Happy Halloween

A dollar well spent!

If there is one thing I have learned about an infant/toddler, it is that shopping and running errands can be a total nightmare. I'm sure anyone with kids would agree. How you can do it with two or more is beyond me. In my short time as being a mom, and especially now that Dax is completely against the cart and very vocal about what he wants (i.e "I want down!", "All done!", "I wanna walk!" and so forth) I have started to become very creative when packing my purse for a trip to the supermarket, mall, JoAnns, road trips and anywhere we need a stroller. Well, the same ol' snacks and toys don't quite have the entertaining effect they once did and I find that he does a lot better if I buy him something new. You can imagine how expensive that can get. So, I have limited myself on those days to spending only $1 on a bribing technique, and I gotta to tell you...it has saved my behind...and my wallet! I made a little list of all those dollars well spent that has kept Dax the little Prince Charming that he is and my shopping experience a lot more successful!!!

$1 Popcorn- Target is always on the list of places that I can be at for hours and hours. One day I bought the popcorn and drink combo for .99 cents and we shopped for almost two, yes, TWO hours! Dax didn't spill the popcorn, throw it, or grab anything with buttery fingers. He barely made a peep. I don't even think I spent more than 20$ on that trip, I just couldn't get myself to leave because he was being so good and he was barely half way through the bag of popcorn!

$1 Chap Stick- Who knew giving a kid a tube of chap stick could entertain him half way to Seattle? I learned to turn to tube low and showed him how to "apply it" (Austin is so proud!)Now he pretends to put it on everyone in the room, flight attendants and all!

$1 Balloon- I don't know about you, but Dax LOVES balloons. I joke that for his birthday we could fill a room up with balloons and call it a party. He loves them and when we are anywhere that has them I almost always buy him one because he is it makes him so happy.

$1 Hot Dog- This one costs a tiny bit more, but the hot dog and soda combo at Costco is the best $1.50 ever. I always feel geeky walking in the exit door straight to the food stand, but the hot dogs are huge and I just hand it over to Dax and he thinks he is in hot dog heaven!!

$1 Hot Wheels- I can say that girls love this too! Driving a new car along a cart handle or on the tray of your stroller is really magical for my little guy. It works every time!

$1 Spray Bottle- This summer when ever we tried to go to soccer games or anywhere outside that was blistering hot, I brought along a squirt bottles I bout on a whim at Walgreens one day. Dax adopted that thing and thought it was such a great time to spray himself and everyone else around. The great thing was we didn't mind!

$1 Baby Pumpkins- I grabbed one of these for Dax at the beginning of the month on our way into the grocery store and he called it his baby the entire trip. It was a cute little white one and he loved it. Every time we've been to the store the month I've gotten him one, (they are like 30 to 50 cents) and he has been so content in his cart. Now they are cute center pieces on my table!

Now I need your help! This isn't the longest list and I need some more ideas! What do you do for your kids when you are out running around that is cheap and full of entertainment?? And how the heck do you keep more than one child entertained??

Back to the 50's

Austin and I have been married for close to 6 years now and still I realize pretty frequently that there is A LOT of things that we have never done together. This weekend, we were able to do one of those things, and it was dress up for Halloween and go to a party!! we waited until the last second to decide if we were going to go or not because 1) the party started at 9:00 and my bedtime is pretty close to 9:15 and 2) we had NO clue what to go as. My whole life my Halloween costumes consisted of making a costume out of what we had and adding an accessory and calling it a "costume". For example, one year I went as a cook and wore my Brownie girl scout t-shirt, a long brown skirt, got a great big mixing bowl and wooden spoon from the kitchen and wore a cook's hat (that was my Halloween accessory). Pretty generic, but I didn't really enjoy dressing up too much... I definitely inherited that from my mom. All the same, I still really really enjoy Halloween. Austin and I both wanted to go to this party, so we thought we'd keep it simple and go as a 50's couple. I know it sounds boring and every girl has been a 50's girl one time in her life, but regardless, we had so much fun getting ready. Thanks to my sister Jennifer I squeezed my big belly into an elastic (thank goodness) 50's skirt she had made for my niece a few years ago, curled my hair, wrapped it in a scarf in a high pony tail and Austin borrowed his dad's college leatherman's jacket and rolled up his jeans and greased his hair and we headed down the street to our friends. It was a blast!

