Amazing Jack'o'lanterns!!!!

My family gets really into pumpkin carving each Halloween. Since my brothers are all amazing artists, and I didn't get an ounce of that talent in the gene pool, we are lucky to have them around to entertain us with their skills! I'm hoping that my kids get some inspiration from their uncles to be creative and love art.













Of course, we had to have a Barack Obama pumpkin for Paul - created and carved by Caleb. Luke carved the spooky melting looking face. Andrew drew the haunted forest design and Amory carved it.









Andrew also designed and carved the skull like pumpkin. My dad carved his traditional pumpkin with a jig saw. It's a bit of a self portrait with the big bushy eyebrows!


James did the "Dark Night" pumpkin, and neglected to take the guts out - pretty typical! Another reason why our kids need some artistic influence! He got made fun of and laughed at quite a bit for that. Andrea carved the witch on a broom that looks really cool all lit up because there are stars all over the "sky".

We had a pie eating contest where the contestants were blind folded and could not use their hands. Caleb was so sure he was going to win, but Andrew turned out to be the biggest pig! I love how he is showing off his thumb for the picture too. He's got one of those rare hammer thumbs (which Megan Fox has as well- check it out Andrew). Our brother Paul once met a cashier who had hammer thumbs as well, and he got her number for Andrew. He was sure it was a match made in heaven!


Amory wins for the messiest pie eating contestant! She had to wash her face time and again to get all of that sticky off! What a great sport!












We had a donut on a string contest which was ruined by a when a certain party pooper (whose name starts with a J and end with a dog!) decided to shake the PVC pipe like crazy which made all of the donuts break and fall! I guess the important part is that everyone got to eat a donut!

Odds and Ends...

I was hoping to go to Thanksgiving Point this weekend, but our carpet cleaning and soccer took up the whole day instead. Ugh! Paul had his preschool field trip to the same pumpkin patch that we have hit twice a year since we have lived here. The kids love it though. That morning, I went to my cardio class while James stayed home with the kids, and he told me he would get them ready. That was very nice, but I should have known to set out their clothes, especially since I took so many pictures of them at the pumpkin patch! Jackson was in mismatched clothes, Paul was wearing jeans he has outgrown, and the same shirt he had worn the previous day (peanut butter smears and all), and Alanna was dressed in a sweat suit sized 6-9 months!

The boys loved running up and down the rows of pumpkins, and Alanna tried to keep up with them the best she could. Little Miss Independent would not let me help her up when she fell, and she definitely wasn't in the mood to stop and
pose for any pictures!

































Alanna vs. the Love Sac



















My parents just returned from a trip to San Francisco, where the saw Wicked (so jealous!), and they brought us some Belly Flops from the Jelly Belly Factory. We went there frequently growing up, and we always loved the tour at the factory and tasting all the different bean flavors. Now they make "Bean Boozled" Jelly Beans, which flavors include: Baby Wipes, Skunk Spray, Boogers, Canned Dog Food, Pencil Shavings, Moldy Cheese, and Barf! They are disguised to look like the good flavors, so you don't really know what you are about to eat!

My Itty Bitty...

We recently read a book about a little girl mouse, named Itty Bitty, who wants to do EVERYTHING her big brother does, and even sneaks out of her house to follow him to school one day. I think Itty Bitty is a fitting name for our little Alanna, since she has many of the same characteristics of the little mouse we read about! Today was her 15 month check up, and she weighed in at 19.4 lbs (5%), and is 30.12" (38%). The nurse had to take her height measurement twice since Alanna was so wiggly, so I am hoping it wasn't accurate! It would be nice if she were a little taller than average :) The Dr. isn't at all worried about her weight, she observed that Alanna is a very active toddler as she was climbing up everything in sight during her exam. We just tend to have very chunky babies until they hit 1 year old, and then get get really skinny. I had to laugh when the Dr. asked me if Alanna is a laid back baby, or the feisty kind. I would definitely put her into the "feisty" category! With two older brothers, she just has to be as a means of survival. We don't ever have to wonder how Alanna is feeling - she'll let us know with her squeals of laughter, or her shrieks of annoyance! It's so much fun to watch her interact with her brothers and Pyper. She wants to be so big and is growing up too fast!

I have to add that the picture of her on the red trailer is a perfect example of her feisty attitude! She got up on there by herself when we were at the pumpkin patch, and she decided she was queen of that trailer. Other kids were trying to get on, and she was pushing them off with her hands, and telling them off with her mouth! I finally had to pry her loose, and she had a major melt down! What a stubborn little girl! We love her so much!

Jackson's Big Boy Vacation!

Jackson is off track right now, and he was able to take a much awaited vacation - all by himself to stay at his grandparent's house for a few days. I don't think he missed us, but we (especially Paul and Alanna) really missed him. I think he was too busy having the time of his life to even think about us! Here are some highlights of what he got to do:

• He went to a family fun center and rode a scooter on a skating rink, played in the "Pirates' Cove", jumped in bouncy castles, and earned tickets to pick out prizes.
• He visited the "Tree House Museum", where they have several settings of popular children's books and can dress up the part or create crafts from the stories. If you're ever in Ogden, check it out!
• He went on a 2 mile hike with his Grandma Ce-Ce and collected fall leaves, acorns, nuts, apples, etc. He is really into collections right now, so he LOVED it!
• He made Halloween Ghost cookies
• He watched "The Walk of the Penguin", and can now tell us all about penguins. His Uncle Andrew came over and taught him how to draw penguins too.
• He went to DI and picked out "new" books to take home.
• He decorated the house with his homemade Halloween decorations.
• He had a little shopping spree at the $ store. My mom said that when he first walked in he was really set upon getting a knight's helmet, axe, and shield. Then, he saw a calculator... He chose to put back the helmet and get the calculator that hangs around his neck like a necklace. I think it's hilarious - he is now learning some of his times tables! I can't complain - the boy loves to learn!
• He got to choose whatever he wanted to eat (Chick-fil-A, Frosty, pizza)
  

Thank you soooo much to Grandma Ce-Ce and Poppy for taking Jackson to do so many fun activities! I couldn't have created such an enjoyable vacation for him! Our kids are lucky to have awesome grandparents like you!

Please Put Them In The Zoo...

One of my favorite books when I was a kid was "Put Me In the Zoo", where a tricky leopard finds out that he is more suited for the circus than the zoo. I don't exactly know how my kids (and James) rate, but I often think they would be better suited for the zoo or circus judging by the constant chaos and raucous in our home! There is just too much wrestling, tickling, and hullabaloo! Although it contributes to the loss of my sanity, I do like to snap some shots of it going on...
It's always WWF when the uncles are around...especially Uncle Andrew! Alanna and I were ring side spectators, and I'm sure she was wondering what she is doing in a house full of crazy boys!

Alanna, of course, at her age, is always getting into everything! She was very entertained by her infant carrier, and spent a good 1/2 hour crazily rocking in it until she fell out and bumped her head on the tile!

Andrew brought the boys some disgusting gummy rattle snakes! I love candy, but even I wouldn't try a bite. Don't they say boys are made partly of snakes anyway?















These kids all had so much fun playing together the other day, jumping off of the Love Sac, Ring around the Rosie with the babies, and of course, wrestling! And oh my, the noise level...







This little monkey loves her bananas! I used to keep them out on the counter top, but now I have to put them out of sight because she fusses when she sees them and I don't give her one. One per day is the limit though! She eats them all by herself - peel in hand too!

The other night James was tickling Alanna and she was laughing like crazy. A friend called to talk, and she asked me if James was okay - I guess he got a little excited too! He makes all kinds of animal noises and chases after Alanna!