You-TAH!

October 27- Scott, Isaac and Mommy took a jet plane (yes, one adult vs. 2 kids. we all survived!) to Utah. First order of business: We carved pumpkins. Well, Bubba carved pumpkins. Scott was not a fan of the pumpkin goop, but did take a carving tool to a scrap chunk, and had a pretty good time with that.
OCTOBER 28- Elder Devan Scott Francis returned honorably from a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in the San Juan Puerto Rico Mission. Isaac met and Scott re-met him, and it was the start (and re-start) of beautiful friendships!
October 29- Daddy flew into town. Scott, Isaac, Mommy and Daddy went to dinner with Aunt Nat and Aunt TT, and mommy and daddy went laser-tagging with them. FUN!
October 30- Family from everywhere came to town for the weekend. Family pictures got rained out. Sooshee was eaten, games were played, and trick or treating happened. Our little Jedi LOVED that! After the first house, he said "I have a candy!" After the second house, he said "MOM, I have 2 candies!!" He could have gone on all night!
October 31- Elder Devan gave an inspiring talk on finding true happiness. He is totally the same, but improved! Love him!! After church, we ate. And ate. And visited. And ate.
Nov 1- Daddy flew back to AZ, out of towners drove home, and Scott Isaac and Mommy stayed for a week of playing with Uncle Devan!
Nov 2 & 3- Sisters Retreat 2010! We ate, watched movies, slept in, ate, shopped, got pampered... lather rinse repeat for 2 days! They are my sisters, but I LOVE calling them my friends. Can't wait til 2011!!
Nov 4&5- Watched lots of LOST, saw lots of friends, went to the temple with my brother (Love him!), spent lots of time outside on bikes and on swings, and generally renewed relationships and enjoyed ourselves. Nov 4- after the kids were in bed, the "original Francis 6" ate gigantic shakes, played games, laughed, and watched some LOST. Love those 5 people!
Nov 6- On a jet plane home. Ready to see Daddy and sleep in our own beds, but SO glad we were able to spend the time and be there. FAMILY IS AWESOME!!

Pure Testimony

Was changing Scott's diaper the other day, and he was singing (which isn't unusual) but I soon realized that I was recognizing all the words, and that he was correctly singing "I am a Child of God", one of our favorite songs to sing as a family. Luckily, I had his dad on the phone at the time so he could get in on the cute action, and even luckier... he REPEATED it. Even now, if you ask im to, he will sing this song for you. Get your requests in quick tho! You never know when he will completely stop and move onto his next cute skill!

This one's for you, Nana and Papa!!

"I'll let myself out, thanks."

We can't leave the dog door open for the actual dog anymore, because the disappearing ninja baby discovered it and can't get enough!

This kid is quick! You open a door (pantry, bathroom and sliding glass are his favorites) and he WILL be there. Fast, too. He is curious and adventurous and FEARLESS!
(not to mention, a-freakin-dorable!!)

In Full Swing

Needing an Isaac fix? See him everyday, but still can't get enough? (this is the category i fit into) Have no idea who Isaac is, but love cute things?

Today is your lucky day!!!



Isaac will be on location in Utah starting Wednesday, for anyone who wants to see the cuteness in live action. For more tour dates, or to book an appointment, please contact Isaac's mom for a full schedule. Thank you.

Pumpkin Patch

A few days ago, we took off to the farm!

This farm is really close to our house, and Scott's friends Graham and Katie came to join us. We rode a train, saw and pet farm animals (the cute little pink pigs were the best. Not those huge gross hogs that most farms have...), and had a picnic lunch.
There were swings... MUST swing!

Another fun thing was the see-saw. I haven't been on a see-saw in ages, and this one had 2 handles on each end, so the moms got to ride with the boys. Fun stuff!!

This is a part that Scott's daddy would have been sad to miss. They had this "race track" with all of these peddle dirt bikes. Scott rode on my lap, but especially loved just sitting on it and having me push from behind. He is still a little small and young for peddling.... we're working on that concept tho, so there can be a trike in his future!

Bad idea: photo op at the END of the day. Scott was too tired and restless to hold still for many pics....

... and Isaac had already checked out for the day!

Super fun activity and a great way to spend a cool autumn morning!

Zooooo!

