Ghosts...Pumpkins...and 2 adorable Dinosaurs!!!

How fun it was this year, with Beckett being old enough to understand and get excited for Halloween. We've had their costumes for a few weeks, and he has been talking about going Trick or Treating, and getting to wear his dinosaur costume (he has even worn it around the house a couple of times, preparing for the actual day....). Both of the boys were green dinosaurs....SO cute!!!


Beckett, Kaylee, Reagan and Wyatt


















Kaylee as a 'Southern Belle' and Reagan as 'Wolverine'

Moving Day

Oh, the bittersweet day has arrived. I had a really hard time dismantling my home, packing everything in boxes, and saying goodbye to our sweet little house. But, in all honesty, I'm relieved to have sold it so quickly (especially in this market), and to be able to move on towards the next step in our journey. Besides, it hasn't been the same here ever since Leon left.

We had quite the crew show up to help me move our belongings out of our house and into storage this morning. I cannot say enough, how amazing our family and friends are. I want to sincerely thank each of you....I am so very grateful and appreciative for all of the help I have received. This past while has not always been easy, but your support has made getting through it possible. Thank you, thank you.....thank you.

6th Anniversary

6 years ago today, it was the most beautiful, perfect day.....

Wish we could spend it together, instead of 1000+ miles away! Love you, Leon... I.N.M.W.Y.

My lil cowboys

Happy cowboy (finally!....he let me take a picture of him while he was smiling!!!)...........





And a not-so-happy cowboy.............. ;)

Greenbluff & Brunch at Becky's

Becky invited several of us to a Saturday Brunch at her house, and she fixed Ziploc Omlets. I had never tried that before....but it was a lot of fun, and they turned out great....an especially good idea for such a large group of people. Everyone brought omlet toppings, and then we added them to our baggies, along with the eggs. She tossed the baggies in a pot of boiling water, and a few minutes later...the omlets were cooked and ready to eat! Yum. She also had a pretty spread of muffins and fruit. Thanks, Becky!








There were LOTS of boys there, and Beckett was very intent on trying to keep up with all of them....I think I counted 16 kids altogether.



After brunch, we all headed up to Greenbluff.....always a fun fall tradition.


Hmmmm......which one?!



Beckett & Braden





















Beckett and Kaylee


For more pics, check em out here and here

Sold!

We received an offer right before we left for NM. Gladly accepted it. Gotta admit, feeling tremendously relieved to know we will not have to go through the winter with our house on the market. If all goes well, we will officially no longer be homeowners as of the first week of November.

New Mexico

Over the weekend, the boys and I, plus my mom (she called herself the "granny nanny") flew down to visit Leon in New Mexico. It probably goes without saying, but we were *thrilled* to see him and he was just as thrilled to see us. The last time we saw him was August 24....waaaay too long ago. We flew from here to Albuquerque, then rented a car and drove about 4 hours further to where the training academy is. I had never been to NM before, and when I pictured it in my mind, I envisioned adobe homes, red desert rocks and plateau hills and mountains. Who knows where I got that from....an IMAX movie or some projector film from middle school history class?? In any case...that was NOT the part of NM we were in. It was very flat, dry and not so pretty. But we weren't there to see the scenery so much...we just wanted to see Leon! This was the boys' first airplane ride ever, and Beckett was so excited to get to go on a Southwest airplane. (He likes those because Grandma always goes on them). They both really did great and seemed to like flying (I, on the other hand, am extremely uncomfortable flying, but am pround of myself for keeping it together and not spreading my fear to them.......).



Beckett practicing wheeling his new suitcase that he got for his birthday













Albuquerque sunset....see??..not a bump in the horizon!






us....happy to be together


We were awakened each morning by these birds in a tree outside our hotel room window...there must have been hundreds of them and they were just chattering away...



On our way back to Albuquerque, we discovered we were near the old original Route 66, so of course my mom and I decided we needed to stop and get our picture taken by it.





Wyatt showing off his newly accquired walking skills in the Las Vegas airport....

Wyatt is 18 months old...and walking!!!

Wyatt is 18 months old today, and he is really getting more and more comfortable taking steps on his own.












.......and crawling too!!!

P U M P K I N S !

I love pumpkins. The way they look, the smell, their flavor, the time of year they represent.

On a chilly day lately, I decided I needed to bake something...so Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread it was........



And here is (what's left of) a Pumpkin Cake I made for Beckett's birthday party. I got the recipe from Cooking Light (one of my favorites) and it was YUM-my.



I also made some pumpkin muffins, but they're not exactly picture-worthy, as I was somehow distracted towards the end of their baking time, and got slightly overcooked. Good, nonetheless. I'll definitely make them again, and keep a better eye on the timer next time.


If anyone else has any fabulous pumpkin recipes you'd like to share....I'd love to hear about them.

Happy Fall! :)

Celebrating Beckett

Fortunately, Beckett is feeling much better, since having pneumonia on his birthday. We finally had his birthday party, which he has been eagerly anticipating. However, when it came time for everyone to sing TO him, he wasn't too sure about it and got a little bashful. Thanks to all our family who came to help us celebrate!