This is Halloween!

HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN! (Dun-na-na-na-na-na-na-na) In this TOWN, we call HOME, everyone hail to the pumpkin song. LA LA LA-LA LA-LA LA LA-LA LA-LA LA LA-LA LA-LA-LA LA LA- WEEEEEE!

Once I started singing that song in my head (Nightmare Before Christmas Theme Song), I couldn't stop! So! Let's talk about Halloween! This year it was on Sunday, so we went to the church to do a Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday instead. The kids had a blast! But before I go into too much detail, here are some major pics of the kids. I had a hard time narrowing it down okay people?!

Here is Ellie as a witch! There is something hilarious, cute, and disturbing about seeing a baby with this much hair.

Noah as the super-stud fireman. Notice the pecs? You definitely want this fireman to carry you out of a burning building.

Jax the fireman... again. I asked him to smile, and this is what I got! Haha! Nice Jax.

Jax was in a super sensitive mood before heading over to visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. So this is what I got of the boys together.

Like I said, really sensitive. Maybe they lost someone in the fire...? Below are Jackson's pumpkins that he painted a couple weeks ago at Granny and Grandpa's. Very.... creative?

Here we are at the Greats doing our first trick-or-treating of the year!

Who else would give you super-sized chocolate bars? Great Grandparents are the best!

Here we are at our Tri-Ward's Trunk-or-Treat Activity. They began in the gym with a "crazy scientist" (Ben Oswald) making Halloween Soda Pop for the kids. It was really cute.

I didn't think Jackson would really get that into it, but he was jumping up and down in anticipation right along with all the other kids! It was adorable.

I even dressed up too! Not super original, because it's been done before (by me, actually). I went as Katniss Everdeen from the "Hunger Games" series. I thought it was a little clever, ya know, "The Girl on Fire!" with two fire fighters? Oh we fought alright!

Let the Trunk-or-Treating begin! Jax knew the drill. And Noah was so cute because at each car, he would inspect the candy like, "Really? Another treat? Just for me?" and hang out by the car until guided to the next. It was pretty dang cute.

...and here are the spoils!


It was so fun! I love Halloween! I even remember as a girl laying in bed and asking Sarah almost every night what she was going to be for Halloween. I took my costumes very seriously and thought about it for months in advance! It's a little different now, because I get to be the Mom that enjoys watching her kids dress up and have all the fun. So, although I don't get to go trick or treating like the kids, at least I get to eat their candy!

Murder Mystery

Lights! Camera! MURDER!!!

Joe and I were invited to a Murder-Mystery-Party put on by Matt and Tarilyn, along with 20 other couples. It was SO much fun! My character was "Princess Pop" who was still in love wither her ex-boyfriend from the Disney Channel days, "Hunter Star!" (below). Basically, as I was reading the character description, everything described Britney Spears and Joe was pretty much Justin Timberlake trying to get his boy band back together, ...although he looks more like "Good Charlotte."

The entire evening was "Academy Awards" themed! So, of course they had a red carpet leading up to the party. Who wouldn't? Everyone there had a character that was either in the movies, music industry, reporter, director, papparatzi, etc. And we all had to stay in character the whole night (as you can see from the pictures below!)

It was so fun getting all dressed up and playing the part! ...although, I am a horrible actress. Any time any one would ask me a question or make a comment, I would just laugh. I tried to stay in character, I really did! It was all good fun though. I loved it.

Snake? Britney?

MC Award and Vanity Affair (Thank you Matt and Tarilyn for a super fun night!)

Charlie Real and Li'l Spears (Danny and Barb Butler)

T. Redd and Jada Broken (I thought Sarah was the killer the entire time. I was way off).

Angel Wood and Ward Winner

Nancy O. (a gossip columnist as you can tell) and Philip Brotworst (Amelia and Justin Low).

Mario and Lola Talent (Cassy and Cam Bailey)

Here's Joe mingling with "Bobby Calling" and "Dana darling" (Brian and Ashton Harker, who are also Jackson's Sunbeam teachers! Haha!). I thought Brian's costume was the best! He was a movie director.

The set-up! Tarilyn had some hook-ups with a wedding decorator, ...so she kinda went all out! It seriously looked amazing the food was fantastic. I guess it has to be if it's going to be an Academy Awards after-party! Thanks again for such an amazing time! It was so nice to get out of the house for a change on go on a date that wasn't dinner and a movie (although I DO enjoy a good dinner and movie combo). I was about to say that I am usually the one to throw parties (never this extravagant though), but it's been a while. So, I think this has more inspired me to do more fun things like this. ...or get invited to them. Either or.

I'm so glad....

