rough housing and they all piled on top. I love the smile on Luke's face. He was just gigglin' his head off at the thought that he could help in squishing his mommy!

Hide and Seek Time.....

One of our favorite games we play when we get together is Hide and Seek. The kids never get bored with it. They could seriously play it for hours and be entertained.

Here is Lyssi helping to hide Jack so that Grandma "T" can't find him.

It took me quite a while before I actually found Boo and Lukie. They had a nice hiding spot and they were soooo quiet.

GOTCHA!!!!

More Playtime......

I'm not sure who this little felt pumpkin belongs to but the kids sure enjoyed playing with it.

I love to watch my grandkids interact together. They are going to have such a close relationship with their cousins. I was blessed to have some wonderful cousins living close by as I grew up and I cherish the times spent with them so much now that I am older. Now my grandkids are forming that same type of bond together. These memories made with their cousins will last a lifetime!

Good little friends.......

A quick shot with my buddy Boo....Taken by Jack!

Ashlee just recently go new carpet so the kids have to take their shoes off each time they go into their house. It was cute to watch Brayden show Luke how to do it. I think they went in and out of the house a half dozen times and guess who put on the shoes...... ME!

My little guys.....

A visit to Aunt Ashlee's is never complete without some time on the swing set.

All of our grandkids love to swing. Usually Howie is around to push them for hours on end. The adults are generally inside and you can hear the screams and laughter from the kids and Howie out back. But with him gone it is not as fun for them. I get too bored just standing there pushing. Sorry guys....

One of Lyssi's favorite things to do is sliding down the slide. She just giggles and giggles and says....More! More!

Pumpkin Carving Time......

The dads got a head start with their pumpkins as the kids were playing.

Hard at work.......

Finding the perfect pattern......

These guys spent a long time creating their masterpieces

April on the other hand was still having problems just getting the knife out of the pumpkin.

Luke came to the rescue.....

He wasn't too sure about the gooey stuff inside though...

More sister teamwork.....

Once April finally had her pumpkin gutted it was a wiz for her to carve out her jack-o-lantern. Lyssi looks like she wants to help but I think April is on a roll. There is no stopping her now!

The little ones want to join in on the fun.....

Luke lugged this one all across the room and plopped it down carefully on the couch. He dropped it probably six or seven times till it arrived safely on the couch next to me. It was fun to watch his determination as he tried to carry this big pumpkin over to show me. He sure is growing up fast!

The kids had miniature pumpkins to paint

I love how Luke watches everything his big brother does.

And then he is off and working on his own....

Beautiful artwork Boys.....

Karah took hers inside so that she could work along side her dad.

Shawn had to switch his design after a while because the tools needed to cut through weren't working. He needed his trusty paring knife which he left at home....

Just a cute shot of Ape and Shawn....

April's Halloween Jack-O-Lantern

Hey Tyson.... It is not Easter....

Why are you giving her bunny ears?

Wrong Holiday :)



Tyson's Creation......

All lit up and lookin' SPOOKY!

Shawn with his final work of art....

Pretty awesome.....

Movie Time......

I bought some Halloween shirts for the kiddos and we got them dressed in them for some pictures. The girls shirts lit up and the boys were the Glow in the Dark type. We had fun hiding under the blanket and watching them glow and blink.

Karah's nickname is "BOO"

so when I saw this shirt I thought it fit her perfectly!

It seems like I can never get a picture of Brayden. He never sits still long enough for one. But he kept telling me to take another picture of him. He was all smiles in his new Halloween shirt.

I got this shirt for Lyss because she is such a

"MUMMY's GIRL

All snuggled down ready to watch the movie Casper

I enjoy being with my grandkids soooo much. They all bring so much joy into my life. I wish Howie could have been here but maybe next year. We had a great time and I hope this becomes a new family tradition. Thanks Ashlee for letting us come over to your home. You are always such a gracious host! Love ya!