Busy Babies

No matter what I do, I cannot keep this baby out of trouble.
If it's not the dishwasher, it's the cupboards, or the trash, or my makeup, or the markers:

Saxon giving little brother a helping hand with dinner:

And my handsome little man all dressed up for church in Uncle Kasen's tie.
So handsome and so grown-up!
I love these busy little guys!!!!

Peace Out Girl Scout

This is for you Aunt Brookie:

We love you!!!

Fishing Trip with Uncle Gregor

Gregor called me this afternoon to ask if he and Joy could take Saxon fishing.

Saxon was so excited when I told him.

He kept asking: "Where my fishing pole? I need a fishing pole."

He fished with him for over 2 hours!
Gregor was in charge of fishing, and Joy was in charge of Saxon.

He kissed every fish he caught.
(That would be Jeff's influence on him).

Half way through the evening Saxon told Gregor that he needed to poop.
Since there weren't any bathrooms,
Gregor taught him to poop on the ground and wipe with a leaf.
Gross...I know...but I was proud of Gregor for handling it.
Good job Uncle Gregor!

Saxon was so worn out when he got home, that no matter how hard we tried, we could not wake him up to clean him up.
But, he's in bed at 7:30 and that is wonderful!

Thanks Joy and Gregor!
I can't wait til tomorrow for Saxon to tell me all about his fishing trip.

Our Beautiful World

"Whenever I hear the song of bird
Or look at the blue, blue sky,

Whenever I feel the rain on my face
Or the wind as it rushes by,

Whenever I touch a velvet rose
Or walk by our lilac tree,

I'm glad that I live in this BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Heavenly Father created for me."

"He gave me my eyes that I might see
the color of butterfly wings,

He gave me my ears that I might hear
the magical sound of things,

He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:
I thank him reverently,

For all his creations, of which I'm a part.
Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me."
My Heavenly Father Loves Me, Children's Songbook pg. 228

On Saturday we decided to take the kids down American Fork Canyon to see the leaves changing color. Saxon LOVED the "yellow trees" and Bridger loved that we kept getting out of the car so he could run.

Since our pass was good for a few more days, we went back on Monday to do Family Home Evening and have a BBQ and S'mores. We got the coolest campsite EVER. It was hidden back in the trees and had little stone steps to climb up to it. It was covered in millions of fall-colored leaves and right up against the cliffs. Nate decided that it would also be a good place to go rock climbing.

Saxon helped Nate start the fire, then tried to climb up the side of the mountain and Bridger tried to follow. Saxon roasted/scorched his own marshmallows and Bridger just devoured them plain. We talked about the beautiful world that Heavenly Father created for us and the kids rolled around in the leaves.

This picture doesn't do justice to how dirty they really were:

As much as I hate driving in the snow, I have to admit, I do love the seasons and the fun changes that each season brings. Saxon is counting down until he can "go snowin'" this winter, and I'm not quite sure what that means, but he is very excited for it.

Sleepover

Last night, when Mike was over for dinner, he jokingly asked Saxon if he wanted to come spend the night at his house.
Saxon said yes, and packed his little backpack full of everything a 3 year old needs for a sleepover:
jammies, toothbrush, sippy, games, snacks, Nacho Libre.
We all laughed watching him pack because none of us thought he would actually go.
So, Gregor and I stood on the balcony and watched as Mike loaded the car seat in and drove away.
I sat around waiting for the phone call that he changed his mind.
I bathed Bridger, took him for a walk, and put him to bed...and no phone call.
Finally at 9:30, I called to check on them.
Mike said they were headed back and that Saxon was asleep.
He's how the night went:

-They drove back to Mike's house to watch movies and jump on the couch (Saxon's request).
-They watched Underdog and Kung Fu Panda, and jumped on the couch.
-Saxon asked to go to McDonald's and Mike said OK.
-They played on the playland and Saxon had a Happy Meal (his 2nd dinner of the night).
-When Mike said it was time to go, Saxon asked if they could go to another McDonald's.
-Mike said sure.
-While they were driving around looking for McDonald's #2, Saxon fell asleep.
-Mike drove him home.

So Saxon had his first almost sleepover last night. Thanks Mike!

Barnyard Boo

Yesterday, when Nate got home from work, we took the kids to Barnyard Boo.
They each got a punch card to use to play games and make crafts.
The kids wanted to start with COOKIE DECORATING, of course...

