Auburn's 9th

Auburn turned 9 back in December. Since her birthday was on Sunday, we took her to Build-A-Bear on Friday, which was actually Brooks birthday. She got a Polar Bear with Eskimo clothes. She wanted to go to Golden Corral for her birthday dinner on Saturday....I guess because then everyone can choose what they want to eat. There was a really bad snow storm that day. On the way to the restaurant, we saw a ton of accidents and slide offs on the freeway. We even watched an SUV spin around on the freeway and then roll off on the side of the road.....scary. She loves chocolate, so she picked out this chocolate on chocolate cake with chocolate icecream. Auburn is such a joy to have around! She loves Grant so much, always keeps her room clean, and homework done.

Since Auburn's favorite color is constantly changing,

she got a big pack of beads to make a plethora of bracelets.

She's been wanting one of these for a while. :)

A polly pocket set, of course. This one had umbrellas and rain coats....cute.

Catching Up on 2009

I have been absent from the blog world for a while. Facebook is just so quick and easy! I wish it was easier to load pictures and label them on blogger. Anyway, I'll be posting a bunch of stories and pictures from last year that I didn't want to miss.

Halloween 2009

The girls had a lot of fun dressing up for Halloween this year. You'll see the different costumes and changes they went through.

Lauren wanted to dress like a sailor because of her Donald Duck fascination. In August when we went to Nauvoo she tried on a female Navy uniform and loved it. I was able to find this one at Smith & Edwards (a military surplus store) for a good price, plus the hat & shirt are the real deal. I had to alter the pants to fit, and make the neckerchief out of a sheet. I'm glad that our school still does a Halloween parade. They go through each classroom and the gym so that the parents can see. The teachers even dress up.

Auburn wanted to be a ghost. She was disappointed when I told her she couldn't just wear a sheet over her head with 2 holes cut in it for the eyes. (They won't let you wear anything over your face at school....not to mention that trick-or-treating would be hard) We borrowed this ghost costume from Mel. Auburn wouldn't let me put makeup on her face so I got her this wig. She looked so good with her light skin....she actually kind of looked like an angel. :)

This is in Auburn's classroom during their Halloween party

The 6th graders learned the dance to Thriller.

Lauren obviously didn't want to participate.

Nice Donald Duck pose though. :)

Auburn decided on Halloween day to be a detective

She even had a magnifying glass

The yearly picture on Grandma Glade's porch

The top row looks really happy :)

I love how this picture turned out

My 3 kiddies - Lauren added a Miley/Gabriella wig

(she asked us if it looked like real hair....I of course said, "yes")

I found Grant's costume at WalMart for $8. It was a great costume for a baby!

After doing a bit of trick-or-treating around Grandma's,

Jared's kids came over so we snapped another photo

Lauren wool Navy shirt was bugging her so she changed into her "detective" costume too.

Still wearing that wig. :)

Grant's hoping he will turn into a prince if the princess will kiss him

Sorry Grant, your still a frog and now you're stuck with a witch :)

Christmas at the Williams' house

This is the only picture we could get.

The batteries died on the camera after one shot,

and the kids were itching to get out of their church clothes.

Grant & Auburn

Grant was fascinated with the girls while they decorated the Christmas tree.

Mmmmmm, fake gingerbread!

Looks like Santa's laundry ended up on Grant's plate too. :)

Our happy Elf

The girls can't wait to get the Christmas tree up every year. We always decorate it the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Auburn was so ambitious that she almost did the whole tree and the rest of the room by herself. She did a pretty good job, and I was thankful for the help! We have a tall front room and a tall Christmas tree. We have to decorate it with a big ladder while we listen to Christmas music. I love to go through the ornaments...each one has a story.

New Year's Sledding

My parents went up to Jason's house in Washington this year for New Year's, so we hadn't made any plans. We got to go tubing with Mel and her friends on New Year's Eve. We tubed, drank hot chocolate, and warmed up by the outdoor heater. The girls had so much fun! Even Grant seemed to be enjoying himself. Afterward we went and played games at Mel's friend's house. The kids got to bang pots and pans at midnight, Lauren played Disney Sing-It, and Grant stayed up until 3 in the morning. What a party animal! I think the girls will be asking us to do the same thing next year.

Grant was so content I had to keep checking him to see if he was awake.

Cheese

Brook & Grant

me & my buddy

Lauren Turns 12

Well, it finally happened.....I have a 12 year old. Again, I am amazed at how quickly your kids grow up. Her birthday was on Friday, so after school she had an interview with the bishop to get a temple recommend to do baptisms. She wanted to go in the Salt Lake temple for her first time, but they didn't have a good time available so we went to the Ogden Temple. Afterward we went to Farr's for some ice cream. She picked Chinese takeout for dinner, so we stayed in and watched her new Hannah Montana movie. On Saturday we rode the Front Runner down to Salt Lake for a short trip and then did cake and ice cream when we came home. On Sunday she got to go to Young Women's for the first time. I can't believe I have a girl in Young Women's! It has been fun to see Lauren grow up. She was so cute on her birthday....she took chocolate cupcakes to share in her class for her birthday treat. She saved one for Auburn because she knew Auburn loved them. She really is growing up. :) Happy Birthday Lauren! I love you!

1st Day of School

The girls started school on August 24th. I can't believe how big they are getting! Auburn is in 3rd Grade this year, and Lauren is in 6th. It's kind of sad because this is the last time they will be at the same school. When Auburn moves up to junior high, Lauren will move up to high school. Lauren is really enjoying her teacher this year.....phew! They are growing up way too fast for my liking, but what can you do?

My girls

Grown up Lauren

Cute little Auburn