It's a coming...

We're getting all excited for Halloween. I think it is a great month! When you are a little child, a teenager, or parent, I think Halloween is one holiday that is great for everyone. It builds the whole month with decorations every where, you can't beat trick-or-treating as a child, and dressing up and going to parties as a teenager, and a young adult. Always so much fun! Now we get to take our own kids out door to door to get CANDY, so that I can eat it. (he he)

Some Halloween pasts...

Here are some pumpkins we painted in 2004 with my brother Cameron and his wife Amy. I have to give credit to theirs, in the back row. Love the mutilated pumpkin.

Jax on Halloween 2005, the cutest little bear you've ever seen.

Here in 2006 Magnum P.I. with our little superman and a pregnant, I mean big, silly looking T.C.

Oct. 2000, I was a dead beat up bride, Jolene and Emily. We went to a party only to find someone stole my idea and had an even better dead zombie bride.

Fun times! I'll let you know all about this year in a few days, our count down begins!

*The Happenings*

Yuck, the snow last weekend. Here's the boys playing outside. Jax thought it was fun using toys as the snow mans limbs. So he had to put a "belly button" on the guy. We thought it was too funny to move it to the middle & correct ball, of abdominal snow.Last Sunday we actually combed and put some product in the boys hair, so it's not all fro and fuzzy head. This is Jax's first tie. He said he was handsome, I have to agree. He was excited to look like his daddy.The boys nightly ritual has been to get NAKED!! Creed would run around in his diaper all day if I let him. He gets so happy to run and play before we get his PJ's on. Creed will come up to me pulling on his clothes and saying "on on" but we know he means to say "off off". They copy each other all the time. Here I am with my rascals, and my new hair cut.The snow melted quickly, and it has been so nice outside. We finally made our trip to the zoo on Saturday. Below, the boys riding the train. Creed missed all the animals, too busy looking down at the tracks as it went along. And we asked Jax to smile for the picture, and this is what he does. (at least he looked at the camera this time)We saw the lion (mountain), tiger and bears, oh my! The elephant proceeded to rip the wood fence down and eat it while we watched. Here is Creed checking out the animals.
A little sick and tired of chasing Creed, so up on Greg's shoulders he goes.

*A Little Time*

So many pictures, and so little time. I love taking pictures. I love editing them. I could spend all day doing stuff like this. So thanks for the tip Amber.

Jax loves taking the umbrella outside. He LOVES the rain, splashing in puddles, and everything else kids do.Fall = Apples. Jax chose the biggest apples he could find at the store. Gala are my favorite. The boys must like them too. I found them sitting together under the table. Creed loves to pick the pretty little yellow "flowers" that grow from the grass. Other people call them dandelions.

Silly face Jax. I can always count on him to not smile nicely for pictures. But this was cute.

*Preschool and Boys*

Preschool started almost a month ago but I wanted to share this... below is the first day at orientation. Here is Jax with this friends. I think it's rather funny, cute Amber is holding Starburst candy, Jax (on the left) is eating a big chocolate chip cookie, and Carden (in the middle) is eating a Cauliflower! He has one of those good moms. :) And I like the 2 paint spots on Jax's shirt, boys!

Everyday when preschool ends, all the kids hold onto a handle on a rope and all walk slowly to the parking lot. It is so cute. Jax is in the red shirt at the end. The caboose. I wonder what this will be like when it's raining or snowing? Hmm, I hope Miss Dana works on that yard? And here is Jax pulling back on the rope trying to get everyone to stop, so he can rest. Who knew someone could get so tired walking 30 yards?

We're following the leader where ever he may go, tee dum, tee dee...
Silly Creed.

Whenever Jax has to go potty, Creed marches right into the bathroom and copies Jax. He pulls up his shirt, holds it with his chin and pretends to go potty by holding his bellybutton.

I pulled him out of Jax's way and asked him to show me how he goes potty. He is showing me his "pee pee" I guess? Funny boys. Maybe this is a sign, that he will be ready early and quickly to potty train?

Autumn?

Getting close but I'd say an Indian Summer. We actually got out the little pool on Friday. This season is nice. If my allergies weren't so bad, I'd say it's a perfect time of year.

We took our annual drive up East Canyon on Sunday. We might do it again this weekend. It was so pretty. The pictures we took don't do justice.Greg snapped this picture of the letter "L" he carved in this tree 6 years ago. This is where he knelt down on one knee and gave me my wedding ring. We say the "L" stands for love, Laurie, or Lorenzon. Whatever. Not that this has anything to do with autumn, but he also wrapped 1,000 x-mas lights around some trees to light up the whole area, there was snow on the ground and he had our song playing, all from a loud generator. It was a nice memorable moment. Me and the boys on the trail. I wish Greg was in it too. We need to get an updated family photo. Greg and I are never in them together. Oh well.

