November

November is the month where the weather in Arizona starts to be amazing (usually.) This year was no different. We had birthday parties to celebrate and things to do outside all month. Steven's birthday was at the beginning of the month and we spent the day making Cars cupcakes with him. All the kids were fans of Nana's idea to make those!

 

We also got to spend one Saturday morning watching Dallin and Steven at their soccer games. They were both a lot of fun to watch. The kids spent most of their time wrestling so they didn't see much of the games.

We also got to go to Ian's birthday party which was complete with a pinata and a garbage truck cake.

Amerae invited us to go on a "hike" with her and Claire. I suggested the Riparian preserve. It was perfect for the kids although one lady seemed quite annoyed with our group. I guess we may have been scaring off the birds.

Recent Landon and Elliot "Isms"

Landon

• "I am the best sharer in the world!" (after offering me a bite of whatever he was eating)
• "I don't know." - This is Landon's response to almost anything you ask him. It is an automatic response without even considering the question.
• "I love you up to the earth...and not back." - He won't budge on this one if you try and get him to say something further. The earth is far enough in his mind.
• "Okay! I will not do that again." - He says this whenever he is asked to stop doing something he shouldn't be doing. It is usually said in a robotic voice which somehow makes me question the sincerity. I still think it's cute though.
• "First, I will watch Word World, then I will take a bath and then I will go to church. Is that going to be a problem?!"
• "If it's dunna be Christmas, you have to do this." - We were making a countdown chain for Christmas and my mom asked him about it. This was his response. It was said in a fairly unexcited voice even though he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Elliot

• "It is a nice, hot summer day." - Nov. 26 while it was about 70 degrees and sunny
• "I love you up to the sun and to the moon and back." - He says this rather frequently. Sometimes he throws in another planet too.
• Before bed, Elliot has a special routine for saying goodnight. He gives us a tight hug, then a soft hug, then 5 kisses (one on each cheek, one on the lips, one on the forehead and one on top of my head), followed by two high fives. He has been doing this for months and I will be sad when he stops.
• "Elliot Smelliot, Elliot Smelliot." - I did not prompt him on this one and I don't think anyone has called him this yet. He has been into rhyming words lately and came up with this on his own.

Volcano

The boys and I decided to make a volcano. We spent a little time doing paper mache and then made it erupt a few days later. Brooks heard what we were doing and went to the grocery store to buy Coca Cola and Mentos. He wanted to show the boys an even cooler eruption. 

October 2011

We started October with a girls night (with the kids) while the guys were at Priesthood session. These crazy boys have been in a wrestling mood lately. 

Phoenix Children's Museum

We got culture passes to the Phoenix Children's Museum and had an amazing time. We had been once or twice before, but the kids really "got it" this time. They loved it and were busy for hours there.

There was a huge caste to paint in the art room. Landon got the pink paint in his hair pretty quickly. It took a few days for it to wash all the way out.

Weaver's Needle

We took the boys on a hike to the saddle with a lookout of Weaver's Needle. We almost turned back due to crying and screaming over who was "winning" and complaints of being tired, but we persevered and made it. Brooks and I each carried a kid out on our shoulders which was more pleasant than trying to make them walk.

The boys mattresses lay right on the floor and they use them as a trampoline and a cushion to land their tricks.

Zoo Trip

San Tan Mountains Hike

While the Reeses were in town for their trip to Mexico, we went on a hike in the mountains right behind my parents house. It was a warm day!

Gymnastics

I signed the boys up for gymnastics for a couple months. It was a casual outdoor thing and perfect for them. 

Cabin 

On Oct. 7, Brooks found out he passed the AZ Bar, but he still had to wait on some paperwork to clear. We decided to take a trip to the cabin since we didn't have a lot going on. Brooks introduced the boys to video games. He plays while they each hold their own controller. Pretty soon they will figure out they aren't really playing and Brooks will need to change his strategy. Elliot LOVES it and asks to play video games now whenever he sees a gaming system. I don't think I am ready for this!

While on a walk, Elliot came running towards us talking about a spider being up ahead. We were all confused until we realized he was talking about a rather large tarantula!

We went to the racquetball court by the cabin and they loved hitting the balls around. Landon actually connected with a few tennis balls headed his way.

Carving our pumpkin at the cabin

Halloween - Batman and Robin