The theme for the night was Let's Make a Deal, so all the couples there had stuffed their pockets full of random things to try and win some prizes. There were about 20 couples there and the costumes were a riot. Well, the game started and "Monty Hall" dressed as King Triton hosted the show. On the real Let's Make a Deal, people walk away with great gifts, or beans, literally. Tonight, every gift was a great gift. This couple went all out. They were giving away Cold Stone gift cards, $50 iTunes cards, $100 P.F Changs gift certificates and two people walked away with the brand new iPod shuffle! Are you kidding me?!?! The final prize was a week stay at the couples house in Veil Colorado! It was so fun and this sweet couple did an amazing job hosting a decorating. We didn't win anything, (if only Austin would have had that nail file they were asking for!) but we had so much fun meeting new people in the neighborhood and ward. This was definitely the way for Austin and I to do one of those many things we have never done before. It will be a Halloween party never to be forgotten!

Schnepf Farms

My goal for October was to do something Halloween-y or festive every week this month before Halloween to try and get into the spirit and have some family fun. Between Dax and I being in Seattle for a long weekend, Austin taking a quick trip to Utah, plus work, school, Church and everything else, well, now that Halloween is almost here, I realize that we didn't do so great at meeting that goal. The good news is I think we made up for it this weekend! The highlight was our trip to Schnepf Farms yesterday. Austin hadn't been able to enjoy Dax at a pumpkin patch and a huge farm in Queen Creek seemed like the place to go to get the true "Pumpkin Patch" experience. Lots of family and friends had been before and said it was kinda pricey and not worth it and they weren't sure how much there would be for Dax to do. Well, we decided to go anyway and experience it for ourselves. Austin's parents came along and we half-dressed Dax up in his pirate costume and headed out first thing Saturday morning. I kinda felt like we were going to an amusement park rather than a good ol' pumpkin patch by the price of the tickets, the way the parking lot was set up for thousands of cars and the line we ran into to get inside the farm. I wasn't sure what we were in for, but gladly we were not the least bit disappointed!

There was sooo much for Dax to do! We ran from one place to the next, hitting the carousel, pony ride, petting barn, Hillybilly Bob's Pig races (grandpa's favorite), Lil' Farmers play yard, a hay ride, Witch Mountain Slide, the Flying Farmers ride and the boys took a spin on the Country Road Rally. We ate a great lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, drank fresh squeezed lemonaide (to try and stay cool in the 95 degree weather), and ate fresh, true-live kettle popcorn. Dax got to pick his very own pumpkin from a huge pumpkin patch.

A little history about this farm is that it is family owned and sits on over 300 acres. They do major events like this "Pumpkin and Chili Party" all year long and it is pretty much a place of Arizona Tourism. Well, as most farms tend to be, things are old and antiqued. In fact, the carousel the kids rode on was built in 1912 and parents weren't even allowed to sit on the horses because they were too heavy. Come to find out, this was the case of most the rides...no parents. Well, from afar, Dax saw the flying airplanes, exactly like the rockets at Disneyland. There was the joy stick that you pull back and forth to make the airplane go up and down while the ride went round and round. Dax wanted to go so bad, but no parents were allowed. I could barely watch as Austin strapped my baby in the pilot's seat and showed him how to "fly" the plane. The ride started and Dax went straight up. He smiled and waved each time he went by without ever loosing his grin. The ride was probably 5 minutes too long because about half way through you couldn't hear any of the kids yelling or waving to their parents and they all looked a little dizzy...Dax especially. We thought the pulled pork sandwich was going to be coming up for sure, but he was a trooper and kept everything down and even though he had no expression on his face when the ride finally got through, when we asked if he had fun, he said "yeah!". He is such a little dare devil---and it freaks me out!

I had enough of my share of petting zoo's so when the boys headed over to feed the goats I had to laugh at how friendly, and hungry, these goats were!

We had a great time. Thanks grandma and grandpa Mac for joining us on our adventure!!

Lion, Tigers and ...Penguins...oh my!!

For the time being, Dax doesn't say a whole lot that makes sense---but we'll get to that. Even though he may not have an overwhelming vocabulary, he's always been really really good at portraying what he wants and what he's trying to say. It's so funny to see the way his little imagination works and what he comes up with to show us what he means. His imitations are by far the most creative when it comes to animals. I had to capture some of my favorites....

Fish Face
Lions, Tigers, Bears, Monsters...anything that goes " roaaaaaaaar!"

