Halloween Party Animals

Happy Halloween!!! Scott, along with his mommy and daddy, went to a Halloween party with all of his friends! Scott was a monkey, and of course every monkey needs trees to swing in and jump between, so that became the fate of mom and dad! Scott is not a huge fan of the hat part of this costume, and would pull on the ears and try to get it off! A few weeks ago, I put a piece of wire in each ear to make them stand up instead of floppy (who has ever seen a monkey with floppy ears) but they didnt do their job quite right, and thus we have a floppy eared monkey... but isnt he the cutest!?!

Scott in his trees

Here is the whole gang (minus a tootsie roll, Roman, who showed up later). From Left to Right: Colin the Giraffe, Rylan the Kitty, Scott the Monkey, AJ the golf pro, Anderson the Lion, and Aurora the Pumpkin! Scott and Anderson kept grabbing each other, and at one point in the picture taking, Scott had Anderson's mane, and Anderson had Scott's ear. Rylan LOVED the spots on the giraffe, and AJ and Aurora were happily quiet through the whole thing. The kids are getting to where they love to play together, and actually reach for each other, crawl around together and smile at one another. It is so fun that Scott, Dude and I have such a fun group of people to have fun with!
Scott brought a little baggie of goodies for each of his friends, and did sort of a reverse "trick or treat". Next year, we will get out and around the block, but this year, we were perfectly content inside, playing with our friends, with no candy involved (actually, Im sure if Scott could talk, thats one of the requests he would have made... silly hungry baby)

Scott-O-Lantern

For our family home evening last night, we carved pumpkins!! We are so excited about Halloween, and had tons of fun listening to halloween music, squishing guts between our fingers and coming up with fun ideas for our designs. We called my family in UT on skype and had a virtual FHE together. McKenna and Dad carved a pumpkin there, and we showed each other our art when we were finished... gotta love technology!!
We put a pile of guts on Scott's tray, and stayed close by, in case it went downhill fast, but he had no interest in putting that in his mouth, and wasnt even sure what to do with it in his hands!My parents and sis got to watch him discover it, and he sure was curious about it!!

Since Scott can't very well carve a pumpkin himself, I was his hands, and he was my inspiration... I decided to make a "Scott-O-Lantern", isnt it cute???

Just kidding, I actually did carve a pumpkin! And Scott WAS actually my inspiration... this picture depicts perfectly his feelings for the pumpkin guts, but it also shows (if you look REALLY close) the source of my pumpkin inspiration! Scott grew his two bottom teeth 3 and 2 weeks ago, and I have been TRYING and TRYING to get a picture. As soon as you try to pull his lip down to see them, out comes his tongue! Anyways, I decided to make a jack-o-lantern face with two bottom teeth, to be my little Scotty in pumpkin form! I thought it was a bright idea!! **pats herself on the back**

Dude enjoyed the guts and seeds a lot more than Scott did! He was dancing to Thriller as entertainment for Scott and I, making faces such as THESE, and making it fun for everyone! He was also the camera-man for our webcam as we escorted my family digitally outside to see our lit up pumpkins! Hes the best husband and friend i could ever want and he have too much fun together!! (if thats possible, I think thats like having too much money... not really legit) Dude carved something that only a computer guy could... he carved a winking face made of a semicolon and a close parentheses, like this " ;) " The men and their pumpkins. Scott wanted to eat his... he wasnt interested in the guts, but once that carved pumpkin was nearby, it was all we could do to keep him from chewing on it with those two teeth of his!

We are so excited for all of these first holidays with Scott! Halloween is just the beginning of the best season of the year, and we cant wait to share our love for this time of year with him and see him enjoy himself!

Families are Forever!

When we were in UT, we had family pictures taken, and they turned out great! Amy Harrison, who is in my mom's neighborhood and ward, took them and she is AWESOME! I highly recommend her, you can find her here http://www.amyharrisonphotography.blogspot.com/! My family is so awesome, and I love love LOVE them to pieces!

Mom and Scotty's Day of Fun!

