All that is Fall

I love fall. Love, love, love it! This year, though, it seems to have come and gone and I was barely keeping up. We usually buy pumpkins the first week of October, and this year it was the week of! I didn't come up with any costumes for me and Corey, although I did have a great idea...wild animal trainers, since our kids were animals...hats, lassos, khaki, etc, ..(too bad ideas don't count!). Didn't happen. We had fun picking out pumpkins. Asher loved every one he picked up so picking one was a process and we just grabbed the first one he'd chosen. Plus he could not stop running all over, around and through the whole "patch", until we told him he could hold onto Beckett for some pictures. He'll always stop for a chance to hold his little bro.

This past week reminded me of all the Halloweens of my youth....COLD. It made me think of all those years I had to put a coat over my costume to go trick-or-treating and how much I hated it. We had a little snow storm come through a few days ago, and Asher was begging me to go outside. He said he wanted the snow "on him." I could hardly deny him this wish, since these chances to play in any kind of snow are brief and few. He came in muddy, wet and happy, even though it was nearly all melted by the time he came in. I think he ate snow off of almost every surface in the yard. By the time he came in he was caked in mud from the waist down, and I had a small vase filled with roses from the yard that Asher kept bringing in to me ("for you" he'd say), all of which had no stems attached...his own personal trademark.

We carved up our pumpkins...I did a Blue's Clues one and Corey carved up an owl. We had Ash color one again...maybe next year we'll help him carve one. We also did the baby-in-a-pumpkin thing again. We did it with Ash on his 1st Halloween too, but I have to say that Beckett was a better sport, even though both times it ended in crying. I'm so mean. The pictures just turned out ok, I really wanted to take him outside, but it was cold, and Corey was making me feel guilty for doing it at all, so inside we stayed. I'm still glad we did it though.

Halloween was a fun night. Aaron, Meagan and Emery came over for some chili and cornbread. Asher really got into the trick-or-treating this year. We went to our Ward's trunk-or-treat the night before, so he'd gotten a little practice. I stayed at home to hand out candy and put Beckett to bed while Corey and Aaron went up and down our street with Ash. When people opened the door he yelled, "it's me!" and then added an obligatory "trick-or-treat." Next year I am going too. I'm tired of missing all the funny things that happen while I'm handing out candy to everyone else's kids. Next year our house will not be giving out candy for approximately 30 minutes. I can't wait! As far as costumes this year, Asher was an elephant, and Beckett was a monkey. They both looked so cute! I guess I have a thing for dressing my kids as animals. I can hardly resist their adorable little faces peeking out at me through a huge furry hood. I figure they have years ahead of them to be being skeletons, pirates, superheroes, etc., so I'm taking full advantage of their cuteness and using my mommy-persuasion to dress them as animals. Asher insisted on being Thomas the Tank Engine again this year until I slipped the elephant costume on him on the store, and he changed his mind. Phew!

I now have too much candy sitting in the pantry, a little boy who wants to go trick-or-treating again tomorrow, and some already delapidated carved pumpkins on the porch. Can't wait to do it all again next year!

Monkey Business

Can I just say that Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta never seems to get old? I love waking up and seeing balloons dotting the sky, and so do the kids. It is surreal and beautiful. We didn't hit the actual Fiesta park this year...it seemed cruel to rip a baby out of bed for some early morning fun, so we'll likely resume that next year. But, we have done a few morning drives around town to watch them float on by. More mellow, but still fun and mesmorizing. We found a great spot in Corrales last weekend where balloons were landing all around us. I think Asher is a little bummed we aren't doing "park and ride" this year and going down to the park...the bus ride is still a major highlight for him and he's been talking about it for weeks now, but I think somehow he'll forgive us, and we'll just make it up to him next year As always, Fall in Albuquerque is amazing.