Elephant

The verdict's still out on this one...I don't know? A Stinkbug? He always demonstrates when we're going through the animals so it must be something

And my person favorite---the penguin. Dax loves looking at the cover of his DVD's. He doesn't do so much looking anymore as he does taking the DVD out of the box, opening the DVD player, putting in the DVD and bringing me the remote (this guy is smart!), but oh well. One day he was doing something so funny and I was laughing at him and asking what on earth that was. He brought me the Madagascar DVD and pointed at the penguins at the bottom, and this is clearly what he was imitating

It makes me laugh every time he is being creative and funny. I'm thinking this may not be the case for too much longer. Remember how I said he didn't say a whole lot that made sense? He has a small vocabulary of about 20 words I would say. The last few days have been a total transformation. He has been busting out with new word after new word that he has never said before taking me by complete surprise. They say kids start talking over night, but I really didn't imagine hearing 4 or 5 new words a day! It's amazing. I've been writing them down after he said 3 or so because I knew this was the start of something. These our are last few days in a nutshell, plus Dax's new words...

Mom and Dax and the supermarket (don't make fun that I call it a supermarket and not a grocery store). Dax: "I wanna walk" How can you NOT get him out of the cart when he actually says the word "walk"? Note to self: Next time Dax asks to walk in the supermarket, nicely say no thank you. 1st new word

Mom making eggs for breakfast. Dax: "An egg" 2nd new word

Dax coming down the hall with a soccer ball. Dax "I kicking....mummble mummble mummble...ball" 3rd new word

Mom reading Dax a Little Critters book. Dax "A mouse" 4th new word

Mom cooking dinner while listening to the radio. Dax coming over to me with his hands up "Dance" 5th new word

Mom taking Dax to bed telling him to say Bye to his toys. Dax: "Ni-night" 6th new word

Dax coming to get my hand to go "see". Then he says "vroooooom, wall" and proceeds to drive his car on the wall. (Note to Dax: Congrats on the new word bud, but let's not drive our cars on the wall) 7th new word

Dax trying to get into a hutch where I keep some dishes. The door wasn't opening so great so what does he do any say? "Knock knock" 8th new word

Learning how to can salsa at a friends house while holding Dax who is eating a chip and trying to stay focused and in deep conversation about how to "blanch" a tomato. No, Dax didn't say blanch (that's my new word), he says "neck" when he breaks the chip into my neck and laughs. Nice. 9th new word

I can hear the chatter box coming down the hall......why is it so much fun when they start talking? Just kidding! I love it and I know if will be a whole new world from here on out.

Halloween Party Mix

Those nights twice a week when Austin is at school can get long and a little boring. I try to think of fun things that Dax and I can do together and make the time go by fast. So, tonight Dax and I had our first "cooking" session today, and I use the term cooking very loosely (you'll see why). I pulled a chair up to our island, got out my biggest Halloween bowl and let him do ALL the work. I simply supervised. No messes, no clean up, and no yucky hands. You guys have to try Dax's 1st Annual Halloween Party Mix! This is sure to be a fun tradition in our house each year. This is how it all went down...

4 cups Lucky Charms

1 bag Halloween Plain M&M's

1 bag Candy Corn

2 cups Carmel popcorn (don't tell...I used Fiddle Faddle---remember my thing about no messes?)

1 cup small pretzels

and vuaaaalaaaa! You've got yourself the yummiest snack that you didn't even have to make!

I half adapted, half created this little mix in my head. Dax loved it and it was so fun to do with him. He really couldn't mess anything up by pouring a bag into a bowl and I got a big mixing spoon out for him to stir it all together. What's even better about this mix is you can substitute the Halloween candy for any assorted festive candy and it works all year long I've decided. This was one treat that was definitely kid tested and mother approved!! I couldn't quite get Dax away from the mix! Who am I kidding? Let's be fair. I was the one who couldn't get away from the bowl...I am eating for two here! Happy Halloween!

Real Long, Real Fast!

A few months ago, over Labor Day weekend, Austin, Dax and I headed out to a friend's cabin in a beautiful place called Pine about 2 hours away. It was gorgeous there and we actually felt like we were in the mountains and far, far away from the desert and 115 degree weather. The best part is that we even got to play in some rain! Dax was having a ball (probably because it was seriously his third of fourth time experiencing rain) and we just let him go crazy sloshing in the mud and puddles. He was opening his mouth up wide to catch drops in his mouth just like the rain drops and gum drops song says (You know the ones right? Or was that just a Girl Scout song?) Anyway, my fun friend Jen started snapping some photos of him. Thank you Jen for being the prepared mom! :) She is a super talented photographer and got some great shots. She made a disc for me of the pictures she had gotten of Dax flopping around in the rain and I just opened the file yesterday for the first time (I know, I'm a total slacker) and I came across this picture of Dax and I about died!!

