Chillin at the Chalet

After the Caenarfon Castle exploring of day one it was extra fun to come back 'home' and not have homework, chores, swimming, gymnastics, huge meal prep, or any other obligations. We just ate, played, and had fun as a family. It was Halloween and we didn't have to dress up or trick n' treat. We bought a couple Halloween movies, had some sweets of our own, and cuddled in the dark.

Mike did the shopping for dinner tonight...apparently I needed a whole chicken? I think I finished half. :)

Wrestling is a top form of activity in our household. I'm pretty sure Taylor is crying in the top photo and Carter is screaming/crying in the bottom one. This is totally normal and nothing to worry about. I think each child has to cry at least once or it isn't proper family fun.

Taylor asked if they could have some sweets. As a good mother who is always concerned about their physical fitness I told her, "yes, after you do 10 jumping jacks, 10 press ups, and 10 burpees." Yes, even Cameron had to earn it.

The kids kept taking the camera's and shooting around the room. It was entertaining to see all the pictures they had taken. I only included a couple.

Mason having breakfast the next morning. He was excited to have nothing but sugar for breakfast. Mom has to look away while they have this special treat when we are travelling. :)

Wales...yes we took 'some' pictures.

At the last moment Mike got his leave approved for during the half term. We took full advantage of the time and headed to Wales. We stayed in a little Chalet(more pics on that later). We, okay is was all me, decided that we'd leave Wed night so we could get a jump start on our exploring come Thursday morning. We ended up pulling into the place at 1:00a.m. It was a hard drive and I'm glad we made it, but we might not do that again unless we can start earlier in the day. However, it was a fine choice because Thursday morning came and we were rested and ready to go. Let me clarify that for these two 'Angel' parents, rested means we slept for a few hours and are good to go again. First stop was Caernarfon Castle. The whole family enjoyed this castle, because it was a learning castle with many hidden treasures, but still gave us plenty of climbing opportunities.

Some of our favourite treasures of the Welsh castles were the beautiful window seats that were very much intact. To me they were a reminder that people lived here, they sat at these windows and took in the sights of their home. Pretty amazing.

This was not a small castle, and we took our time exploring every nook and cranny. The kids had a good time scaling the door entrances. Mason even looked at the camera a time or two! :)

This slate chair was made in Wales at a Quarry near Snowdon(we will see those pics later as well). It was used for the investiture of The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles. Queen Elizabeth II used this chair during the event that was held at Caernarfon Castle.

No question where they get it from. :)

The Mormon in us loved that this cannon was called "The Alma" --Alma was a prophet from the Book of Mormon for those that don't know. :)

The rest of the military museum was a photo restriction site, however, there are the array of different medals through the years that a military member can receive in the United Kingdom.

We all had to take a little break for a snack and rest the legs time. Cameron saw that we had our dried apples and decided that no one else should or could have them.

This is what would happen if you tried to take some anyway.

We loved that the tide was so low that the boats were just sitting in the mud.

The all important sword from the castle shop. Good think they are only 2 pounds, because they don't last long!

American Treat's delivery

 We had a fantastic time driving down to London and delivering a package to Elder Larsen from his family. We were going down anyway and felt it appropriate to bring some goodies with us. When talking with the group of Elders that live with Elder Larsen we just concluded that going shopping and buying anything I wouldn't normally buy was the way to go. It was so good to catch up with Elder Larsen, the kids love him and we look forward to a reason to visit again. :)

Halloween--Trunk or Treat

We decided to save some money this year and think of a costume that would cost the least amount of money for 7 people. Sixteen dollars later, we were all mummies, and Mason decided we were all nuts. :) He did not like the idea of being wrapped up, and I can't blame him, it was annoying for the evening. The wraps looked amazing for about 5 minutes as long as we weren't moving. Then the unwrapping, or falling off began. Oh well, it was a fun night and the kids had a great time playing dead in all the pictures!

Carter really gets into the creepy side of Halloween. He wants to be something scary every year.

Mason why is this your favourite holiday?

Waiting for our turn for a number to be called, we wanted cake!