The T-Rex and the Chicken

Another Halloween, another year of spooky good times. This year Miles insisted on going as Tyrannosaurus Rex (thank you internet) and Tate went as a chicken. Miles loved getting dressed up, stomping around the house and roaring like a dinosaur. Tate, on the other hand, lasted all of five minutes in his costume - just long enough to get a few rather unhappy pictures. He even figured out how to take the costume off all on his own. So, he spent the rest of the evening in his pajamas. Anyway, it was a nice holiday - lots of trick-or-treaters and lots of fun.

Scott and I attended a Halloween party dressed as Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo. So, for those of you in the mood for a little chuckle, here you go.

First Haircut

Okay, I have taken a lot of heat for the amount of hair that I've allowed to grow on Tate's head. I, of course, thought it was darling. But some (Scott and my sister Heidi) have gone as far as to suggest the words "mullet" and "mangy". So I succumbed to the pressure and gave him his first haircut. I have to admit, he looks pretty adorable.

The Before




The After

Wicked Witches

We had the privilege recently of attending the annual Witch Festival at Gardner Village, which is one of my favorite things to do in the fall. It was a typical Utah autumn day. We started off in coats and hats and by the end of our excursion we were roasting. I had such a great time seeing all of the fun displays and Miles thoroughly enjoyed playing amongst all of the pumpkins, as well as running around and climbing on everything. Tate took a more laid back approach, but I think he had a nice time too. I can only imagine the mischief he will manage to get into next year.

Miles was a little leary about whether or not the witches were real. In spite of his initial trepidation, he was willing to sit next to them for a couple of pictures. This is in stark contrast to the fears that dominated the Witch Festival of 2006, illustrated nicely by the two pictures below taken on that occasion.

As long as Miles was a reasonably safe distance from the witch, then he was fine (that's Miles on the far right).

But, as soon as I moved him closer to the witch, well, it wasn't pretty . . . .

I have to admit, this is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Miles.

Ahh, glad to see we are making progress. Maybe in 2009 he will give one of the witches a little kiss.

Tate's First Birthday

Well, our little bundle of energy is officially one year old. I really can't believe it has been a year already, although I am thoroughly enjoying him at this stage. Tate has been a real bright spot in our family, such a sweet, loving and fun baby. He lives life full throttle and is very passionate about everything he does.

Here are some of the adorable pictures from his first birthday party. He had a bit of a cold and wasn't feeling too well, but he perked up when he got to literally dive in to his cake. Even with the inevitable sugar rush, he crashed pretty hard when he went to bed. Happy birthday sweetie!

Lake Powell

Here are some of the fabulous pictures from our recent trip to Lake Powell. We were privileged to be able to go with a group from Scott's work and we had a fantastic time. I had a few limitations due to my fractured foot, but Scott was a bit of a wild man. He actually got a black eye from one of his wipeouts. In spite of his injuries, it was really fun to watch him in his element.

We went with 8 other couples and stayed on two really large houseboats. We were able to waterski, wakeboard and kayak, as well as ride the waverunners, go tubing, and surf behind one of the boats. In addition we took a day trip to Rainbow Bridge and played lots of games (which the women loved and the men despised). I also have to admit that I never knew Scott had such funny coworkers. We laughed like little children - so hard that our stomachs hurt. The men managed to pick up a satellite signal for the BYU and University of Utah games, so Scott was in heaven. The wives also got along famously, and contrary to what the men liked to believe, did not discuss Oprah (at least not more than once or twice).

I really missed my boys while we were gone, but they had a great time without us. Thanks Aunt Heidi, Aunt Sydney and Grandma Kaye! It was my first trip to Lake Powell and I loved it. It was so beautiful, fun and relaxing. I am hoping that we will get the chance to go again.

"Fall" Fun

Well, it is now September, and I started fall off in a big way by "falling" down the stairs at our house and fracturing my foot. I was told to lie down and keep my foot elevated. Obviously, my 3 year old and 11 month old boys have been all about letting Mom rest, and of course, they have not needed me to get off the couch for any reason. Ha ha!

Anyway, I did get a few days of help from my lovely mother, who was in town, and my wonderful mother-in-law. They were so supportive and got me through the really painful first couple of days. My children did not respond well to mommy being injured, and it did not take long for me to be up and hobbling about. Now I do everything I normally do, only a little slower and while wearing an incredibly fashionable Ace bandage and blue boot (see pictures below).






Scott started the month off by taking a trip to Michigan with family and friends to attend the Utah/Michigan game. Utah won, which made the trip that much more fun for him. He is always amazed at the stadium there and by the unbelievable fan support and loyalty. I will join him if ever they play a team in Hawaii, Florida, California, or basically anywhere with sunshine and a beach.

