Jenkins Family Thankful Tree 2014

We have much to be thankful for this year! 

These three really worked hard in helping beautify our tree with leaves. I traced the leaves, the girls cut them out and then we all recorded our many blessings. How richly blessed we are! I've been feeling especially grateful lately for a healthy body, an amazing family, 3 sweet children, a husband I adore, living close to family, fabulous friends, the beautiful city we live in, the freedoms of life we enjoy, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and most importantly, our Savior Jesus Christ, who made it all possible.

I have much to catch up on (I'm hundreds of pictures behind), but had to document our Thankful tree which usually stays up til February, so I'm sure we'll have many more pictures with it.

Just because

It's always quite the task to get my kids to cooperate for pictures! But sometimes its the crazy photo shoots that give me some of my very favorites!! 

Costume pics

Couldn't  resist posting a few more pics I got of this handsome cowboy . . . 

. . . and his adorable sidekick!

They sure make a great little team!

 Sweet Madi was feeling a little left out about not fitting in with the "Toy Story" theme, but was such a champ about finding another costume that suited her perfectly! It did break my heart for that brief minute when she was in tears telling me that Elle had the best costume ever! But then the next day Elle was in tears, wanting to find a costume just like Madi's! Gotta love the girl drama!

Halloween 2014

Halloween lasted one full week this year and we celebrated with one party after another! 

Our ward truck-or-treat was on the 24th. Madi dressed up as a scientist (totally last minute decision and my personal favorite of her 3 costumes this year), Elle as Jessie from Toy Story, and Cal as Woody (both borrowed costumes which I felt appropriate since Toy Story was a new favorite movie for our kids this year). I threw on a wig and hat last minute when I saw that Spence was going in costume!

I was in love with Elle and Cal's costumes this year and really wanted to find something for Madi to fit in with them. We thought about Bo Peep, but never got it figured out. And I personally like it when they can dress as something they're passionate about- a scientist fit Madi's personality perfectly!

Our second Halloween event was Cam 2nd's trunk-or-treat. It was fun to have a night to hang out with Boppi, Grandpa Al, Lindsay, Shaun, and the cousins, and to see everyones costumes - especially since I knew we wouldn't be seeing them on Halloween.

Madi didn't want to dress as a scientist this time and instead wanted to be "a person from long ago" (she's really into the brave women in history). With a bonnet borrowed from Boppi, we decided she made a pretty darn cute Laura Ingalls Wilder (she's currently reading "Little House in the Big Woods").

Our third Halloween party was the girls school parade on the morning of the 30th! After the party I helped out with a fun spider craft in Elle's class.

Our 4th Halloween event was to Underwood Farm on Halloween morning. Those that dressed in costume got in free, so Jessy Cheney and I loaded up our kids and went as Cowboys, a Pioneer, and Indians!

It really was the perfect way to spend a Halloween morning - especially since our kids had the day off of school. I plan to make the Underwood Family Farm our new Halloween tradition!

It was an absolute blast with so much for the kids to do. They complained a little about not getting to do the "pay" activities (pony riding, tractor racing, panning for gold, etc), but I just felt their was enough to do without forking out a bunch of money.
We fed goats....

Chased hens . . .

Went down the tractor slide (several times) . . .

 Pretended to drive a big tractor . . .

Went through a small corn maze . . . 

Got lost in the huge corn maze . . . 

 . . . but then went in backwards, just so we could get a picture:

And had a grand time!

We left a little after noon to get home in time for Cal to have a nap. I let the girls watch Shrek (for the first time) with lunch on a blanket on the floor. We didn't even finish the whole movie when our surprise Halloween visitors arrived! Papa snuck through the back and surprised the girls at the sliding glass doors right by where they were watching their movie, while Gram came in through the garage! The girls went crazy with excitement!! Gram brought her dress-up box which we immediately got out and Madi found her third and final costume for Halloween night - a witch! Elle had a bit of a melt down and wanted to change costumes, which thankfully I talked her out of. Spencer got home just a short time after Gram and Papa's arrival so we all went out and ran some errands before picking up pizza and heading home to get ready for trick or treating! What a treat it was to have my parents here for the weekend. We had such a great time (which I'll have to document in another post), but their visit was definitely the perfect ending to our action packed Halloween week!