HaPpY HALLOWEEN!

Last years Halloween was a bust. I was sick and Alan and flown in that morning and was also very ill. He still took the two older boys to the U game (they WANTED to go). O and I never dressed up and I was so sick I did not even pass out candy.

So, this was O's first official Halloween. HE LOVED IT!!!! It really started Wednesday. WE dressed up Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat. However, we did not dress up on Halloween! (Sunday). O was a purple dragon. M, C, and I were Pirates. Alan never dressed up and was super bummed about it. Alan, my dad, and C flew out on Friday morning to go to Colorado for the U game. C had been waiting for this day for months! He was so excited. He, once again, picked the U game over trick or treating. M, O and I went to Alan's parents for soup and to check out all the family costumes. Then we headed to my parents where we did a little trick or treating. The Demings showed up and we spent the rest of the night hanging out with them and watching the game. It was a great night.

I have to mention the first snow storm. The boys were so excited!!!!! Luckily I had gotten out all the snow clothes and checked sizes for the year. Everybody was covered! Needless to say, they all had to dress up for the walk to school. It reminded me of the first winter O was born. Getting ready to take C to school took us 20 minutes just to get bundled up. Only this time, C pretty much did it himself and M did over half of it. I am looking forward to a great winter!!!

Hello Undies!

I decided to potty train O. He was 22 months, much younger than the older boys, but I thought I would try it. He was showing signs he was ready. I went for it. I kept doubting myself and him but I vowed I would never turn back! Sure enough, he is doing great. I still have him in Pull Ups at night but it is better than changing diapers. We have been changing diapers for 5 and a half years. At two points we had two in diapers. It is strange to not have any diapers around here. I really enjoy it. The only problem so far, finding small enough undies for the little man's bottom. I finally found some 2T undies but they hang on his bottom. I must admit...it is pretty darn cute! Great job O!!! Oh, and maybe a little credit for the Mom too!

My First Garden

I decided to do a garden this year. It was a great learning experience. It did not turn out to be as productive as I thought but it was a good start. I learned a lot. I will do it again next year with new insight and hopefully better results. We had the following: Peaches, peppers, squash, carrots, basil, jalapenos, two (yes...TWO!) green peas, and tomatoes. We also planted raspberries, onions, and cilantro. Hopefully the raspberries will berry next year. I am going to keep the carrots in ground covered by a bag of leaves and then go out in the middle of winter and pick some carrots for lunch. The boys loved it and they stayed out of it better than I expected. Gardening is just like every other thing in life. You learn as you go and become better as time goes by. I hope!

Preschool Boy

Moo started preschool in September. I just did not make time to post about it! Bad Mom! He LOVES his preschool and his teacher, Mrs. Mandy. She is such a great teacher and M LOVES going to school. He is such a sweet little boy. I co op in his class and he is a good listener, good friend, and tries to learn a lot. O seemed lost and confused the first few weeks with the older boys at school. However, he soon realized he had me all to himself. It has been great spending time with him alone. He is a character.

Even Better

Later that day I received a text from Alan telling me to check my email. It said to pack my bags with a packing list he provided and a few other thoughts. Then it said he would be home in 45 minutes! He soon showed up with his Mom in tow to take the kiddos. He brought a bouquet of gorgeous flowers delivered to me by O! So sweet. We left around 4:15 and started driving up Parleys. We made it to the St. Regis at Deer Creek. We had to ride a funicular to get to our room. HOLY COW!!! That place is AMAZING!!!! Absolutely amazing. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed and I was treated like a queen. The evening included the following,



Chocolate covered strawberries with an unopened bottle of champagne
Sushi nachos
Fire places (indoor and out)
Star lit sky
Water falls
Jacuzzi tub
A charm for my necklace
A charm bracelet
and so much more....

The morning included:

A visit to the gym
Breakfast
Pedicure
Manicure
Steam rooms
Soaking tubs

It was so relaxing and fun!

Alan is so romantic. He can really treat a lady right. Thanks Hun! I had a great time and loved spending time with you. I LOVE YOU! P.S. You are welcome for 10 years of excellent service!

BIG Day!

HaPpY 10 YeAr AnNiVeRsArY to Alan and I. I am so grateful to be married to my honey. However, I do not like to post all the reasons I love and adore him for all the world to see. I will keep those specials reasons for the two of us to share! We are going out to dinner tonight so I will post pictures later

We also sent our big boy to his first day of Kindergarten today! Ironically, he is attending the same school Alan and I attended! Much to my surprise, the Jersey was not on the list of must wears this year. It slowly disappeared. And....he wore jeans! We have come a long way in the wardrobe category. I am sorry, but I think he is pretty HANDSOME!!!!

I did not think for one minute I would be emotional! I have done this two times before for preschool. For some reason this was different. Maybe it was because he has to go now and I do not have a choice. Or maybe because he is so close and I can hear the bells ringing so I think of him more often. Maybe it is because he told me over lunch when we came home that I embarrassed him when I took too many pictures! I was also there after school with the video camera rolling. However!!!! He did run into my arms as he exited the school and that not only made my day but also made me realize, he will always be my little boy! He then proceeded to tell me he had the best day ever! That made me even happier! I love you "Boyz"! (that is what O calls him now). Welcome to Kindergarten!

Rite of Passage

I remember over five years ago one of the selling points on our house was the fact that we could teach our kids to ride a bike on our flat, quiet street. Well, tonight was the night. And not only one but two of our kiddos took off the training wheels. We have been trying to convince C to take them off all summer. Tonight M was begging us to take his off. It took a few tries and I had little faith but that kid is dedicated! He never gives up!!!! After he took off, C was still a little hesitant. However, Alan soon convinced him. It took all of three seconds for him to take off. He can do everything including starting himself, riding, turning, and stoping. Of course, we had to head to DQ after for a celebration. The boys had a hard time going to sleep because they were so excited. We still need to practice a lot more but it was fun seeing my boys take on something you remember the rest of your life. Good on ya bubbas.