Halloween 2010

Happy Halloween everyone! I know Micah and Madi have had a very HAPPY Halloween. I will try and walk you through the following pictures, as some of them need some explaining.

The kid visited a pumpkin patch with GG and Papa D a few weekends ago, while Mommy was at work! They got to go on a HayRide, Cow Train, and see lots of animals, which included a CRAZY goat that as Micah has told me a MILLION times “kept jumping on the food”.

Grandma Cheri sent the kids a great Halloween package! We got it Thursday, and I don’t think that Madi has ate anything but straight sugar since then.

Mom has been busy making Halloween costumes. Notice how ours are easy, iron-on “m”s, but for Grace we went all out on fairy wings and tutu!! Jason and Mommy were both brown M&M’s!! After Grandpa D took our pic, Micah decided he need to take a picture too… So those are the close up of me, and the pic of Ash and Jace. GG bought Micah his own camera on Saturday, and notice that instead of participating in the pumpkin carving, he took pictures of me and Madi instead!

Micah has loved looking at all the Halloween decorations, and has even started asking “Can I buy that?” when he really likes one. His favorites had been the blow up decorations and foggy bubble machine. Our neighbors have a huge blow up gargoyle on their roof, and we have to take a nightly drive down to see the “great big kitty”.

Micah picked the glittery kitty to carve on his pumpkin, but as I already mentioned, he didn’t so much like the carving as he did photograph the event!

We were all M&M’s this year. I have had this planned since last year’s Halloween, but Michael thought he would be lucky and get out of it since he is deployed. Not so easy buddy!! I put an “m” on a military issue tee, and Mike was a sand colored M&M (thanks for the idea, Aunt Suzie). He had better get a pic of him in it before he comes home or there will be trouble. Aunt Suzie make the kids candy buckets, and Madi knows exactly what is in it. Can you spot the pic of her when I took the candy away…. GG came to the rescue with more M&M’s

Well, they each filled their buckets, and as a mother, I have developed a whole new hatred for this holiday…

Happy Halloween!

Madison's 1yr Portraits

As most who know me well know, my good friend Dale is my FAVORITE photographer! He has photographed me and my family since my senior year in high school. He traveled out to Utah for my wedding, came the day Micah got home from the hospital for his newborn shoot, and has fit us in last minute more than once for things like family shoots before deployments and now Madison's 1yr pics. He is quickly becoming too good for me... and I don't mean that in a bad way. Check out his blog to see the kind of things he is photographing these days, and you will see what I mean...

benfieldphotography.blogspot.com

Here are my favorites of Madi's shots!

Finally Home.... Well, sort of...

We have finally made it back to GG and Papa D's house. When people would ask me in the airport (we had a more than 3hr layover in Denver) if we were headed home, I didn't really know how to answer... Yes and NO!

We spent the last week of our vacation in Utah, and the kids had a blast with cousin Sopha (pronounced "Sofa" by Micah). Actually, the kids pretty much tortured her. I am sure she was glad to see them go... at least until she is big enough to defend herself. We spent our last night in Utah with Shu Shu and Ayi (Shane and Alisha) at their cute LITTLE apartment. Micah said we were "camping" and he had a blast pillow fighting Shu Shu. They took Micah to Build-a-Bear, and literally MADE him make a bear. It's a long story, but it is an experience and none of us will forget and he had better LOVE that dog FOREVER!! Shu Shu and Ayi also took them to a duck pond on BYU campus the morning of the BYU homecoming parade. He was the only kid that remembered bread, so all the other kids watched him enviously as he fed the ducks. We got some super cute pics of their first day on campus... because of course they will be Cougars someday (Uncle Chris, GO COUGARS).

As I said, we had quite the layover in Denver, so Micah figured out a thing or two... I snapped a picture of him walking the wrong way on a moving side walk... He was in heaven!!

We came home to a new pet... Well, Grandpa D's new pet... a baby squirrel! This little guy comes out daily to talk to Grandpa D and lets him hold him and everything. Micah loves his "rabbit". We can't convince him that it isn't a rabbit. I am sure no one will be surprised that he has been naked, outside, driving his tractor since we got back to Joplin.

Vacation was great! but we are glad to be home... well almost home. We do have an Arkansas trip planned in a few day, and then I can feel like we are finally really home. Thanks to everyone who made our trip so great! It really made time go by fast, which is important then daddy is gone. I hope before we know it he will be home, too!!

Buffalo, BIRTHDAY, and Big Pumpkins

The first few pictures of this post are pictures I forgot to put up from our trip to Cheyenne. While we were there, we met up with Nana and Papa Smith (Colleen and Randy)and Micah got to explore the Terry Bison Ranch. We saw lots of cows, horses and camels, but the buffalo were too far off to see... Or so we thought... As Papa Smith and Micah were playing at the park, right before we headed out, they found this buffalo heard REALLY close! Micah was excited.

The next pictures are of Madi's birthday party. My sisters (Shauna and Kira) and neices (Ashlynn and Desi) got to come and I was SOOOO excited to see them. Shane and Alisha came up and all the Harris' were here... and we had some special visitors via SKYPE... DAD, GG and Papa D, and I-Love-You-Aunt Suzie (or to Micah... Granny Suzie). It was a very hi-tech birthday party... She had a blast and I can't believe my baby is one!!

Today we went to a pumpkin patch and explored all the fun activities they had. Micah was in heaven, because he found a wagon first thing and got to pull it around the whole time. Madi was in a HORRIBLE mood, so some of the pics of her aren't so flattering. We are having a great time here with the Harris clan and Madi is especially loving torturing baby Sopha...

Cheyenne, Menan, and Highland

This is a photo update of what we have been up to the past few weeks... After spending a few more days in Cheyenne with Aunt Suzie, and crafting like crazy the last few days (cupcake hat...), we made our way to Menan, Idaho where we ate lots of apples off the apple tree, had craft day at Aunt RaeRae's and Micah got to ride a GREAT BIG TRACTOR with a friend, Dee Raymond. Yesterday, we made our way down to Highland, Utah to spend our last week of vacation with the Harris clan! Baby Sopha doesn't know what to think about Micah, but she is scared to death of Madi!! We have had a BLAST! Madi's birthday is Monday, so if you are in the Utah area and want to attend her party, it's Monday night at 6 at the Harris house!!