chris.reese.girls1.2.3.4

We had a small birthday party on Monday to celebrate Paige's two year milestone! My sister's family (Rochelle), Gma and Gpa Apken, and the Hadleys all came to help us. We ate Elmo's favorite: cheese pizza, along with Jell-o jigglers, bananas, and goldfish crackers...don't worry, the adults were served a more mature menu :). We played fun games and danced to songs. I think the kiddos enjoyed it (except for Carson...he was pretty sick). I was exhausted at the end, but I guess that's a good sign. Paige really had a great time and it was rewarding to see her play and laugh and enjoy the party just for her. She received some wonderful presents...including an Ellie dog and Ernie and Elmo dolls, which have each become permanent fixtures for bedtime. Here are some pics...we let the kids wear Halloween costumes so as to eek out every last penny they are worth! We missed our other family members far away who couldn't be with us. Maybe next year... Madelyn, Paige, Carson, ...

This is the week of parties. It started yesterday with a ward party and continued today with Addison's birthday party (my niece). And with the sun shining today, we accomplished one of our Halloween traditions: picking the pumpkins . This year we only bought one giant pumpkin...Paige's great-aunt Connie gave her a small one we will also carve. The sun was out and made it so enjoyable. So, needless to say, with Paige's second birthday and Halloween all in the next few days, I will have a bit of blogging to do, so check back soon!

I've never actually cheered against BYU, but on Saturday, the 13th, that's exactly what I did. It was the highlight of my trip and worth the cost of my plane ticket alone. The Utes upset BYU at home amid 3,000 screaming blue fans. It was the best game I've seen the Utes play this year. It was amazing how crazy excited we were when the clock finally hit 0.00 and the Cougs had officially been shut out. My amazingly talented and buff younger sister played superbly and even had a save in the last two minutes. The Utes came to play and they looked like a different team from the last three games I had seen. So, to the BYU soccer fans...it was a good game, but it was exhilirating to see the Utes get the win...which I know they hate!! This is me being a sore winner!!! :)

While we've been gone the last ten days, Paige has been able to spend quality time with two of her aunties. It's not very often she has them all to herself without other nieces and nephews around. Auntie Camille aka "Mealy" went to Pine Valley with us and was so great in watching Paige while my mom and I sewed away. And seeing as Camille is an El Ed teacher, she was really good at entertaining her. Paige also got to see much of Aunt Erin aka "Ernin" and was one of the best fans in the crowd at the BYU vs. Utah game cheering her on. Now we've been home for three days and I can tell Paige was certainly spoiled while we were away...she doesn't understand why I won't give her what she asks for. Darn! So, thanks to ALL of Paige's aunties for spoiling her as you do. What a lucky girl.

I decided to take advantage of my "Betsy Ross"-talented mother while I was in SLC and request sewing lessons. So while chilling in Pine Valley, together we sewed Paige's Halloween costume and it turned out great! It was my first time sewing from a pattern and it was a bit more difficult than I had originally expected. The thing is lined for goodness sakes...this is no "off-the-rack" dress!! Anyway, I was super proud and excited to be continuing on my path to domesticity. So, in just a few short weeks, Paige will be trick-or-treating as the adorable Dorothy clad with ruby red slippers.