Babbling Cal-alittle current update

So playing catch up with our summer life of photos has taken lots of time. My last post was of the 4th of July posted in October...So I wanted to sneak in a current look at our baby Cal at 4 months old 16lbs and 26inches.


Dad decided to slip Benji's sun glasses on Cal while I was ordering the ice cream for our Saturday after pumpkin land...

I think Cal is a little shocked by the eye wear...

Such a cute silly face!

Brotherly love!

Our Happy Baby!

Muddy Mud Pit & Mr Crabby Patty

Last October....The family went for a nice walk...When the boys left the trail and wondered down to the receding river, mom was not in exploring shoes so I left the boys to trail blaze on their own. This is what I welcomed back home...They were covered head to toe in mucky river mud and Benji discovered a new friend. Mr. Crabby Patty the Crawdad he just had to bring home!
(Note Yes I know Benjis pants are down, the mud was cold and he was anxious to get in the bath.)

After the big clean up (hosing out all the clothes before they hit the washing machine) and a complete scientific examination of the crawdad (yes Benji is a science enthusiast & we learned more then we needed to know about crayfish) we all got in the car and drove back to the river to send Mr. Crabby Patty home and set him FREE...

Autumn Gratitude

Benji and Ryelle take ring side seats & hand out pointers on carving the Bird

The anticipation...

Silly Sisterly Love.... It has been so fun to have Nanna and my 3 of my sisters move closer to us this fall. Here Charitie, Cortnie and Chelsie get goofy together before dinner. We hosted Thanksgiving for the 5th time in our marriage. It definitely gets easier the more you host. Thanks Familiy I love you all!

Family Supporting Adoption Walk

November is National Adoption month. To celebrate and bring awareness as a family we spent the Saturday at a Walk for Families Supporting Adoption. We met up with some friends and my 16 year old Sister Charitie & had a good time.

Adoptive families walked with signs stating who they were walking for a birth mom or child. Birthmothers & supporters were there too with signs as we walked around the park. After the walk the kids really enjoyed running after the orange candy shot out of a candy cannon. Then there was a drawing and we actually won two free meals to Cafe Rio one of our fave Utah Restaurants. It's so good!! Dans Favorite is the sweet pork salad smothered burrito or salad, mine is the veggie salad with black beans & house dressing.

Cannon Shooting Candy for the kids.

After the walk we were happy to find the leaves piled up so high we were able to indulge in one of our Fall family traditions of playing in the leaves together.

Benji was very excited to disappear in the leaves.

The feud begins...Game on Dad!

Benji -No leaves in my eyes!

Dan & Benji Decide to sneak up & get mom...

I love the Autumn leaves!

Trick or Treat 3 bags full!

Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat 3 Bags Full!!

Creeping and rolling on the grass like a real spider!

Aunt Deva Chelsie and Cousin Kitty Ryelle

The Trick or treaters

We had a fun filled Halloween!

Friday I took Benji to school all dressed up and stopped over to check out the kindergarten class before the School Halloween parade. I was hopping I could sneak in to help with the class or just be a part of it. His teacher is so nice she let me tag along and help out with the parade. The little kindergartners were easily turned around when they were parading through the classrooms so I stood at the doors and helped guide the wondering costumed cuties.

Cookie Decorating

The Sweetest Kindergarten Teacher Cat in the Hat & Spooky Spider

Then Benji played Halloween Bingo, decorated pumpkin cookie, and a played pictionary games. We packed ourselves in the car and headed off to Dads Halloween Office Trick or Treat party.

Here there was a major hold up as the office guys told him to take as many and what ever he liked...the choices the choices...

Note Benji is well aware that Mom and Dad are terrified of spiders-Dad more then mom-So when he saw this costumes he was thrilled to be the one thing he knew both of us had a phobia of. He would not be talked out of it-though Dad tried his best!

The Fam

Unfortunately Dad was detained on our arrival with a good thing –getting closer to closing a deal- So I blindly lead Benji around the office decorated mazes a Halloween fun. Here he timidly gathered his 1^st bag of candy. We met up with Dad snuck a photo and raced to the ward Trunk or Treat. Here we froze for 1 hour with friends outside while Benji got his 2^nd bag of candy.

The Freeze yourself out Trunk or Treat. Nana the tiger, Aunt Mahkalie the beautiful, Charitie the Cutest nerd, Kristen the Devil, Me the witch, Aunt Chelsie with Kitty Ryelle, Dracula AJ, Spooky Spider Benji, and Pumpkin Nelly(yes we dressed our dog). note she loved it no complaints! Really!

The next day Halloween we recouped (Mom was under the weather with a sinus and ear infection for the last 2 days) Then buoyed up, costumed up and hit the neighborhood (with great friends neighbors) about 5:30 pm 3^rd bag of candy. Benji was so excited by now there were no timid. No he was running up the house steps and rolling down the lawn to the next house. (Pictures at the top of the blog.)He was really acting out the “roll” of a spider and spent much of the time creeping and rolling on the grass. Then we headed on up to the cousins for the annual chili Halloween gathering. Phweey I am exhausted and Benji is still bouncing off the walls.

Where Did Autum Go?

Monday we carved our pumpkins for Halloween and Tuesday we had the neigbhoor kids over for sledding and snowmen. What happend to Autum?

What I love about this is how excited the kids were to start their snowman. They actualy started rolling the base 3 houses down on our way home from school. Note they all three still have their back packs on!

The good thing is I got to break out the cocoa machine. I LOVE HOT CHOCHOLETE!!!