Sometime in October, the weather in Arizona becomes desirable. Just as the rest of the nation is bundling up and going into hibernation for the long winter, Arizona residents are just getting brave enough to leave their homes and experience the world outside without being in water!
One of OUR favorite ways to do this is at the zoo! Stuff the stroller with kids, snacks and lots of water, and it's a day of fun.

I know I've posted recently about the zoo, so I won't bore you too much with details, but the pictures are different and new! Last time, we didn't make it down to the kids area of the zoo, but we made it a priority this time. They have a petting zoo area, farm animals of every kind, and a play area for the kids. Scott loved running from place to place, animal to animal, climbing on any/everything and just releasing the abundance of energy he has just by being a 2 year old boy. Everyone took naps this day... YAY for the ZOO!!

Photo Booth

Just because it was so dang fun, and I love looking at them over and over...

So, of course, you will too!!

These shots of my boys make me GRIN!

Props= Awesome!
















Oh my, we had a good time! Memories.

F-U-N

While in Vegas, we were lucky enough to stay with all the family in a rental home, so that we could have unending fun all together! Totally made the most of a short trip, and the boys loved all the attention and games!

Happy Isaac. Go ahead, YOU try stopping him from smiling!!

Scott and Ali- love this pic

My husband- bless his heart! There was so much crafting going on around him, and no computer to be seen besides the dinosaur in the corner provided by the landlord, he had to improvise and get creative when entertaining himself... this is what he came up with.
Peanut Butter M&M on your face during naps. I don't see how this didn't immediately wake her up, even just to eat it and go back to sleep. I mean, come on! Peanut butter M&M ON your nose!? Tell me you wouldn't smell that!!!

Isaac just crawled. And crawled. And climbed his first flight of stairs... without looking back once. He self entertains like nothing Ive ever seen before. It's fun to just sit back and watch him. He's always finding himself one adventure or another!

Scott took any and everyone on walks around the little neighborhood. He played ball, he made rockets out of Papa's pens, he scared the room over and over again with his "monster hands". It takes Scott about 13 seconds to capture a room and win their hearts, and this crowd is never the exception. And boy does he LOVE the attention!!

Note to self: DO NOT put an office chair on a wood floor in my home. Ever. It would instantly and forever be Scott's favorite toy and wall-denting tool. However, in someone else's home, I'm all for it. And he DID love it!!!

Always a party and never a dull moment in a house full of Francis'!!

Best Story of the Night

Something you don't usually see at weddings!
The first time Scott walked past Chris, the look on his face was priceless, and if a camera had been there, I could have won contests!! He just could NOT take his eyes off of it. No words tho, and no questions to any of us about it. The second time, however...

Scott was walking with Bubba, and they passed by Chris. Scott looked at him, looked at Bubba, and looked at Chris again. After they had passed Scott asked,



"Bubba, did you see that dinosaur??"

HAHAHA!! Classic, Scott. Classic.

Knot Tying 101

Vegas anyone??
October 9, 2010 was SUCH a great day to get married, and we were lucky enough to be there for cousin Jenalyn and her man Tyler. Seeing family and hanging out, tons of food and laughs, crafting and lounging, getting dolled up and dancing... can't beat it!


Scott and Isaac LOVE their aunts McKenna and Ali. Both boys got lots of kisses!

The wedding itself was so beautiful, besides being overjoyed for the happy couple, I was in awe of how amazingly well the bride's "vision" was personified. Loved it ALL!!

Again, the vision in action.

And, at the reception they had a photographer with a "photo booth" set up, where we could take as many pictures as we wanted, and we took full advantage (to be blogged about...)

Best wishes from us to the newlyweds. Jen and Ty, you are great, and you will be awesome at "married". LOVE!!!

My excuse...

Past 2 weeks have had lots of FUN stuff, mixed with some icky.... icky is on its way out, and I finally have the time and mental capacity to tell you about it!! Everybody ready, here we go!

Do Not Feed the Bears

Isaac has impeccable timing. He always manages to be hungry right as I start cooking dinner. Yes, Isaac, I KNOW you're hungry. I'm cooking dinner, see?
Only one problem. Isaac doesn't speak English yet, and I haven't quite figured out how to get that message across. So, he usually ends up eating as I cook. Feed Isaac a bite, stir the sauce. Feed Isaac a bite, cut the veggies. You get the idea...
Well, I had a helper the other day. And it was SO cute I had to sneak a video of it. Sneaked so he wouldn't stop, cause man, the world needs to SEE THIS!!!

