Pumpkin Patch, Jack O' Lanterns, and Fall Treats

We hit up the pumpkin patch last Saturday after Jace's t-ball game.  The IWFC (International Women & Family Club) from Thunderbird was hosting their monthly family field trip there so the cost was only $3 per person instead of $10.  We did all the usual pumpkin patch activities:  corn maze, petting zoo, jump house, corn pit, pumpkin launching, picture taking, etc.  It was super hot though.  TOO hot for October.  I think especially being pregnant this desert summer is dragging on way too long.  I'm desperate for some cooler fall weather.  We didn't stay that long because I felt like I was going to die from heat exhaustion.  The kids had fun except for when I was helping Jace with the water pump activity.  You pump water into a trough which then floats a rubber duck to the end.  When I was helping him it pinched his finger and he started crying.  By the time he calmed down some other kids had taken his duck.  He was furious at me for the next hour even though I apologized like 20 times.  We stopped at Sonic on the way home and got some icee drinks to help cool us down which seemd to cheer him back up then we went over to Derek and Kristie's for a barbecue and to watch the BYU football game.  Overall a fun day.  We didn't get pumpkins at the patch so on the way home from the game we let them pick some out from the grocerystore.

 

Cutest pumpkins in the patch!

On Monday for family night we made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, carved our pumpkins into Jack O' Lanterns and roasted the pumpkin seeds. 

It was super fun!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - a fun fall treat - and SO easy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 (15oz) can solid pack pumpkin
1 Spice cake mix
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (optional)
1 C. chocolate chips
1 C. chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix everything together.  Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-18 minutes.  Let sit for 5min. before removing from cookie sheet.  ENJOY!!

Scary Jack O' Lanterns.  Brooke chose the scary face and Jace chose the pirate ship. 

Roasted pumpkin seeds from our Jack O' Lanterns.

Jace insisted that we have roasted pumpkin seeds but he refused to put his hands into the pumpkin guts - it was too gross for him.  So I recruited Brooke to be my seed sorter.  Jace was so happy and appreciative that I made them for him and he ate a ton of them.  What a fun family night!

The next morning I took a picture of them before we left for school (that's why Brooke is holding a piece of toast) in front of their pumpkins making their scariest faces ever! :)  Jace was super happy this morning.  I think because it's spirit week at school and today happened to be military day so he got to wear a camouflage shirt.  He's a nut! I loved having a happy Jace this morning.

Making their scariest faces ever!

T- Ball



Jace making faces at me through the fence while he was hanging out in the dugout.

We put Jace in T-ball this year.  It didn't start until October because it's just too darn hot to play here during the summer.  Whenever Craig has time he practices with him at the park.  Brooke and I have enjoyed watching him at his practices every Thursday evening at the ball park.  I chill out on the grass and yell encouraging words when he's batting and remind him to pay attention and not sit down when he's in the outfield.  Brooke practices her expressive dance skills to songs she makes up and she likes to show me how fast she can run to the drinking fountain.  We usually hang out at the park for an hour afterwards.  One day a few weeks ago (it's still pretty hot here) the kids noticed the splash pad was still up and running.  It was getting dark and they knew it was time to go home but instead I asked if they wanted to play in it for a bit.  They didn't have swimsuits so they just ran around in their regular clothes.  It was hilarious to watch.  They were shocked that I let them ... and for an hour I was the coolest mom alive.

These pictures are at his game last Saturday.  They have practice every Thursday night and a game every Saturday morning.  We were all able to go this time.  It's fun to watch him.  He's really a great little hitter and he has a cannon for an arm.  He needs to work on aiming his throws and paying attention in the outfield.

The teams don't keep score.  They just let all the players on the team go through and bat then they switch to the outfield.  They go through batting 3 times.  I think the highlight for the kids is the treat afterwards.  One of the parents always brings a fun drink and treat.  When I volunteered we had doughnuts and orange juice.  It was a favorite.  It's funny though because we asked Jace what his favorite part about the game was and he said "I think maybe hanging out in that little house." (the dugout)  Craig and I just laughed.  He does have fun in there joking around with the other boys.  He also said he likes batting.  We are super proud of him .. even if he's not a super duper sports fan.