* Peddle *

So Jax can finally peddle his bike (big wheel)! He's refused to even try. We've been trying to show him how easy it is but he wanted to push himself along with his feet doing it HIS way for over a year. And then one day he did it. Greg would have missed it, he was too busy watching Saturday BYU and Utah football games. But I made him come out and see. Jax was very proud.A little "off road" adventure. Creed gave up and carried his along the grass. When it's bad weather outside, we find a rainy day activity. This day it was an adventure with the Teddy Bears.

*Girls Just Wanna Have Fun*

So I thought about just doing a copy/paste of Amber's posting on this weekend adventure. But then I had an idea and ran with it... I am going to show some oldie photos to introduce the girls. I think this might get kind of long.

It's a unique thing to still be such good friends and see each other often with friends from high school. Well quite a few go back to elementary. Here's some pictures from way back when. I had lots to choose from. I've had a fun time looking at my albums. I tried choosing just a few with the girls that all still get together.
Fall of our Senior year of High school, '95. We stayed at the valley/cabin. A girls weekend away. Me, Jolene, Alison, Aspen, and Britnee. No boys allowed, so I put some paper over his face. :)

Sr. year, '95, on our way to white wash the "V" on the mountain. Good old Viewmont Vikings! Elizabeth, Alison, Jolene, me, Becky.

End of the summer before college, '96. Some came down and visited us at UVSC, or we'd go up and visit some of the rest at USU. Me, Britnee, Alison, Aspen.

Fall of '97, college visitors. Elizabeth, Jolene, Laurie, Tawna, on top is Amber and Becky.

A few years after graduation, '98, we had an evening at the Manti pageant. Me, Becky, Amber, Tawna, and Jolene.

We started a Book Club in Jan. 2001, here we are at the end of the 1st year. Tawna, Amber, Jenny, Laurie, Becky, Aspen, and Elizabeth. We now have left book reading behind and call it Dinner Group. We still meet one evening every month.

And here is the first year we did the "over niter". We've been doing Park City every September but we're talking about going somewhere else and staying 2 nights next year.
Alison,Britnee, Aspen, me, Becky, Jolene, Amber.

Here is the weekend getaway from this last weekend... we missed , Alison, Tawna, Elizabeth, and Kae/Sasha (they moved out of state).
me, Jolene, Britnee. Getting ready to head out to dinner.

Forgetting swim suites doesn't stop the hot tub from being used. They went and purchased some tanks and shorts for cheap. Laurie, Britnee, Amber, Jolene, and Becky.

We are gathered around for a cooking demonstration of yummy cookie dough truffles. We had plenty of food. After that we even did a little craft, played some games, talked until after 2am.
Beck, Brit, Jo, Laurie

We have a tradition of buying some socks to wear. Cute ones this year. I was too busy looking at a magazine to put my feet up for this photo. Mine were the white ones too in case you were wondering.

The group ended up in Sugar House area and at the park we played Speed Scrabble until it was too dark to see anymore. Gosh, I am looking forward to next time.

Thanks friends-o-mine! I am a lucky girl to be in our little "click, group, gang"! I hope that when we are in our 60's we are still getting together every-so-often. Wouldn't that be neat?

*The Cosby Show*

So last night after I put the boys in bed I actually had time to do something for myself. So I decided to watch the tube. Flipping channels, nothing was on that I was interested in. Then I saw the Cosby Show was starting, so I decided to watch. And can I just say that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! As much as Friends or The Office now-a-days. It's a golden oldie. I laughed and smiled through the whole thing. It was one of the first seasons and Rudy is playing football and the whole family goes to cheer her on, and a few other little story lines with it. Fun stuff. I grew up watching it. It has been a while, but I am so glad I did. It actually made me happier. I think I might try and pick a few evenings and watch it again. I am excited for fall and all the shows to start up again. I hope I can find time. Thank goodness for DVR.

* Sweet and Secret *

Check out that adorable face, such a cute smile. Although...In a previous post I mentioned how Jax got cut while we were in Bear Lake and had to get stitches. Well, weeks later, the stitches are gone, the wound is healing, but it left a big scar, I hope it fades away. Now he is left with a crooked mouth when he smiles, talks, or cries. You can see in these few pictures. It breaks my heart. My sweet little boy. We are going to another Dr. next week to see what he says, we are praying it isn't permanent and will get better in time. Hopefully the nerves/muscles will heal.

And here we are hiking up to Cecret Lake (yes it's spelled with a "C"). It's at the top of Alta, it is steep, but short and sweet. And so pretty up there. Greg took me on one of our first dates, and now we go back up there every summer. This time the boys came, but that part was a pain. They whined the whole way up, and back. Ugh. But we had a little picnic and enjoyed the outdoors.

Here is Jax on uncle Chris, and Greg holding Creed.
The boys throwing rocks in the lake. It was a nice Labor Day weekend. Good thing we did our outside activity on Saturday when it was still warm and dry.