Cookin' with Keaton and a Soccer Update

So, we were bored one night and decided to bust out the Easy Bake Oven. If you have a little girl and do not have this, you have got to get one! We've had it a couple years now and still use it. It's definitely been one of those gifts that Keaton continually wants to play with.
Keaton's always just been naturally interested in baking (which makes me so happy by the way!). Everytime I would bake something she'd pull up a chair beside me and want to help. So getting her her own Easy Bake Oven was an easy decision. This night we decided to make a white cake. Here are the girls making the cake mix.

Next, pop it into the Easy Bake Oven. Be careful, it's looks unassuming but is very hoooottt!!

Here's Keaton frosting her masterpiece.

Viola! Here you go! A nice little mini cake to enjoy and share!

And here is our happiest customer! Now, when Keaton's not whipping up delicious treats in the kitchen, she's on the soccer field. I must say that in the last couple of games that I've watched Keaton, I really think she's "gotten" it. In the last two games she's scored 5 goals, winning the games for each. Before this they had a big goose egg (read: no wins!) but now she and another little girl on the team (who's verrry good, too) have a healthy little competition going that now secures their team wins! Good work Keaton, we're so proud of you. Now that I've seen she's getting it, and enjoying all the praise for scoring goals, we've asked her if she wanted to play in the winter/spring season. We're thinking about it, although she has to choose between soccer or art class! So many talents, so little time! I should be so lucky!

'Tis Halloween!!!

Halloween night! So, I would like to introduce you to Princess Leia, White Trash Guy, cowgirl, and Hannah Montana! The fam before taking off trick or treating. My girls are such posers! :)
Kendal mid trick or treat. All the girls were so cute (and I was so happy not to have any Disney princesses in the bunch) that I just kept grabbing them and hugging and kissing them. They were like, "Mom, leave us alone, we need to get candy!"

Here's the group again post trick or treat. Notice Karsen's flushed face and sweaty forehead? Brian got everything between, "You Joe Dirt? to Are you Billy Ray Cyrus?" I guess it was because he was accompanying Hannah Montana. His reply was, "No, just White Trash."

Here the kids are with their papa. He was some kind of cross between Ghostbusters and Rick James.

The kids trick or treating at our neighbors, the Whipples. They are the grandparents of our neighborhood, the kids simply adore them!

Trunk or Treat (It's a Mormon Thing)

The Wednesday before Halloween our bishop held a Trunk or Treat in the field beside his home. For those of you who don't know, trunk or treat is when you get a bunch of folks together and you trick or treat out of their trunks! Lots of people really get into this. You should've seen some of the decorated trunks that there were! This year, Brian stuffed an outfit and stuck a Star Wars helmet on it. As the kids walked by they would eye it suspiciously and say, "Is it real?" It was so funny! The kids had an absolute blast, not to mention pounds of candy, rootbeer, and cotton candy!
She's my brown-eyed cowgirl. I thought this pic was so cute of her!

The girls and their Nonna. They were so excited to spend this night with her.

Carving Jack 'O Lanterns

It is a Halloween tradition isn't it? Well, I am all about tradition, so I thought I'd ask our good friends Jen and Rich and their family to carve pumpkins with us for FHE! We all had so much fun (as you can see by the smiles above!). Notice party-pooper Kendal is not featured in this pic, she was having a diva moment in her room. :)
Mommy and Kendal scooping out the goop.

Now I must admit (as Brian won't) that Brian gets into carving these pumpkins. Notice the furrowed brow? It is the artist in him. Rich looks pretty serious about this as well.

I love the looks on Keaton and Paige's face, it's like, EWWWWWWW!!!!

Kendal and Paigey cheesin' for the camera.

Ever since Keaton was a wee babe, we painted our pumpkins instead of carving them. Keaton's just always loved to paint, and it always seemed like such a cleaner option to carving! So we painted some tiny pumpkins as well.

And here is the piece de la resistance! All the lanterns lined in a row. Spooky huh?