Good Bye Phoenix Zoo

Our year long zoo membership to the Phoenix Zoo is up at the end of the month so I promised the kids we could go one last time to say goodbye.  It has been such a fun place to visit.  We have spent many an afternoon wandering it's trails. . . .and taken lots of friends along the way with us.  We were happy to show it to daddy for the first time which seems crazy because we have been about 10 or more times since last October.  It worked out especially well last year because we could go right after Jace got out of morning kindergarten, eat some lunch on the way and get there just in time to feed the sting rays.  Some of our favorite spots here include:  Sting ray Bay, Harmony Farm's petting zoo and play land, Yakulla Caverns Splash Pad, Land of the Dragons (where the Komodo dragon lives), Monkey Village .. where you get to be in the cage with the squirrel monkeys, Wallaby Walkabout to see the baby Koala bear, the Enchanted Forrest play land,  the Baboon exhibit, the Elephant exhibit, Giraffe Lookout, and the front entrance where there are turtles and ducks.

 It was STILL particularly hot today (100+ degrees in late October - where are you fall?) so instead of walking we opted for the train to take us around the zoo while we slurped our rainbow snow cones.  Then we played at the splash pad for the rest of the time.  It was LOTS of fun!  We love you Phoenix ZOO!!  We did let the kids do something extra special today since it was their last visit here.  They got to go on a .... CAMEL RIDE!! They loved it. What a fun family day.  Back to the daily grind tomorrow.

At the front entrance checking out the turtles and ducks.

Yummy snow cones.  Thanks, Dad!

Big smiles while riding on Isaak the camel.

Brooke doing her thing at the splash pad. 
I'm wondering if I should put her in expressive dance. lol
That stain on her shirt is melted rainbow snowcone.

Jace is still carrying around the airplane you brought, Grandpa. :)
You did good.

Just cooling off.

30 weeks 3 days pregnant.

Fun day at the zoo!

Random thoughts by Brooke

The moment she wakes up ... practically before she has even opened her eyes she blurts out : "I had a good dream.  Not even a nightmare.  Me and Jace were playing and then I started flying."  That sounds fun.  "I think a fairy must have snucked up behind me and sprinkled me with pixie dust."  Then she ran off into the kitchen to get a cinnamon sugar toastie for breakfast.

About 2 hours AFTER she was supposed to be asleep in bed:  "I CAN'T go to sleep without brushing my teeth ... I'll turn into the tooth troll." alrighty then - I don't her to turn into a tooth troll but I would like some sleep myself.

While changing her clothes (I'm sure for the 10th time that day)  she runs out into the living room topless, covering her chest with her hands and yells: "Jace is trying to look at my niblets!!   Niblets are boo boos, mom."  thanks for teaching her that one, Craig.  I'm blaming you.  She is constantly running around the house naked telling me that everyone is trying to look at her private parts. 

Hopefully she grows out of it.

As I'm driving her home from preschool:  "Uncle Justin is one of the handsomest guys I know.  I think I miss him."  later she added "I am a little shy of him because he is SO handsome."

After whipping up some easy mac n' cheese for lunch:  "Mom,  you are the bestest cooker in the whole world AND in this house."  thank you Brooke.

While in the jogger on the way to pick up Jace from school:  "Sand sandwiches would be too crunchy to the taste.  Yeah,  they would be gross."  I seriously wonder what goes on in her head. 

At Jace's t-ball practice while I was taking her to the bathroom.  There were tons of people around because there was another game going on so I made her hold my hand .. which she was opposed to:  "STOP holding my hand you stranger!!"  Everyone around me glared at me like I was a kidnapper or something.  Super embarrassing.  She got a talking to in the bathroom.

The morning Nani & Grandpa left after staying with us for a week.  She came inside to an empty house after being picked up from preschool, pouted around, then in her angry voice said:  "Ya know what I HATE!!"  what?  "I HATE when Nani & Grandpa go home."

