Happy Halloween!

From a unicorn and sheriff. Westin wore this costume last year, but was excited to wear it again and it still fit him well. Jade actually left the hat on all night at our church Trunk or Treat. I didn't see that coming! I love seeing all the cute kids in costume, especially mine, a mother's bias I don't mind admitting.

Pumpkin Patch

We went twice to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm this year. It's free on the week days and there is so much to do for kids. So, we saw the animals, went on the hayride, played in all the play areas, rode the train (there was a small fee for this), and enjoyed walking around in this perfect fall weather we are having.

Westin's favorite spot on the hayride is standing up right behind the tractor. I love watching him enjoy the scenery and the breeze in his face.

Jade climbs up to and slides down all by herself. This girl is not afraid to have fun!

Odds and Ends

A few pictures from a short hike we went on here in Lincoln, last Saturday. These two were made for hikes, or anything outdoors that keeps them moving.

Last week Jade walked in the room with shoes strapped on her feet, all by herself. I had to take a picture. She is growing so quick and now speaks in short sentences. The other day she said, "No Mommy! Don't do that!" I was holding her and pretending she was a tiny new baby...and making tiny new baby noises (I'm kind of a nutcase sometimes), she clearly did not like that. She is feisty, just like her brother. About the same time, I offered her some fruit and her response, "No, I talkin' on phone." She was holding my phone up to her ear and asking, "Hello? Wanna talk on phone?" She's hilarious.

We had preschool at our house this week. Westin was naughty. He definately took advantage of the fact that class was on his turf. He is a tricky one...headstrong, stubborn, and so defiant at times! Push at him and he will push harder back. Last week naps weren't working out. He just wouldn't go to sleep, so we changed things a little. Now he has "quiet time" for an hour in his room. Funny thing is that he's fallen asleep all three times that we've done it so far. He likes things on his terms and I think I need to get used to being creative to avoid control struggles. He sure is fun though and makes me laugh and smile everyday. The other day he asked for his water and quickly added, "His name is Clifford." His water bottle has a Clifford top. A few days ago he turned to Wes and said, "Tell me about work, Dad." When he wanted to bring a container with a slug in it, in the house, and I didn't want him to he responded with, "Ohhh, but he's my friend!" He said it in such a sweet voice too. He often tells me and Wes that he loves us, usually out of the blue.

Westin and Jade

The draw to shoes starts early for girls.

First off, I know it's hard, but please resist the strong urge to be jealous of this 20 yr old pillow case. Second, Westin wanted to sleep in his goggles...don't you just want to do that sometimes?

Yo ho ho!

Westin and Jade fight daily, but thankfully they play a little every day too! This particular morning, they were playing in the backyard and I was doing laundry and getting ready for the day. I walked past the door I heard Westin say, "I love you. I love you." I back tracked a bit and saw he was looking directly at her, trying to convey to her his brotherly love. She had a blank expression on her face, but was soon smiling at him. I'm finding that when I'm with one and the other is not there, they often ask where the other is. It's really fun to watch them interact positively. Occasionally, in a strange way, their fighting is comical...when it is not too extreme.

UTAH VISIT

At the beginning of October we went to Utah to see friends, family, and to watch General Conference. It was a short visit, but a great one. We got to see Aunt Ann and Uncle Daryl. It was a really good visit, and Westin had a great time shooting a wafer disc gun with Uncle Daryl. Wes has some really loving and supportive aunts and unlces, and Ann and Daryl are definately 2 of them.

We like to visit the Monte L. Bean Museum at BYU when we are there and thought Westin would love it. He mostly loved running around. I would have liked to have spent more time at my alumni campus, but we didn't have time or energy for that. We had driven through the night again, which is still our best strategy, but does leave us a little more tired than usual.

Us with Todd, who served with Wes in Mexico, and his two sweet kids, Lorenzo and Lilly.

Westin had such a fun time playing with these two. They were such great little hosts to him.

Todd and Aubry were awesome in getting us tickets to a session of General Conference. This nutty picture of Wes is all we have to show for it, but it really makes me laugh. It was nice just to sit and listen, with friends, and to be motivated and uplifted without the distraction of kids. Aubry's family watched them for us...super nice.

The amigos.

Jade warmed up to Aubry well toward the end. Aubry and Todd were so nice to let us stay with them. They were more than generous with us and we had a great time. They are really good people.

I got to see two of my bests friends, Amanda and Christi. It all started when we were 7, so it is always great to get in a reunion, no matter how brief.

Napa Valley Ragnar

I ran a second Ragnar Relay mid September. It started in San Francisco and ended in Calistoga. In total, our team of 12, covered 187 miles. My part consisted of 17 miles broken into 3 runs. My first was 2.7, then 9.3 (it was suppose to be 9, my Garmin said 9.3), then 5.2. I was runner 12 again also. My running didn't go as well as I wanted it to. I felt really tired from the beginning (we started Friday morning, but my first run wasn't until 5pm, and by the time I went to bed Sat night, I'd been up 40 hrs. I had bronchitis a couple weeks before the race, which didn't help my training. I'd like to blame my lack of "umph" on that, but really, it's just another excuse! Oh well! I did really enjoy my 9+miler at 3am, except I fell and got scraped up, and ran into a road sign. The road was not lit well, which is why we wear headlamps, but mine was a cheap one and didn't work. Part of it was through quiet, small town streets, most of it was away from the busy roads. It was peaceful...at times. The girls on my team were great. Most from church. We were team "San-Frantic for a Nap-a," and we ended up getting 3rd in our division.

Starting line. We wore pajamas for our team attire...to go with our name.

The team of 12 is broken into 2 vans. Here's our 6.

In our night gear.

The introspective Diana, me, and Jen. Jen is one of the preschool moms in the group Westin is in currently. Her son was born a few days before Westin. She is great.

After we each completed our first run, we had a break while the first van ran their second run. Lucky for us we were near Petaluma, with all its charm and tasty food, and ate at Graziano's. Normally I am not super impressed with restaurant pasta, because Wes KNOWS how to do pasta, but I was starving and exhausted, so I loved it.

After running my last 5.2 miles in the heat, I was happy for it to be done. Fortunately I had a couple of sweet friends, Jen and Carrie, run the last mile with me, which gave me an extra push. Otherwise I think I may have walked in! Just kidding, well, maybe.