Kumbaya

Camping, I LOVE it. And my love for it is what makes me do it with little kids. Also, I have the best kids ever! That helps...

Dude's boss hosts a camping trip every year, and we have been every year we have been here. First year we went, Scott was Isaac's age. This was the first year with 2 kids, and that was a new exciting element! ;)
Isaac spent a lot of his time in the pack n play we set up outside. Lucky for us, he is so happy and content he was all for it! It appeared as though he were a monkey at the zoo, the way the kids gathered and watched!

Saturday morning Dude went on a mountain bike ride with some of his buddies. When he came back alive (barely) we took off for a family adventure! We camped close to Sedona, so it was worth the short drive to see the beauty that Sedona holds. Scott was excited to see the "mountains", but fell asleep on the 20 minute ride there (fyi: kids dont get tons of sleep on camping trips. at least not on the first night.) Needless to say, he was a bit groggy by the time we actually SAW mountains, and we got caught in a crazy rainstorm. Scott loves the rain, and was happy to get wet, have his window down, and listen to the thunder.

Back at camp, it was about a 10 minute walk to a swimming area in the creek. We spent lots of time there, learning to skip rocks, and practicing the already perfected art of chucking rocks. Isaac LOVED the water, and was pretty mad when we wouldn't just stick him in and let him splash like a bathtub.

Camping with kids. Not easy. Totally worth it! Love having these adventures with our kids and letting them experience the WORLD!!!

Bend it Like Beckham

Scott found a soccer ball in the yard of our vacant neighbor's house, and it is the new love of his life. Before breakfast, even, he asks you to play soccer with him. "Playing Soccer" started out as throwing the ball in the air, evolved into kicking back and forth and has gradually started to look more and more like actual soccer.
We plan on giving Scott opportunity to try lots of sports and activities and choose the one he enjoys most, but for now the "backyard sport of the week" is SOCCER!!

Must Watch TV

I'm not gonna lie. Isaac is a fan of the toob. I'm not sure Scott even knew what a television WAS at this age... guess that comes with the territory of having older siblings. Or a terrible mother. Let's go with the first!

Isaac's love for tv+his curiosity for life=trouble! The ottomans you see are strategically placed so that he cannot reach the volume knob, or the power button.

Couldn't resist catching the moment. Blue's Clues for the win!!

Watch Out: He Bites!

He will be 7 months in a few days, he started crawling all over the house at 6 months and one day old, he grew his first tooth 2 weeks ago, the second one 2 days ago, and he's headed for college in a month... I am constantly amazed with Isaac how fast time is flying. Why aren't scientists working harder on a time-slowing machine?! Aren't there parents who are scientists, they should GET this!!

This video is sideways, I know. Tilt your head or your computer (your choice) but there's nothing I can do about it now. We can only pray I remember next time I'm taking a video with my phone...



Latest news with Isaac: he gets lost. He is FAST and SILENT. His tongue makes it so that he just doesn't say much, but if you look away (or blink) he is gone within seconds and you have to search the house for him. We are currently looking into installing a cowbell...

Two and a Half

It's official, I am mother to the cutest 2.5 year old kid this side of the Mississippi! The other side too, except I just don't know all that many 2.5 year olds on the east coast...

Recently, Scott is a fountain of knowledge. He knows he is 2 years old, and JUST mastered the fingers for it. So now when asked how old he is, he replies "two, like dis!" and shows you. With both hands. We won't tell him that's actually 4, or 22...
He knows his birthday, sings a list of songs on demand (current favorite: 3 little monkeys swinging from a tree, teasing Mr. Alligator... etc), and wants to know what everything is, where everyone is going, and when everything is going to happen. Seben o'clock is breakfast time, when I start to cook dinner he MUST help and immediately pulls up a chair, and he frequently enjoys tackling unsuspecting 7 month olds. Never a dull moment!

I will just add, as a disclaimer: Scott DOES attend time out, and is often seen following me around with the most practiced and expert "whine" you can imagine. It's not all flowers and rainbows... so don't come after me in my sleep. The good just outweighs the bad, and we both learn and grow every day!