Last Friday after dropping Jace off to school we came back and climbed into bed to wake up daddy.  She went to go get her elmo medicine bag and was playing doctor on both Craig and I.  She was giving Craig some medicine because according to her analysis he was very sick.  She pretended to open up her imaginary medicine bottle and she placed something down on the bed.  Craig quickly grabbed the pretend medicine and gobbled it down.  She looked at him annoyed and said "Dad."   "You just ate the lid."  shaking her head and rolling her eyes ...  "Now you're going to be REALLY sick."  Craig and I looked at each other and started cracking up.

Whenever we are in the car she sings whatever is the most recent song she has learned at either sunbeams in church or at preschool.  Lately she has been singing :  "There was an old lady that swallowed a fly.  I don't know why she swallowed a fly.  Perhaps she'll die."  Repeated 40 times because she only knows the first verse.  It drives Jace crazy.  Yesterday after we dropped Craig off at Thunderbird she started singing it again and Jace freaked out yelling "Shut up!!  You sound like a dying cat!"  she started crying and in between sobs said: "Mom,  Jace just broke my heart into a million pieces."  it was so sad but so funny.  I love that she sings wherever she goes and that she is so happy but you can only take so many repeats of There was an old lady that swallowed a fly.

While getting ready for school.  - Brooke are you feeling okay this morning?  You weren't quite yourself last night.  "Yup... I'm all better.  My tummy hurt last night and it made me not talkable."  Yeah, I noticed you weren't too 'talkable' last night. lol  - Usually she's chatty cathy ALL the time and when she's quiet she's either doing something naughty or asleep but she was just really quiet last night.  It was odd.

Every other minute:  "I'm firsty. (I'm thirsty)"  go get a water bottle out of the fridge  "mom, you know I ONLY like tasty drinks."  She is ALWAYS thirsty but I rarely can get her to drink water unless it is a last resort and there is nothing else left in the fridge.  She will cart around a gallon of milk or the orange juice container until I fill up a cup for her.  Her favorite is still chocolate milk.

As I'm writing this post:  "I'm a gum gobbler!!!"  "Where do you think you are hiding that gum!?!"  That will remain a mystery because she has not been following the 'gum' rules and I've been finding it in the carpet. 

We Love It When . . .

We love it when Nani and Grandpa come for a visit!  They stayed with us for a week before heading back to the cold weather up north.  It was wonderful to have some family around.  I've been getting kind of lonely lately.  I feel a little like a single mom and most of my good friends from last year have moved.  Craig has been SO busy with school and job fairs/applications/interviews that I hardly get to see him anymore.  With Paula and Robert around with did lots of fun things.  We spent an afternoon at the mall, went to a movie, shopped for baby clothes, rooted for Jace at his t-ball game, went to the park, and did swimming at the pool on campus.  The kids had a blast and I even got to go on a date with my husband! YAY!  We went out to eat at a pub across the street from the theater then we saw Moneyball with Brad Pitt.  I really liked it even though it was a baseball movie.  It was great to have some time alone with Craig just to talk as well.  The kids got spoiled like crazy while they were here!  They brought treats, toys and new clothes for each of them and then while we were at the mall they let them each pick out another small toy, play in the play place, and ride the train.  They also took them to see The Lion King in 3D.  Mommy is not nearly as fun.

Jace was SUPER excited to show Nani & Grandpa the book he made all by himself.  It's called "War Machines by Jace" and it has all sorts of pictures that he colored of fighter jets, tanks, missiles, battleships, torpedo's, etc.  It cracks me up because he always draws the 'bad' guys fighter jets with the big red circles getting bombed.  I'm trying to convince him that the Japanese are our friends now.  He's not buying it though because he's seen the attack scenes on Pearl Harbor too many times.  I think he had them both look through that book about a million times.  He was so proud of it.  I was proud of him for making it ... since it wasn't a school project or anything.. just something he wanted to do.  He loves the little toy f-15 that Grandpa brought for him and has had it in his hands at all times since the second he laid eyes on it (except for at school).

