Like Father, Like Son

I walked into the family room and saw this.

At least I got their attention enough to look at the camera.

Boy I love these guys!

Halloween….Finally

I guess I should be excited that I’m only about 2 weeks behind….as opposed to all my other posts this entire year. I would love to say we had a low-key Halloween this year.  I can’t.  It was…..different.  Nice because I didn’t have to run around as much.  Nice because Dan was home all day.  Not so nice because we had a sewage flood in the basement the night before.  However..nice that Dan stayed home to deal with everything.

I got to go help out Garrick’s preschool for the morning, which meant I missed the Costume Parade for Connor and Haden, but they didn’t seem to care.  Garrick loved dressing up this year.  I was planning on him using our elephant costume, and he refused.  He insisted on being a knight. 

He was cute.  Unfortunately all the accessories were a pain for Mom and Dad to carry around.  I think the sword is still at Grandma B’s.

Haden was excited when Mom picked up a “real” ninja costume.

He learned quickly that the ninja sword was a pain to carry around.  He ditched it pretty fast.

Connor loved the legit Star Wars costume he got to wear.  It was his first mask.

Boy his eyes are creepy behind that mask.  Connor didn’t even bother taking around his lightsaber.  Experience is a great teacher.

Here is the token shot of Zander in his puppy costume.

Are we bad parents that we dressed him up for the picture and then took the costume off?  He didn’t go out in the neighborhood, and it was too hot to keep him dressed up all night.  Oh well, he still looks adorable.

Another successful year.  Next up Thanksgiving!

Oh, a look at our pumpkins.  Dan was really proud of his hard work.

Connor and Haden’s creations

Dan showing his school spirit.  Looked pretty awesome.  Dan was really proud of figuring out how to do the night shots on the camera!

October Races

Dan ran the SoJo 1/2 marathon in mid-October.  This was the same race we both ran last year.  The plan was for us to be at the finish line to cheer Dan on.  We got there and the race clock said that the race had been going for 2 hours and 20 minutes.   Crap!  Dan was planning on less than 2 hours.  So I picked up the phone to call and see where he was.  Then looked up…he was crossing the finish line.  Dang….I didn’t even have the camera out yet.  So here are the shots I got:

The clock had been timing the marathon runners who started 30  minutes before the 1/2 marathon.  Dang it!  Oh well, we were still there to cheer.  Dan didn’t do as well as last year, but beat the time he got on his 1/2 marathon in September.  He was happy to not be as sore afterwards.

Both Dan and I ran the Highway to Hale 10k last weekend.  Yep, Alicia attempted a 10k without ever actually running the 6 miles in training.  The most I got up to was 5, and it felt awful.  But, I wanted to see if I could actually do it. 

Not pretty.  But, not too bad considering I had a c-section less than 3 months ago.  Still dealing with the shin splints, but glad I made it 10 minutes faster than planned!

Times:
Dan: 51:49
Alicia: 1:06:44

Looking forward to the Turkey Trot in November with the fam!  First thing—get some new shoes!

Pinewood Derby Time

Connor participated in his 1st Pinewood Derby last week. 

He made his car look like a black Wii remote.  Way easy to do and it looked awesome!!  (We love Pintrest!) Both Dan and Connor had a blast putting it together.

The Wolf Den.  Connor loves Cub Scouts.  He earned his Wolf last month, but won’t get it until November.

His car won 3rd place.  A little clunker, but it looks cool!  Way to go Connor!

Hee Haws and Conference

We were invited to a FHE activity at Hee Haws at the beginning of October.  The boys love this night because they get all you can eat donuts and hot chocolate.  Oh yeah, and all the games.

I just love Garrick’s expression on this one.  The kid is adorable when he wants to be.

The next weekend was conference, which means Bring on the Fondue!  I have started a tradition of pulling out the chocolate fountain and letting the kids go crazy during priesthood session.  It is a little stressful for me…but then when is handling 4 boys not stressful?  It’s all about making memories right?

Most memorable part?  Garrick dropping a kiwi in the fountain and jamming the whole thing.  Thanks to my sister for helping me stay calm!

It was a small group this year.  Too many of my family went out of town, but we got a good group together after priesthood was over.  Tiff and I had fun painting and glittering up pumpkins.  Easy craft….gotta love it.

I know there hasn’t been many pictures of Zander.  What can I say, he is pretty boring right now.  Usually in a stroller or the car seat.  But here he is:
Dan’s trying to train Z to stand in his palms.  Z is not sure what to think at this point.  Getting big though.