Scott and I had a busy and fun day today! By the time we got home this afternoon, Scott was totally wiped, and he's still napping now! Our day started bright and early, like it only can with a kid ( 6 am ). Breakfast of milk for Scott and cereal for mom was eaten where it should be on a Saturday morning... in front of CARTOONS!! Scott has been feeding himself lately, and I've noticed that he more often stops eating before the milk is gone. I'm beginning to think I was feeding him too much, but since it was there, being held in his mouth... he kept eating without complaint. But now that he does it for himself, he usually starts playing and stops eating about 2/3 of the way through. Maybe he's put himself on a diet????

This afternoon we headed off to the Taste of San Tan event at the outdoor mall in our area. It was a meetup activity with my moms group, and since it was only me and one other mom, I brought Jenna along for the fun! It was San Tan's 1 year anniversary, and they had everything you could want! Tons of samples from all of their restaurants (and I don't mean a bite on a toothpick, I mean close to FULL meals, from every booth!), music being played at different locations throughout the mall by live bands, coupons being handed out like crazy (Im SURE these stores were getting a lot of business, but we just took the free stuff!!)
There were a few people dressed up crazy making balloon animals, and a lady with blue hair and blue suede shoes made Scott a monkey balloon. He thought the sound that it made when he grabbed it was the coolest thing ever, so I couldnt quite get a straight picture, he was too distracted! Scott loved to watch the playpad water fountain in the kids area, and all the kids running through and getting wet. He was amazed by it, and when i stuck his feet in the fountain, he giggled and squirmed like only Scott can! He seemed to love seeing and watching and being outside!

In one area of the mall, they had blocked off a whole section of road where a sidewalk chalk artist was drawing a cactus, pumpkin, sunset, halloween/arizona artwork, and they had chalk and personal sized chalkboard that people were decorating and laying on the sidewalk around the big drawing. Angela and I drew our kids names, and I think they turned out way fun! Side note: I was not expecting to be playing with chalk and eating bbq, and sitting on the curb: khaki pants probably wasnt my brightest idea of the day... they have green chalk flecks and bbq sauce spots on them now!!

I traced Scott's hands on his chalkboard, and he had blue chalk between his fingers. It was not an easy task getting a fat piece of blue chalk between a set of 5 fat fingers, but it was fun. He wanted to grab the board and did a pretty good job of smearing the chalk around by the time we were done with the photos!

From the beginning of our afternoon, I was looking for the face-painting guy! The schedule of events paper that I had SAID he would be there, and I wanted Scott to get a painted face. So before we left, we went looking for him one more time, and FOUND HIM!! I was determined, so we ended up extending our day by about 30 minutes waiting in his line. When I got to the front and asked for a basketball, the guy said "thats not food! I was only doing food items cause this is a food tasting event"... I made him *correction, asked nicely for him to just do the dang basketball! He had to mix the orange, and right as he was finishing the perfect circle, Scott wiggled, and we got a little smudge. Little smudge nothin! As soon as we were done taking there pictures he had drool washing half of it all off!! But it sure was cute while it lasted. Scott's friend Aurora succumbed to the food rule, and switched from a flower to a strawberry...

Pumpkin Cutie Pie

Scott and I had a playdate with our mom's group on our first day back from UT. No better way to avoid missing home than to jump right back in and stay busy! We went to Schnepf Farms, in Queen Creek. They had hay rides, pig races, a train and other various rides, a petting zoo, etc etc. We didnt get to do as much as I would have liked, but we sure did get some cute pics! And, when Dude heard that we were going to a farm this morning, he was bummed he couldnt be there... so we'll just make him take us again. So if you see another farm post soon... you cant say I didnt warn you!

The one thing we did that I was surprised Scott liked was watching the pig races. I would point to where they were coming out, and he would watch intently as they ran laps around the pen. He wasnt sure what to think, and would look to me for reassurance that it was cool, and he had permission to like it.

Sitting on the hay seemed to be a hit for all the kids. Every one that did was amazed at the rough texture and the way it felt in their fingers. Every time Scott gets something in his hand that he hasnt felt before, he rubs his thumb along all of his fingers with the item in between, and its adorable. He knows how to use his senses to learn! Especially touch and taste!!!

One more mom and son showed up, and thats still only half our group! Scott just loves his friends, and wiggled and squealed when put face to face with Anderson. See how they cant even get enough of each other long enough to pose for a picture... silly babies!!

