Feeling Autumn-ish

We were lucky enough to get some cooler weather this week!  Some storms rolled in and we got some major puddle jumping in!

The first part of the week we had Sophia over and we made peanut butter playdough... which was just peanut butter and powdered sugar... fun to play in and sweet enough to eat!

We also had a playdate with Kennedy and Acadia on Wednesday.  Sometimes we just can't get enough of our friends!  

On Saturday it was Sophia's birthday party.  We went to Sonic for lunch and then went glow-in-the-dark mini golfing and arcade gaming.  The kids all had so much fun together!

Sunday I decided to be brave and go to sacrament with the kids again.  Since our last disaster over 3 weeks ago I have been avoiding going the first hour.  Thankfully the kids were awesome!  Thanks to sticker books!  Later that evening Brandon surprised us all by taking the kids camping for the night.  The kids were super excited to see him, since they hadn't seen him all week thanks to his work.  I was apprehensive about them going camping overnight, but they came back Monday morning all smiles!  That makes me so happy!

A Visit From Grandma and Grandpa Knudsen!

All week long we did a countdown to when Grandma and Grandpa Knudsen would come.  When there were only two days left Hayden couldn't handle it anymore and threw huge fits because he wanted Grandma now!!  Also, he no longer says 'Peepaw' anymore... everyone is 'Grandpa'.  Kylie's name has also changed, from 'Ky Ky' to 'Ky Yay'.  It's so cute!

On Friday afternoon they finally came and the kids were so excited and all over them!  They loved the sticker books and their new outfits as well!

Grandpa Gary wanted to get out and about (which these kids are always up for!), so we went over to Snow Canyon and played in the sand dunes.  The weather was perfect and the setting sun gave us some shade... eventually!

We came home covered in sand and worn out!

On Saturday we drove up to Pine Valley to spend some time in the mountains.  Brandon came with us for this excursion and the kids were happy to have their daddy come along.  Luckily Grandma and Grandpa Knudsen had brought their motor home, so the long drive wasn't so boring!

Once we reached Pine Valley we gathered wood for our fire and then did a little exploring.  Right down from our picnic site was a small brook and across that were some cool houses made from huge sticks.  The kids loved playing in them!  Kylie even had her bedroom all picked out!

Then we took a small walk over to the the pond.  It was so small that we decided to walk all the way around it!  It was a lot of fun finding acorns and pinecones to take home.  Half way across we had to pass over the stream again and it took some fine footwork to make it across!

Once back to our picnic site we started the fire and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows!  We were all very hungry!

After the long ride home me and the kids had some quiet time (which they desperately needed), and then we met up with Grandma Shari and Grandpa Gary for dinner, as well as Great Grandma Fae and Great Grandpa Clyde who had just gotten into town.  For once Kylie and Hayden actually ate at a restaurant and weren't too obnoxious.  Afterwards we went to the great grandparent's hotel and did some swimming - always a favorite of my kids!

Sunday we got to see Grandma Shari and Grandpa Gary briefly on their way out of town.  Hayden was so upset and didn't want to let his grandma go!  We had a ton of fun on their visit and just want to thank them so much for all the fun adventures we went on!  Also thanks to Grandma Shari for sharing all her pictures!

Here is a bonus video of our new pet dinosaur:

It's all Fun and Games

Kylie and Hayden are little balls of energy!  They are each up at 6.30 every morning and don't stop running around until 8 at night.  Hayden has stopped taking his naps in the afternoon - but that doesn't stop me from trying to get him to have at least an hour of 'quiet time' in his room.  We like to go on walks in the morning and in the afternoons after school we sometimes go swimming.

They spend time with their dad on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, usually going to a park to play (because their energy is boundless!).  Brandon also comes over for a few hours each Saturday and Sunday to play with them.  Last Sunday he took them on a trip by the river for a little campfire and s'mores.  They had tons of fun!  Kylie said she really liked lighting all her marshmallows on fire.

Kylie has been loving school.  They usually get one or two Skittles or M&M's throughout the day and Kylie always saves hers to share with Hayden which is nice.  I haven't heard of any new friends, though she has mentioned a boy names Cambry once.  We always stay after class and play on the playground, too.  Hayden just loves it.

Kylie has also been obsessed with the Snapchat filters and loves to play with it all the time.  She was in hysterics on Friday when we played with Sophia and Riley and she did the filters on them.  She didn't stop laughing for a whole hour!  I did manage to get a picture of Kylie and Sophia in a fun filter!

Yes Sophia is wearing Kylie's dress.  The first words out of her mouth every time she comes over is "Let's go play dress up!" and she always chooses this dress or the blue dress Kylie has on. It's so funny and predictable!

I also made the mistake of letting the kids borrow a Bubble Guppy DVD from the library.  That is ALL they have been watching and they keep talking about when we go back to the library the other Bubble Guppy movies they are going to get.  Ugh... I didn't realize how annoying of a show Bubble Guppies was...