Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

Not so long ago, our guy turned five! I simply can't believe time has passed so quickly :)

Unlucky for him, I have been beyond busy, but lucky for him I pulled together a last-minute party with some fun friends.

The theme was a pajama pizza party, and the kids had tons of fun making their pizzas and being crazy together. Nicholas loved having his friends there to celebrate.

October Fun

Despite my blogging absence for the month of october, we had a great month.

We were very happy to be together for Halloween this year, especially considering last year Jared missed most all of the holiday and we were in a temporary living situation.  I am constantly grateful that we are here now and can be settled (at least for a little while).

Last year we didn't carve pumpkins, so we were happy to do that this year.  The boys loved it until they reached the gross "pumpkin guts", and Dad had to take over.

We were so happy to do Trunk-or-Treat at the church the weekend before the holiday, and hang out with some friends.

The boys were Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader (big surprise) and loved their costumes.  We went around a beautiful neighborhood with friends and loved their super creepy and awesome house.

Ryker's Birthday Party

We had a lot of fun (with a lot of stress mingled in) at Ryker's birthday party.  I had been dragging my feet a bit planning, mostly because of our lengthy stay in Carlsbad and having many guests around.  Eventually I had to just pick a date and run with it!

Luckily the theme came easy, considering Star Wars has been the boys greatest obsession lately.

The day of the party was pretty hot and humid, but the kids had fun playing at the park and doing a few small games.  I had intentions of making an obstacle course, but I think I'll do that with an older crowd.

The best part of the whole thing was seeing Ryker having fun.  He had a huge smile, and loved all the food, games, and presents.  After we cleaned up and came home I asked him what his favorite part was, and he said "All the things we did!", then listed off all the activities and food he loved.  

Totally worth it!

Carlsbad Trip

As always, we had a fabulous time in Carlsbad with our Williams family (my mom's side).

Luckily we had TWO weeks there this year!  I think my boys were hoping we'd be moving in there :) 

Each morning we would wake up, be lazy, watching cartoons in our beds and eating.  Then we would go swim for a bit, come back for naps, then go back to the beach.  

The boys had a great time with all the fun cousins, who made for great slaves. 

We can't wait for next year!