fall fun 2018

Here are some of the fun things we did this fall:

Bart and I went to the BYU vs. Wisconsin game in Madison.  I was utterly appalled when Bart got dressed that morning, and he put on a Wisconsin shirt and hat instead of his BYU ones. I mean, who doesn't cheer for their alma mater??? I actually loved wearing my BYU shirt and blue streak in my hair and walking amongst the Badger fans.  I liked when I sat down in our seats and had everyone around me harassing me about who I was cheering for.  I loved when BYU would score and I would jump up and cheer alone. I especially loved when BYU (who was a huge underdog in the game) won!!  I was so excited at the end that I was shaking.  It was so much fun!

Bart did want to point out that he was wearing his Cougar socks, but he only really wanted to point them out after the game was over!

I love this picture of the two of us.  Me: utter joy.  Bart: complete shock!

Everly started ballet and tap at a new studio this fall.  Look at that face!  Does that look like the face of someone who is excited about dance class, or what?  She has loved going to dance, her only complaint is that the teachers don't just let her dance however she wants to.  I try to remind her that she can dance anyway she wants to all day, every day at home, which she generally does.

Also this fall, Everly learned to ride a bike, without ever having used training wheels in about 5 minutes total.  Balance bikes are the absolute best at preparing kids to learn to ride a real bike!  It's been so fun to watch her zip up and down the sidewalk.

How cute is this picture of Krew running along side her, cheering her on, as she was learning.  He is her biggest fan!

And look at her daddy, running behind her, arms out ready to catch her if she starts to fall.  I hope she knows that he will always be doing this for her in every stage of her life!

Look at this handsome kid and his toothless smile!

I've tried to take advantage of the time that Everly and I have every day just the two of us while her brothers are at school.  This is the last year she will be home all day with me, and we are trying to get out and have fun whenever possible!

Krew played on a flag football team again this fall, and although his team was really bad, (seriously, so bad), and he would get frustrated with his teammates, I think he still had a good season.  Until the last few games when it was super cold, rainy, and windy, and we were all miserable! I love watching him play!

After missing out the last few years because we wait too long into the season, we finally made it out apple picking this fall.  The whole family had to keep reminding me that they were there to actually pick apples.  I was just there to take cool apple orchard photos of them!

 This photo is precious to me.  This pose was all Everly's idea.  She directed Krew to sit down so she could put her head on his shoulder.  You can see in her eyes how much she loves him.  Even though Krew is not a huge fan of the camera, he went with it because he knew it would make her happy.  Aren't they the sweetest??

Also, Everly and her friends spent a lot of time catching these frogs this fall.  She also spent a fair amount of time crying when I made her let them go and wouldn't let her bring them inside and keep them forever.  In her 4 short years, she has already picked up 20 times as many frogs as I have in my whole life!

middle school football

 Kade has wanted to play football since he could walk.  He's played on flag football teams since he was 7.  He's begged us to let him play tackle football at least that long.  The answer had always been no, because well, we love him and we don't want him to die.  We still love him, but we changed our minds this fall and let Kade play tackle football on the 7th grade team.  I'm not sure I've ever seen him excited about anything in his life!

 Even though practices were much harder, longer, and more frequent than any of us were prepared for, and even though there were times Kade felt defeated and frustrated with how his first season of tackle football was going, he didn't give up, and at the end of the season, he had decided that he wants to play again next year.

 I did panic when, in the first game, he got hit so hard he flew back several feet.  I wondered if we had made a mistake in changing our minds.  As the season went on, it got easier and easier for me to watch him play.

 He ended up playing mostly on defense, which wasn't what he had been planning on.  It took some adjustment, but I think in the end, he decided he liked playing on defense.

 Kade wore these bright turquoise socks every game for good luck.  I appreciated that it made it easier for me to tell which player he was when they all look the same on the field.

 Way to go Kade!  We are proud of you!

everly is four!!

 On September 8th, Everly turned 4!!  I'm still not sure how it is possible that it has already been 4 years since this little beauty joined our family.  She has grown up so fast, but I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every stage of her little life, and Everly at 4 years old is no exception.  She is such a bright spot in our lives and I'm not lying to her when I tell her all the time that she makes me happy every day!

 She was happy to let me take her across the street for a mini birthday photo shoot.  She had fun twirling in the long grass, and showing me on her fingers how old she was turning.

 Notice the Rapunzel shoes that she wore every day.  They are not practical at all, but she loves them more than most of her toys, and they are soooo Everly!

 Her laughter and her smile are contagious!  She is almost always happy and she can cheer us all up with just her cute little face!

 Even though she is like 96% little princess, she is still 4% total weirdo, and I think that makes her perfect!

 My favorite thing about the above picture is that it gives you a good idea of how much long, curly hair she has.  She doesn't wear it down very often, but I think it is so pretty when she does.

We had a fun day celebrating her birthday as a family.

 She requested My Little Pony cupcakes with sprinkles.  They were much easier than last year's Elsa doll cake.

Instead of a birthday party, she got to invite one little friend to come to Build-a-Bear with her.  They were both so adorable picking out their matching bears, and getting them all ready.  It was the perfect activity for her birthday.  

The other thing we did on her birthday was get her ears pierced!  She was super excited...

 until right about this point.  Look at that worry on her face. She cried for a few minutes afterward, and then spent the next few weeks changing her mind constantly about whether or not she liked having earrings. 

 She was happy to show them off later that day though!

I love this age opening presents.   She got so excited about each gift, no matter how small they were.

We ended the day with a few Rapunzel floating lanterns. This has turned into a tradition and it feels like the perfect way to end the day celebrating our little Everly Boots!