More Freestone

One Saturday we took the kids to Freestone Park which is beautiful park in Gilbert. There is tons of stuff to do and it is an amazing place to take pictures. The kids love it!!

Sienna's first Ferris Wheel ride with a boy! It was so adorable. The little boys name was Scottie and he was the same age as Sienna. They were both giggling and kind of nervous. Deep down, I secretly wanted them to kiss!

I love, love, love Carousels. I think they are gorgeous and so romantic. This particular one at Freestone is my favorite because it has my favorite color- turquoise.

More Park

Wesley geared up and ready for the Train Ride to begin. He is such a boy!

My favorite Carousel in Arizona.

Me and Pooh Bear aboard the Train.

Sienna Bear

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago while Sienna was playing by the glass sliding door in the kitchen. She is literally laying on the kitchen floor on a rug. She was being so playful and sweet- I'm so glad it shows.

Later that day

Early in December we drove 45 minutes to a farm, where we hoped to cut down our own Christmas tree only to find out they weren't open for another week. OK plan B......let's go to Freestone- a park nearby and let the kids loose. Freestone Park is beautiful. It has a lake, ducks, trees, a waterfall, carousel rides, a train ride and a jungle gym for the kids.

Waiting in line for the tire swing....thank goodness it wasn't too hot. Sienna loved this swing...I remember it was my favorite too when I was little.

Poor Puppy...he was so groggy and tired. All he wanted to do was lay down.....at the park. That couldn't be more odd for Wesley. He must have been sick. But of course Nathan was able to manage a few laughs from him.

The Snacking Step

This is the kids snacking step. It's our compromise when they don't want to eat their snacks at the table and we don't want them in the family room. Many a snack has been nibbled on these steps...and I have the crumbs to prove it.

It was just a few cute moments I wanted to capture of them. I know...it's hard to tell what my favorite colors are. What can I say?

I love my stinkers.

Zoolights

After Thanksgiving we headed over to Zoolights. Zoolights is a holiday event where the Phoenix Zoo is lit with millions of Christmas Lights. It was cute.....I am sure we would have enjoyed it more had it not been raining! There was as downpour within the first 10 minutes of arriving. Rain on kids+ bedtime =grumpy children. This giraffe named Jengo however stole the show. The kids were transfixed by him. He was a life size, "talking" giraffe that interacted with the audience.

Wesley has talked about Jengo everyday since.....literally. "Where's Jengo Baff?"

Grandma braving the weather with us. We love having Grandma be a part of our life!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was spent with friends and family. We love having my younger brother Matt visit for the holidays. The kids adore him.

One night while my brother was here we took the kids to an Arcade pizza place which they loved. Here's me and Wes on one of my favorite games called "Arctic Thunder." It simulates snowmobiling and blows cold air on you while you ride.

Love you Bubba- come back soon!

Something Special

While my Mom was here visiting from overseas we were able to go to the Mesa, Arizona Temple. It's truly a different experience seeing it through her eyes. Because my parents live in the Middle East, they rarely if ever have the opportunity to go to the Temple. So it means so much to her to be able to visit the Temple when she is in the U.S. It really reminds me how much we take for granted the conveniences we have here in Arizona and elsewhere in the United States. So it was truly, truly something special I was able to do with my Mom.
And a picture for posterity!

Halloween

This has been a long time in coming.....I have wanted to dress the kids up as Storybook characters forever. I loved, loved, loved dressing up the kids as Little Bo Peep and her Lost Sheep. I was looking for Sienna's costume months in advance. I finally found this one on ebay. I added embellishments and Mom made her bonnet from scratch. Finding Wesley's costume was a nightmare....so Mom saved the day and made his costume.

Wesley standing on the stairs for our "dress rehearsal." No, he did not like the costume. And no it was not easy to get the costume on him. It took about 1 1/2 packages of fruit snacks to coax him into it. Ta-dah!

Happy Halloween

I had a love/hate relationship with Halloween this year. I loved seeing the kids dressed as Little Bo Peep and a Lost Sheep.....but it was so much work getting it all together. Mom and I were fried when it was time to go to the Ward trunk-or-treat. But....it was all worth it. They were so stinkin cute! After the ward event we trick-or-treated around our neighborhood. I had women after women walking across the street to compliment the children and their costumes. One lady asked us to walk to her house so she could get her camera and take a picture of the kids. The men however said that Wesley would never forgive me when he grew up and saw those pictures.

Chili & Pumpkin Festival

It's here again....one of my most favorite events all year- the Pumpkin & Chili Festival down at the Farm. It's full of pumpkins, sunflowers, barbeque chicken, horses, carnival rides, corn on the cob and hay! The picture below is of Puppy and his beloved tractors. Anything that remotely resembles a moving vehicle is a tractor. And for awhile there, when he'd see a plane in the sky he'd squeak, "tractor!"

Rides

It seems like Sienna has loved horses since day one. Riding the ponies is probably her most favorite part of going to the farm.

The most fun part for us was going on the swings with Mom. You know the one where you start close to the ground and as you swing you're lifted higher and higher in the air and swing faster till you feel like you might throw-up...yeah that's the one. Mom is such a good sport!

It's hard to believe she's in her 60's. She has such a zest for life that is contagious. Nothings really changed since I was little...she still tells me to try new things and not be such a scaredy cat.