Mom & Chris' Visit, and HALLOWEEN!

WELL THESE PICTURES ARE OUT OF ORDER SINCE MY MOM AND BROTHER CHRIS CAME TO VISIT BEFORE HALLOWEEN, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH.
OUR LAST STOP OF THE NIGHT WAS BEN'S BROTHER SAM. HIS WIFE, STACIA, HAD TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE PLANNING ON GIVING OUT FULL CANDY BARS SO WE THOUGHT THAT WAS WORTH A TRIP TO THE NEXT TOWN OVER.

WHEN WE STARTED TRICK OR TREATING, IT HAD JUST FINISHED RAINING AND WAS STILL SPRINKLING A LITTLE. RIGHT WHEN EVERYONE WAS ABOUT READY TO GO OUT THIS MASSIVE, WINDY RAIN STORM CAME ALONG. BUT WHEN IT WAS OVER, ALL THE FAMILIES VENTURED OUT AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PERFECT HALLOWEEN NIGHT!
TRUNK OR TREATING IS AWESOME! I LOVED SITTING IN THE BACK OF OUR MAZDA HANDING OUT CANDY (WE GAVE OUT A TON OF CANDY, BUT PARTLY BECAUSE MANY OF THE KIDS CAME AROUND TWO OR THREE TIMES. HOW CAN YOU SAY NO WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A JERK?) MALIA QUICKLY PICKED UP ON THE CANDY PICKING, AND THIS YEAR RILEY MASTERED SAYING "TRICK OR TREAT" AND "THANK YOU". LAST YEAR HE JUST KIND OF GLOWERED AT EVERYBODY :)
WE WENT AND GOT SOME PUMPKINS, BUT I'M ASHAMED TO SAY WE NEVER DID GET AROUND TO CARVING THEM. BUT WE DID THE HAYRIDE, FROZE OUR BUMS OFF, GOT THE PUMPKINS, AND TREATS AFTERWARDS SO NOT TO BAD.

THE OTHER DAY I REMEMBERED HOW I USED TO TAKE RILEY TO THE PLAYGROUND ALL THE TIME WHEN HE WAS MALIA'S AGE, AND I HAVEN'T TAKEN HER BY HERSELF YET. WE TAKE BOTH THE KIDS ALL THE TIME, BUT I THOUGHT MALIA AND I MIGHT HAVE SOME GIRL TIME AT THE PARK SO I GRABBED A DIET COKE AND SNACKS AND IT WAS A BLAST FROM THE PAST OF ME AND RILEY WHEN HE WAS THAT AGE.
BEN, RILEY, AND MY BROTHER CHRIS WENT ON A HIKE SOMEWHERE UP ON THE NEBO LOOP. I LOVE THIS SHOT. AMONG MANY OTHER THINGS HE'S GOOD AT, CHRIS IS AN AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER.

I WAS TAKING SOME POST-HAIRCUT PICTURES AND GOT THIS CUTE SHOT OF MALIA. I LOVE PUTTING HER IN PURPLE. IF SHE WERE IN HER ROOM SHE WOULD DISAPPEAR SINCE HER ROOM IS ALSO PURPLE. ONE QUICK FUNNY STORY ABOUT MALIA: THE OTHER DAY, SHE WAS IN MY BATHROOM AND I HAD JUST GOT HER OUT OF THE TUB AND DRIED OFF BUT NOT DRESSED SO SHE WAS IN THE BUFF (AND I WAS PRAYING SHE WOULDN'T PEE). I WAS DOING MY MAKEUP AND NOTICED HER WALK UP TO THE FULL LENGTH MIRROR, WITH HER LITTLE SWAGGER AND ADORABLE BELLY HANGING OUT. SHE CHECKED HERSELF OUT IN THE MIRROR FOR A FEW MINUTES AND LOOKED VERY PLEASED. THEN SHE LEANED FORWARD AND GAVE HER REFLECTION A BIG KISS! GUESS SHE LIKED WHAT SHE SAW :)

OKAY, SO I WAS WORRIED HOW RILEY WOULD ACT TO HIS UNCLE CHRIS SINCE HE HASN'T SEEN HIM IN A LONG TIME. WELL PRETTY SOON, CHRIS HAD A NEW SPECIAL FRIEND. SO SPECIAL THAT HE PRETTY MUCH DIDN'T LEAVES CHRIS' SIDE. I THINK THE CLAUSTROPHOBIA SET IN EARLY ON FOR CHRIS, BUT WHAT COULD I DO BUT ENJOY THE BREAK SINCE RILEY IS USUALLY MY SPECIAL FRIEND :) MALIA WAS A LITTLE AFRAID OF CHRIS, BUT SHE COULDN'T HELP HERSELF IN THIS PICTURE AND CRACKED A NICE GRIN.

MY MOM AND RILEY WORKING ON A SPIDERMAN PUZZLE. GOTTA LOVE GRANDMA'S WHO BRING PRESENTS.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, WE HIKED TO TIMPANOGOS CAVES. IT WAS REALLY COOL! I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS FOR A FEW YEARS. THIS IS INSIDE THE CAVES. IT'S STRANGE TO IMAGINE HOW MUCH MOUNTAIN IS ABOVE YOU WHEN IN THE CAVES. AND THE WALLS IN MANY PLACES LOOK SQUISHY. BUT THEY'RE NOT. THEY'RE HARD. NOT THAT I KNOW, SINCE WE ARE FORBIDDEN TO TOUCH THE WALLS. SO I DIDN'T SNEAK EVEN ONE LITTLE TOUCH. NOPE, NOT ME.......

THE FOUR OF US, READY TO HIKE. I LOVE HOW IN THESE ARM LENGTH SHOTS, WHOEVER IS IN THE FRONT LOOKS AS IF THEIR HEAD IS THREE TIMES BIGGER THAN THOSE IN BACK.

MALIA WASN'T GETTING MUCH ATTENTION THE OTHER NIGHT, SO SHE DECIDED TO SNEAK OFF TO THE BATHROOM AND PLAY IN THE SINK. AND YES, SHE WENT AHEAD AND TURNED THE WATER ON, SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS QUIT WET BY THE TIME WE FOUND HER. WE WERE GOING TO GET HER OUT, BUT SHE WAS SO CONTENT WE LET HER PLAY FOR ANOTHER HALF AN HOUR. THIS IS ALSO A GOOD SHOT OF ALL HER HAIR! I FEEL BAD NOW THAT I CUT IT, BUT I WAS TRYING TO ELIMINATE HER MULLET, WHICH WOULD RAT ITSELF EVERYTIME SHE SLEPT ON IT.

IF GIVEN A CHANCE, MALIA WILL SNAG THE TOOTHPASTE OUT OF THE KIDS BATHROOM AND CARRY IT AROUND WITH HER ALL DAY "SNACKING" AS SHE GOES. ORIGINALLY I WAS WORRIED THAT AS SHE SUCKED ON THE TIP OF THIS, SHE WAS GETTING LOTS OF TOOTHPASTE. SO I TRIED IT, AND ACTUALLY SHE'S NOT GETTING MUCH AT ALL. I THINK HER SALIVA JUST MIXES WITH A LITTLE TOOTHPASTE UNDER THE TIP AND SHE SUCKS ON THAT. YUM! BUT HER BREATH IS PLEASANT.