Jacobs' Halloween Bash

I would say Halloween weekend was a smashing success! We had family come into town and it what just what I needed! I was so excited to have them here to visit!

Friday we went truck-or-treating in the windy, freezing cold!

Then on Saturday after some volleyball we began the party prep! We ended up having more people than we thought we would so we set up in our apt. complex's club room and it was perfect! I had the best little helper! She handed me balloons in the pattern that I needed them and all I had to do was bribe her with chocolate. Not really, she helped even before I gave her the chocolate.

The food was delish and we ended up having sooo much extra! Last year the food was eaten pretty fast so we thought we needed to make more this year but we definitely over estimated! We had left over Halloween food for a week! This is only half of the food bar. Our friends brought some super yummy and super spooky treats too so we were definitely good on food.

Unfortunately you can't see our cool shells in any of the pictures, but we were definitely Ninja Turtles! Easiest costumes ever! 

Jon's brother wasn't able to come so his younger brother completed the Peter Pan crew in his place. They were THE cutest! Did I mention how much I loved having them here with us for the weekend?

The Irene's never fail us! They are the only last year party veterans that were able to make it. Can you guess what they were? Party Animals! Get it?! So clever! And Garrett made those masks! So artistic.

Introducing the Craig's- Taylor and I go way back to Colorado so we have been friends since forever and her and Connor got married this past August. We love having them in Rexburg with us! This was their last-minute-before-we-took-the-picture decision to be a drunk and a plum. 

The girls wanted to play ping pong so we assigned the uncles to watch Tiger Lily. They passed her off between turns while playing pool.

And my favorite all time Tinker Bell in the history of Tinker Bell's cheered us on!

My sister-in-law made this Tiger Lily costume? Isn't it amazing?

After we played a few more games, cleaned up and everyone trickled out, the boys played a few rounds of Jacobs vs. Jacobs. 

And we called it a night! Our Halloween Bash was fun, but Halloween weekend was the best!

The Halloween Party Countdown

The Halloween countdown has begun! Actually it began as soon as our party last year ended. We have never been really big into the whole Halloween thing and all the spookiness that comes with it, but now we get really excited about it because it means we get to throw our annual Halloween bash!

I have been so excited about it that I went back through my iphoto to find pictures of it. Our friend Madeline took pictures through out the party and I was thrilled when I remembered that she had because now I can show everyone!

I have never viewed myself as crafty or creative, but I have discovered that I really enjoy hosting get togethers.When we were talking to our friends about having a Halloween party I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did.

 I am by no means a pro, but I am learning as I go. Ha, I just rhymed! Here are a few things I have learned about throwing a Halloween party:

1. You can do it on a budget, so do it on a budget 

• There are so many great resources for throwing a party on a budget and so many of them are available to most of us. 
• My first resource was not my own house, but it should have been! If you have worked on any other crafts before you probably have all of the materials you need to make a lot of the decorations. Once I realized this my frugal student brain relaxed a bit. I, not being as crafty of a lady, had very little in the way of craft materials, but was able to do with what I had. For example: I made the banner in the above picture with cheap construction paper, tape, a hole punch, scissors and brown ribbon that I found in one of my drawers. Easy peezy!
• The dollar store is great, BUT, I have learned to always go to Wal Mart first. I know that everything at Dollar Tree is $1 so I always hit up Wally World just in case I can get things in a greater quantity for less than $1. If the prices are higher or I can't find what I need, I take a gander on down to the Dollar Tree, but Wal Mart often has more for a less or equal price. Dollar Tree is always loaded with seasonal stuff so it is always a great place to check out.
• Holiday food is fun! People enjoy making fun treats, so don't take on the responsibility of making all of the food and let others contribute. Our friends brought this super clever punch last year and everyone loved it!

2. Write your plans and ideas down

• Sometimes you come up with great ideas but forget what they were. Write it down so you don't forget. :) And then you can tweek things later if the initial idea is out of your budget or won't work out. 
• If you have anything else going on in your life, having plans organized on paper will help keep you sane. Last year Jon and I were both students and Jon was working, so, I learned this lesson the hard way. I did not write things down so my Halloween party ideas were floating among Abnormal Psychology and Interpersonal Communication theories. 

3. Sugar is easy, but don't make it everything

• If you browse through Pinterest for Holiday themed food, a grand majority of it will be sugary or sweet treats. This makes sugary food the convenient option, but not everyone loves loads of sugar and lets be real, sugar tummy aches are not fun.
• Salty or savory is always a good addition to party snacks. Chips and dip, pretzels, popcorn, or mini pigs in a blanket can do the trick! 
• Sometimes people just want something fresh to nibble on! Put together a veggie tray or ask one of your guests if they would be willing to bring one!

4. Prep the day before if you can

• We threw our party on a Thursday because our friends were going to be gone that weekend, so time was not exactly abundant. I tried to make 32 donuts, 16 rice krispie treats, 24 cupcakes, a pan of mini pigs in a blanket, and decorate all in a short afternoon and in between bouts of homework. 
• If it won't mess up the recipe, mix up any batters the day before and refrigerate them. That leaves only the baking portion for the day of and it allows everything to still be fresh.
• If any of the food needs to be dipped in chocolate make the main ingredient the day before so that it will be ready to dip the day of instead of having to wait for it to dry, cool, or harden.
• Start decorating bit by bit a couple days before the party. It's October so having fake spider webs around your house won't be weird. Putting them up will save your head some hair the day of. 

5. Plan activities but don't be a stickler on doing all of them.

• I kept trying to come up with fun games to play last year but wasn't super thrilled about any of them and felt like it would be awkward to initiate them.
• I had a list of all of the games but someone ended up bringing Guitar Hero and most people were enjoying playing it, so I did the smart thing and set the list of games aside. 
• Go with the flow. If people are enjoying chatting or doing something else, don't interrupt to push your agenda or try to force the "fun." Sometimes I can be a fun forcer but it ends up not being fun for anyone.

