Halloween 2011

I have always loved family theme costumes.  I remember one year as a kid my bother and sister and I were ghosts and my parents were ghost busters.  I know as my kids get older they'll probably want to pick there own costumes and not follow my theme, so I decided to take advantage of them being to young to choose and having all of us dress in a theme. 

We went with the Cat in the Hat since that is one of Mariann's favorite books and cartoons.  I was the Cat in the Hat, Lee was the Fish, and Mariann and Peter were Thing 1 and Thing 2. 

Mariann would NOT let me spray her hair blue and I didn't want to traumatize her, so we just went with the blue head band instead.

We even carved our pumpkin like a cat.  Mariann loved helping to draw the face on it but she wasn't a big fan of getting the seeds out.  She thought it was "too yucky."  Peter on the other hand loves all messes and enjoyed throwing the seeds around.

One of the nice things about Halloween in Arizona is you don't have to wear your coat over your costume.  Also, a lot if the people sit outside on in their driveway, so they can see everyone.  It really creates a festival type atmosphere that I enjoyed.  Both Mariann and Peter caught on to the idea of trick or treating really quickly.  When someone would bring out there bowl of candy to get some candy for them, Peter would really quickly stick his hand in the bowl and grab a whole handful before they could give him just one piece.

Mariann ended up with so much candy she could hardly lift her pumpkin by the end of the night.

A Wedding in Dallas

The week before Halloween, we were in Dallas for the wedding of Lee's brother, Stephen.  It was so fun to get to visit and see everyone.  The wedding was beautiful and Mariann was on of the flower girls.  Her Grandma made her this beautiful dress to where and her new aunt Becky made the wand for the girls to hold.  Mariann loved the dress and has wanted to wear it to church every week since.



We were lucky that my Mom had planned to take my Grandmas to Texas at the same time so we were able to visit with her and to leave the kids with her during the sealing. 

Peter and Lee wore matching suits and ties.

I made this skirt for the wedding.  It was the first item of clothing I had ever sown!!  It was suprisingly fun to make and I think I did a really good job.  It turned out a little big, and I had to get a little help with the button but for my first try I thnk I did awesome.

Mariann wasn't real keen on getting her picture take and wouldn't look up. However, Becky looked stunning in her wedding dress.

Getting all the grandsons together for a picture with the groom was next to impossible.  Toddlers just have minds of there owns and sitting still is not a top priority for them.

I also made the cake for the reception that night.  It didn't turn out exactly like I imagined in my head (they never do) but I thought it was very elegant and it tasted great.

Overall, we had a grat time and we were glad to be able to share this special day with Stephen and Becky.  Congratulations to the both of you! We love you!

Pumpkin Patch

Every year before Halloween we go to a pumpkin patch.  This year we tried out the Agua Linda Farm outside of the city.  It was a lot of fun We went on a hayride, walked through the pumpkin patch, saw all the aminals, and even got lost in the hay bail maze.  It was a great way to get into the spirit of fall (especially since it was still so warm out) and to have enjoy the changing seasons.

Daddy and Peter walking through the pumpkin patch.

Mariann picked out this little pumpkin to take home.  On the way home she was playing with her pumpkin and asked, "Did you see that, Punk?"  Both Lee and I cracked up and the pumpkin had a new name.

Maiann and Peter loved climbing on all the different pumpkins.

Mariann was a little shy of the animals at first.  Peter not so much.

The maze consisted of two hay bails stacked on top of each other.  Mariann would run down the bath and then wait behind the corner.  Peter found a chicken in the maze and just wanted to play with it.

They had a few games like sack races, tire swings, and a hay bail slide.

Mariann favorite thing was definately the pony ride!!  I wasn't sure she would want to get on since she is usually a little scared of animals, but she hopped right on and had a huge grin the entire time.  At the end she was only holding on with one hand and the lady running the ride said, "Look at her holding on like a pro."



Turning One!

It's hard to believe it but my little boy is now a year old.  It has been a fun year and I have enjoyed watching him grow and learn new things.  He can now walk, throw a ball, and point at things while saying "this."  He loves playing with cars and wrestling.  He adores his big sister and follows her around everywhere.  He is also very opinionated and only has one really loud screechy cry that breaks your heart in a second.  (Basically, he's really good at getting what he wants.)  I love him so much and we are grateful to have him in our family.

To celebrate his birthday, we had some friends over to watch the BYU/Utah game, eat some delicious BBQ, and have some cake and ice cream.  It was a great time, especially for us Utah fans.  (Too bad I was the only one.) To go along with the game, I made Peter a sports cake. 

 

He liked the cake but he really LOVED the ice cream.   

 

We opened his presents the next day since that is his actual birthday.  He caught on really fast and was an expert wrapping paper remover.

He loved this car that he got from Grandma.




