Spooktacular!

Halloween 2009 features:

The-rootinest-tootinest-cutest-cowgirl-you-have-ever-seen-in-a-tutu.

What, you've never seen a cowgirl in a tutu? Go ahead and google it. I promise I'm not so far off on this one. Plus, with how stinkin' cute she is, I wouldn't doubt that you'll be seeing more cowgirls in tutus in the future. Could be the hottest new trend of 2010.

And:

SUPER TRENTERS!!

Never fear, Super Trenters is here! Whenever you are in trouble, he'll be there. Rain, snow, wind, or hail, he'll be there to rescue you...unless, of course, he is taking a nap and then you are flat out of luck.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Charm or Crowd?

Some say, "third time's the charm."

Others say, "three's a crowd."

So, which is the number three?

A charm?

Or a crowd?






I'm not sure, but we're going to find out on June 13th 2010!

**I wish I was the type of woman who could have kept this a secret for longer. But, it is getting increasingly harder to act happy and healthy when I feel so nauseated and tired all the time. Unlike my lovely sister, I do not enjoy being pregnant. It's a good thing the end result is worth it!

Photo Op

Somebody was in a great mood and looking quite smashing, so I could not resist pulling out the camera and snapping a few shots. What a handsome little guy!

I just love this guy so much. I can't believe he will be two in just over a month! He has grown up so much in the last year. Here are a few facts about Trent at 23 months:

• Has to have his blankie and puppy every night for bed.
• Counts to 10 all by himself!
• Loves watching Caillou, Dragon Tales, and Thomas.
• Prefers a plain piece of bread over a PB&J.
• Talking up a storm - says 3 & 4 word sentences.
• Favorite breakfast food is oatmeal.
• Drink of choice is chocolate milk - crazy kid ;o)
• Loves story time with mommy.
• Can identify square, heart, star, circle, and "triangogo".
  
• Becoming increasingly more cuddly and always wanting to be held.
• Gives the meanest looks of any kid I've ever met.
• Sings these songs all by himself: Twinkle Twinkle, Patty Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Row Row Row Your Boat. Actually, most of the time he doesn't really sing, but yells the songs with his "angry face" on!
  
• Newest trick is to move a kitchen chair across the kitchen floor, climb up, and raid the candy dish - Grandma always keeps a full candy dish.
  
• Bath time is a favorite, along with post-bath cuddle time.
• Hates being strapped into a shopping cart which means it is getting harder and harder to take him anywhere.
• Loves playing with balls.
• Ultimate favorite past time is wrestling with daddy.

A Movie Set

I recently met a lady who had moved to Utah from California four years ago. I am always curious to know why people move to Utah and so I asked. She immediately responded with, "I love the four seasons! Oh, and the mountains! Every day when I go outside I feel like I'm on a movie set."

I too love the mountains. And I have always loved living in Utah. I have no desire to live anywhere else. But, having lived here my entire life, I feel like I take the "movie set" for granted. Not everyone gets to be surrounded by such beauty, and I just do not go up enough. Whenever I do go to the mountains, I feel more at peace, more relaxed, more...I don't know, complete? A trip to the mountains is definitely good for the soul.

So, in between the morning and afternoon conference sessions on Saturday, we took the family up to Sundance and rode the tram. It was beautiful. We were even lucky enough to see a hawk flying overhead. The mom in me was a little nervous about the lack of seat belts, but the kids did great. They both just sat and admired the scenery. The height actually made Ashlyn a little nervous. She kept saying, "I'm not sure about this high."

On the way back down the canyon, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls so Ashlyn and Trent could pick some leaves. It was such a perfect afternoon that Brian and I decided to make it a yearly family tradition.

September Come & Gone

I swear it was just yesterday that I wrote my summer post and couldn't believe it was September. Now September is over and October is here! School has kept me extremely busy and I am finding less and less time to not only keep up on my own blog, but everyone else's as well. Nonetheless, September was a very fun and very busy month and definitely worth mentioning. So here it goes:

We took the kids to the state fair. They loved it. Me? Well, lets just say I'm not dying to go back next year. I usually love a good fair, but there were just too many people this year and we could barely maneuver the stroller . It didn't help that we happened to go on Fiesta night - oops.

We caved and spent an extra $4.00 so Ashlyn could ride a pony. It made her day, so yes it was worth it.

We went to the zoo to see all the babies - tigers, giraffe, and elephant oh my! This little guy made me want to change my major and become a zoo keeper...until I realized that although it would be fun to play with the baby elephant, I would also have to clean up the ginormous baby elephant poop, not to mention the even larger mama elephant poop. No thanks.

Ashlyn discovered a new pair of shoes - Wii remote covers. Love this girl. The other night I asked her if she wanted to go to the store with me, just the two of us. She usually loves one-on-one time with mommy, but she surprised me when she responded, "Um, no thanks." "What?!" "No thank you mommy." "Oh." She could sense my disappointment and so she came over and wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss on my nose. Then she smiled, looked me right in the eye and said, "I still won't go with you."

I was lucky enough to go on a weekend getaway to Las Vegas with my girlfriends whom I have known for almost 20 years! Thanks so much to Brian, who did a great job playing solo. We had a blast!! I can't even say enough about it. We ate lots of great food, watched a couple chick flicks, talked, laughed, soaked in a hot tub, shopped, and even shed a few tears. My SIL Stacey met us for dinner and a movie on Friday night. She surprised us all by paying for our meals - she is the best. The highlight of the weekend was going to see Lion King at Mandalay Bay - AMAZING!!! The acting was amazing, the costumes were amazing, the stage and props were amazing, and the music was amazing. I would go again in a heartbeat. The only bad part of the show was that I wanted my kids to be there. They would have loved it. Don't worry, I made up for it by bringing them back a little bit of Vegas...

Even though was a busy month, I managed to do a little canning. Mmmm, homemade spaghetti sauce made from fresh garden tomatoes! I can't wait to try it, but it might be awhile. After all that work, I am hesitant to use them!

And just like that, September is gone. On the bright side, we welcomed in fall which is the most wonderful time of the year - in my humble opinion. And now that October is here, I get to pull out all my favorite pumpkin recipes. To kick things off, Ashlyn and I made pumpkin cookies with brown butter icing today. Delicious! And of course, it is Conference weekend which means that we will be having pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon syrup. I can't wait!