When I have grown a foot or two

My favorite brother, Devan, went into the MTC (missionary training center) yesterday!! He will be serving for a period of 24 months in the San Juan Puerto Rico East mission. He will speak the spanish language, and serve on more than a dozen islands. It was my first chance to go to the MTC, and it was an awesome experience. The spirit fills those halls, and I found myself more excited than Devan than sad for myself. He is going to be a great missionary, and Im sure he will love every minute of it! He will be in the Provo, UT MTC for only three weeks, then will move on to the Dominican Republic MTC for 5 more weeks before heading to Puerto Rico. I told Scott as we were leaving "this is just a preview. We'll be back in 18.5 years". Scott definitely has strong, faithful, AWESOME examples of men in his life. His great-grandpas, his Bubba, his Papi, his daddy, and his uncle Devan!! Ill be writing a letter every week now, my penmanship will restore itself from months and months (years, even) of not much but typing! I know Devan is doing the right thing in serving the Lord and proclaiming the word of God to the people of Puerto Rico! We love you Dev!!

Monkey Business

Aunt Micki and I put Scott's monkey hat on and goofed around! We are having so much fun with Scott's aunts, uncle and grandparents! He is all smiles and just loves these people! Uncle Devan is going into the MTC tomorrow, so we are soaking up all the time we can spend with the fam before he heads off to Puerto Rico to serve! It took Scotty a while to adjust, there were so many people in this house over the weekend, but now that its just my immediate family, he is much more smiley and talkative. And Im pretty sure they are loving it as much as we are!! Heres a few pics of Scotty playing with his "favorite aunt micki" (just so that I dont get in trouble with his other 5 anuts... they are "favorite aunt Jenny" "favorite aunt natalie" "favorite aunt elena" "favorite aunt ali" and "favorite aunt tiffany") The title of "Favorite Aunt" is still up for grabs and we are still accepting bribes in all forms!! :)

Drooling Monkey! Oh my! He has two teeth now and I havent even posted anything about that! Last week, I just decided i would see if I could feel anything after my friend Amy said that she could feel teeth, but couldnt see them. And sure enough... I could feel one, AND see it! then ,2 days later, he cut his second one! Both the bottom center teeth. He hasnt had a fever or been in aparant pain, although he has drooled and chewed... but thats nothing different than usual! Ill get some pics as soon as i can, for now he sticks his tounge in the way as soon as I try to see those little dagger teeth!
See those cute cute toes... cant resist how he curls em under like that!!
Kisses!!!

My Little Indian

Mostly when we are eating dinner, but other times too, Scott will just yell! I think its because he wants to be doing/eating what we are, and hes not. So he yells. Well, Dude decided to pat his mouth to silence the yelling (or at least make it a more entertaining noise for us) and Scott LOVED it! He would lean into Dudes hand when he stopped patting Scotts mouth, and would stop making noise when Dude stopped. You could see the smile in his eyes, even though his mouth was wide open so he couldnt actually smile.. I think its the cutest thing, so here it is!!

Planes Trains and Automobiles

We went to Babies R Us this weekend, and there was a Dumbo ride outside that we just couldnt resist! We didnt actually start this Dumbo, but thats probably a good thing... we put him on a carousel once and that didnt go over well! :) But he sure liked sitting in the Dumbo, and wanted very badly to eat every part of him... little hungry man!

The kid is nonstop! He wants to be moving, he wants to be seeing, he wants to be tasting, and telling you a story the whole time! I have been told that he needs multiple jumping toys, but let me just tell you... fear!! I dont know if i could handle much more jumping than this, I feel like hes gonna bounce right out of that thing, or topple it over! Hes a wild man! I was reading a parenting magazine this weekend, and not only is he already doing the things that the magazine says 7 month olds "might be doing" (hes 7 months old this week) but some of the things on the 8 month old list! He is so smart, and strong and I am amazed by him all the time! Had enough bragging?? Ok, heres a video then!

Scott is a SPEED DEMON!!! He hauled himself from one end of the house to the other in no time flat. 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, i swear (ok, maybe not that fast... but FAST!) Dude followed him as he crawled from our bedroom on one side of the house, to the guest bathroom on the other side. the goal, you ask? he got up on his knees at the tub and sucked on the side of it. I think he wanted to get back in and splash more (it was right after bath time)... he knows where to find a good time! Anyways, Im in need of a leash, and an autosweeper that will keep my floors clean instead of me needing to do it 3 times a day!!!! That kid gets himself into any and everything!