6. Remember this is supposed to be fun!

• Last year I had this vision in my mind of what the party was going to look like and I was rushing to get everything done on time. I stressed a bit and forgot to breath and smile. I didn't plan Jon and my costumes until the day of but I wanted to dress up, so let's add that to my list of To Do's. Ugh, right?!
• We had a friend visiting us who stepped in and asked what she could do to help. Halleluja! But then when my wonderful and oh so helpful husband came home, he made all these suggestions that picked up my vision and tossed it out the door, so I got more anxious. Long story short, his suggestions ended up being brilliant and needed. Just smile and be open to change!
• Moral of the story, don't get stressed out! Take my word for it and PREP so that you aren't running around like the Headless Horseman (did you catch my Halloween analogy?), and don't let the list overwhelm the excitement for all of the fun you are about to have! 

And it will be fun! 

I can't stop thinking about our party this year! I will be prepping the day before, choosing our Halloween costumes in advance, and just having fun with all of it!

Oh and I will be eating these yummy pumpkin donuts(gluten free style this year)  in between bites of broccolli!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Disney What?!

Oh, hello again! Long time no talk. I guess we are due for a quick update before getting into the really good stuff.

Jon and I scored another niece back in May! She is chubby and we love her so much!

My big brother sealed the deal and got married and now I have another sister!

I was a big girl and graduated from college. 

 And my amazing family came out to support me. This school and all of these people (plus a few more) have played a huge role in helping me grow and become better. It was so humbling that they all made the trip for the ceremony!

I could write more a whole book on why BYU-I is so great. Maybe some day I will do that... but not today.

Annnd Jon got a new job working with one of his great mentors so we are back in Rexburg until grad school. We couldn't even stay away for a whole year! But I'm not complaining!

    . . . . .

And now for the goods...

We have been planning a California trip with our friends for almost a year now and a trip to be with family at our California home was long overdue, so... We went to Orange County, California! And boy did it feel good to be back.

Of course Charlie got an extremely warm welcome. Jon misses Charlie every hour he is not with him. Dramatic, I know!

It's not a trip to the Jacobs' without ping pong. Shelly, Hannah and I were playing Around the World until the boys realized how much fun we were having and decided to join. We actually got pretty good. We would switch directions after every rally of 10 in a row. Skill.

Afterwards we were feeling rebellious and snuck into the community pool for a little night swim. We ended up getting kicked out by a friendly Mexican security guard. I'm pretty sure his name was Pedro. Or something like that.

Monday was Beach Day!

Jon taught Ryann some beach etiquette (get sand everywhere and don't complain about it) and then quickly headed for the waves with Garrett! 

There was a "Dangerous Shore Break" warning so the waves were coming in pretty strong. Wiping out with Ryann was nothing like my wipe outs while trying to get out to Garrett and Jon. I'm talking my feet being taken out from under me, landing right on my hinny, getting buried in sand and the life guard feeling like he had to come over to teach me how to be safe in the ocean, wipe out. 

These two are the best! 

 I need to get myself a pair of these arm floaties.

 Lexi was the perfect beach baby!!

The bread comes out and the birds swarm!

Best. Beach. Day. 

Tuesday was the day we had all been waiting for: Disneyland Day! The seven of us and Cari (Jon's mom) left in time to get there when it opened. I had butterflies in my stomach the whole way there. I felt like a 22 year-old child waiting to go meet all my favorite Disney characters for the first time ever. 

Cari took me by the arm and walked me through the entrance that Walt Disney himself would walk through! *heart beating fast*

And there it was...

Because this was my first time ever at Disneyland pictures were pretty much non negotiable. Jon was better than normal about taking pictures, but still tried to escape as soon as possible. 

Hannah and Garrett had been to Disneyworld but were Disneyland newbies too, so we all got our first time pins to wear around the whole day.

We rode a few rides...

Met a few fairies...

Took a few pictures...

Ate some so bad, but sooo good food...

And just had the best time ever! 

Hannah had Lexi on multiple occasions through out the day and this was probably one of the easier ones. Lexi is the cutest chubber, but sleeping chubbers carry a lot of dead weight. 

I promise Ry was having a good time! This toddler rocked 11 hours of walking and being in the sun! That is tough!

Teacups Tip: Try to focus on one object instead of trying to follow everything moving around. It makes for a much more pleasant experience. :)

Disney sure seems to go big! The parades were fantastic! I loved every second of them! 

And can we take a second to talk about how great Cari is?! She is recovering from knee surgery and walked around with us all day, watched the babies on all of the rides that they couldn't ride, and pointed us in the right direction for everything we wanted to do! It was so fun to have her and her enthusiasm there.

This was at the Paint the Night Parade, probably two minutes before Ryann zonked out. She was loving the parade and I was right there with her. It was easily the best parade I have ever been to! 

If you were wondering, my favorite things were:

-Thunder Mountain (It's a must)

-Dole Whip *soft serve* (the float was too sweet for me)

-Hand Dipped Corn Dogs (even at $8.75 per dog)

-Paint the Night Parade (I still dream about it)

-Experiencing it all with family and best friends (Ugh, they are just the best)

I have decided that I could go to Disneyland and only ride one or two rides and still love being there. There is such a happy, fun atmosphere and I cannot wait to go back!!

With our California home being 12ish hours away, sometimes it's hard to make trips out there, but when we do, it is always worth it! Having so many neat things so close added to the fun! I'm so glad that it worked out that the Irene's could come and that they weren't totally burned out from their drive across the country.

Until next time,

The Jacobs