We waited in line FOREVER for Saxon to get his face painted.
It was worth it though because he LOVES it!
When it was time to go, he started to throw a tantrum, but I told him it would ruin his spiderman face, and he instantly stopped :)
At bath time, he made Nate be very careful so that his spiderman face wouldn't wash off.
So, this morning, he still has a spiderman face.

We waited in the pony ride line forever too, but the kids had fun. Saxon begged to ride the "purple horse". Since none of them looked purple to me, I set him up on this little pony. I realized after that he wanted the big horse with the purple harness and instead ended up on a little pony. You can see on his face that he was not thrilled during his ride, but Bridger was. He wanted to do it all by himself. Nate had to keep saving him every time he would start falling to one side or the other.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Megan had a birthday party for Jeff last night and invited us.
She made the cutest cake ever:

We had pizza and then sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
Saxon used the brush like a microphone and rocked out:

Jeff blew out his lighter:
(Megan sent him to the store for candles and candy and he forgot both)

And we had pumpkin cake:

Afterward, Jeff let the kids play in his box of baby rats.
Saxon was in heaven.
He named this one "Mouse".
He sang to her and kissed her goodnight before we left.

Bridger would just look in the box and laugh.
We didn't trust him to hold any animals.

Thanks Megan for inviting us to the party!
We love you guys!

Yee-Haw for Jeff

Since Jeff just turned 28, Mike had this great idea to have us all go out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. They have line dancing, unlimited peanuts, and they make the birthday person ride in a saddle while the whole restaurant yells "Yee Haw."

We thought it would be hilarious to embarrass Jeff a little for his birthday. The best part was that we were pretty sure that he wouldn't be embarrassed...we were sure he would LOVE it!

So tonight for dinner, Mike and Mandy, Jeff and Meg, and Me, Nate, Saxon and Bridger all met at Texas Roadhouse and this is how it went:

Saxon wore his cowboy boots for the special occasion and Jeff let him ride on the "birthday saddle" with him while the whole restaurant yelled "YEE-HAW" for Jeff's 28th birthday!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Daddy's Boy

While I was watching DWTS tonight, Saxon was playing quietly on the floor.
When he comes around the corner, this is what I find:

Nate had left his clean laundry laying on the floor,
and Saxon decided to wear it...
all of it.
I said:
"Oh! You look so handsome!"
Saxon: "No Mom. Don't say that"
Me: "Then how do you look?"
Saxon: "I look like a Daddy's boy. Take a picture."

Style

Gregor came and babysit for me tonight while Joy and I went to institute.
THANK YOU GREGOR!!!!
He styled the kids up to go outside and play.
Shirt, sweatshirt, sweats, leg warmers over the sweats, socks over the leg warmers, shoes, and a beanie.
Doesn't Bridger look fabulous?

One of those days...

This is me and Saxon having a bad day:

Saxon is having a bad day because he has a grumpy mommy and a stuffy nose.
Mommy is having a bad day because:
-a flat tire
-a possessed microwave (it never turns off) that is in a million pieces on the counter
-Nate had to leave for work early to fix the tire and find microwave repair parts
-Nate called to say he'd be home late because work was busy today
-a headache
-2 sick kids
and the list goes on...nothing huge, just frustrating...

Around 7:00, my friend Rachel called to see if she could bake some cupcakes in my oven.
She needed to have 250 cupcakes by the end of the night!
After 4 dozen cupcakes my house smelled so yummy that I felt like baking.
Saxon climbed out of bed at 9:00 and felt like baking too.
We turned to our favorite baking blog (conversations with a cupcake) and found a recipe for a
Pumpkin and Maple Gingerbread Marble Friendship Bundt Cake.
We felt inspired.

Saxon and I decided that our day would be better if the house smelled like gingerbread and if we surprised Nate with a cake when he came home from work (late).

Once the cake was in the oven,
Saxon asked me if he could call Nate and say hi.
I said sure.
When Nate answered, Saxon said,
"Hi Daddy! Guess what! We made you a birthday cake. It's pumpkin."
So much for the surprise.

It's now midnight.
Saxon waited up for Nate so he could sing "Happy Birthday."
(FYI: It's not Nate's birthday).
Bridger must have sensed that he was missing out because he woke up and came running out.
I'm tired, but at least my house smells like gingerbread and Nate likes his cake.
So Saxon and I feel better.