Trick or Treat!

I think this Halloween was one of our favorites. Brynn had been asking for days if it was Halloween, so she could put on her costume and trick or treat. She was so excited when the day arrived, and her answer was finally YES! We spent the evening with our friends Scott and Kelly and their darling daughter Quinci at their neighborhood party. They had all blocked off the corner of their street, so there was plenty of space to eat, visit, and let the kids run around. And the kids took full advantage of all that space and the freedom of being outside. Brynn and Collin were running around splashing in any little puddle they could find. Then they took turns riding Quinci's scooter (I think I know what they'll be getting for their birthdays this year). They were loving it! After a yummy potluck dinner, I headed out with Brynn and Collin, the other kids and the dads from the party to do some trick or treating. Dave stayed behind to visit with the moms (poor guy had a bit too much Halloween candy and homemade donuts). Brynn, who usually won't go beyond 2 feet of me, quickly became brave enough to leave me at the sidewalk and go with Quinci and the other kids to the doors. I guess candy helps you get over your fears. She even held Collin's hand when he wanted to trick or treat at a couple houses. It was cute! After we went around the block once and their pumpkin buckets had candy sufficient to make them sick for days, we headed back to Scott and Kelly's house to get the kids in their pajamas and make the drive back home. It was a memorable night, and we're already talking about next Halloween. Here are our pictures from the night:

Collin the Lion & Brynn the Mermaid... (yes, I had to bust out the candy early for a little bribery. I know, I'm Mother of the Year.)

Brynn showing off her mermaid tail (or is it a fin? I'm not up on the mermaid terminology.)
Brynn's friend Quinci as a Bumble Bee...
Best friends!
Dress Up + Candy = Happy Kids
Collin was not too fond of this boy's costume. He got pretty freaked out when they crossed paths. Collin kept his eye on him all throughout dinner too. He didn't have to watch Star Wars to know that Darth Vader was a bad and scary guy!
One of the neighbors at the party had some little puppies they brought over. The kids were in heaven! Brynn was so sweet and gentle as she picked one up and held it. I think she could have sat there holding the puppy all night!
Collin on the other hand... He was just as excited to hold and pet the dogs, but he wanted to pick them up by their necks and give them a big squeeze. He ended up being escorted away from the area by his dad.So that was our Halloween. Each year just keeps getting better. We can't wait to see what next year will bring!

I forgot to add something. As we were getting the kids in their pjs last night, I wiped off Collin's bear makeup. Brynn saw him and gasped, "He turned back to my brother! His chops (whiskers) distappeared!" Kids provide the best laughs!

More Catch Up

I just had to have a special post for two recent milestones in our household. First, Brynn is pretty much potty trained! You probably have no idea how exciting this is for us. It was a 14 month process, and I really did feel like she would end up going to kindergarten in diapers. I don't know what finally clicked, but she stayed dry for our cabin trip in September (even with the 4 hour drive) and has remained that way since (with the occasional accident). We are so proud of her!!

The other huge milestone has been Collin sleeping through the night. That is another thing I was doubting would ever happen. He is almost 2 and has always been a terrible sleeper. We would get a day or two with him sleeping through the night. Just when we would start enjoying it, he would start waking up several times a night. However, once we got home from that same cabin trip last month, he started sleeping through the night for the most part. OK, every night is not perfect, but he's had way more good nights than bad this past month. We'll take it!

I've been amazed at how much these two things have affected our household. I have really had an extra enjoyment of motherhood lately. I think its another reminder not to take things for granted. There have been several times this past month when I have started to get frustrated at something the kids are doing or not doing, but I remind myself of what a big deal it is to have reached these two milestones.

Catching Up

Lately I feel like I just can't seem to get things together. I don't know what it is. I've been getting decent sleep, I haven't been sick in awhile, and there isn't anything much more stressful than usual. But I feel like I am always a few steps behind in everything lately. I seriously need to take a few days and just get organized. Anyway, I realized that I hadn't posted about our trip from last month up to my parents' cabin. They invited us to go up there with them, and I was a little reluctant. Traveling with the kids is not exactly a relaxing vacation, but Dave really wanted to squeeze the cabin trip in (since apparently San Diego 2 weeks before and Utah a few weeks after wasn't enough travel for him). I am so glad we went! The weather was perfect, the kids loved finally being able to be outdoors, and we always have fun with my parents.