I stared at it forever. I couldn't get over his eyes. Anyone that has known me, says Dax looks like me. Anyone that has known Austin, says Dax is a spitting imagine of his dad. Austin even has this baby picture when he was about 3 months old that could pass as one of Dax's in a heart beat except for the retro colors and silly little outfit. Either way, I guess you could say Austin and I have been pleased with Dax being a perfect mix of the two of us. Dax definitely has Austin's skin color, my nose and I would say probably my lips, Austin's coarse hair and believe it or not Austin was a total blondie when he was a boy, so Dax's hair color is an even mix. And then their are his eyes. He has my eye shape, but 100% Austin's eye color.

Well, this total round about way brings me to the reason for my post. Like I've said before, this has been my greatest anxiety about baby number two. What is HE, going to look like!?!? I don't remember feeling this anxious about it with Dax, him being my first and all, but for some reason it's overwhleming! Will he be an even mix, or look more like Austin, or more like me? Lots of you out there have had more than one child, is this normal feeling? Do both your kids, or all your kids look pretty similar? Tell me, what should I expect because this pregnancy just got really long really fast!!!!

66!!

66. That’s a big number. It could mean a lot of things. It could be the low in October in Arizona, or the average I spend at Target in a month. It could be the speed I go on the freeway (plus a few more miles per hour), or the number of times I’ve seen Cars in the past 6 months. It could be the age of your parents or the famous Route 66. 66 could easily mean any of those things. But today, to me, that number means something entirely different. That is the number of years my very special Grandparents have been married. I couldn't help but post about them today on their 66th Anniversary when I saw this day on my calendar. They are the prime example of a long, healthy, happy marriage and I admire them so much for that. I haven't been able to get a hold of them today but that's probably because the last few years on their anniversary they have driven up the California coast to go to the Church where they were married and have lunch. They have accomplished so much in their lives together and I hope Austin and I will have as much happiness as they do 60 years from now!

Just a few things I admire---
They still call each other by their nicknames, Susie and Al
They still make each other laugh. My grandma looks like a teenage when my grandpa says something funny and will playfully hit my grandpa and cover her mouth and put her head down a giggle. It is the sweetest thing.
They still hold hands; I love that!
My grandpa still teases my grandma and my grandma still writes my grandpa poems. And then, she doesn’t even read them to my grandpa, but recites them word for word! She can even recite the poems she wrote for him years ago.
My grandpa never fails to get my grandma a case, yes a case, of tic-tacs at Christmas time. And it’s not because she has bad breath, but because he’s teasing her again because she has more tic- tacs than anyone would ever need during any lifetime. And my grandma will still give him a kiss and say thank you.
My grandma loves chocolate and my grandpa will pick her up a candy bar each day he goes down to the liquor store to get a “cold one”---of Coke that is! He'll even let my grandma have a drink after she's finished her chocolate, but don't think she'll get away with him not teasing her for leaving lipstick on the straw!

I love my grandparents so much! I think they are two of the most special people in my life. Good thing I have a husband I can see growing old with because these two make it seem like the best years of their lives. I am so grateful Dax has had a chance to get to know them. They are so amazing!

What a trip!!

Dax and I took our annual trip to Seattle this past weekend to visit Jamie and her cute little family. I love them all and I love Washington! We always have the best time when we get together and I am so blessed to have the best twin ever!!

Last time Dax and I took the trip it was August and the weather was beautiful. I wasn't sure what we were in for this time around, but boy did we luck out! We had gorgeous weather and I have never seen so many beautiful trees and fall leaves! I think I need to plan each trip for a different time of year, because so far I have yet to experience the rain and I love visiting the Pacific North West---everyone kept using that term so I thought I'd throw it in to sound hip!

Dax was great on the flight and was so happy to see Gwen and Gabriella! They all were so cute with each other. I think Dax has come back with a little obsession with princesses and pink, and Gabs may have a tiny love for hot wheels now and Little Critter books! I know Dax is especially sad to not have two moms anymore...he was in heaven with Jamie! I love spending time with Jamie! She is such a great mom and has a beautiful home and she cooked for me every meal!! How could I go wrong??

