Picking Pumpkins

Josette and I took the kids to the Vineyard Garden Center's Pumpkinland this past weekend. The boys always look forward to the fall because they know they get to carve pumpkins. We took advantage of the good weather on Saturday and let them pick out their own pumpkin.

Look at the size of that pumpkin! Hayden made it his own personal recliner.

After picking out pumpkins and putting them in the car, we went into the corn maze. It wasn't super stroller-friendly but the boys had fun running around and getting lost.

I had to take this picture, we were in that maze forever! And I would have given up after awhile but you had to finish the maze to get to the playarea.

The playarea had three little bouncy things for the kids, this particular one was a little tough for Roman so (of course) I got inside to help him climb up...and in the process I fell right out. Not that it didn't stop me from climbing back in a few more times to help him out.

The boys each picked out a pumpkin, we got Aubrey a small one, and I got one for Jeremiah and I to share. I'm excited for pumpkin seeds, and the boys are excited to carve, paint, and otherwise destroy theirs.

Aubrey's Birthday

My sweet baby girl turned one on Saturday. Josette took us to lunch at PF Changs, and Aubrey was a huge fan of the chicken filling for the lettuce wraps. She also had the people around us falling in love with her. I can't help that we make such adorable children!

I'd been planning her birthday party for weeks, but was bummed out that it wasn't going to be this big event like the boys' first birthdays were. But I spent some quality time on her butterfly cake and on choosing her butterfly outfit for the party, and I splurged at the dollar store for some streamers, ballons, and a "Happy Birthday" banner. And, as Jeremiah reminded me, Aubrey really doesn't care at her age what her party is like, but for me it really is a big deal. My baby is one! And growing up!

We had a cake and ice cream bar party for Aubrey and invited some of our friends and family from around the area. Aubrey got some really cute gifts, including clothes (always a plus), a walker/stroller, some toys, some books, and a stuffed animal with her name on it. We got her a dress from the Gap that I can't wait to put her in. The party's theme was butterflies, so we had her dressed up in a onesie and hair clip from Stitcheroos, a tutu that Carissa made, and butterfly wings from Gardner Village. She was adorable. Let the pictures do the talking...

Here's a picture of the cake. I made 4-5 butterflies for each cake. It's easy to do, just a bit labor intensive. It's just melted chocolate, but the trick is keeping the chocolate warm so it doesn't harden too fast, so I had to keep putting the frosting bags in the microwave. It was worth the effort, though.

We undressed Aubrey for her little cupcake. I didn't want to ruin anything! At first she wasn't sure what to do with the cake, but as soon as she got her first taste she didn't stop until it was almost gone.

Here's her birthday song video. I love her look, like she isn't quite sure what is going on. And if you look at my hair when I give her the cupcake, you can see the red streaks I got in my hair a few weeks ago. I love them (sorry...this is about Aubrey, not me!!!)...

Aubrey is playing with the stuffed bunny that Christina and family gave to her. It's also from Stitcheroos and Aubrey loves it.

I can't believe my sweet girl is a year already. Time has flown by, and she is such an easy baby. She's very much on a schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same time, and taking naps at the same time every day. She's content playing by herself, finds the boys funny, and loves to be held. She will eat just about anything we give her, and loves to give us hugs. I love spending time with her, I'm starting to see a lot of her personality emerge. She even finds herself funny, laughing when she drops things and she loves to dance to music - which really is just shaking her head back and forth, but it is to die for! I love my baby girl so much!

Nana and Papa visit!

My parents came this last weekend for General Conference and to visit us. It's always a big event to have them in town since it's a bit of a rare occasion. My kids were an impatient mess all day Thursday awaiting their arrival. They woke up Friday morning to the news that Nana and Papa had arrived late last night, and were stoked when I gave them permission to run downstairs and pounce...I mean, wake them up. The plan was to go to lunch at Zupas, and then head up to Gardner Village to see the witches with my Aunt Denise and her family, and then on to dinner. Poor Roman threw up as we were headed out the door to lunch, and threw up a few more times afterwards, so Jeremiah stayed home with him during lunch and my life-saver mother-in-law offered to watch Roman while the rest of us went along with the rest of the day.

Just so you know, Roman was feeling better by the end of the night. Oh, and my way-too-sensitive husband actually cleaned up one of Roman's messes, only to find himself throwing up as well. This is a big step for Jeremiah, who usually dry heaves at the mere thought of vomit.

We LOVE Gardner Village. The shops are a little pricey, but I love window shopping and getting a bite to eat at the Naborhood Bakery - and no, that's not spelled wrong. We even found a little set of pink fairy wings to complete Aubrey's birthday outfit. Hayden had a blast walking around looking at all the ladies dressed up as witches.




On Saturday, my dad had tickets to the afternoon session, so my Aunt Wendy and Uncle Lorrin graciously watched our kids while we went up to Salt Lake City. The session was amazing. Afterwards, the boys stayed for the Priesthood session while Mom, Ana Lee, and I went back to Wendy's house for some girl time. Mom treated us all to Five Guys Burgers, and then Wendy and Lorrin watched the kids while Mom, Ana Lee, and I went to Rodworks. It was a madhouse! They were offering one item for 50% off, and everyone was taking advantage of it. Some people got some screaming deals on huge wall mirrors and things, but I opted for a small jewelry holder. We then went back to Wendy's and hung out until it was time for the kids to go to bed. I love the tradition of girl's night out during Priesthood session. In Ohio, I always just took the kids to McDonalds to play during that time, so I was excited to be back in Utah where I could go back to the girls-night-out tradition.

Sunday was a relaxing day. Even Kory and Ana Lee showed up in their pajamas for Dad's famous crepes. Kory and Jeremiah had a crepe eating contest, tying at 7 each. We had them filled with strawberries, bananas, Nutella, and whipped cream. We watched conference on tv, although with the kids around we didn't get to listen to everything. Mom spent some time playing games with the boys, and her and Dad took turns with Aubrey, since she was finally warmed up to the them and totally happy being in their laps.

Mom and Dad left Sunday afternoon, and again, it was hard to say goodbye. We love having family visit us, and we miss them way too much when they leave. We had a blast with them, though, and the kids can't stop talking about them.