strange poses, half marathon fun, some froyo, and designer paper doll costumes

 The other day josh kept sitting like this. We had no idea he had such a useful skill.

 Since Ethan is pretty much 13 now, he decided to grow some facial hair. (I wish we bought the hat with attached beard. It looks cozy for the winter months, and totally classy, too!)

 We found some "art" at the mall and had to explore what was inside. Lots of random trinkets in a giant wooden box. I never could figure out the deep and hidden meaning behind the piece.

 My brother ran a half marathon (that's him with the white shirt), so we decided to cheer him on at the half-way point near our house, and then drive to the finish line where we could cheer him on again. The kids got a runner's-cheerleader-high when we'd cheer for random runners and they would say, "Thanks, I needed that!"

 At the finish line, they had a few activities for families, like climbing walls, and giant bowling.

 Here Brandon and Ethan are climbing together, and below, Ashley and Makenna are climbing together.

 Last week we met up with Chris's brother's family to get some frozen yogurt for Family Home Evening. The kids loved their treat, but more than that, they loved playing in the alley behind the shop with their cousins, making up all kinds of games. They are never bored when they're together.

Two of our sweet friends from The Swamp make beautiful, hand-drawn paper dolls and gorgeous clothes to go with them. When Ashley told them she was going to be a robber for Halloween, they quickly created and mailed a matching costume for her paper doll. They're amazing women with amazing talents, and we're lucky to have them in our lives :)