November

November was busy with all sorts of little things.  Our oven broke, and we started researching whether we'd rather remodel our kitchen or repair an oven the size of a microwave.  (We still haven't decided.)
  

Research at IKEA

Elise's Daisy troop did a bake sale to support Operation Christmas Child.  We made fudge and chocolate chex squares (neither required an oven,) and Elise got to help serve customers.
  

Elise's Nervous Face

Corinne was alternately bad and cute (or sometimes both at the same time.)
  

 
Nana and Grandpa Al came to visit!  We had a great time hanging out with them, and they decorated the kids' rooms with curtains and new bedding.  We also finally put up the bunk beds they got for Elise and Corinne.  (Though Corinne won't be using hers for awhile yet.)
   

   
We went to the park most Fridays, and the kids figured out how to go sledding, California style.
   

Yeah, it's a boogie board.

  
We got together with Aunt Helena one Saturday at the California Science Center.  It was sooo much less crowded than the last time we'd gone!  We got to look at the Endeavor shuttle, see things rotting, ride a "space coaster", and play with all the kid exhibits. 
   

Sand Dunes

 

Hurricane Simulator

  
We collaborated with some friends to take each others' family pictures this year.  Ours turned out pretty good, despite my boys' determination to ruin it with goofy faces (yes, that includes Ryan.)  Out of 95 shots, this was the best one, and I still had to send it to a guy in Florida to Photoshop Evan's underwear!
  

  
Connor continued with basketball class, and I finally got some pictures of him playing.  I'm continually surprised by how much he likes this class.
  

 

  
Our park day group arranged a series of ice skating lessons this winter at the Pasadena ice rink. The first was towards the end of November, and it was a bit of a disaster.  We parked in the wrong place and missed most of the lesson.  The older kids did okay, but Evan wouldn't go on the ice by himself, and I had Corinne to tend, so I couldn't help him much.  (Friends offered to hold her, but that just made her freak out.)  I got these pictures at least, before my phone ran out of batteries!
  

 

  

    
Right before our Utah Thanksgiving trip, the Palmers came to visit for a night!  We went to Blaze pizza, and let's just say I'm glad we sat outside.  Eight little kids trying to one-up each other is kinda loud.  When we got back, we had to sedate them with video games to get them ready for bed.
     

     

Halloween

Okay, it's the week between Christmas and New Year's, so I have a few days to finish out the year of posts!  Let's see how I do. . .
  
Halloween was not too stressful!  I'm not sure what the difference was this year, but we had a pretty good time.  The Saturday before Halloween, Elise (and the rest of us) were invited to a classmate's superhero birthday party.  Little kids in superhero costumes are the best.  It was a bit unusual, too, because the family (who are Evangelical Christian) incorporated a very sweet lesson about how Jesus is even better than a superhero.  The birthday boy's dad is Cambodian, so the food was pretty awesome, including this fish soup that supposedly takes forever to make.  (Elise said it was the best soup she'd ever had.)
  

Evan and his friend, Andre, were big fans of the dressing up.

  
That night was the ward Trunk or Treat.  I'm pretty sure this event is a bigger deal than Halloween for my kids, since it's their chance to show off their costumes to their friends.  We started calling it "Sarahween" in honor of Elise's obsession with getting her friend's costume-approval.  Connor was the Grim Reaper, Elise was a peacock, Evan was a pirate with a SWORD, and Corinne was a chicky.
  

Trunk-or-Treat

  
On Halloween night, we carved pumpkins, then went trick-or-treating in a nearby neighborhood with a bunch of friends.  Connor and Daniel both had very cumbersome costumes, so I stayed behind with them as they shuffled along.  Cute boys.
  

   

Connor's, Evan's (with Dad's help), and Elise's

  

Grim and Stay Puft (Neither could see very well.)

  
Evan had a Joy School Halloween party, but I forgot to get pictures.  Here's his craft, though.  He did it all by himself!
  

Caught Stealing Elise's Candy

   

"Vacation Week"

Part of my school plan for this year was to schedule out the weeks we're doing schoolwork in advance, and to allow for weeks off, so we can either catch up or do all the fun field trips and activities we never have time for.  Our first vacation week was in October, and it wasn't as glamorous as I'd imagined, but it was still awesome.  
  
On Monday, we went to Target to buy clothes, then had lunch at Chuck E Cheese.  It wasn't quite as relaxing as before, because Corinne wanted to run around and play, but it was super cute.  Afterwards, I went to Elise's ballet class for "Parents Day", and saw proof that they are learning something there.
   

Evan and Corinne, in case you can't tell.

  
Wednesday, we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  The kids got to pet sharks and stingrays, feel anemones and starfish, and hold Lorikeets in the aviary.  Evan decided that jellyfish were his favorite animal.  He kept dragging me back to look at them over and over.  We even bought toys from the gift shop at the end, it was pretty special!
  

  
Friday was best of all.  We went to the dentist!  Corinne had her first dental appointment, and was pretty well behaved, given her stranger-danger and dislike of holding still.  Evan was great; he used the big chair this time, and let the hygienist do a full cleaning.  Shockingly, nobody had any cavities, although Connor is supposed to get started with some orthodontics in the next year or so.