OUR CHRISTMAS WISH...

 

...WISHING YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

 

 

WITH ALL OUR LOVE,

 

THE BAZIL FAMILY

Ty, Erica, Cash, Vanna, and Rosie

Happy Halloween!

Halloween and the events around it were very fun this year.  We were so busy with them though that we never even got around to carving pumpkins.  We had  pumpkins thanks to these events and kids' school field trips to pumpkin patches but we didn't do anything with them until I made the kids run out and draw faces on them with permanent marker the day of Halloween!  Ha Ha Ha...here's what we were up to:

 

Ty's birthday is October 25th (and he turned 35 - had to sneak that in there ;) and he shares his birthday with His dad - we often try to celebrate together for that reason.  This year Ty had his birthday and that weekend off and  the kids had several days around the weekend off from school so we made our way down to Rigby just before Halloween for a visit and to celebrate. 

 

On our way down, we stopped in McCammon to visit Russell and the boys.  It really kind of eats at me that we can't be closer for them, to see them more and support them but I hope we made up for it a bit with our visit.  We got all caught up on Russ and Roger's hunting adventures and got to see their autographed Boise State football cards (they'd just been to a game where they got to associate with the players a bit and their families - so fun!).   And it sure brought a smile to our faces when Dawson and Mitchell got into their awesome Transformer costumes to show off.  Roger didn't want a costume this year - I guess he's too cool for that sort of thing. :)   It was just so good to see each of them, and to see them happy, for our kids to get to play around with the boys and for us all to have a good visit.  We love them all to pieces!

 

Dawson is Optimus Prime and Mitchell is Bumble Bee!



After our visit with Russ and the boys, we made our way to Rigby just in time to meet up with everyone (Ty's parents and Ty's brother Nick with his family) and head to dinner at Sizzlers in celebration of James and Ty's birthdays.  Sizzlers is a family favorite and Ty's dad was craving a good steak - it was very yummy! 

 

And afterwards we had cake and ice cream.  Ty's mom had made a delicious chocolate cake and I brought a fun flower candle that lights up like a firecracker, open up/blooms and plays the Happy Birthday song.  It was the perfect end to their fun birthday!

 

 

It always does us so much good when we go down to visit.  We love being on the farm and especially love seeing so much family.  Ty's brother, Nick comes to help at the barn most every day so we always get to see him.  My kids adore him - I think they grew a little attached to him when they saw him so much while they stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Bazil a lot when I was on bed rest with Rosie.   I think they love to play with his dogs too.  We usually get to see Nick's family too - we love to be around them - they're so down to earth and friendly.  During our visit, we went to see Nick and Haley's basement they just finished and it's sooo nice.  I have to admit, Ty and I were a bit jealous - to have two levels or a basement would be so nice for so many reasons! Now that Ty's sister, Marcy, and her family moved back to Rigby we get to see lots of family when we come down.  And our kids love playing with all their cousins.  We love Case who is a big as Rosie but half her age :) and Cash and Vanna get along so well and play so well with Hallee, Blyss and Sicaly.  As parents we found it a bit ironic that what kept them most entertained was playing school.  Hallee was the principal I think, Blyss was the teacher and everyone else were the students, if I remember right.  It was so funny listening to them pretend.  They also liked drawing/coloring.  You can see them below fully enjoying Grandma's stencil and marker stash. Needless to say, the kids had a great time - we all had a great time and can't wait to make our way back down there again!

 

 

As much as we hate to say good-bye to family, and as much as we like a break from school, etc. it is also nice to get home and get back into the regular swing of things.  I'm a girl that likes her routine.  Just after our break from school, we went to a fun Kindergarten Harvest party that the school put on.  It was fun - complete with a jump house, face painting, pumpkin carving, frosting cookies, and hayrides...

 

It was a bit chilly but we kept warm under the blanket Ty ran to get out of the van - thanks hun!

 

If you couldn't tell, Vanna was a mermaid, Rosie was a little pirate and Cash was a J.I.-Jo.  Look familiar?  The kids' costumes still fit them from last year and Rosie's is one of Vanna's old ones.  So we lucked out and didn't have to buy any of our kids costumes this year - and you know what?  They didn't mind a bit! 

 

Each of the kids had Halloween parties that they had a great time with.  I went and helped with a game for Cash's class and checked in with Vanna in her class too.  They all had fun later that night at our ward Trunk R Treat too.  It was so darling to see the light kind of go off in Rosie's mind as she realized, "all I have to do is hold my bucket out and these people will give me candy?...Awesome!"  She figured it out pretty quick and thought it was the best night of her little life.  It was so fun to watch.  We were so busy that day that we didn't make it to our neighbors (and it was a school night so we called it good a little earlier than we might have otherwise) but they were so sweet - we had many bring by treats and even small gift bags full of toys and treats that they had saved just for the kids.  I felt bad we didn't make it to them that night because I think they love to see the kids all dressed up.  We really have such great neighbors!