Me and Beck hanging at the zoo:)

Corey took a day off from work today, so we drove around and watched the balloons, grabbed some cinnamon rolls and hit the zoo. What a treat! We had an especially exciting time visiting the chimpanzees. There is a baby one that was literally playing with Asher. The little guy was doing sommersaults by the viewing window, then throwing himself at the glass and jumping around. It was amazing to watch, and Asher was loving every second of it!

Please ignore my goofy laugh!

The Maestro

I have been looking forward to today for quite some time now...the day that I had a child to watch in the annual Primary Program. My day arrived at last, and Asher did not disappoint. I knew we would need to be early to get a good seat, so we prepared accordingly and showed up 30 minutes early. Unfortunately, our ward is RIDICULOUS about saving seats and you must be at least 45 minutes early to get one. Or, you can send your child an hour early, throw down some scriptures on a pew and call it good when you walk in at ten til and your seat is just waiting for you (I guess I'd do it too if I could, but just knowing you can't beat the system is frustrating!). We sat at the front of the gym section though, and that was good enough, especially since we only sat there up until the program started.
Asher made Corey walk him up when it started, and I was sitting occupying Beckett when I heard very familiar and very loud crying from the front of the chapel. It was definitely my kid, definitely not wanting to participate. Luckily, he agreed to stay with his class as long as Corey sat on the front row where he could see him. Soon, Beckett and I joined him, because I figured I could see better from there anyway. His claim to fame for the day was his conducting abilities (which were unknown until today). With each song, he stood just ahead of his class and had his arms fully outstretched, fingers out (a bit like a monster) and was moving them to the beat with gusto. It was hilarious. The best part was that he was intent and all business about it, not being silly and laughing. He was reigned in after a few songs to keep order, but not before we had a few laughs. He also had a small speaking part ("I pick up my blocks") which he did shyly but well. I had a few people afterward tell me how funny he was, and that he should conduct the MoTab someday.
I am so glad I finally was able to watch one of my own children up there, with utter parental pride. Loved it!

Sound Effects Included

If there's one thing I've learned about little boys, it is that they make sounds, all kinds of sounds. Asher, for example, cannot move without making a noise to go with it. Corey has joked that he can "b-box", and really there is some truth to that! Beyond the imitable noises of a car or airplane, Ash has a specific sound he'll make if he's running, and another for when he turns quickly, or when he's dropping something, everything has a distinct and specific noise. The other day I bought a pineapple, and low and behold, he started in with a song/sound for that too! (This recording was prompted a bit, and I happened to have a prop to give you the whole picture)

Beckett too is beginning to make his fair share of sounds. There's the really loud shriek he repeats over and over when he's tired and hungry (think velocoraptor from Jurassic Park), and my favorite, the spitting noise. He does it when he's eating (a bit alarming when sweet potatoes are sprayed at you), he does it when he's sitting, he does it when I change his diaper. It is kind of becoming his sound of the moment. When he finishes up there is a rim of saliva around his mouth and wet droplets all over the rest of his face. Luckily, he was doing it a lot today at lunchtime (yes, I was dodging food), and I caught him on tape. What sweet and funny little boys.

Turning 32 and Other Nonsense

Atta boy Asher! Mommy is 23!

Another year. Ever since I turned 30 I had this strange notion that age 32 sounded good...oddly, better than 31. We'll see. The boys made my day special. Instead of going out to dinner this year, I wanted to go out to breakfast, which is something we almost never do. I love going out to breakfast and decided this was my chance to take full advantage, especially since my b-day fell on Labor Day this year. It was so nice! We ate at Mimi's (yum) and I've come to the conclusion that going out to breakfast is so much fun because you feel like you're on vacation.

After that we hit the zoo with Aaron and Meagan and grabbed some pizza/sandwiches at Saggio's. Fun and mellow.