...When Daddy comes home! Those boys LOVE to see Dad come through the door. It usually goes something like this: Joe opens the door. The boys scream, "Yeay!!! Daddy's home!!!". Joe stomps up the stairs like a monster. More screaming. Mom says, "Go tickle Dad." The boys attack and then this begins....

DEFEATED!!!

Pillow fights. Wrestling. Shake-a-lator. Chocolate milk. You name it. It's Dad. Actually, tonight was really sweet. So Joe usually will read the boys a book before bed (I am usually getting Ellie ready or tidying up before bed, etc), but tonight I laid on the bottom bunk with all those boys and listened right along with them. No wonder they love Daddy. He not only reads the book, but after each page he plays, "I spy with my little eye." It's so cute because they all take turns. Jackson's turn would go something like this, "I spy with my little eye.... ummm.... something like... a lamp that is on the desk by the bed." And Joe would reply, "Hmmm, ...Is it this lamp?" (the only one on the page) "YUP!" Noah was even better. "I spy my yittew eye... THAT!" and then he would point to what he was spying! Haha! ...I spy with my little eye the cutest boys ever. Oh and the best Dad.

Nine Months?

No, "Nine Months" is NOT an announcement that I am pregnant yet again, ...although at the rate of my last three kids, I would be by now, or at the very least, trying. Nay, the announcement is that Ellie is officially nine months TODAY! Where did the time go? Don't ask me!

Eleanor. You are crawling everywhere; Walking around via furniture; Love to feed yourself anything bite-sized; Will only let me feed you spoon-fed foods if you are holding your own spoon; Just started saying, "Lala!" today (as you can see from your pictures); You think I am funny and will actually laugh at my silly songs; You are learning how to copy (that's how you started saying "Lala" just now). Or if you find that we laugh at something you do (like dance with your arms in the air), you recognize that you're adorable, love the attention and will do it again. I guess we could call you an Ord: a.k.a. A performer; Almost have two bottom teeth that just don't want to cut through for whatever reason; You still have blue eyes, which are slightly turning a lovely shade of grey (your Dad has thought from day one that they will be brown, but I think NOT!); And your Grandma Burnham is still the winner for "You look most like...." (I come in meager 2nd place). I thought I would include a couple of pictures that she sent me from when she was about the same age. From these pictures, I think you have her nose, cheeks, eyes and basic face shape, ...and you have my lips/smile, scowly eyebrows and chubbiness. What a doll she was! Just like you!

Even Granny sticks out her tongue!

Ellie, both your Grandma O and Granny are wonderful people. I really hope you get a chance to learn from each of them first-hand. They are elect ladies who love the Lord. When I think of both of them, I think of endless service! Always thinking of others and going the distance! I hope one day you will follow their example of selflessness and appreciate their love and who they are, and what kind of women they had to be to get where they are in life right now. These kind of women are women of God. I am still learning as I go (and trust me, I am trying), but I am grateful for such wonderful examples in my life! AND, I am grateful for a beautiful and cheerful baby such as yourself! Happy 9-months Eleanor!

Boys will be men?

It's funny how you can have two boys so close together in age (17 months apart) and have them be so different. Earlier this morning, Noah was playing sock basketball while Jackson was practicing his numbers. Last night, Noah picked a fight with Jackson and probably would have won if we hadn't intervened, whereas last night with Jackson, he saw me doing the dishes and got the broom out to "help" me clean up the kitchen. Haha! Very, very different. That being said, after lunch I gave the kids some treats and after Jackson had inhaled his treats, he asked Noah for some of his, and Noah did not even blink when he handed over a few of his precious treats. So, Noah can be an angel, too. There is definitely goodness in them both (as well as the occasional defiant behavior). It's fun to watch them grow and see their different personalities come out. I was realizing a few days ago that Noah will only be one grade behind Jackson in school. I really hope they are good friends. It honestly makes me think of me and Sarah growing up (we were two grades apart though). At first, I think she really did NOT like me hanging around with her when she'd have friends over or go somewhere, ...but she eventually liked me. I think. I just hope that Jax and Noah can continue to be buddies. Perhaps there will be the occasional fight like last night, but then I have a feeling that that would be forgotten with something like that of a sharing of a treat. Right now they are playing downstairs and laughing. Perhaps they will grow to be just as they are now (laugh, fight, make up, laugh, fight, make up), ...only bigger.

Gabe the Babe

My nephew, Gabriel Karson Murphy was born October 4, 2010. And what a beeeeeee-autiful boy! Sarah and I were able to drive down to Calgary for the baby shower and his blessing the following day. It was such a fun weekend being able to visit with family and catch up. We even had a chance to visit with one of our dearest friends, Alysha Sladek, ...and of course managed to take no pictures. However, I DID manage to take a ton of Gabe the Babe! Here are just a few of my favs. Enjoy....