It started out with a nice drive up there. The kids did amazingly well, and either slept or entertained themselves most of the time. (That always starts a vacation off on the right foot!) Brynn even stayed dry the whole drive up there (yay!!). She continued to do so well with the potty training into the next day, that we decided a girls' morning out was in order. Brynn, my mom, and I went to get pedicures/manicures. Brynn was excited that she was a "big girl" now and could get a professional manicure too. She chose cute red polish and had tiny white flowers painted on each nail. She ended up picking off all the polish within 24 hours, but at least she got the "its fun to be a big girl" (and big girls go potty in the toilet) thing. Here she is trying to hold super still on my mom's lap...
We also went to the "Family Fun Center" while we were up there (are you noticing the frequency we've been going to those kinds of places? Dave's been enjoying his excuse to act like a kid--you know, its important for our family to have bonding time and our kids to have all kinds of experiences.) We played all kinds of games, and the kids won enough tickets for some fun prizes that all broke within 10 minutes. They were so proud of themselves that they didn't care. My dad, Dave and Brynn also rode the go-carts, and Collin was on the sidelines to cheer them on.
The kids also enjoyed getting a little spoiled by my parents. They were on a constant sugar high. Here they are enjoying some treats...


And here is the main distributor of the candy...He did try to balance out the sugar highs he gave the kids with some quiet down time in the hammock. They LOVE relaxing in the hammock with their grandpa. I don't think he had more than a minute or two in the hammock by himself, because the kids would spot him out there, and beg to swing with him. I don't think he minded sharing too much.

Our last full day there, we went to the annual fall festival. We didn't buy much, other than the wooden giraffe and alligator toys that Brynn lovingly named GiraffeyLou and FuzzGel. We all just enjoyed being outdoors. The kids seriously loved the extra freedom. We had some lunch at the festival and then the kids played at the park there. Think she was having fun?!

Shortly after, it started to rain. We all ran back over to the covered picnic tables. A few minutes later, we glanced over at the kids, and they were out from under the covered ramada area and dancing and playing in the rain. Gotta love the way kids can really savor the little things of life.
The next day, we had to head back home. It was a good ending to a wonderful weekend. Brynn and Collin did so well on the long drive. Brynn spent an hour coloring (I don't think I've seen her spend an hour at a time doing ANYTHING!), and Collin was happy too. I guess maybe I don't mind traveling so much.

Fall Break, Part 2

On Saturday morning, we headed over to Heritage Park by This is the Place Monument. There were so many things for the kids to do and see. There are lots of historical or replica houses and buildings, and most of them had treats so the kids could "trick or treat" at each of them. There were also lots of crafts set up for the kids to do.

Ralph helping Brynn with one of the crafts--a Halloween bat...
Brynn also made a corn husk doll. We went through a corn maze. There was a candy cannon that shot taffy to the crowd of kids. They got to go on a train ride. Brynn also got her 2nd pony ride. She was nervous with the 1st pony ride (on a little pony at Gardner Village), so I knew she would be a little terrified when they put her up on this huge horse. I was right. Once the ride began, she insisted that Dave follow alongside her and hold onto her. Check out the kid-to-horse ratio:


They also had a petting zoo. Brynn wasn't too sure about it, but Collin LOVED it. He had no fear walking right up to the goat and sheep and petting them.

Any chance of Brynn bonding with the animals came to an abrupt halt when the sheep started munching on her hair and then she realized she stepped in poop. She spent the rest of our time in the petting zoo walking around like this:I don't think she and I would make the cut as farmers.


However, she and Collin both loved the puppet show. Collin was frozen like this through the show:

After spending most of the day at Heritage Park, we stopped by Dave's grandma's house for a visit. She is such a sweet lady and has a great sense of humor. I'm glad that Brynn and Collin have had the opportunity to visit her on several occasions.

