Halloween updates and growing up updates

Today it took about a half hour to walk home from church because Hattie stops and smells every flower, sits down and writes in her book in the grass, sits on a bench, plays in the rocks. Hehe and Freddie complains about walking the whole way hahaha. Oh, then, poor boy, he was having fun, kicking up rocks, and got one stuck in his eye. It was horrible. He wouldn't let me touch it and was flipping out. Finally we said a prayer and by miracle, he got it out himself. Phew. The whole trip was just taking forever and I was starving and had to pee.  I had to bribe them both w a Halloween craft when we got home, and It worked!!! 

Here's the craft....

Hattie enjoyed putting all the stickers on except the bats; wouldn't touch them. And Fred just took the tape across every surface he could. So fun to just watch them. We crafted and ate and then Collin got home (he was learning about his new calling) and we all napped 2 hours, even Dot with us in the bed. It was nice. We got up and decorated for Halloween and then CS made dinner while I was a slave driver and had the kids pick up the house. They get distracted but we have been trying to do this a lot and they are getting better and better. Freddie is a hard little worker, actually. 

(Pictured above^^^our third Halloween together. And first as a married couple in 2009, Provo.)

We ate grilled burritos for dinner and they were so good. More crafting!! Then bath time while Carmel popcorn was made and we headed down to the basement to watch a short (30 min) movie on Netflix called Room on the Broom, about a nice witch who lets more and more friends on her broom. It was really fun. Then bedtime. I pretty much go to bed w the kids and then wake up at 12ish to drink water and pee and go back to sleep. 

The weather here is hot and weird. It's getting cooler though. Our yard looks so pretty. The grass is green, flowers fall colors. Leaves are changing on trees everywhere. The Capitol lawn is so pretty and we love to go hunt for fallen pods (they look like dragonfruit) and squish the large seeds out of them. 

^^^This morning before church. Freddie loves his new church jacket so much. Hattie loves her new shoes. Fred just grew out of his 3T pants he's been wearing for a while and we got him a bunch of 4T a month ago and now they are all getting short on him!!! And he had grown out of his shoes we just got him when we moved here (2 months ago!!) Hattie is growing so big too. It's so weird and fun to see them grow up and become more and more aware. Freddie is becoming a kid now. I can have conversations with him and ask him things and he asks "why?" to everything. He also seems to be preparing to learn to read and has been asking about how everything is spelled and what letters it start with and what letters sound like. Hattie is very sweet and caring and also wants boundaries and gets frustrated and hits when she can't express herself. She's working on using her words more. It's funny because we remember Freddie going through this in his own way so we recognize more easily that it's a phase that she will grow out of. It still gets frustrating for us though!! And fun too: she repeats everything and talks so much. She wakes up talking in her sleep and saying the funniest stuff. They both want to say a prayer at every prayer time and Fred first says the fastest prayer ever and then will help Hattie while she repeats and gives her the most flowery elaborate specific prayers ever. And she throws in things too. It's so hilarious and sweet. They say thank you for things even when they are asking..."and thank for for that we can be nice and have a good day." Hahhaah. :)

They are so excited about the baby. They talk about him or her...Freddie says "she" always...and can't wait to hold her. He asks things like, "is your water going to pop???" "Is it going to pop right now??" "Is the baby going to fall out???" Haha. I try to prepare them by telling them that I'll be in bed nursing the baby all day and the baby will cry and sleep and eat all day and they will have to play together and be quiet and Fred has to read books to Hattie hehe. And oh boy I hope Hattie can learn to share! She will have to! We have been reading a book about night weaning, which will happen before May, and I keep just telling her the baby will get to nurse too. Fred tells her how it is and how the baby will get this side and Hattie will get this side and how he used to nurse when he was a baby too. They are happy kids. 

Our goal this week is playing with friends. We have been having lots of fun together but both kids have mentioned they miss AZ and friends. Me too!!! So we are going to try harder to get together w people and make new friends in our ward. There are some really nice people we are starting to get to know. Not tons of kids but a few! Oh and our other goal is getting our Halloween costumes in order!!

OCTOBER! Halloween!

October is over! November is here: the month of thanksgiving, our 5th anniversary, just days and weeks before our jumping Bean joins the family on the outside!! GIVING BIRTH SOON!
I'll now be posting a giant post about October, Halloween etc. This spooky month was pretty good to us.

Iced pumpkin cookies

Iced pumkpin cookies, yummy yum!!! Here's a good recipe I found: 

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/10033/iced-pumpkin-cookies

Fred LOVES to help in the kitchen. He loves to stir, measure, hold pan handles, turn on the mixer and on and off the lights. He even settles for watching sometimes...rarely...okay maybe once. He loves to help cook, and loves to help eat! 

Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Icing
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
  Directions
• 
  
• 
  
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
• 
  
• 2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
• 
  
• 3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
• 
  
• 4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.
• 
  

Family/babymoon/anniversary TRIP up north to celebrate FALL

It's fun to stay in a motel

October is great!!

It's so nice out; people will now hang out w us!! We go on lots of play dates to the park. This park is our favorite: East lake park. In the 1800s there was a lake in this spot and one time the salt river flooded and two gators ended up here for a while!!

We go on lots of walks. I try to keep up. 

Kitties in the complex 

Hey kitties, don't run! Fred just wants to hold you and squeeze you and love you forever. 

Looking for airplanes

When did you get so grown up?

Library toddler time. He loves this beanbag song. "Put it on your head and walk around the room."

Naps, everyday.

Playtime. 

We love baths!!!!

My buddy. 

I volunteered at a little consignment sale do I could shop at the Presale. It was fun and I got some good stuff. Reminds me of the gigantic sale we went to in DC, Natalie!!! 

Crazy guy!!!!!!!!!!!

Cute pirate

Back in feb 08. Dating long distance. Who are these funny skinny people?????

Happy TENTH anniversary to Jayna and Matt Hedges!!!!

Happy birthday, Morgan!!!!

Happy October!!!!!!

Its here..... eeeeeeeeeeheheheheheheee!

Eyeball eating

We are a pro candy corn family!!! This was Fred's first experience w it and he fully approves!!!

Happy spooking to you........

Halloween Night

Alright...last post of Halloween pictures for the year....

My heart just about melted time and time again as I
saw that my little Frederick is growing up so fast.
I love him so much! He makes all these thing in life a
thousand times more fun and exciting. We live for him!
We are reading to really get our family started. There's
no greater joy I've ever experienced. Families can be
together FOREVER!

Now on to the spooky stuff!

Getting a gigantic pumpkin from Frys
almost busted our stroller!

This is Halloween!!!

Did I mention Frederick LOVES to dance? He's a dancing fool. Put on any music or even just clap your hands and it gets him GOING. He gets LOW. He gets CRAZY!
Love this child!!

Halloween Parties!!

Baby time at the Library...we had to use last years costume for this one.

Cutest little evil guy

October Bakin