Miner Family

So the kids had a great Halloween holiday this year! We had a dracula/knight, a leapord and a ballerina. They were able to dress up several times throughout the week for different events and loved every minute of it. I was excited to learn about donating extra Halloween candy to dentist and orthodontists in the Valley who are participating in a program that sends the extra candy to our soldiers overseas and pays money per a pound to benefit the child's school. I hated always throwing away so much wasted candy every year, and was so excited to find that candy being put to good use this year!

We celebrated Tyson's birthday this year at the beach house in Rocky Point. We stayed for a full week down there, and the weather was wonderful! We enjoyed reading books, watching movies, playing games, trips to town and bumming around at the beach. We almost felt like we were living Bill Murray's life in Groundhog Day for awhile, but it really was so much fun. Tyson picked out his Halloween theme birthday cake and he got some fun games that we were able to use at the beach the following day. I can hardly believe this is the last year I get him at home before he starts kindergarten next year. He is a great big brother and really looks out for his baby sister Eva. He is such a sweet boy and we feel blessed to have him!

Tyson's first field trip this year was to the Fire Station. The kids had fun getting to climb in a real fire truck and feeling the heavy equipment that the fire fighters wear. The embarrassing part of the day came when Mommy locked her keys in the car while Eva was still in it. The firemen had to come with their sirens on and everything to help us get the doors unlocked. Luckily the car was still on, so Eva wasn't getting over heated! I was also thankful that it ended up being a different fire department to answer the call, so I wouldn't have to face the men I had seen earlier that day on the field trip. While I was trying to make small talk with the men as they worked to unlock the doors, I realized too late that they were in a competition with the other fire fighters working on the car to see which pair would get in and unlock the car the fastest. I may have been the cause of the team closest to me losing! Oh well!!!

Tyson and Elise have both really taken to soccer these past few months. While Elise may be ready for a nap by half time...she at least continues to run with the energy she can muster. Tyson is one of the few in his age group to understand that distancing himself from the pack gives him a little more room to break away with the ball when it comes loose. It is a fun age to watch, and they have the biggest smiles on their face with every goal made. Tyson had the chance to play his cousin this past week and we didn't know if we might witness some hugging between opposing teams! Those boys are like two peas in a pod.

So a few things have happened since we last blogged. The first would be our trip to Salt Lake to visit Grandma and Grandpa Miner. The kids had fun at the Hogle Zoo, This is the Place Park and the Beehive House. We had fun enjoying the beautiful weather and friends and family that we rarely see in Utah. We were very disappointed by the BYU game, but there is always next year...right! The kids were so sad to have to leave, but we know there will always be a trip back to Utah in the not so distant future.