One of the best parts of the day was when Corey and Asher made me a birthday cake. Corey is not one to brave the baking himself, he'd rather just buy one and have it over with, usually. It was so fun to watch them, and Asher loved every second of it. I had to laugh when Corey asked me questions like, "Is canola oil like vegetable oil?" and after helping him for a second, he was stunned when I started laughing because he didn't put frosting in between the two cake layers. It was yummy and oh so sweet of them. When the candles wouldn't stay on just right, he concocted some sort of a support system with other candles behind the cake. Very creative. Thanks guys for making my day so fun!

The rest of these pictures are from the last few weeks, ... fun and random ones I wanted to post.

The day we returned from our trip to Utah we hit the grocery store to fill our empty refrigerator. All that traveling was too much for the boys and they both conked out at the store...right where they were.

Just thought this was a cute one of Beckett at the ward swim party in July. Love those cheeks! He was a good little swimmer, even though the water was cold. Brrrr.

While in Utah, I went to the Farmer's Market in Provo with my mom and Kayla. She brought her double jogging stroller and walked around with the two boys, who are just 3 weeks apart. EVERYONE asked if they were twins. Kayla kept saying no until I told her she should just say yes...it was easier. So, she did and ended up getting asked questions and hearing stories from strangers about their twins. It was pretty funny. Who knew that twins received SO much attention?

Go On and Kiss the Girl

Corey came home tonight and told me a hilarious story.

He had a dental appointment in the late afternoon. He sees the Dentist I used to work for full time, and the hygienist(Sheila) I worked with cleans his teeth. Sheila has been dating a guy for a while, and always enjoys sharing the latest goings on. She came into the reception area and called Corey's name. Once he was in the room, she held out her hand (arm fully extended, palm folded, fingertips pointing towards the floor) and stared at him. Corey just stared at her hand, completely bewildered and not knowing what he was supposed to do or say. After hesitating a little longer than he was comfortable with, he decided to take her hand and kiss it!! He felt a little foolish, but couldn't think of what else she'd meant by it. She laughed and said, "thank you for kissing my hand,...now look at this!" Of course, she was referring to the newly acquired diamond on her ring finger. She had been showing him that she was engaged, the way that women often do. He'd missed her point completely and kissed her hand in the process. WHOOPS!!

I blushed just listening to Corey relay the story! I could not stop laughing. He was absolutely horrified and embarrassed by the whole situation. A girl would have caught her implications for sure, but a guy, well, I guess they're just not as into the new bling women might be sporting. I don't think Corey has ever even kissed my hand! I am still laughing about it all. I have no doubt that Sheila will be getting some good mileage out of that story with her patients. I wish I'd been a fly on the wall to witness the whole scene. My husband bending to kiss a fair maiden's hand with a chivalrous kiss. Hmmm...should I be jealous? Hehehehehe.

Visit to Utah

We just spent a week and a half in Utah and this trip was ALL about the family. We hung out with my sisters and their kids every day and had a fantastic time. It was busy, but fun and we hit a wedding, a birthday and everything in between. This did however mean a lot of driving, which made Asher sleepy and Beckett mad (he really started to resent his carseat). We were even able to visit with my grandparents, on both sides, which is a real treat and not something we always get to do. I, of course, was the crazy mom walking around with a camera in her hand every second, documenting every moment I could. I didn't want to miss a thing!

Kayla turned 20 the day we arrived (Woo-hoo, and good-bye to those teenage years!), and it was so fun meeting her handsome little guy, Troy. He's only 3 weeks younger than Beckett. So fun for cousins to be so close. They both stared at each other and drooled a lot since they're both teething like crazy. We also met (for the first time...ridiculous!) Laurie's two gorgeous little girls, Allyssum and Jocelyn. Such cuties. It's so much fun to see everyone's families growing. We did miss Ryan and Danna who just missed us by moving a month before our visit. The boys loved hanging out with their cousins.

