Halloween parties and awards ceremony

On Friday we had a busy day. We started it off by going to our wards play group Halloween Party. Nathan surprised us by showing up (which is always nice but was especially nice since Blair was tired and fussy so one of us held Blair while the other one got to help Easton out with crafts). Easton surprisingly wanted to wear his costume into the church but once he got inside and realized he couldn't pick anything up and couldn't run around with the other kids he wanted it off. I made him put it back on when everyone was getting a group shot. I'm not sure this was the best idea now. Easton had his hands inside his box and buzz lightyear decided he was going to fly into Easton and take him down. Easton looked like a falling tree. He couldn't get himself back up once he fell down. He was flaring his legs and crying/screaming. It was pretty sad. I even had a hard time trying to get him back on his feet. I guess next year we will have to let Easton decide what he is going to be.

It is hard to see in this picture but Easton is Roaring (apparently he is a killer Lego?) We really should have made him a lion or tiger. It would have been a little more fitting since he wouldn't stop roaring.

Buzz lightyear going in for the kill.

We didn't stay for the entire time at the party because we had to leave to make it to Nathan's school for his awards ceremony. We were late for Nathan to practice but made it there just in time for the ceremony itself. Nathan got an award for his surgery rotation last year.

Later that night we had our ward's trunk or treat. It was a tri ward trunk or treat. The Spanish ward had a couple pinatas for the kids to hit. It was a little dangerous because the sticks kept breaking. The first one that broke went straight for Nathan's head. Good thing Nathan has mad reflexes otherwise I probably would have had a decapitated husband. Easton was first in line to hit the second pinata. He took the stick and swung like a champ at the pinata (too bad the pinata was about 3 feet above his head). Nathan tried to help him with his second swing but Easton wouldn't have it. He threw the stick down and ran the other direction crying (I have no idea what that was about). When we left to go home we went to pack up our pumpkins and realized we had won scariest pumpkin. We're still not sure if it was Frankenstein or Elmo that was the scariest (they really should have specified).

On Saturday we went to a birthday party and then later that night we went over to the Presley's house to hang out. We were going to take Easton trick or treating around their neighborhood but Easton refused to but his costume on. I think he had more fun playing with the kids in the basement.

Buddies?

Easton is really enjoying Blair these days. I think he has finally figured out that he can kind of interact with her and have fun. He plays peak a boo with her, will every once in a while give her a toy to play with (this is big since he doesn't share his toys with anyone), hold her, hug and kiss her, and his newest is to try and wrestle or body slam her. Luckily he isn't too rough with her and most of the time she just smiles and thinks it is funny or at least tolerates it. I still get worried though.

Sharing his cars.

Trying to wrestle with Blair.

Video of Easton body slamming Blair.

Carving Pumpkins and other exciting things

Yesterday night for FHE we finally got around to carving pumpkins. Easton tried to help but it was a little difficult to find something he wanted to do and something we approved of. Nathan carved the family pumpkin (Frankenstein) while I carved Easton's (Elmo). Easton did have fun coloring with a marker on his pumpkin for a while. I'm thinking next year we might just let him paint his pumpkin so that he is involved a little more.

Nathan scooping out the pumpkin.

Easton checking out his Elmo pumpkin.

Blair chilling out while we carve pumpkins.

Dad and Easton with finished pumpkin.

Glowing pumpkins

Dad and EE eating pumpkin seeds.

This morning I babysat Emma. I decided it would be fun to make some Halloween sugar cookies since I have been meaning to do them and haven't gotten around to it. It was a little difficult with two little ones but I think we had fun and they actually turned out relatively well.

EE enjoying his cookie.

So you know the cute little pair of underwear that Easton was modeling for the camera the other day? Yep, those exact pair. Well, they no longer exist. No I haven't given up on the whole potty training thing and no I did not throw them out (even though both were a little tempting after today's episode). So, Easton was supposed to be taking a nap (which is becoming more and more rare these days). I thought he was asleep so I decided to take a nap too since I had to get up early this morning to watch Emma and Blair was actually still asleep. An hour goes by and I hear Easton playing in the blinds in the dining room. I walk out there and ask him why he isn't in his bed sleeping and then the smell hits me. I take Easton to the bathroom to change him and make him clean up his mess. I hand him his underwear to clean in the toliet. Things start out relatively good. He swishes it around and then flushes the toilet. Repeats the same pattern a couple of times. Then he flushes the toilet one last time and accidentally lets go of the underwear. I yell, "grab it, grab it!" as I frantically run towards the toilet to try and grab the underwear out myself. But the cute little cars underwear went around and around and around until it vanished. I was too late. I'm just hoping that the toilet will continue to work and not become clogged. Oh, the joys of toilet training.

Not too long after this incident, Easton walks in on me using the bathroom. He looks in the toilet and sees that I went and yells, "yay mommy! You went potty!" and then hands me one of his prizes he got for using the bathroom a few days earlier. I guess he doesn't understand that I've been doing this now for more than 20 years. I got a good laugh though.


I believe that Blair will be a moving disaster here shortly. I put her on her tummy and have started to put some toys in front of her. She has been trying so hard to get to them. If you notice in the video she will every once in a while try and get on her knees (you can see her put her butt in the air).

I took this video a few minutes later. I didn't move her. She is moving back and around. It won't be long until she figures it out and moves forward.

Also, she is really close to sitting up too. If she could just sit still for a while and not move her legs and arms I think she would have it.

