Time for a Change

Our blog's title is a little outdated.... It's time for a change. Any ideas?!

Halloween 2009

Phew!! Halloween is over for another year! We were very busy this past week with Halloween parties and activities. The girls both had to wear their costumes to five different events.... so we are lucky their costumes lasted through trick or treating Halloween night.

Lauren decided early on that she wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood. In order to find the best costume, we had to go to several stores and finally purchased one "online." Elle found her costume at the first costume shop we entered.... she was very happy with her cowgirl costume! I'm surprised we didn't have a princess or fairy this year.

Cameron (at age 1 month) was given a skeleton onesie from my sister Julie, which was a perfect costume for the little guy. He is growing like crazy, so I'm happy he was able to fit into the onesie..... it may not fit next week based on his growth spurts!

Halloween day we visited the kids' Great Grandma Leak and Great Aunt Margaret before trick-or-treating. She handed out dollar bills to the girls (and a $10 to me!)..... they were super-excited. This is always a special treat.

We also fit in carving a pumpkin and decorating the outside of house to make the decor a little more spooky. Brandon took the girls' trick-or-treating and I stayed home with Cameron to answer the door for our visitors. We had a slow but constant stream of trick-or-treaters.

The girls ended up with an INCREDIBLE amount of candy this year. Lauren is one to save her candy and slowly eat it over the next few months.... but I'll have to keep an eye on Elle. While she is very generous and shares her candy with all (yea!) she also has a sweet tooth like me..... so her candy may be gone in a few days.

We hope you all had a happy Halloween...... on to Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!!

Our New Baby Boy

Our baby boy was born on 9/30/09 at 12:57 pm. He weighs 8 lbs 11 oz and is 22 inches long.

Happy Pioneer Day

Not only did we attend most of the Pioneer Day parade in Salt Lake City on the 24th, but we attended the Butlerville Days festivities. Cottonwood Heights was originally called Butlerville - back in the days - so we had our own town activities to attend. Here are a couple of "Wanted" posters the girls completed, which I LOVE.

(You have to love Elle's tummy and belly button)

Fourth of July

The fourth of July included driving up to Logan the night before.  We were able to go to the town's Fireworks show at the USU stadium.  While the events leading up to the fireworks were somewhat disappointing, the fireworks were amazing and lasted forever!  

The next morning we drove up to the North Odgen parade to see our cousins.  Fun times with family.

Our Pet Quail

One day this summer, the neighborhood kids found a baby quail that appeared to have been abandoned and hurt.  So the kids found a box, filled it will leaves, strawberries, sticks, a water dish, a plate of birdseed, and named the bird, "Limps." However, the bird didn't thrive, and it was left up to me (for some reason) to help this bird.  I made several calls to vets in the area and was told the only place we could take the bird was to a wildlife station near Ogden. 

And since I was not going to drive to Ogden, we called Grandpa Bond for some advise.  For as long as I can remember, he has always been the go-to person with an abandoned animal question..... And he told the girls what we had thought all along..... if the bird didn't get better and fly away, the bird would probably die.  

So, sadly after a day of watching and over-mothering the bird, the bird finally passed on.  A nice grave was prepared in the neighbor's backyard, and the girls were able to learn a valuable lesson about death and create great memories. 

I think right now, there is a container of grass-hoppers on my front porch.  On to the next adventure!

We are Gardners (Kind of)

When we bought our home, we were lucky enough to get a spot of land in the backyard for a garden.  The previous owners had had a very successful garden the previous summer, but because we bought the home right at the end of spring, no gardening (or clean-up from the previous year) had been done.  The spot was left with old corn husks, weeds, and old sprinkler pipes.  

Thanks to my parents and Brandon's parents, we finally were able to put in a few vegetables this year.  My dad cleaned out most of the old plants, and Brandon's parents actually bought a small rototiller that we could carry down into our backyard (our backyard is tiered into three sections by large boulders... not ideal).  His parents were in town one evening and we accomplished planting several tomato plants, a watermelon, zucchini, cucumber, and basil.

While it looks like slugs are enjoying the plants right now (beware, slug killer is on the way), we are excited to see if we can actually grow something this summer!

Crazy Weather

Most of June included sunny days with stormy nights.  Here was a fantastic, beautiful storm that passed through our neighborhood one evening:

There is no way that the pictures give it justice.  

Summer Activities

So far this summer, the girls have had fun playing with our new neighbors.  I would have to say that has been the highlight.  We have really moved to a wonderful neighborhood with kids all around.  And the kids are all great!  The hardest part for me is having the kids come in and out of the house all day.  I seriously have this flashback memory of my Mom saying the exact same words to me when I was little, "Shut the door!" of "Don't leave the door open, all of the hot air is coming inside!"  Also, I think this goes hand-in-hand, "Shut the refrigerator door, all of the cold air is escaping!"  Yes, in some ways I have turned into my mother.

We have a new family that moved into our cul-de-sac about a month after we moved here.  They just moved from Missouri where they finished their "Ear, Nose, & Throat" Residency.  So they are in a very similar situation to us.  They have four girls from 8yrs old to a 1 yr old.  More girls for my girls to have fun with!  

We have made weekly trips to the library for reading time, we have gone to a few matinee movies, purchased two water sprinklers for the girls to run through, and have had plenty of "Snow shack" ices.  I even splurged and bought our own small ice shaver to make our own.  It has been fun to have on hot days!

While the girls and I have been home playing or "cleaning house,"  Brandon has been hard at work.  His schedule has been just as long as ever.  It hasn't let up very much.  Therefore, we have not gone on a true summer vacation yet.  While he enjoys the surgeries; it is the paperwork, pre-operation and post-operation care is what takes most of his time.  He is working very hard for our family to enjoy our new life.

Brandon was able to get tickets to the Salt Lake Bees baseball team a few weeks ago. The girls had fun eating cotton candy and watching the mascot, Bumble.  

I am now three months away from having a baby.... and have to admit I'm not enjoying being pregnant.  I never have.  BUT I hope to have a beautiful healthy baby soon, so this will be worth it.  I feel very large!

Good news

Good news!  We closed on our new house yesterday, and I got the keys TODAY.  Now I need to decide about whether or not to replace the carpet.  And how much of the home do I need to reclean.... to really make sure they did a CLEAN job?  I know.  I will have to reclean.  This is my first wiff of how big this house is compared to where we have been recently.  BUT I'm NOT complaining.  Oh, there is so much to do.  Furniture to buy....  I wish I had an interior designer degree.  Pictures to come.

And I'll try to blog more often, I promise.