Solo Trip Home

My sister was home with her little ones from Spain and I met up with them last weekend in Iowa. It was SOOOOO incredibly nice to spend time with them. I miss her so much.
It was great to be by myself (thank you VERY much Jeremy!) so I could play with Drew and hold Claire as much as I could.
Alicia had my name for Christmas this year and decided to do her shopping at Tiffany's!! I thought it was a joke! She and I now have matching necklaces! I love it!
We all stayed at my parents house which has two bedroom in the basement. Drew and I shared a bed and I will always remember him cuddling with me in the night and calling me 'mom'. I wasn't about to tell him it wasn't her! It felt SO good and I will never forget it!

"I want a Boy Baby..."

This is one of those stories where you had to be there for the full effect but I'm posting it anyway so I can always remember it!

The past couple of months I have tossed around the idea of having a 3rd. I've asked Cade if he would want another baby like Lucy and he always tells me yes. I haven't asked him about this for a good month or two.

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch holding Lucy and Cade was right next to me. Lucy was screaming at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason and doing everything in her power to get off my lap. Cade was just watching her.

Out of now where looks at me very serious and says, "Mom, I want a boy baby."
I said, "Oh that is so nice!"
After about five seconds he looks at me again with the same serious face and says, "Mom, I want 2 - - BOY babies."
I didn't say this but what I wanted to say was, "Cade, even if I had 5 boy babies that wouldn't be enough to tame Lucy!"

My Little Pirates!

Cade and Lucy both went as pirates this year. Cade was so excited to be a pirate and has been talking about it for the past month! We went downtown for part of our trick-or-treating. Lucy was occupied in the stroller eating candy I'm sure we didn't let Cade eat until he was three and Cade was having fun looking at all of the other kids dressed up! It was really nice out - high 60's which was a big change from the snow a couple days ago. I know I say this every holiday - but it is SO much more fun when you have kids!! Every year it gets better and better!

Pumpkin Carving

I thought Lucy was going to LOVE getting her hands dirty - I was wrong! She hated it!


This was the first year Cade actually wanted to get his hands dirty! Lucy on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it! I remember Cade being that way the past 2 years. I asked him what he wanted to carve his pumpkin as and fittingly he said a pirate!




I couldn't get the first two pumpkins to show up on my camera - I had to use the flash. They looked much better in the dark!

1st Snow of the Season

Lucy's 1st time in the white stuff

she liked it!

Take one guess what happened in the above and below photo...



They both had smiles on their faces the whole time!


Last week we had our first snow of the season. It was so much fun watching it come down and accumulate they way it did. I think we had about 6+ inches. I bundled the kids up and they played with Jeremy until they couldn't feel their fingers anymore! Now the snow is gone and we were back to playing on the swing set. It's crazy how we can go from snow to mid 60's in just a couple of days!

Pumpkin Patch

We found the best pumpkin patch in Utah - and it was seriously only 10 miles away!!
We found it on accident last weekend when we were driving to the mountains for a hike.
The lady that owns the farm reminds me of my Grandma.
This was the first year they grew pumpkins and not very many people knew about it.
It was huge and the pumpkins were amazing!
They were all $2.00 - no matter what size you picked.
Cade was on a mission to pick the smallest pumpkin.
Lucy had fun watching Cade.
It was a great day and I can't wait to go back next year!
More pumpkin/Halloween pics to come!

Fire Pit

We bought our very first fire pit! The kids (and adults!) loved it! I'm thinking we are going to put it to use this weekend - it's suppose to be 43 and snow starting tomorrow! What happen to fall?

Apple Picking

Apparently Cade took a delicious or maybe not so delicious bite from his apple...


Every year we have three traditions we stick to -
Apple Picking
Picking out Pumpkins from a real pumpkin patch
Cutting down our own Christmas tree
These are the three we have stuck to for years and will hopefully add to for years to come.

We headed to the only pick your own apple orchard I could find in the state.
It was the same one we went to last year - the same one I swore we wouldn't go back to.
It is small - less than an acre.
It is in the city.
All of the produce except for the apples is brought in from somewhere else.
It is not my ideal apple orchard.
BUT - we went and had a good time. We walked away with 4 apples and some apple cider.
I love traditions and this time of year.
I get excited just thinking about it!

Cade's First Dentist Apt!

