More Halloween Fun

I regret not taking more pictures this past month. We have participated in so many activities and don't really have too many good pictures to show for it. Halloween was a lot of fun. This was our first year taking Emma trick or treating and she had a mixed reaction to the whole thing. She LOVED getting candy which has been a trial in itself, but she was also very nervous of all the decorations. There were a few blow up figures that she wouldn't even get close too. I think she would be scared at Disneyland, she doesn't really like seeing people in costume. We had the Haney's over for dinner and then we took their daughter Haylee and Emma around our neighborhood. Haylee's costume was sooo cute.
I made dinner in a pumpkin for the first time and it turned out o.k. I think I need to stop inviting people over on Mondays because after the weekend our house is a mess and Mondays are my crazy day trying to clean everything up. All in all it was a good day and it was fun to have trick or treaters come to our house. Our first 2 years of marriage we never had ANY!

(Can you tell Emma is NOT feeling well, she wouldn't smile for any pictures.)

So after all those fun festivities we have come down with colds here at the Sharp house. Emma got it first and then it has been passed on to the rest of us. I am normally super lucky and don't get sick when the rest of family does, but I guess it was about time I got my fair share. It has been lasting awhile with Emma and making her pretty grumpy which in turn has honestly made mommy pretty grumpy as well, but we've been trying to take it easy.

Lastly, I have to share this cute story. All day long yesterday Emma kept asking for candy. After throwing some in the garbage and getting pretty annoyed at her continuous asking my cute hubby took her aside and gave a good little life lesson. He drew her this funny little stick figure and proceeded to teach her about bodies, how we all have bodies and Heavenly Father wants us to keep out bodies healthy and strong. He talked to her about exercising and to keep our bodies strong and how we also need to put good things into our body. (Candy was not a good thing for our body). We're sure it pretty much went right over her head, but I'm thankful for my children's father who is so good at trying to teach them and help them understand the "whys" of what we do.
We went on a walk yesterday and after asking for candy her dad told her she couldn't have any because she was sick. Her response, "I'm not sick, I'm feeling much better.:) We sure get a kick out of her.

Halloween Fun

We have been having a lot of opportunities to get into the fun of Halloween this year. Emma and some of the kids from pre-school went to a pumpkin patch, and she also went to a "carnival" birthday party. We have the ward trunk or treat, as well as another family Halloween party and that is all before the actual day of trick or treating.:) I just had to post these cute pictures of Emma in her "Little Witch" costume.

Preschool Fun

So I wish I would've taken some pictures to document our fun, but obviously I didn't. This past week was my turn to teach our little preschool co-op. It was just Tuesday and Thursday from 8:15-11:15. The kids bring a lunch with them and so they have lunch at preschool as well. I really tried to be prepared for a variety of situations so that I could be flexible, and I was happy by how well each day went. The first day I could tell that some of the kids were apprehensive by coming to a new place and having a different routine, but we had a good time. Each week we teach a different color, letter, number, and shape as well as a monthly theme. It felt so good being able to put my education to some use. We have a wide range of ages in the kids that attend. Emma is the youngest at 2 1/2 all the way up to a 4 1/2 year old. I was concerned about this, but it was just fine. I think the thing I was most surprised about was Emma. I had been so concerned about how she was doing in preschool since she is the youngest and sometimes has a hard time sitting still for too long, but she was so good. It makes me emotional just thinking about it because I was so proud of her. It may have been because she was at out house, but she wanted to participate in everything, and was really excited to do everything we were doing. I have been so amazed at how much she has been picking up on things and really retaining information. She is sure a cute smartie pants. We sure love her. The other day we were going on a walk and Emma saw some kids down the street. She started calling them her "friends". Any kids are "her friends". Mike commented that she sure had a lot of friends and she replied by saying, "Yes, I do." We sure got a kick out of that. She is sooo friendly. She has also been getting closer to potty training. She has pooped on the potty a few times and the past couple of days has told me that she needed to sit on the toilet and has actually gone pee. Neither Mike or I are too excited about the potty training days and have been holding off until we get back from our Thanksgiving trip to Utah, but she is sure looking ready so it won't be long.

She wanted me to take a picture of her doing this back bend looking upside down. Funny girl.:)



Wow I sure have a lot of laundry to put away.:)


Also, Vivian is now 3 months old. Where has all the time gone. I can't believe that someday she will grow up just like Emma. I look at Emma and still can't believe have big she is. They really do grow up so fast. It is fun seeing their personalities come out and see all they can do, but I also need to remember to appreciate these days I have with them while they are young. We sure are blessed.

Home Decor

Recently I've been feeling a little bit more crafty. There is a wreath project going around my ward and I jumped on board. So here is my halloween creation. I think it turned out a little too busy, but it was fun.


And

here is Emma's hand at decorating. This is the second time I have gone into my bathroom to find it decorated with these little beauties. Too funny.



And of course these little cuties "decorate" my home and life each day. They are the best addition our home could ask for.

Trail of 100 Giants

Yesterday Mike took a half day and we went up to the Sequoia's. I had never seen them and we wanted to take advantage of the time we had left with Mike's mom here. Here are some pictures of our day. Amazing trees and the cutest baby ever, if I do say so myself.:)

Busy Day

So yesterday was Vivian's blessing day and it was a pretty busy day and week leading up to it. Mike was gone on a business trip earlier in the week and I was determined to get a TON accomplished while he was gone. As hard as I worked it didn't seem to make much of a dent. Luckily Mike was a great help after he got home. This is just a good lesson in not letting my house get so bad in the first place.:) Mike's mom came out on Friday and Emma was sure excited to see her grandma. She has gotten good and spoiled already.
It is wonderful to see family, we can't wait until Thanksgiving so we can see everyone. Sunday was a beautiful day, but very busy as well. I am the ward choir director and we were singing in Sacrament meeting so I had an early morning practice followed by a brunch. We had invited some of Mike's co-workers, our neighbors and some other friends, but luckily we had the choir there because no one else was able to make it to the brunch. Mike received a lot of support for the blessing though. Both of his bosses and another co-worker were kind enough to come to the blessing. It was really sweet of them to make the effort. Mike gave Vivian a beautiful blessing, I'm so grateful for his worthiness to bless our family.

The day continued with my primary lesson, chasing Emma, getting a nap, and enjoying some good family time. All in all it was a wonderful day. I really wanted to show you these pictures of my cute family.


This is what we found one night when we went in to see if Emma was asleep. Too cute!
She LOVES Jesus.


I sure love them all, what a blessing they are to me.

Milestones

My kids had some fun milestones this past week. Last week was Emma's first time going to pre-school. I realize she is only 2 1/2, but a couple of sisters in our ward were putting together a little preschool co-op and I thought it would be a great way for Emma to get some socialization as well as learn some good listening skills. She was so excited to go to pre-school, and according to her teachers, has been doing pretty well so far. I will be participating as a teacher next month which will give me an opportunity to actually use my education a little bit. There are only 6 kids and they meet twice a week for just 3 hours. Hopefully it will be a good experience for both Emma and I.

Emma's first day of pre-school


Vivian also turned 2 months old on Sunday. She is such a sweetie. She still seems like a 1 month old, which would make sense since she is probably 1 month behind. She has been smiling at us for a couple weeks now and it is fun to see a little bit of her personality. She loves her Dad and saves most of her great big smiles for him.:) We will be blessing her in a couple of weeks and I'm so grateful for a wonderful husband who will be able to perform that special blessing for her.




As far as everything else goes we are just trying to settle into our new routine with these 2 yahoo's. I'm sure it will take awhile, but everyday gets easier.