October is Almost Here!

Well, the Christmas decorations are already in the stores, so why can't I decorate for Halloween and talk about nothing but costumes and candy? This last week I busted out my "Halloween Mix" CD while the kids and I were in the car. They are loving it and won't let me put another CD in. I introduced the kids to Thriller, thinking they might be a little scared by the scary voice and laugh at the end. Nope! They loved it and Eden kept saying, "I like that guy!" I remember dancing to Thriller as a kid, then running out of the room right before that scary guy laughed. Granted, I am pretty much a wimp, but still, I was surprised how much my kids already love scary Halloween stuff! Cool! Maybe if I show them the video...
Peter has consented to dress up as a panda this year at the kids' request, so I've got to figure that one out, but other than that, our costumes are pretty much lined up. Bring on the trick-or-treating!

In other news, we signed Jonah up for his first season of t-ball. He is so excited! Their first practice is tomorrow and their games start in Ocober! I'm sure that it will be quite entertaining. More to come!

Train Park

On Saturday we took a spontaneous trip to the train park in Scottsdale. It was pretty warm out, but bearable, and the kids had fun. First we ate some lunch (mmm, DeFalco's Deli) on the grass while the kids danced around to the carousel music (Disney songs). They sure can put on a show!

We went on the train ride, which was fun except this kid sitting in front of us kept acting like our tour guide and would not shut up the entire ride! It was a little annoying.
We got some ice cream, then went on the carousel, then checked out a model train exhibit that was awesome! Jonah did not want to leave the exhibit; he was in heaven!
We played on the massive playground there, and Levi bonked his head a few times going down the slide. I swear he didn't bonk it that bad, but he had a giant bump on the side of his head that night.

As always, it was a fun day at the train park!

Levi Turns Two!

Levi had a birthday on Tuesday, and I just haven't been able to post about it until now! We had some cousins over for cupcakes and ice cream during the day. Levi loved blowing out the candles.
When Peter got home, we sang to Levi again and he also got to open his presents.He got some new Thomas trains and a new set of train tracks and a few other little things. He is in love with trains right now!
But Levi kept it real with a total meltdown at the end of the night. Welcome to the terrible twos! All three of our kids have had tantrums on their second birthdays. Got to keep the tradition going, I guess...

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Levi! We love you so much. You are (usually) the happiest little guy, so friendly and funny. Here are some things we love about you:

Levi loves singing, especially "I Love to See the Temple" and "I am a Child of God."

Levi loves giving high fives.

Levi loves that he learned how to jump recently and practices all the time. He gets a big kick out of it and laughs his head off.

Levi is a good helper.

Levi will eat anything!

Levi is a smart little guy.

We can't wait to see what this year brings for you, Levi!

Good News For Me

Well, I was going to make Jonah's Halloween costume from scratch, but I was browsing on Craigslist one day, and found the exact costume for sale. I debated with myself for maybe two seconds before realizing that buying this thing would save me a ton of stress and time. I still have to make my costume (I am going to be Tinkerbell) and maybe come up with a panda costume for Peter. (He was going to be a pirate again this year to make it easy, but the kids are insistent that he be a panda this year.) Anyway, I went and picked up the skeleton costume, and Jonah wanted to wear it right away, of course. I know he doesn't look very scary here, but don't worry, he'll look totally freaky for Halloween.
And in other good news, I finally finished my pears this week. I made one box of these beauties into pear sauce, which Peter loves, and one box I just bottled pear halves with cinnamon. Let me tell you, pears are a pain in the rear. Hopefully by next fall I won't remember how much work this was so I will want to can them again.
I am taking a break from canning for three weeks, then it's peach pie filling and jam. At the end of October I'll get three boxes of apples for applesauce and pie filling. That will not be a fun day, but my kids eat applesauce like crazy, so it will be good to have on hand.

Yeah for Fall!

Canning, Painting, and Just Hanging Out

So yesterday I canned blackberry pie filling. I think it turned out well. I had a pint leftover that I didn't can, so it's in the fridge ready to use on waffles or ice cream. I majorly stained two of my dishrags and this wooden spoon while doing this, but it was worth it!I've also been painting swatches of slate blue on my walls, so if you come over, don't mind the random squares of blue all over! I think I decided on one, and as soon as I can afford the paint, I'll be painting this place like crazy!