Cade has his first dental apt yesterday. He acted as though he had been going the past 65 years. He was a champ and did everything the dentist told him to do.
I was so proud of how well he did.
He wasn't scared or even the least bit nervous.
The t.v. on the ceiling might have played a part in his great behavior.
I found out that our dentist went to dental school at the University of Iowa! Gotta love that! Oh - and his partner also went there! Small world!

Lucy's 1st Birthday!!

My friend Tina sent me this outfit for Lucy after she was born. Ever since I have seriously been counting down the days until she was big enough to wear it. It finally fit and I was SO excited for her to wear it for her 1st birthday! Thank you so much Tina!





She knew exactly what to do from the start...

...and enjoyed a little help from her brother.



She seriously ate most all of this by herself.

We had a little party for Lucy's big day. It was perfect and simple. She had a great time and I am having a hard time believing she is 1 year old already.
She has lots of energy and keeps me on my toes at all times.
She knows what she wants, when she wants it and how to get it.
She can be such a pistol.
Laid back, cuddly, and easy are NOT in her vocabulary.
She is a screamer.
Cries every time she is in her car set.
Never lays her head down on my shoulder.
Will not fall asleep in my arms.
She is a very silly and fun little girl.
She loves Cade.
She has four teeth.
Knows how to say: Mom, Dad, no, bye, all done, and 'ta' which stands for light.
I love her so much. I can't imagine our life without her. I am so thankful for our children.
Happy Birthday Lucy I love you so much.

Ladybug Cake

I did a ladybug theme for Lucy's 1st birthday party. It was so much fun to make cake and cupcakes!

Vegas Baby

Paula and Eric

Papa and G


Cade was in love with this M&M!

Alicia and I on the strip!

Cade at Hoover Dam


ONE OF THE STRANGEST THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN...
This is what I walked up to -
A handful of Asian men holding my baby.
I didn't know them and they definitely didn't know me.
To be honest I was a little in shock.
This is how it went down...
I was taking a little break from walking all day long and Jeremy wanted to meet me up ahead in a few minutes with the kiddos.
As I was approaching I couldn't help but notice a bunch of men standing around the stroller. I thought it was very strange. As I got closer I saw this man holding Lucy! I seriously couldn't believe what I was seeing. I stood there and gave Jeremy a very confused/upset look and he kinda just smiled back. Apparently the Asian guys thought Lucy was very cute. As they were smiling at her in the stroller she smiled back and apparently this was their cue to pick her up?!?! This was the way Jeremy tells it. I still find it very strange. Hummmm.....I guess I learned my lesson - never let Jeremy take the kids out by himself!

Jeremy's parents and their best buds came out to stay with us for a couple of days. We all headed to Vegas hung out for 3 days. We did the strip, Hoover Dam and even had time to gamble a little bit. The good news is we actually won some money. The bad news is that I gained 10 from all of the food!

Good Bye Summer...

This is how Cade spent his summer.
With 3 of his best buddies that just happen to live behind us.
From the minute he woke up to the minute he went to bed this is what he did all summer long.
It was great.
It was fun.
I think they seriously ate a couple hundred otter pops between the 4 of them.
This was the best summer ever for Cade and for me! I was able to sit back and watch him play.
It was a big change from the previous summers where I had to be right next to him at all times.
I am going to miss hanging outside everyday.
On Monday it was sunny and 86 - on Tuesday it was 47 and snowing! Why did summer have to end so abruptly?

Bear Lake

The kids loved the raspberry shake! I think they ate most of it. Next time we're getting two!


We didn't plan on getting into the water - I guess Cade couldn't help himself.

Two weeks ago Jeremy we tagged along with Jeremy for a conference he had in northern Utah. On our last day we ventured out to Bear Lake. It was beautiful and I wish we would have brought our swim suits! The water temp was so nice even though it was Sept. One of the little boys playing next to us said that the water felt like a hot tub! We bought one of the famous raspberry shakes and had it gone in about 5 minutes! It was delicious! Next time we go back we are bringing our suites and getting two shakes!

Dad's 1st Visit

My Dad started working for Delta over the summer and one of the awesome perks is that he gets to fly for free anywhere he wants - the only catch is that it's on standby! He made the flight out a couple of weeks ago and Cade seriously talked his ear off the entire time! Although it was a very short visit we loved having him here. The other great thing about his job is that I get the same perks as he does! I'm so excited to start using my free flights however I need friends to visit - so if you are up for a house guest let me know! ;)