Four Force-ful Years!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!!!

Today is Ethan's fourth birthday. I have no idea where those years went. We finally decided to give Ethan a birthday party this year, and we're nothing if not consistent- so it was a Star Wars theme for us! Keep in mind that this obsession is multi-generational, so we went a little overboard.

We started with some coloring pages for the kids, plus Star Wars masks they could cut out. Both were a big hit. Everyone was milling about, talking amongst themselves. We invited waaaay too many kids- I had no idea they would all be able to come! But it was fun to have a full house and Ethan was loving it.

After everyone arrived and had a little time to play, we dug into the snacks- chips and dip, pretzels, honey popcorn, apples and caramel dip. We also had TIE Fighter ties (pigs in a blanket made to look like TIE Fighters), Darth Malts, Yoda Soda, and these R2-D2 treats made from bananas, toasted coconut and Kit-Kats.

After snacks we did the games. First we played "Destroy the Death Star"- a Star Wars version of hot potato. Beau Cormican was the winner and got a toy lightsaber as his prize. Next it was time to blast the meteors- black balloons with glow-in-the-dark bracelets inside. The kids went cray stepping, jumping, even sitting on the balloons to find the bracelets! Ethan was a little freaked by the loud popping sounds but enjoyed the "rewards."

Now time for the cake! I decided to do cupcakes this year, and of course had to keep with the theme, so...

Darth Vader cupcakes!

Ethan approves, as do the rest of the kids!

Last, but definitely not least, we have the Death Star pinata! Hours upon boring hours of papier mache. But it was worth it- I was so happy with how it turned out!

Too bad all those hours of hard work were destroyed within two minutes. Oh well!

We went to Wal-Mart about a week and a half ago and saw all these trick-or-treat buckets on Halloween clearance- sweet treat bags! The kids went home with Darth Vader voice changers, Star Wars stickers, SW bouncy balls, SW temporary tattoos, SW handheld maze games, birthday pencils and of course candy!

Here's Ethan with all his gifts!
The adorable plaid shirt from Grandma and Grandpa K
Snow pants! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Snow!
Do we see a trend here? It *was* snowing almost all day today!

Look at this sweet snow "boogie board" from Beau and Abbie!

Ethan had a wonderful birthday- thank you to everyone who came to his party, or called or sent cards!! WE LOVE YOU, SHORT STACK!!!

On the move

Sadie is *this close* to crawling. She can get up on her hands and knees, but then isn't sure what to do after that. So she gets back on her belly and kind of slithers forward to wherever she wants to go. It's pretty funny to watch. And of course adorable.

The Beatty Invasion!

(kinda like the British Invasion but without the mop tops)

Our favorite family of eight came to visit us this past weekend and we had a blast with them. It was so nice to see good friends and just hang out and catch up. Ethan loved playing with their kids, and even Sadie was admired by Emma and Mikayla. Saturday we went up to the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont, then over to the cider mill, then down to the Joseph Smith birthplace. Troy and Denise took us out for Korean that night while Mikayla watched our kids- so nice! You rock, Mikayla!! And the Korean food was soooo good! We waited forever for a table, but once we sat down and ate we were rewarded with really good food. YUM. I will have to go there again some time.

Sunday was a lazy day, but we went down to Cornish, NH and saw the world's longest two-span covered bridge. Pretty cool. Then we drove up to Quechee, VT and explored the little village there and tried to see the Quechee Gorge (Vermont's Grand Canyon!) but it was too dark. Stupid north, getting dark at like 4:30 in the afternoon.

So we went back to see the Gorge yesterday and hiked around it a little bit. Definitely not comparable to the Grand Canyon, but pretty nonetheless. Then we drove to Woodstock, VT and visited a maple farm. They let us sample a bunch of different cheeses, maple syrups, jams, etc. Denise bought us some maple candy, which was SO GOOD! As we were inside tasting the jams, I looked out the window and realized it was snowing. Like, a total blizzard. We all made a break for the car to warm up, and by the time we got loaded up and down the road it had stopped snowing. Weird. We got home and then went to lunch at a burrito place up by campus in Hanover, and made a stop at Lou's bakery for dessert (mmm....). The rest of the afternoon was lazy- people took naps, the kids ran around outside, watched tv, snacked. It was great. We LOVED having everyone here. Our house feels so empty now! I will admit I cried when they left. What can I say- I miss our friends!!!!

Disclaimer: Denise will have much better pictures with her awesome camera!

At the Quechee Gorge with Josh, Becky, Mikayla, Emma, Joe and Ethan

The covered bridge in Cornish

Hamming it up at the cider mill

Look at that kid pose!

Aww... what a cute couple!

yesterday's freak snowstorm

Consider the vote officially BARACKED!

Okay, I'll only stand on my soap box for a minute because I know it annoys Paul (and probably most of the other people who actually read my blog), but I just can't resist. I am SO EXCITED to be an American today. Please don't misunderstand me and think I don't love being an American every other day, because I most certainly do. But we made history yesterday; we spoke up and resoundingly declared that we want to take this country in a new direction. We elected an African American to the highest office in the land for the first time in our long history. We stood up for change and we proved to the doubters and critics that even the smallest, most unlikely among us can be anything. We are ready for the challenges that lie ahead. I know it will not be easy, but we can do it!

I was also deeply impressed by John McCain's concession speech. It was a total class act, and I honestly believe that he will step up and support President Obama (ooh I love the sound of that!) and do what needs to be done. He would have made a fine president as well, but I think this is the change that this country so desperately needs. These are scary times, but we have bright hope for the future!

All right, I'll get down now. But no matter who you voted for or what you believe in, be proud of our democracy and our right to be heard! Be proud of America!

Green vs. Crimson (Dartmouth vs. Harvard Football)

Sadie the Fairy Princess

I'll let Sarah explain.

Jabba Turns Two

Jabba turned two a few weeks ago. We celebrated by giving him a Twinkie. Here he is blowing out his candle.