Brooke sang them songs and gave them hugs all week long.  She's such a lovable little thing.  She likes to sing "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" and she just learned the 5pumpkins on a fence song at school for Halloween and likes to sing them over and over again.  The day she came home from preschool to an empty house was a sad day.  She said "You know what I HATE!?!"  .... "When Nani and Grandpa go home.. that's what I hate."  Then she pouted around the house for a good 1/2 hour until she got distracted in the toy room with her babies.  I kept reminding her that they would be back at Christmas time but that's still such a long time away for a 4 yr old.

Anyways,  we love you Nani and Grandpa.  We love it when you come and visit us!

Brooke's pout ... the water was a little too cold.

Yikes ... this water is COLD.

Playing torpedos with Grandpa.

The squiggly palm trees on campus are kind of cool!

Nani & Brooke.

Pregnancy Update: 28 Weeks

Maternity Clothes:  I feel like my belly is getting huge.  Everything feels tight and I still have 11 weeks to go.  I live in maternity capris, gaucho pants, and old navy maternity shirts.

Best Moment This Week:  Jace started t-ball this week and needed some extra help understanding the rules and practicing so we went to the ball fields for family night.  The kids had so much fun!  I loved watching Craig coach our kids on how to play.  He was so patient with them.  It really felt like a perfect moment in time.

Movement:  The baby is super active.  According to BabyCenter: By this week, the baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.  He is settling into the proper position for birth, with his head facing downward.  He's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths.  His sleep now includes the REM phase which means he may already be dreaming. I love watching my belly roll in every direction.  He's definitely on a wake/sleep routine now but unfortunately he's awake during much of the night.  I hope that doesn't continue after birth.  I'm already so in love with this little guy!


Food Cravings:  Grapefruit, pears, green smoothies, blueberry bagels w/ cream cheese, salad, zucchini, whole grain bread w/ peanut butter spread, The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken Bellagio w/ cream pasta, and cinnamon bears w/ chocolate.


What I Miss Most:  I miss being able to wear clothes comfortably.  It's still so hot here so no matter what I wear I still feel overheated.  I'm thankful for a good air conditioner! :)


Sleep:  Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night super itchy or so thirsty that I drink a full water bottle in about 5 seconds.  The tired spell that I experienced in the first trimester is sneaking up on me again now that I'm in my last trimester.  Yesterday I took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and went to bed at 10pm and slept just fine.  It makes me wonder if the baby is going through a growth spurt.


What I am Looking Forward To:  The Holidays!!  I love this time of year ... even though it can get hectic and stressful.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas should be lots of fun.  I love holidays with young kids.  They make it so fun and exciting.  Having something to look forward to each month makes the time go by faster too.  Brooke is already changing her mind about what she wants to be for Halloween on a daily basis.


Symptoms:  I could go on and on.  I think when my Doctor asks me this on my next appt. I might just start crying.  Where to start?  First of all, I'm breaking out.  I definitely don't have the pregnant glow that everyone talks about.  I'm overly emotional, headachey, and tired. I randomly will have pain and pressure on my pubic bone.  It feels  badly bruised but I think it's the ligaments stretching to make room for growing baby.  If I eat anything with too much salt I wake up in the middle of the night super itchy and extremely thirsty.  No more potato chips as an evening snack.  My hands and feet swell occasionally and I'm having braxton hicks contractions regularly.  


Other Thoughts:  I am so excited and happy to be starting my third and final trimester.  I love just laying down and tapping or rubbing my belly and getting a response in the form of a jab or kick.  I'm already dreaming of holding this baby boy for the first time and how I want to rearrange my bedroom to accommodate for all his belongings.  It's frustrating to not know where we will be.  I am due about a week after Craig's graduation from Thunderbird with his MBA in International Management so we may be moving shortly after the baby comes.  We are hoping for a good job and look forward to what adventures the future brings.