"You will always be your child's favorite toy" Vicky Lansky

Everyone's favorite time of day at our house is when daddy gets home. Scott, Sam and I are all more than happy to see him walk in, and he is always welcomed with lots of hugs, kisses and slobbers (from sam and scott, not me!!)

This video demonstrates perfectly the reason that Scott gets so excited to see this man walk in the door... and one of my reasons too! Was just gonna take a picture, but couldnt resist the squeals and giggles!

Under the Sea

When I was a baby, the first animal sounds I learned were "what does a fishy say" and "what does a bunny say". Well, who can resist a baby who makes animal noises?!? The bunny noise will have to wait until Scott is a bit older, but we've been working on that fishy noise now, and he's starting to get it! Jenna came over to hang out with me today, and we spent the majority of our time watching Scott be cute, and recording the cuteness for future enjoyment (cause what else am I supposed to do while he's sleeping but watch him be cute on camera!) Expert of not, this fishy is the cutest thing you've ever seen.

Now if we can only teach him what a fishy actually looks like, and connect the real animal with the sound. That association is less important and we'll worry about that later. Right now I dont care if he does this when he sees an old man or a bowl of grapes, as long as he does it!!

A Weekend of Pitched Tents

Dude's company goes on a camping trip every year at a different site, and this weekend was it! We bought ourselves a new big tent (we had a 2 man... dont know what i was thinking when i bought THAT) and a pack and play (portable crib, basically... for those who dont know) and braved the unknown with a 7 month child in the wild outdoors. After a really long story (I actually started to type it out, but it was taking too long. If you want the whole story, youre gonna have to call :) ) we made it, and were able to enjoy the evening sitting around the fire, cooking hotdogs and marshmallows over the flames, and singing campfire songs. All of Dude's coworkers were very friendly, and Scott was the hit of the weekend! The other kids were all over the age of 4, so it was amazing to most that we brought such a little dude on this outing... i was nervous, I was scared I was prepared to be very tired the next day!!! BUT... he dozed off around the fire, woke once after we put him in bed, and then slept ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! It got down to 40 degrees, but we had him all bundled up and covered in blankets, and he stayed nice and cozy!

When we woke up in the morning Dudes truck had a flat tire!!! After trying to get it off and trading for a spare (the lug nuts were on TOO tight) we just pumped it up again and took off... hoping for the best. Well, we made it all the way home safely... and just in time for Dude to make it to the Priesthood session of General Conference. My cousin Jen and her friend Lauren were in town and came to spend the evening with us. It was awesome to see Jen, and I was excited to show her my house and my huge son. We had a good time and went shopping and to dinner before they had to head back across town to Lauren's parents house... so, thanks Lauren, for haulin Jen across town to see us, and for spending a night of your vacation with my family!

Today, we stayed home as a family and watched General Conference on tv. That was our second "pitching of tents"... Dude and I spoke about General Conference reminding us of the members in the Book of Mormon who pitched their tents to face the temple and gathered to hear King Benjamin speak the words of the Lord. We heard truth spoken, and we soaked up every minute of it!! One of the two best weekends of the year if you ask us! We are waiting and looking for a way to get Saturday's sessions as fast as possible, since we were still on the campout!

But heres the kicker of the whole thing.... we arrived at our campsite, and I pulled out the camera to capture the moments of Scotts first camping trip... and the camera was dead. I know, I know... Im dead meat! But let me just assure you that he was and is the cutest little thing ever! He played in the dirt, he was enthralled by the fire, and he watched everyone and everything with such intensity it was hard to get him to smile, he was so concentrated and involved.

So here's a picture of Scott and his camping buddy (who also seemed to be a hit... all the men telling their wives "we need a good dog like that")... we had a great weekend, Scott loved his first camping trip, and we got to watch Conference. Couldnt get much better than that (except the flat tire, we could have done without that... and now I have something to deal with tomorrow. woohoo....)

Round of Applause!

From storytime at the library to "if youre happy and you know it" and "patty-cake", we do a lot of clapping in our family. Scott thinks it is so funny when Dude or I clap, and when we make him clap. Well, lately, hes taken to trying himself! Only... he can't quite get those palms together, so it looks a bit more like Tarzan! We love it and find it hillarious. Having a kid is so entertaining!!