We visited some really fun pumpkin patches while we were there. It was nice to be in warm clothes and feel like it was actually Fall and Halloween time. At the pumpkin patches were little petting farms where we petted baby cows, baby goats, kittens, bunnies and little ducks--which we opted out of petting. We went on a hay ride and there was a huge tracker and hay barrels that Dax climbed all over and the largest pumpkin patches I had ever seen.

We also visited this great place in Seattle called the Museum of Flight where the kids got to play in huge airplanes and helicopters and feel like real little pilots. Dax couldn't stop running from plane to plane! I loved it there and wish we could have spent more time exploring the aviation world, but once we got the kids into the gift shop there was no going back!

We had such a great trip! Whenever I see Jamie I realize how much I truly miss her. At least I know there is only a little over a month until she comes down to Arizona, except this time I have to share her with the rest of the family! Thanks James for everything!

Forecast

Washington here we come!! Dax and I are headed up to Seattle tomorrow for a few days and we've been gearing up for wind, showers and 50-60 degree weather. It's been a long time since we've seen weather like that!! I was getting some clothes and shoes out of Dax's closet to see what I needed for our trip...this is what we've come up with. Do you think we're prepared? Not quite! But it's sure to be a great trip no matter what!!!

Some things never change....

...and apparently never get boring. Dax has always had an obsession with the kitchen and everything that goes along with it; Tupperware, pots, pans, cupboards, chairs. Are all kids like this in the kitchen or him? The big question is why I continue to buy him toys??? He seems pretty happy to me and can play for hours! This obsession started long ago...

Dax at 8 months

Dax at 9 months

Dax at 10 months

Dax at 11 months

Dax at 1 year

You get the idea!! I only have so many pictures of this because it was such a daily occurrence and I thought it was so funny. He practically never played with toys because the kitchen was so much more fun to him. I don't know if it was the year mark or moving to our new home at the beginning of the year that crushed his habit, but he wasn't into the kitchen as much as he was before. He probably didn't know where anything was...too bad I was kinda the same way for awhile!
Lo and behold, this week he completely reverted to old ways. He's a little more clever now that he's older. He dragged a box from one cupboard up to the stove (thanks grandma and grandpa Mac for our Raclette), grabbed a whisk and thought he was a chef! Then he found the turkey baster. I've seen singing into a wooden spoon, maybe a whisk, but a turkey baster?? Priceless! I'm glad things don't always change because this guy makes me laugh!

Cousins

Dax has so many cousins! He has 10 on my side and 23 on Austin's side...and both sides are still growing! Needless to say, he has never been deprived of other cousins his age to play with, and older cousins to baby-sit! Even more lucky, is Dax has lived by each and every one of his 33 cousins at one time or another, except for two....Gabriella and Gwen. This is especially hard for me, because this also means that I haven't lived by my twin sister in not only the 20 months that Dax has been in our family, but going on 7 years! Needless to say, when Jamie and I get together, I have so much fun watching our kids play. And even though Dax may only see Gwen and Gabriella 3 times a year, he 100% knows who his Aunt Jamie is and especially who Gabriella is....after all, they were both born on December 8th one year apart.

When our family was in Oceanside a few weeks ago, it was going to be the first time seeing Jamie and her family in almost 10 months, and I wanted to surprise them. I practiced for weeks with Dax to get him to say Gabriella. It isn't the easiest name, especially for a little guy who only has a handful of words in his vocabulary. Every time I would say "Gab--ri--ella" I would split it up into syllables and really accentuate the "ella" part. Dax usually just smiled and laughed and would run off, but I kept talking about her and practicing. I was so elated when on the drive to CA he finally got it!!! For some reason I can't figure out how to post the video, but the way Dax says it is "la la la la". He has all the syllables down, but the best is the way he says it...it looks like he has peanut butter on the roof of his mouth and he is trying to get it off by using his tongue. It is so funny!

Of course he wouldn't even say it when we got to Oceanside, but lucky for the two of us, we're headed up to Seattle for our 2nd Annual Trip (yes, good news Jamie, I will make it an annual thing!) and I hope he will get over his stage fright and say her name then. I couldn't help by reminiscing on these two cuties and the fun that they have already shared together in their short lives. I know Dax is so excited for his reunion with his cousin next week in WA for even more fun!