I Can Craft…Weee!

Or at least it is my goal to become a little less deficient in this department.  I finally broke out the Silhouette for the first time this past month and though it has taken me awhile, I have finally finished 2 of the major projects I was wanting to get done.

Project #1

Finally filled up the space above Connor’s bed.

Project #2

Totally stole this idea from Kathryn.  A massive clock to fill the 2 story wall in my entry way.  Thanks Kat!!  In more ways than one!!

Oh yeah, and then had to get our geek on with Doctor Who.

Learned a ton these past few weeks.  Unfortunately I know where all the imperfections are, but it will get better with more practice.  It is already getting faster than the first time!

Next step:  Figure out how to do the crafts without my husband’s help!  Bring on craft night Tiffy.

Holy Pumpkins, Batman

We harvested our pumpkins at the end of September.  Yeah, what can I say?

We got 19 pumpkins off of 1 plant!!  The plant took off this summer and I absolutely loved it.  It was gorgeous cascading down my rock wall and running along the sides.  I really wish I had gotten motivated enough to take pictures of it.  I hope that we can get it to do the same thing every year. 

The boys were super excited about the number of pumpkins it produced.  They even helped out with harvesting them.  (Granted they helped out in the garden all summer, so this was just one of the rewards they got out of it.)

They have been planning what they are going to spell out with all the pumpkins.  (BYU Cougars has the winning vote right now).  I’m just wishing I remembered what type of pumpkin it was, so I can look for it next year!

Zander’s Blessing

We blessed Zander at the end of September.  What fun!  It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed having the family come and hang for awhile.  Zander did great during the blessing…but then he is really a mellow kid in the morning anyway, so I shouldn’t have expected anything else.

Here are some pics from the day.

We have gotten a lot of mileage out of this little suit.  I still love it!

We love family pictures at the end of a long day!

The poor little guy was done at this point.  He went 5 hours without eating and was letting us know! 

Whew!  Made it through his first major event.  Next one….his 1st Halloween!

Grandpa Jamie’s Boys

“Grandpa” Jamie had a surprise 50th B-day part this month.  My boys were SO excited to go to their 1st surprise party.  I took their picture and put it in a frame that said “My Amazing Grandkids”.  The boys even pitched in and made him cards.  Happy Birthday Jamie!!  We love you!!

I couldn’t believe how easy going the boys were about getting their picture taken. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that they smile good. Gotta love this goofy stage!…well sometimes.

Whiting “Campout”

We have a tradition of camping over Labor Day Weekend with family and friends at Whiting.  This year life was a little crazy, so Dan and I took the boys up for a day to play with the group instead of camping out.

The boys loved the craft this year.  It was race cars, airplanes, and tanks they got to assemble and paint.  Garrick still carries his around everywhere.

Baby Z was great.  Slept most of the day.  Poor thing just gets pictures taken while sleeping in a car seat.
Looking forward to life being a little more stabilized next summer!

Zander’s Birth Announcement

I finally got my butt in gear and put together baby Z’s birth announcement.  And then it took me a week to get the stuff to mail it out.  I have decided to go the “cheaters” way this time and only mailed copies to those who care (Grandmas).  I’m posting it online for all you I was to lazy to mail one to. No offense intended.  Simplification has become my middle name lately and this is a lot easier…hmm, time to start thinking about the Christmas cards?

Here it is:
Can you believe this was at 2 weeks?  It totally fits his personality, so I had to share it. 

As a side note we are blessing Zander on Sunday September 30th at 11am.  If you are interested in coming let me know and I will get you directions to our church building.  Oh, and there will be a luncheon afterwards at our house.  So let me know if you want to come!

Only Half Crazy

Dan ran the Only Half Crazy Half Marathon during Labor Day weekend.  He has been training hard the past few months and was excited to see if the work would pay off.  It started in Herriman and ended at Daybreak.  Most ironic thing is that his next half marathon starts pretty much where this one finished.  Dan’s getting to know the west side!
It was a stormy start to the morning, but by the time we got to the finish line it was a lot better.  The boys were great cheerleaders.  Connor won a t-shirt for cheering so loud.

Waiting patiently for Dad to finish the race.

I repeat….waiting “patiently” for Dad to finish the race.

He did it!!  Dan was a little disappointed with his time.  He did better on his last 1/2 Marathon, but this one had more intense hills, so he was felt a little better after looking at the elevation changes. 

Way to go Dan!!  We are proud of you!!