Halloween

We had such a fun Halloween.  It started on Friday with Trick or Treating at Grandpa's work.  Lexi was so excited to go and to get to trick or treat with her cousins.  Carter had a hard time at first letting go of his candy to put it in his bucket.  He would hold as many pieces in his hands as he could and would suck on the wrappers.  Eventually he got part of one open and had chocolate all over.  He would tell everyone he got candy from, "Thank you Mama."  It was so sweet.  He always adds the Mama at the end of it.  Lexi got to have Halloween parties at pre-school and dance.  The day of Halloween we trick or treated in our neighborhood and then in Grandma's neighborhood.  Carter liked walking by himself and holding his basket.  I was surprised at how long he lasted walking.  It was really fun and probably my favorite Halloween ever.

Lexi Turns 4

Lexi is 4 years old now.  She was very excited for her birthday.  She got to have a friend party with Emily, Makani, Kamryn, Kayla, and Madi.  We played pin the nose on the pumpkin, musical shapes, made glow in the dark bracelets, and did a pinata.  Lexi loved it.  We had a cake party with my family and Lexi got to take a special treat and spotlight poster to pre-school.  Lexi really wanted a scooter like her friend Kamryn's and got one for her birthday.  Lexi is still the best little girl ever.  She is fun to be around and I get teary eyed just thinking about how much I love her and what a good friend she is to me.  Happy Birthday sweet girl! 

Europe!!! (and a little Asia:)

We had the extraordinary opportunity to go to Istanbul, Rome, and Florance.  (My pictures are backwards in order) My Mom and Maleah watched our kids for 10 days while Cole and I went with Marilyn, Dale and Neal.  It was a lot of fun and we learned so much.  Istanbul is a great city with great people.  I loved learning about the Christian and Muslim  history there.  My favorite place was the Haga Sophia church.  It is special to both Christians and Muslims and because of such they have decided not to give it to either party but rather turned it into a museum.  It is beautiful and touched me.  My favorite food item in Turkey was the Turkish ice cream.  It was like taffy and was the best ice cream we had the entire trip (even better than gelato).  Rome was amazing.  We saw more than I can mention but it was great.  My favorite place was the Catacombs.  I was touched as I thought about all those Christians hiding and staying faithful to their new faith.  The small tombs for the many children that were killed made me really sad.  I hope to follow their examples and always stay true to my Christian faith.  I also liked the villa we went to in Rome.  The food in Italy was so good!   We enjoyed delicious pizza, pasta, and gelato.  My favorite part of Florance was the shopping.  It was fun to see all the Italian leather creations.  We had interesting experiences with people throwing up next to me on both the flight to Europe and the flight home but it was worth it.  We had a great time on the trip and enjoyed getting to know each other better as well as new cultures.  We also missed our kids like crazy and were so happy to be reunited with them.  When I held Carter for the first time when we got home he touched my hair and said, "Yeah!"  My thoughts exactly...

Labor Day Weekend

We had the best Labor Day weekend.  On Friday I took the kids with my parents to the Brigham City Temple open house.  It was beautiful and wonderful.  I loved being able to take my kids and enjoy the day with my parents.  We met Cole in Midway and went to Swiss Days.  Monday we rented a boat and went to Jordanelle.  It was wonderful.  Lexi loved sitting in the front and was brave enough to go on the tubes.  Carter did okay until the end and then he was ready to get off.  Cole tried wake surfing and loved it.  We loved going and having my parents come too.  Cole and I agreed it was one of our best holiday weekends ever.  

Carter

Carter is fun!  He is so busy and into everything.  He is really into climbing.  I can tell a big difference between boys and girls.  He is much more physical.  He's already climbed out of his crib.  He is also the cutest little boy.  He smiles at everyone and is the center of attention in any setting.  He gives the best hugs and loves to laugh.  He teases Lexi and loves to pull her hair.  He dances when he hears music.  His favorite thing to do is read books.  He is full of life and energy and we love him.

Lexi

Lexi is the best little girl!  I love her so much.  She has become my best friend and I feel so lucky to have her.  She is a very good girl and is obedient and kind.  She loves doing things and loves having things planned out.  She asks me everyday what we are doing and what we will do after each event.  She likes to sing and dance.  She decided she wanted to switch from gymnastics to dance and has been enjoying her new class.  She also started pre-school.  It was an emotional day for me and I missed her so much.  She is doing really well at pre-school and loves learning new things.

Zoo

We had a "vacation" as Lexi would call it and went to the zoo at the end of the summer.  It was fun and the kids enjoyed it.  Lexi's favorite part was riding the train and carousel.  Carter didn't like the rides but enjoyed seeing the animals.  We had fun being together as a family.