Pumpkins

This past Sunday Jenny and Eric invited us over for dinner and pumpkin carving.  We ended up leaving Clayton home because he has been sick and throwing up, and had just gone down for a nap.  Morgan stayed and hung out with him.  The girls had a great time carving pumpkins.  I helped Gabriella carve a "Hello Kitty Witch" and Kate was determined to draw her own Jack-O-Lantern face on her pumpkin.  Kate loved scooping out the "guts" of the pumpkin with her hands, while Gabriella refused to touch any of it, and when I made her she couldn't hide the look of disgust on her face.  It was fun to all get together and celebrate the season.  We're always happy to have family close by.  It makes me happy that the girls love to be with each other so much.  It reminds me of growing up with my cousins and how much I loved having them close by.

I love the look of total disgust on her face!

Savannah wasn't digging pulling the guts out either.

Vanessa's face cracks me up.

Weekend Trip

This past weekend was Fall Break for Kate, so we took advantage of the days off and headed to California.  We left after Matt's softball games on Thursday which put us at his parents house around 3 am.  The girls slept great in the car, but I can't say the same for Clayton.  He was still a trooper though.

Matt's Mom and I got busy the next morning buying patterns and fabric for the kids Halloween costumes.  We tried to keep it simple, but it's never quite as simple as we think it's going to be.  We got busy that afternoon cutting patterns out and sewing.  I was determined to do more of it myself this year, and did until Karen checked over my sewing and had to re-do everything I had already done.  It only took us 1 1/2 days of sewing and they were all done.  It's always fun going and being able to get projects like that finished.  I'm grateful I have such a skilled Mother-in-law who is willing to help me!

Matt and his Dad had their own fun taking the girls to multiple stores with them.  They ended up buying a remote controlled helicopter that you can attach a camera to, that will fly up to 600 ft up in the sky, and will link up to 6 satellites, landing itself where you tell it to.  It was pretty amazing.

The girls had a great time running around and playing at Grandma and Grandpa's "beautiful" house.  They kept telling me how "beautiful" their house is, and how they wish they could have a house just like it.  They swam in the hot tub, and really cold pool as well.  Clayton mostly wondered around looking for me, and playing with the bucket of cars.

It was a really fun weekend, and we're so grateful to have Grandparents close enough we can go and spend long weekends with them.

Throwing rocks, one of his favorite activities.

The girls had fun playing with Matt's old remote control car from when he was a kid.

The helicopter.  It almost looked alien like when it was hovering 60ft in the air.

The Twins

Last weekend I flew to Omaha to take pictures of my Brother's new baby twins.  I can not even begin to describe the cuteness of these two.  I don't know what it is, but the fact that there are two of them just makes them 10x as cute.  I felt so lucky to be able to go and to get to spend the time with Brad and his family, along with my Mom and Sister.  It was a whirlwind of a weekend.  We crammed in a lot of shopping, manicures, pedicures, eating out, making cinnamon rolls, conference, and a fun little photo shoot into the few days I was there.  A special thanks to Matt for making it all possible.  And seriously, I still can't get over the cuteness of these babies!

  

William and Anderson

Anderson

William

I still can't believe Brad and Jacque have 6 kids!

Happy Birthday Gabriella

 To my dear sweet Gabriella.  You have been such a joy to have in our family from the moment you were born.  There was just always something about you that drew people in.  From the time you were a baby, you've always had a twinkle in your eye.  You love to imagine and create, and especially be silly.  Whenever your sad and the tears are flowing, your quick to crack a joke to lighten the mood.  You love to share with others and make them happy.  I can't count how many times you've freely given up whatever candy or toy you just received to share with your sister.  You don't like to miss out on anything and love to be helpful.  Every time I'm in the kitchen and I pull out the mixing bowl or the eggs your little voice chimes in, "I want to help!" You love each and every member of our family, but especially love the times when we are all together as a family.  We love you Gabriella.  There's not one thing I would change about you.  I love that you are strong willed, and determined, and can't pay attention during family home evening or scripture study to save your life.  I love that you never want to miss the party, even though that means bedtime usually takes twice as long.  I love that it always takes you way longer than it ever should to get in and out of the car, and that while doing so you always find some random thing to stop and look at or play with.  I love that you want to be a Preschool teacher when you get bigger, and that you can't wait to be a Mommy because then you get to "do whatever you want" and "wear really high heels that are covered in glitter." I love absolutely everything about you.  I'm grateful for the rays of sunlight you bring into our family.  Happy 4th Birthday Gabriella.  