 

So...our weekend before the holiday and our holiday were great and brought some fun and happiness into the month.  Now we are already looking forward to Thanksgiving which is just around the corner (it just seems like time is going so quickly - I find it hard to believe we're already at this time of year!)!

What time of year is your favorite?

I am so grateful to live in a place where I can enjoy the change in seasons.   By the end of one, I'm usually ready for the next.  

 

I love the winter mostly for the holidays that we get to look forward to, decorate for, share with family and celebrate.  And while I don't like the cold for long, I love a white Christmas and think the snow holds it's own beauty.  There's nothing like hot cocoa on a cold night or sitting down by the fire to read a good book either right!? 

 

I love spring where we get to see things green up and get to watch the earth around us bloom and grow.  And I love to see all the baby animals running all over the place (don't you just love little lambs in the spring?). 

 

I love summer for all the flowers and late summer nights you get to enjoy outside.  I crave summer food like popsicles, fresh fruit pie or fruit pizza and BBQ dinners - YUM!  I love to feel the warmth of the sun and playing in the water on a hot day. 

 

But I think overall, the season I've always liked  just a bit more than the rest is fall.  I love the taste of freshly canned fruit (especially after working so hard to get it all done!) and can never wait to sit down with my pumpkin roll and apple cider. There's something about the food of each season that adds to it isn't there?!  I also love the smell of a crisp fall day and pulling out my sweaters to wear on just such a day.  And while this fall has proven very difficult for me and my family (more of which I'm sure I'll blog about when I have the time and courage/strength), we have found joy in the simple things and been grateful for the season where we can enjoy fun such as this:

 

 

 

 

Doesn't that look fun!?  Vanna worked really hard to help me rake up all our leaves and was having a ball!

 

Vanna wanted to be buried - this is the majority of our leaves from just one of our three trees!

 

 

 

Rosie joined in too!

 

 

Cash was good at mostly piddling around while we worked at gathering leaves.  He found it most entertaining to throw the leaves up in the air and often make a bigger mess than we began with - silly boy - someone should teach him to work harder!  Ha Ha Ha!

 

 

And after the work was done, Rosie decided we all needed to finish off our popsicles.  It was a perfectly warm day to work outside.  I really do like the falls here because they seem to hang on a little longer than in Southeast Idaho where I grew up (where it turns cold a little earlier).  I'll have to post about our Halloween too - which is always a fun fall holiday we enjoy with the kids - there's so much catching up I need to do - ahhh! :) Anyway - what season is your favorite?

Other random pictures from this fall that make me smile:

 

 

Try as I might, I have the hardest time convincing Rosie that it's a no-no and unsafe to be on the counter.  She likes to get up there to scribble all over in my planner (probably because she always sees me writing in it :)

 

She also loves to  get in my closet and wear my shoes - particularly my heels which she is surprisingly good at walking in because her feet are small enough to tuck themselves down into the flat toe part.  Here she is doing this first thing in the morning in her pajamas and pulling a funny face.

 

This was so funny - ever hear of "sleeping with one eye open"?  I thought Cash was pretending to be asleep here but he wasn't!  I mean, who falls asleep like this?!  In an effort to try and explain his appearance: I had my baskets of laundry sitting on my bed for me to fold and put away later that day and while Cash was having quiet time in my room (I have to separate the kids or quiet time would never work :) he must have been messing around with the clothes and then he fell asleep.  He's wearing one of my shirts over his own and for some strange reason, he has a pair of his underwear over his head! :)

Just a cute very messy face from Rosie.  She's really good at saying "cheese" and posing for the camera (like she is here).   

Vanna has learned to give Rosie a piggy-back ride.  It sure makes me nervous.  While Vanna is really gentle with her I worry that she'll stumble or that Rosie will let go of her tight grip around her neck/shoulders.  Both the girls love it though so I just take and deep breath and try not to worry too much.

 

Rosie's first bubble bath.  Maybe that's terrible to say seeing that she's nearly two years old.  We've just gotten out the habit and whenever we did for the older kids, she was already in bed.  Well, she is no longer deprived.  Do you think she liked it!? :)

A friend of ours breeds Mini Australian Shepherds and often lets me know when she has puppies so that I can bring the kids over to play with them.  She thinks it helps in training her pups to be around kids and my kids love it as you can imagine.  Aren't they adorable?  Between the two batches, there were 11 puppies so they were everywhere and always snuggling up with you - they were so, so much fun!  It's always such a treat for us to do that and it gives our puppy fix until next time. :)