Brandon is home!!!!

I am a bit late in posting these photos....however...

Last Sunday, we all waited anxiously at the airport for Brandon to arrive home...

It seemed like an eternity, but the moment finally arrived...

We were all so happy to have him back...especially the little ones...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner....

 

Unfortunately, right after Thanksgiving dinner, Brandon got sick...we think it was a stomach virus :(  He laid around and slept the rest of his visit...Leah didn't mind at all...

He headed back to Colorado this morning...still sick :(....but....he will be back in 2 1/2 weeks for his Christmas break ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...and due to Brandon's illness, our Family picture didn't get taken....so our Christmas cards may become New Years cards :)

Pumpkins...Carmel Apples...Happy Halloween!!!

PUMPKINS!!  Picking out the right pumpkins is always important...

 We got lots of yummy seeds this year!!

Elli wanted a Kitty cat on her pumpkin.... 

 Jason wanted a baby face with one tooth...

(you cannot ever let your pumpkin have more teeth than you have :) )

The finished pumpkins....Frankenstein, a Simbiote, a Cyclops, a kitty and a baby face : )

CARAMEL APPLES!!!

 Sometimes the caramel is a bigger hit than the apples :)

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Finally it was Trick-or-Treat time...we waited all day for it to arrive ;) !!

Elli was a beautiful Cowgirl!! (or Caligirl as she would tell people)

She just loved that people were giving her candy...she ran from house to house :)

Jason was a scary SCAV (militant type civilian)!! 

 Reagan was his Frankensteiny self....

 Joshua followed in his dad's footsteps and played the FBI SWAT guy....

Trevor was just embarrassing....he was a redneck and played up the part so well that we received lots of crazy stares from every house we visited....

 Daddy was the Candy Distributer and I was the Pumpkin Swallower :)

This baby kicked at every house...we are at the 1/2 way mark for this pregnancy and I can tell that he is going to LOVE Halloween!!

(yes, for those of you who didn't know...IT'S A BOY!!)

 Only 3 weeks until Brandon comes home for Thanksgiving!!  WOOHOO!!

Happy 16th Birthday Trevor...

It was a batty party for a batty kid....

 And of course there were costumes!

Reagan appeared as FRANKENSTEIN...

 Jason appeared in full SCAV gear (army type guy from the movie "Oblivion")

 Elli was the cutest cowgirl on the planet...

 Trevor was a 16 year old soccer player...

 Joshua dressed up like our friend Ryan and we were going to take his picture with Ryan at the party, but, Ryan got sick and couldn't come to the party :(  Joshua was bummed :(.

Ryan's family came though...Ella was Dorthy, Reese was the Wicked Witch of the West, and Devon was the Scarecrow!  They looked awesome!!

 Elli was thrilled to have her friends over!!

 16 candles...I cannot believe it!!!

Happy Birthday Trevor!  You are my favorite 16 year old!!!

A lost dog...A sweet boy...and...A new friend....

A lost dog....

A few days ago, Trevor had Jason, Reagan, and Elli outside playing when a neighbor approached the kids and asked them if they were missing their dog.  The neighbor had a dog on a leash, that was apparently lost, and she was trying to find the dog's owner.  Jason asked if he could pet the dog and the neighbor said "yes"...the dog was very sweet and loved all the attention that the twins and Elli showered upon it...and then the neighbor left with the dog to continue her search for the dog's owner.

A sweet boy....

Jason came in from outside and was extremely worried that the owner of the dog wouldn't be able to find his dog, so he made up some "Lost Dog" signs and asked if he could hang them up around the neighborhood.  We were a little hesitant, but eventually we told him he could put up a few.  So, Joshua helped Jason to tape some signs up on our street.

A new friend...

There is a boy in one of Trevor's classes that always keeps to himself and doesn't appear to have any friends.  His name is Nick.  Trevor said he feels bad for Nick so he tries to be friendly and talk to him.  Today Nick told Trevor a sweet story....

He told Trevor that he had lost his dog a few days ago, but that some people had found the dog and returned it.  He continued to tell Trevor that he was walking through the neighborhood when he saw some signs for a lost dog...he thought the signs were so sweet he took a picture of one of the signs on his phone...he showed the picture to Trevor...it was a picture of the "Lost Dog" signs that Jason had made :)  Trevor smiled and told him that his little brother, Jason, had made the signs and put them up.  Nick thought that was the sweetest thing he ever heard, and tonight Nick stopped by the house with his brother and Abby, the dog, to say "Thank You" to Jason....

(Nick, Jason, Abby the dog, and Nick's brother)

Turns out they live right behind us :)

"What does the fox say?"....and another Elli video....

This is a video of Elli singing along with a silly song called "What does the fox say?"  It is pretty hard to videotape her, she has a sixth sense about when the camera is rolling and she will try to avoid it if possible...in this case, the song was too captivating ;)

This is a video where Elli is talking about the letter she has written to Brandon.  I asked her if I could videotape her reading of it and she agreed....

 

A week...or more...in review....

3 weeks ago my niece, Mackenzie, came for a visit....

 We took her to the boardwalk....

 ....had some ice cream....

 ....rode the ferris wheel...

 ....went to the beach....

 ....had a very special dessert to share the news about our new little baby #7 that is due in March of 2014....

 After Mackenzie left, my Mother-in-law, Faith, came to visit and babysit for Chris and I so we could go to the Air Force Academy to see Brandon for parent's weekend....

While we were gone Jason, Reagan, and Elli had a tea party with Grammi....

 The day after we got home from Parent's Weekend was the first day of school....Trevor headed to the high school for his Sophomore year and Joshua headed to the middle school for 7th grade....

 The twins are staying home to be home-schooled this year - forgot to take pics of that : /....

...and Reagan lost his other upper tooth....

Stay tuned for pics of Grammi's visit....