In The Swing of Things

It seems like life since Kate started school has gone by really quickly and also really slow at the same time.  How is that even possible?  My days somehow feel shorter.  I have an hour here or there to get things done, and most of the time those slots are filled with errands to run, people to visit, or trips to the gym.  I think all in all Kate and I have both adjusted to our new routines, and it's starting to grow on me. I spend at least once a week or more in Kate's classroom helping the teacher.  It's fun to be in there and see the environment she spends much of her day, and how she interacts with the other kids. She is doing really great and I can't believe how much she has learned already.  Today when I was in there the school was doing a morning assembly which started with the Pledge of Allegiance, then a moment of silence, followed by all 872 students singing the Star Spangled Banner.  It was amazing and beautiful and brought tears to my eyes.  I'm grateful to have her in a school that values patriotism, and teaches the children to value their country and freedoms as well. 

Gabriella continues to love preschool.  She loves Miss Carrie, loves playing with her friends, and loves learning.  She misses her sister when she is at school, but lucky for Gabriella we have a great next door neighbor the same age who is always up for playing.

It seems like Clayton has grown a lot the last few months yet also not changed that much at all.  He doesn't say many words, but will say "ish" for "Fish"  he "moos" when you ask him what a cow says, and "neighs" when you as him what the horse says.  He can walk but still mostly crawls.  He still loves to go anywhere in the car.  The moment I grab my keys and shoes, he's yelling at me to pick him up and take him with me.  He loves any and all balls, along with toy cars, trains, and airplanes.  He started giving dirty looks a few weeks ago, and anytime you tell him "no" he drops his head and glares at you with one of those looks.  It's usually quickly followed by a smile.  He loves to hide behind furniture (something Gabriella taught him) and be chased.  He is still a super happy baby, for which I am always grateful.

I've finally been getting back into "project" mode.  I started on a few things around the house and my list just keeps getting longer and longer.  I think I'm going to have to invest in a miter saw soon, because cutting wood with my little hand saw is getting old. I'm getting anxious for cooler temperatures, and ironically it was only a high of 95 today and it felt quite pleasant in the shade...All in all life is good and I have a lot to be grateful for.

Enjoying one of the simple joys in life, a slip-in-slide.

We had a ton of rain last week, which resulted in a lot of flooding everywhere!  Clayton loved the rain and water.

Bluewater

About 6 months ago, Matt found a lake in New Mexico stocked with Tiger Muskies that he was wanting to go fish.  He booked a campsite and for 6 months he talked about it every. single. day.  Finally Labor Day weekend rolled around and the trip was finally here.  We had invited Matt's parents to join us for the trip, and they arrived late Thursday night in Phoenix.  We decided to leave Clayton with Aunt Jenny for the weekend, I struggled with the decision but in the end it seemed like he would be much happier playing at her house than being stuck on a boat.  Kate went to school for a 1/2 day Friday and once she was home we took off to New Mexico.  Matt's parents decided to rent a Motor home for the weekend which ended up being the best idea ever.  We made it to our campsites late Friday night, set up came in the dark and admired the amount of stars in the sky.  The next 3 days we spent fishing.  Saturday the fishing was fantastic.  We all, well almost all of us, caught fish.  Kate counted every fish reeled in on her fishing pole as "her" fish, and also claims she caught the biggest one.

The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny during the days and nice and cool at night.  There were a few rainstorms that blew through, which was fun, and made us grateful to have the Motor home around.  I always love going camping, and being outdoors.  There's just something about it that is good for the soul.  I'm grateful my parents took the time and energy to take me camping and backpacking as a child. I hope my kids learn to have the same love for the outdoors that I do.  I'm also grateful for my sweet husband who planned the whole thing, and for my wonderful in-laws who were able to come and spend the time with us.

While unhooking Kate's "big" fish, the fish began to toss and turn and in the process Morgan's arm was hooked. 

Gabriella wanted to "pet" every fish we caught.

Doing play dough at the campsite.

I had never seen grass grow these beautiful plumes before.

We hiked down this beautiful canyon, right by our campsite.

Helping Grandma fix dinner.

Playing in the front of the boat with Grandpa.

The rain, and hail.

We saw some incredible lightning.

And even more beautiful sunsets. 

Sitting with Grandma

Morgan caught this super cute baby lizard for the girls to hold.

Morgan caught a baby crawdad for the girls to see.

Then the crawdad grabbed a grasshopper.

The girls were great hikers, I thought they would get tired, but they practically ran up the trail.