Some Halloween Fun (warning..lots of pictures)

With Halloween just around the corner, Josh and I decided to surprise Trenton with a little Halloween adventure! Last year we stumbled upon "Boo Barn" at Thanksgiving point when going to the Dinosaur museum, he had such a good time that we took him and Braxton back again this year. Trenton was so excited when he realized what we were doing, and Braxton is always excited to be outside! Our afternoon was filled with:

Story time with a witch name Millie

Bowling

Vampire Teeth (gross)

Face painting...and more face painting since he loved the first one so much. He was told that when he opened and closed his mouth, the snake would open and close it's mouth too!Pony riding (a first for Braxton....he loved it, talked to the pony, and tried to pet the pony as he rode!)

Some good old hanging out time

Baby horse petting, for some reason the horse kept on opening his mouth towards Josh...it was kinda funny and scary at the same time!Cookie decorating...and eating. Trenton just wanted the candy corns.

It really was a fun time. The best part of my day was just watching my kids as they experienced new things. I love seeing them so happy.

Well, when we got home, the fun was not over. Josh has discovered a joy in pumpkin carving over the last few years. He had never carved a pumpkin until Trenton came along. Do you think he could just carve a simple face and call it good?? Of course not. Mr. Creative's first time carving a pumpkin he decided to carve baby Trenton's face into the pumpkin. The next year was Spider Man, and last year he started in on Iron Man...but then Braxton decided he needed in on the party and we had to stop our pumpkin carving adventures and go to the hospital. Anyways, Josh has always showed off pictures of his pumpkins to his friends, and this year they wanted in on the fun. So, we had a few friends and their families over from school last night to dive into the pumpkins. It was a full house of pizza, pumpkins, all sorts of different carving tools, candy and fun. Trenton sat at the table and worked on his pumpkin for at least an hour...he was working on Darth Vader...can you tell? He was very focused! So this year Josh carved Gollum...and once again, it turned out great. I'm not biased or anything, but I think his was the best pumpkin carved!

Josh and Ben were even kind enough to clean the kitchen after the whole thing too!

So, one more week of Halloween adventures until we end with a bang as we go begging for candy!

Fall Has Arrived

The boys have loved having a backyard! Trenton likes to go out there and play with his friends, and once Braxton got used to the grass, he too loves to go out and push a ball around! Well, one day a few Saturday's back, I was having some major stress over some homework. Josh was being a major help in keeping the boys busy and Dad and I went back and forth over an assignment on the phone. After a couple of hours of stress, I went outside to see what everyone was up to and found this!

Trenton and Daddy made a "tree house" together. Dad made sure it was low to the ground, and Trenton thinks it is the coolest thing ever, especially since he got to help Dad and use his tools! I am so grateful to have a husband that is willing to go out and do things with his children. While being creative with an old ladder and some scrap wood, what he really created was an everlasting memory for our cute boy.

Now the cold is coming. The boys don't go out as much as they did this summer. But, when the weather is nice, and it is not raining we will go out and play in the leaves that are starting to fall. Have I mentioned before how much I love this house, neighborhood, etc.? Well, I do!

Soccer Fun

So, Trenton played soccer again this Fall. He says he still likes it, but I wonder sometimes. You can definitely start to see a difference in the players this time, those that are way into it, and those that their Mom's thought it would be fun to see them play "bunch ball". I did not get to go to very many games due to them being on Thursday nights and me being in school, but I did not miss a single Saturday game! Braxton wanted to be out on the field kicking the ball so badly. He even showed us his "mad face" when we picked him up and stopped him! But, he did manage to get into it when he heard everyone else cheering...he too would cheer on Big Brother!
You did great once again Big Boy...way to go for it! We love you so much

A Child's Prayer

So before I start...here is a little bit of background. I generally do not allow Trenton to chew sugar gum, what he refers to as bubble gum. He loves to chew gum, so I only buy sugar free gum. When he asks for a big old ball of bubble gum out of a machine, the answer is no....but I will give him some gum out of my purse. With that in mind.....
Today after I dropped Trenton off in Primary his teacher followed me out of the room. She said that she has been wanting to tell me this story for the past couple weeks, as it has tickled her every time she thinks about it. When asked who wanted to say the prayer in class a couple of weeks ago Trenton volunteered. He was asked if he needed help and he said no. So his prayer went something like this:
"Please bless us that we won't drink alcohol,
Please bless us that we won't smoke cigarettes,
And please bless us that we won't chew bubble gum!"
She did everything she could to not giggle as he was praying...cause you know bubble gum falls into the same category as the other two! I laughed and explained I don't like sugar gum, but agreed at how cute his prayer was. Then when I picked him up she told me they passed out gum today to all the kids during sharing time. He passed it up because he knew it was bubble gum. His teacher encouraged him to at least take a piece and bring it to me and ask if he could chew it. He decided not to, so she offered him a piece of sugar free gum from her purse, and he happily accepted!
So on our way home I explained to him that "bubble gum" is ok sometimes. I would prefer for him not to chew it all the time, but it was ok to take some if he was offered it at church, that to be sure to just brush his teeth really good afterwards. What a cute little feller!

Happy Birthday To Me!

So...my sister and my mom told me to go pick out a gallery clock for my birthday. After lots and lots of searching, Heather called and told me to go look at this one! I loved it and ordered it right away. The first one came broken, so I returned it. I decided not to order the same one...but then I went to Target and it was there! And, again....I loved it...so, I bought it again! The pictures don't do it justice...but it looks awesome on the wall. Now to find some more decor to go with it! Thanks Sissy and Mom!

Catching Up

It has been crazy busy around here the last couple of months. I have started school again and am still trying to figure out how to be mom, wife, and student. Any "free" time I might have as of late is dedicated to my books...but just 11 more classes to go and I am DONE!

My Mom has been back and forth quite often getting the new house ready for them to move into! I am so excited to have them close, but sad my home down there will belong to someone else. I guess I better start getting used to the idea that Utah is it! While she was here we were hanging out at Grandma's house and Uncle J came to mow. Trenton used to be terrified of JJ's big mower, but he loved sitting on it with him this time as he helped mow Nana and Papa's lawn. Braxton even got in on the action!

Trenton is loving school. He has made lots of friends, and Braxton and I got to go hang out with him during Western Days. Trenton was the cutest little cowboy...we borrowed a vest and some chaps from Mom's friend Sharon and he looked awesome. He thought he was a real cowboy. He even wanted to show me his tough face all dressed up!

He got to learn about a horse and watch the head master throw a rope over a bail of hay.

He loved it! He was so excited I was there and made sure to bring each of his friends over to introduce them to me! I hope he always wants me to meet his friends.

Last week I decided it was time to take a break from the books and the boys and I headed up to the zoo before it got too cold. We had so much fun and saw about 8 different babies. Our favorite was a baby elephant named Zuri. She is about 2 months old and was actually smaller than I thought she would be.

We also enjoyed a baby giraffe, crocodile, 2 different species of monkey's, meercats, 3 tigers and a snow leopard. The animals were very busy birthing this summer!

Braxton is busy being very busy. He is very mobile and loves to try his hand at the stairs. It is driving me nuts! He is standing on his own and has taken a couple of steps before he falls onto his bum. He says Mama, Daddy, Brothy, ball, no and doggie. He signs more, milk, all done, and food. He still has the cutest little smile and I am still totally in love with his eyes! He keeps me very busy and is definitely a mama's boy!

So there you have it. A few months in a nut shell. Hopefully I will get things under control and be able to keep this thing up to date a little more often!