Miles has officially started preschool and is loving it. His teacher is Miss Sue and he has a couple of friends in his class. He has also started taking Taekwondo, and has earned his first stripe. I absolutely love watching him in class and am really proud of his discipline and positive attitude.

I can't believe how fast the boys are growing up. Tate is almost a year already, and I am not sure where the time has gone. I am beginning to see why people say to cherish every moment, because it really does go by so fast.

California Dreamin'

We recently returned from our favorite family vacation spot - San Diego. My sister Heidi and her husband Jeremy joined us this year, which was really terrific. They are such a great couple and the boys loved having them around (they especially loved playing in Aunt Heidi's suitcase). It was such an incredibly enjoyable, fun-filled week that we really weren't too sure about whether or not we wanted to come back home.


Scott had promised Miles back in February that we would take him to Disneyland to meet Mickey Mouse. Well, 6 months in toddler years feels like a lifetime. As soon as the plane landed in San Diego, Miles wanted to know where Mickey was, and when we went out to dinner he wanted to know if Mickey was going to be there to dine with us. Needless to say, I was bound and determined to track down Mickey before we left California.

We started off the week by celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary. Scott and I got engaged in San Diego, so to make our anniversaries even more special, we try to take our California vacation every year so that it includes our anniversary date. My sister and Jeremy were kind enough to watch the boys for us so that we could have the entire day to ourselves. We went for a long bike ride and had lunch overlooking the beach and the ocean. Later we went to the movie theater to catch the new Batman film which was very dark and disturbing, but somehow still a great show. Overall, it was a perfect day.


The next day, Scott and I took the boys to Legoland, an amusement park that we had never been to before. Scott's brother Steve had recommended it to us and we finally decided to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised, and we really enjoyed ourselves. They had amazing things built out of legos, like popular U.S. cities and landmarks. When Miles saw the lego Statue of Liberty, he got all excited and shouted "I think that's New York. We're in New York!" Imagine his excitement when he gets to see the real thing.



















They also had an area where you could just play in big bins of legos. Both boys enjoyed doing that, and Scott and Miles put together a car that you could then race down a track, similar to a pinewood derby (except out of legos of course). It was at this point that I managed to drop our relatively new camera and completely destroy the lens. Fortunately, I had also brought along our old camera, so we were still able to document the rest of our trip, much to the chagrin of Miles and Scott, who get a bit tired of pictures.

The rest of our week was filled with a Dodger's game for Scott and Jeremy, and "Mamma, Mia!" (the movie) for my sister and I, as well as many hours of Olympics viewing, which we all enjoyed, except for Miles who wanted to watch "Cars" and "Shrek". There were many rejuvenating naps and trips to the nearby park and Mission Bay.

We also spent a great day at the beach, and Scott, Heidi and I went boogie boarding, which was so much fun. (That's me waving in the middle of the picture below - I had managed to catch a great wave that took me clear in to the shore). Miles spent the day building sand castles and playing smashball (which he called "slam it, bam it"), and fearless Tate kept sticking his face in the sand, eating the sand, and heading head first into the ocean. Even when the cold waves washed over him, he was in heaven.

At the end of our week, we finally made our promised and much anticipated trip to Disneyland, where Miles officially got to meet his idol, Mickey Mouse. He was so excited that he kept jumping up and down. Mickey gave him a kiss on the head, and I think Miles was a little star struck. Too cute! We were also really privileged to be able to go to Disneyland with Scott's parents, Jon and Kaye, and his sister Sue and her family. Miles had a blast with his grandparents and cousins. It was a pleasant day and Scott and I enjoyed getting to spend time with his family. Tate spent the day with his Aunt Heidi and Uncle Jeremy doing some shopping, which made our trip to Disneyland a whole lot easier.

After riding the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Miles decided that he didn't want to go on any more rides with "waterfalls". I don't think he cared for the dropping sensation. He did however love the Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh and Jungle Adventure rides, as well as the Finding Nemo submarine. He also went crazy for the giant T-Rex that you can see if you take the train that runs around Disneyland. Scott and I, and Sue and two of her children attempted to ride Space Mountain, but just as we were next to board, a little girl jumped on to the track and they had to do an emergency shut off, screeching all cars to a very sharp halt. The little girl was fine, but they told us it would be at least an hour before they could power up the ride again, so we decided not to wait. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to ride, but extremely relieved that we weren't stuck on the ride like some unfortunate people were. At least they turned the lights on for them. Scary!








On our last day, we made a final trip to the park and the boys waded out into the water one last time. Miles told a complete stranger that we had to get on an airplane and go back to Utah, because that's where we live. At least he left out our address and phone number. And, that is exactly what we did - headed back home to the real world with memories of sunny beaches alive in our heads. Truly a perfect week in paradise.