Nathan got back from Tacoma Saturday night. He absolutely loves it there. I believe Tacoma will now be our first pick. Now we just have to wait and hope that the Air Force will let Nathan go to an Army Base to train. If they don't then hopefully we wil end up at our second choice in California. We should find out sometime on Dec. 16th. Wish us luck (or not luck I guess if you are hoping for California).

Here are my two boys wearing the ties that I made for them for Halloween. I need to make a few adjustments to the pattern I made for Nathan's tie but overall I was impressed with the results. Yes, they are wearing the same tie (some people probably think this is cute while others probably think it is stupid). In any case I bought the material for Easton's tie but I had so much material left over I decided to make one for Nathan as well.

Easton's really starting to get into singing. He even composes his own songs sometimes (he's talented I know). I really need to get him to do his latest which sounds like he is almost beatboxing. I have no idea where he picked that up from but it makes me laugh everytime he does it. I've even started to do the boom boom's with him. Here's a video of him kind of singing his ABCs (I sing the ABCs to Easton everyday before nap time). I overheard Easton singing it to Nathan for Nathan's "nap" which he did a really good job at. I came into the room with the camera and asked him to sing it again and this is what I got. Not his best but I was just glad that he actually was willing to sing it (he got a little distracted).

Blair is really starting to enjoy her jumper. Here's a video of her in it.

Revealing the costumes

We went to our first of what will seem like many Halloween parties this year. The student spouses club at Nathan's school does one every year and today was the day. We were about a half hour late because apparently I didn't give us enough time to get ready (I figured an hour and a half would be plenty of time but I think it took more like two hours). Oh well. I almost felt like the party was a little too long even though we got there so late.

It is a little hard to take pictures of your kids when you have a 2 year old who won't hold still and keep his costume on and when you are wearing the other one. We only got a couple pictures that others were nice enough to take. I didn't have time to fix Blair's costume to look half way descent in the pictures above so when we got home I took some pictures of the kids myself. These were the best I could get.

Easton of course refused to wear his costume. I don't exactly blame him since it does seem a little awkward to wear. It was hard to find a box small enough for his body but big enough to fit his head through a hole cut in the top (I blame the head on his dad). However, I was able to get him to wear it for the costume judging contest briefly which sadly he didn't win any awards. He's still the cutest little Lego I've ever seen. Also, he was a trooper and wore his costume around the school to go trick or treating. I told him he wouldn't get any candy unless he wore his costume. It worked until the last stop which was the health clinic. He refused to take the candy and took his costume off. At least he listens to him mommy right? Once he took his costume off he ran to the fish tank, eventually grabbed a book, and sat down in one of the kids' chairs. When I told him it was time to go he grabbed his book and headed straight for the exam room. Apparently we must visit the health clinic too much because he has the whole routine down. He was really upset when we actually left without been seen by anyone.

Blair was also a trooper. She was so tired and I'm guessing pretty hot in her costume (I know I was). Everyone loved her costume and thought she was the cutest little thing. She definitely loved the attention. Blair actually won the best overall costume. She got a prize which Easton quickly claimed the second it was handed to me. I really don't think he understands that it is hers and not his. Oh, well she has a while before she can really enjoy it. In the mean time I guess Easton gets the privilege of playing with it. Isn't she the cutest star gazer lily ever?

Pumpkin Patch

Nathan got home Tuesday afternoon and didn't have to go in for work. We decided to make a trip to the pumpkin patch since Nathan left this morning for an interview in Tacoma, Washington and won't be back until Saturday night.

Picture of the girls with the cow (and Easton too but he was way too scared to get too close to the animals).


Picture of the boys. This is as close as Easton would get. As long as someone was between him and the animals he was fine.

goat. They would walk across the bridge that you had to go under.

Pig. Easton loved the pigs. That was probably because they were the only animals that wouldn't try to jump over the fence to hopefully get some food.

Easton getting a wheel barrow ride from Daddy. He started out like this but ended up like this...



I have no idea why he was laying this way. He does this in the bath tub.

Easton searching for a pumpkin.

Dad and Easton found the family pumpkin.

Easton decided he needed his very own Easton size pumpkin.

Easton ran all over the place. He loved going to the farm.

Silly goat. This is why Easton was so scared. They kept putting their heads out and Easton was afraid they were going to get him.

Easton afraid of the ducks. Of course if you stand behind dad they won't get you.

For some reason the ducks loved Nathan's shoes. That white duck wouldn't stop pecking at them.

This was the nice surprise we got from Blair half way through the pumpkin patch. It got everywhere. I'm considering potty training her too!

Happy as can be now that she isn't all poopy. We didn't have a change of clothes for her so she had to go home in only her diaper (well and a headband too of course).

Newest Project

Whenever Nathan is gone I like to keep myself busy at night while the kids are asleep. Well, as many of you know Nathan was out of town Monday for his second part of his step 2 test in Atlanta, Georgia. I've been wanting to try this out for a while now but with Halloween around the corner I had to get the costumes done first. Well, I got the costumes done Sunday so I definitely had time to experiment Monday night. The pattern I had for the tie was for 4-7 year olds. Obviously Easton doesn't fit in that category so I had to do some adjustments. I think it turned out well and just in time for Halloween. It is hard to see but it is a black tie with orange spider webs. It took a little while but hopefully the next one will go a little fast now that I have one under my belt.