Our trip seemed to go by too quickly, and before we knew it it was Sunday. We already miss "Grandpa Ralph" and "Grandma Ida"! We really appreciate all the delicious meals, the laughs, the patience with our two crazy kids, and the sacrifice of their sleeping quarters. Thanks guys!

Brynn and Collin are also missing this cute little guy:
This is Ida's grandson Jaxson. (This kid has the best eyelashes and cutest cheeks!) Brynn and Collin loved having an extra buddy during our stay. Thanks to him for sharing his Grandma and Grandpa with us for a few days!

A True Fall Break, Part 1

What better way to spend a Fall Break than to go to Utah where we can enjoy an actual fall season and visit Dave's dad Ralph and Ralph's wife Ida? We had such a fun trip, and Ralph and Ida are seriously the most wonderful and fun hosts. It was a relaxing visit, although we were constantly on the go. So, get ready for some serious photo overload. We got there on Wednesday afternoon and got settled in. On Thursday, we went to the Family Fun Center (can't remember the actual name) that we had been to on our last visit. The kids had fun on the bouncers, riding scooters, and climbing in the "jungle". They were so tired after a few hours of hard play that they both fell asleep in the car on the way home. That afternoon, Brynn helped Ralph bake a cake. She seriously loves helping out in the kitchen, and Ralph is an amazing cook.

Brynn especially loves how her Grandpa will let her lick the spoon...and the mixer paddles...and the bowl.
Patiently waiting for the cake to be ready... (You can see Brynn's darkened tooth from her fall last month. She's lucky its there at all, because a couple days after the initial injury, she ran into a wall and re-injured the same tooth.)

Collin passed the time by climbing the stairs (over and over and over...)

But how can you get too annoyed with a face like this?

Enjoying the fruits of her labor (right BEFORE dinner--another reason to love a trip to Ralph and Ida's)

On Friday, Brynn and I started the day with bubbles in their front yard.


Love her eyelashes!

As we were taking pictures at the front door, a delivery truck drove by and scared her.

Later that morning, we all went to Gardner Village. There are tons of shops and restaurants and things that they decorate for Halloween. There are scenes set up all over with witches playing baseball, hula hooping (that's a word, right?), and on bikes, etc. It was lots of fun, and the kids had a blast! Most of the other kids there were dressed up their Halloween costumes, so it was especially fun. There were even pony rides for the kids. Brynn was very serious about her ride, but I was so proud of her that she went on it all by herself.

Collin had a little too much fun playing on/in the hay. After about 10 minutes, he had it all over his clothes, his hair, in every nook and cranny of the stroller...you get the point.
Brynn sweetly pausing from the hay chaos...
That evening, Ralph and Ida prepared a wonderful dinner for us and several of Ralph and Dave's friends. It was a nice end to a great day!

Tag, I'm it!

I got tagged by JenM.

Here are the RULES......

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 things:

1. I have a horrible memory. Seriously, it's bad. Apparently, it is also genetic. (Thanks mom.)

2. I am (reluctantly) a morning person. No matter when I go to sleep or how much I was up during the night, I am almost always up by 6 or 6:30am.

3. I have a hard time sticking to a hobby. I'll start one, totally delve into it, and then get bored and move onto another one when I feel I've gotten good at the 1st one.

4. I don't know how to drive manual transmission.

5. I hate feet. Especially when they're touching me. The only feet I don't mind are my kids' and baby/toddler feet.

6. I love avocados. I have been known to plan a meal around them. I didn't even like them until I was pregnant with my daughter and they became a major craving.

7. The first thing I want to do when I'm super stressed out is organize something. That or else stay in bed all day.

And as far as who I am going to tag...I'm going to cheat a little bit. If you read this, and you have a blog, you are tagged. Leave me a comment and let me know when you post some things about you.

Translations

According to Brynn:
"crackalator"= a crocodile/alligator
"noculators" = binoculars
"bammer" = hammer
"dragon" = wagon
"peeper-oni" = pepperoni

And her two new favorite toys are a giraffe she named Giraffey-Lou and a crocodile she named FuzzGel. The girl always keeps us smiling!