The kids have been having lots of fun at school and have been playing hard at home. Yesterday we saw a lizard on the back patio and the kids were so excited! They wanted to go out and pick it up, but that dude was fast and ran away before we even could get the door opened. I've seen him around before, so maybe we'll see him again soon.

The First Hour of My Day

-Levi dumped a cup of juice on the carpet
-I found a sucker in Eden's hair
-Levi peed on the floor

Wonder how the rest of the day's going to go! ☺

Desperate for Sleep

I am a night owl. I usually stay up at least until 11:00 at night. I have been trying to go to bed a little earlier so I can get up early to work out. So far, there have been a few complications, so I haven't been going to bed early like I want to. Last night I was up until 11:30 even though I tried to get to bed by 10:00. I had to get up at 5:30 this morning to go pick up my pears and blackberries that I'm canning this week.

So I would have gotten six hours of sleep, except that I was woken up at 4:30 by the sound of kids playing the piano downstairs. At first, I thought that I was dreaming, but then I got out of bed, and sure enough, all of the lights in the house were on and Eden and Jonah were downstairs playing! I quickly told them to get in bed and that it was still dark, so they were supposed to be sleeping. (I have had this conversation with Jonah many times before.)

I couldn't really get back to bed after that, so instead of six hours of sleep, I got 5 and maybe a quarter. When I woke up to go get the fruit, I noticed that Jonah's light was on in his room. He had the shutters opened and was playing in there. Seriously? I don't think he ever went back to bed! So I took him with me so he wouldn't burn down the house while I was gone.

I was going to can today, but I don't know if I will have the energy! I am going to have to sneak in a nap in somehow. At least Jonah will probably take a nap since he was up at 4:30 this morning!

Wish I Could Have Seen It...

but congrats to the Cougars on their awesome win! Reading the recap just isn't the same...

Things I ♥ So Much I Could Cry

Okay, it's bound to not be as popular as my "Things I Can't Stand" post, but here it is. Disclaimer: Some of these things I love more than others, but I never could love them more than my family or the gospel. I think that's pretty obvious.

So here we go, not in any particular order:

1. The Beatles
I don't even know if I can honestly say that these guys' music and lyrics have been influential in my life, although I'm sure they have been on some level. But I just have listened to their music for so long, that many of my memories are laced with their songs. I think if I had to chose just one artist to listen to for the rest of my life, I could pick these guys and be happy. They are versatile, entertaining, deep, wacky, and inventive.

2. Anthropologie. I love this store and we even have one here in Gilbert. The reason I would be crying is because I can't afford anything here.

3. Moapa Valley High SchoolI loved high school and will always be "true to my school!" I'm sad I won't see any football games this year and hear our awesome band!

4. The San Diego TempleI spent a lot of time here after my mission, and was married here. It will always be one of my favorite places.

5. The Las Vegas Temple
This was the first temple I ever entered, first as a 12-year-old to do baptisms, and then later to receive my endowments before my mission. I have a lot of memories of this temple and it was a really hard decision to not be married here, but I'm still glad I chose San Diego so we could have more family present.

6. MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus
It seems really silly to have this on my list, especially after the temples, but I really love this stuff!

7. Silent Partner Make-a-Million
I know this sounds like a weird pyramid scheme, but it's actually a card game that has been out of print for decades. My family purchased the rights and we have printed our own cards. So now we can enjoy our favorite game without worrying about ruining vintage cards. The bulk of the family lives in Carlsbad, CA and get together every week just to play. Do I sound jealous? Well, I am! I rarely get to play "Silent Partner," so I am in heaven whenever I get the chance.

8. Road TripsEven with the kids, I just love to get in the car and go. Thank goodness our kids do well on trips!

9. My Mission
I don't want to talk too much about my mission lest I annoy anyone. So, let's just say that I loved it and it means a lot to me!

10. The Fall/Christmas SeasonFor me, the whole season starting with Halloween and continuing on to Thanksgiving and Christmas are the best time of the year. I love the weather, the smells, the football, the festivities, and the music. I am so looking forward to it this year!