When he opened his new church shoes, he picked one up by the laces, looked at it for a moment, dropped it back in the box, and moved the box so he could open another present.  He already thinks clothes are a terrible gift.




Peter got this pump that sprays water in the bath tub, since he always thinks he needs to have the water running.  Mariann loves it. (Peter does too, but I'm not sure who likes it moew.)




Peter next decided he should stand on his presents while opening them.  Lucky it was just blocks and nothing breakable.





After opening the blocks, we couldn't get him interesting in opening anything else.  He had had enough of opening presents, getting his picture taken, etc. He just wanted to build something with his new blocks, so Mariann opened the rest of his presents for him.




Happy Birthday, Peter!  It's hard to believe you are getting so big already. 
We love you!!

Campin' Out

We finally made it campin' up Mt. Lemmon, thanks to the Ward Camp Out.  We were able to drive up Thursday  afternoon (August 25), since Lee didn't have to work on Friday.  The canyon is really beautiful and changes from desert to forest as you rise in elevation.  It is also has tons of curves as it wound its way up the canyon.  Mariann couldn't take all the turns and got sick.  We unfortunately pulled over a second to late and she ended pucking all over her car seat.  I'm hoping she grows out of the car sickness thing just like her Uncle did.  The Mormon Church has a camp that we stayed at on the mountain called Camp Zion. It is used for girl's camps, boy's camps, and ward camp out for all the stakes in Tucson.

On Friday, we went on a hike in the morning and then spent the rest of the day enjoying the camp and playing in the dirt.  The hike was steep but fun.  It ended on a summit with a bunch of cell towers and a spectacular view of Tucson below.  The kids enjoyed the hike and all lizards and horned toads running around. 

On Saturday, I helped cook the breakfast for the ward and then we just hung out and packed up camp.  Mariann was dumping dirt on her head and when I asked her what she was doing she said, "Taking a shower."  She did a really thorough job.  She even put dirt down her shirt and patted it into her skin just for good measure.  She was filthy, but she had a great time. 

Prayers are Answered

So we have been on the market for a new house ever since we learned we were staying in Tucson in June.  We have looked at countless houses but none of them were right for us.  We saw some hilarous paint jobs as well as do it yourself home improvements projects.  It was fun to see all the different floor plans but as time went on we were beginning to get a little frustrated since it didn't seem like any of the houses were right for us. 

We finally decided to put an offer in on a house we had seen a few weeks before.  It need some work (mostly, the previous owners had done some "upgrades" but didn't know what they were doing so they need to be take out and the house needed to be painted), but we liked the floor plan and the yard was a good size.  We were constantly praying about this house and had began to feel good about it.  We had to wait to get some pre approval so we were waiting a few days to make the offer.  The day before the pre approval came through and we were going to make an offer, another house came on the market.

We decided to go see this one last house and it was perfect.  It was almost like we had designed it.  It had everything we wanted and the yard was a good size.  We quickly altered our plans and put in an offer on this house instead.  It was a prayer answered.  The Lord knew which house was right for us and made it available right at the perfect time.  There was a reason we had to wait to put in a offer on the other house.  This was a faith building experience for me that demonstrated that the Lord does in fact listen and answer our prays.  He might not always answer how and when we expect him to, but he does answer.  

We close on the new house in the beginning of October and are really excited to move into our own place.  Mariann already has her room picked out and she is constantly talking aobut her "new house with stairs."  We will have plently of room, so visitors are always welcome to stay.

 

Visiting Family

We went to visit family in Ft. Worth a few weeks back.  They werre having the longest, hotest heat wave ever and it made me grateful I live in Arizona.  That's how hot it was!  We had a great time, inspite of the heat.  We went swimming, splashed around, saw a baseball game, and visited the stockyards.  The best part was being able to see everyone and spending time together.

Mariann loved playing with Grandma's letter blocks.  She like to build boxes and then wear them around the house.  Also, this is the face she pulls everytime I tell her to say cheese.  I guess it's her new "smile." 



We went to the stckyards on Friday.  I had never been there before and it was really fun and interesting.  They still have a cattle drive that they do twice a day.  (Basically, they just walk the cows around the block for the tourists, but it's still fun to see.)

Apparently, longhorns don't know how to read because they were all going the wrong way.

Lee can reach as long as a longhorn's span.  Mariann and I not so much.

From the moment we got there, Mariann started begging us for a hat.  We went into a store and she picked out this cowboy hat.  She loved it and wore it all day.

Mariann and her cousin could have spent all day riding around on these little horses.

"Whoa, cowboy!"

While we were eating lunch, a rodeo clown came by and made balloon hats for the kids.  Mariann's was a little big.

We had a great time.  We got to relax and have fun seeing different things in Ft. Worth.   We can't wait til October, when we'll get to see everyone again.