Fair Fun!

Olivia has been dying to go to the fair this year. She actually has been dying to go for the past couple of years, we just have not made it. We have been trying to find an evening that we were all free for the past few weeks. Well, there was not an evening that we ALL had free...so we got creative. We had to, the fair closes in a few days.

What a good looking group! This is the last time we saw this bib. I wonder what else we lost? The whole evening Jake was dropping things out of the stroller.

We finally started using the double stroller. Zach all of the sudden loves it!

Olivia is so brave. She stood in line and got on all of these rides all by herself. She wanted to do some of the tween rides. Zane and I decided we only were going to ride the ferris wheel and Zach was too short (and scared) for some of the things she wanted to try. Too bad you worked Sherrie. Zane and Olivia said several times last night "We should have brought Maddie with us."

Zach wasn't too sure about the bumper cars. He was hanging on for dear life.
The carousel...always a favorite. Although Zach did look a little nervous on this too. He is used to Mom or Dad standing next to him. He started smiling at the end!

Hanging on for dear life again...but smiling while doing it!

You look good in a rocket, darling!

Olivia is being a good sport about the kiddie rides Zach wanted to go on.

Are you smiling because you have a secret? Is it that you just tore off your brand new bib and dropped it in the crowd?

Zachary is trying to decide if he would brave the fun house. It actually turned out to be a favorite!

We ate various foods on a stick for dinner, but all night we all wanted a funnel cake. We got a couple to share. Rest assured, the man told us they were calorie and fat free..."great I'll take two!" Zachary wanted nothing to do with the funnel cake, he wanted a diet coke for dessert. I wish that is all I wanted!

The finale for Olivia...the Cliff Hanger!

With life being so hectic lately, it was nice to spend a whole evening with you guys. Being with you four is my favorite pastime!

Top Secret Recipe

I have had several requests for the popcorn ball recipe. Here you go! It is an Esperson favorite! I hope you all have a Happy Halloween! I can't wait to see pictures of all of your kiddos in their costumes!

Marshmallow Popcorn Balls

Fill two big bowls with air popped popcorn...it is a guess on how much. It is 3-4 batches with my air popper. Filter through the popcorn to get unpoppped kernels out. Set aside.

Melt 1 lb. Butter
2-2/3 cup Sugar
1 cup light Karo Syrup
1 tsp vanilla


Bring to a boil while stirring. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add a
16 oz. bag of Marshmallows (the big ones!)

Stir Marshmallows until melted.
Pour over popcorn and stir to coat.

Form into large balls...do not compact too much!
Enjoy!!!

jUsT fOr cUtE!

Here are some highlights from last week:

I love this picture of Jake and Livi. I made it my screen saver!

Zane was calling Zach "Elton John". He is wearing Olivia's sunglasses upside down!



Just a little drool...but what a sweet smile underneath!



Zach and I do a little joy school with some friends. It was my turn last week. We had a great time playing with friends. We made little pumpkins with sticker faces! Zach had so much fun making his...he kept peeling the stickers off and putting them back on!

Can you guess what we are making? I have had some requests at work for a favorite treat!

Music Fest: A Sing Along Season

The Phoenix Girls Choir season started with a concert at the Chandler Center for the Arts! Olivia looked very serious on stage. I think it was a shocker for her to see all of the hundreds of people in the audience. The audience got to sing along to some of the songs. I think that might be the theme for the year, so I will be practicing by playing lots of rockband!

Olivia's choir performed in 5 songs: When I'm Singin' This Song, I Love it When, Sing a Song, I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, and Feelin' Good.

Olivia looked so cute in her little uniform! Thanks to her little cheering section for coming and supporting her! She loved all of the flowers, and I am enjoying them on my counter top! We love you guys!

Pantsless at the Zoo!

We went to the Zoo with some friends in our ward this week. It was a great time, but a little hot. I bought season passes so I am sure to bore you with many, many Zoo pictures this year. We have a great Zoo, with lots of areas for the kiddos to run and play.

There was a few splash pads that we let the kids run through quickly to cool off. While I went to buy lunch, Olivia was watching Zach on the playground/splash pad. When I got back Zach was SOAKED. I said Olivia...you were supposed to be watching Zach!?! She said, "Mom, I was watching him, I watched him get wet!" Now how can you argue with that? Thankfully I had a dry pull up, and his shirt dried pretty quickly in the hot sun. But the wet jean shorts were bothering him. Just in case you are wondering, YES, those are pictures of my son pantsless at the zoo. Good Times!

Thanks for the great time Kathee, Amie and Tiff! Let's do it again!

Note to self...take swimwear for the kiddos next time! A towel would be nice too!

Chandler Railroad Park

For FHE a few weeks ago, my family met for a picnic/park adventure. Everyone except Zane, Jeff and Carolyn made it. We missed you guys! Zane, the Gardos and JB all have YM/YW on different nights, and Olivia has choir Monday's late afternoon, so it is making it difficult to get together this year!

The kids played on their Sprinker pad, played on the playground and fed the ducks. The choo choo train was closed, which Zach was not happy about. We will need to plan another adventure there when we can ride the train!

Tempe Beach Park

Our family took a picnic to Tempe Beach park a few weeks ago. Their Splash playground is so cute! We usually go several times a year. This year we havn't gone at all and they were about to close for the season.

Jake loved crawling around and getting wet! And of coarse, Zachary loves anywhere he can run around. Olivia, always being the protective big sister to Zachary, stayed right with him and kept him in arms distance. Afterwards Zach rode his "Diego Bike" and Olivia rode her scooter down the lake. What a great evening!