We hit Thanksgiving Pointe a few times. Somehow in all the years we've been going back to Utah, we'd never been there. I loved the gardens, and I don't think we saw half of them. Next time for sure. The first day we went, it was "$2 Tuesday." This bargain is NO secret. What a mistake. I think every family within 50 miles came. We knew it was going to be a bad idea when we were backed up just getting off the freeway. The next couple of times we went we made sure we were paying full price, and it was well worth it. Besides the gardens, we visited the Farm, and the Dinosaur museum, both of which were fun for all ages. The day we visited the Farm, my dad took work off to hang with his daughters and all the grandkids. It was so much fun, and every one of those kids just adores their grandpa. He's got a Donald Duck impersonation that he reels them in with from the beginning, and from there its all milkshakes, walks, shoulder rides, motorcycle rides and teasing. Asher asked him to take a walk one evening and he went with him then and there. I think it really made him feel special:) I had to laugh when I heard that Koleson calls him grandpa Donald (my mom is Grandma Daisy). So cute! It was nice to have him to ourselves for that afternoon.

During our first visit to T. Pointe, we had a small (but monumental at the time) disaster occur. We were packing up to leave, putting kids in the car, etc. Corey grabbed the car seat off of the stroller to put Beck in the car while I emptied the stroller out to fold it up. He'd been playing with him a bit earlier, and Beckett had fallen asleep, so we just laid him in the seat and covered him up. He'd never been buckled back in. Before I knew what had happened I heard Corey say, "Oh no!" I looked over and saw my sweet baby laying on the pavement face down. Because he had been sound asleep, it took a second for him to start screaming. I think I screamed first...some sort of blood curdling, scared, protective momma scream. I totally freaked out for a few minutes, crying and holding Beckett, trying to decide if he was okay or not. In the end, he was, and his scrapes were all but gone 5 days later. The poor little guy! It was an awful moment. Corey felt terrible! We were just so relieved he was alright.

Beckett sporting his road-rash:(

We also paid a visit to temple square, specifically the roof of the conference center. Somehow we never make it that far and have always wanted to see the view and all the plants up there. The morning we went, Asher was panicking and absolutely did not want to go to the temple. He mournfully wailed to us: "I don't want to go to the temple! I don't want to get married!" I guess we need to start teaching him the other reasons people go to the temple, because the poor kid was terrified that with one visit to the temple we'd be pawning him off! After assuring him that he absolutely would not be getting married for a long time (at least 20 or so years!), he agreed to go with us.

The Discovery Gateway children's museum was a riot. The kids ran around and had a fantastic time. What a cool place for young kids! The favorite part was the area where the kids get to try out different "jobs" like a fireman, postman, grocery clerk, etc. Asher was a Postman Extrordinaire. He ran around delivering mail to all the mailboxes...at one point a little girl opened a mailbox and innocently took out the letter he had just delivered. He pushed her down, snagged the letter and put it right back! We'll be working on the don't-push-girls thing. He takes his mail delivery very seriously. He spent a fair amount of time ringing up groceries too...hilarious to watch how diligent he was with his customer service skills. Beck just watched, drooled and snuggled...fine by me!

We had an especially unique opportunity to get a guided tour of Centerville, which is where my Grandpa Pettit grew up. He told us stories, showed us pictures and took us to all the spots he had special memories of. I'd never heard any of them, and I thought it was wonderful to hear him tell about his growing up years first hand...priceless. My favorites were the skinny dipping one, and hearing him tell of the things his mother did (making butter for the store, and taking him to find castaway toys at the town garbage dump). He grew up during the Great Depression and things were never taken for granted. There are even plaques around town; the one at the fire station in particular notes my great grandfather and the auto shop he once owned and lived at on that very site. I love family history and was so grateful to hear him reminisce and help me to learn more of my family's rich past. I could just about picture those pesky Pettit boys tipping toilets (gasp!) and sledding down the center of town in the winter before succumbing to a chili pie to warm them up.

Thanks everyone for making the time to hang out with us and for making our trip so memorable. We felt so loved and had an amazing time. We love you and miss you all already. Til the next time!