Halloween 10.31.09

This was our last Halloween in Syracuse! Awww....so sad to think about it, so we won't....let's think about all the fun we had. Mike had to work until 7. The boys and I went to Chalyse's for their ward's Trunk or Treat. I'll tell you what. That's a good way to clean up in a short amount of time! What have we been doing all of these years! :) Porter and Talmage were "autobots" from Transformers. That was a hit costume this year. Elle Bell was the CUTEST little tube of toothpaste! She is almost two and she hasn't said much up until recently and she has the CUTEST little voice and personality to go with it. She kept saying "cheese"! OH I could serve her for dinner!

Lincoln Bird is always darling! He is also ON THE GO and fast as lightning.

We usually meet up with the Bennett Clan on Halloween, take pictures and start our way through the ward, but this year we were so late at trunk or treat, we missed it. But Debbie and Karla didn't let us get out of being missed! They sure are great ladies! We DID get to meet up with the Carlson's this year! Which was fun! The last time I saw them on Halloween was when she was pregnant with Ana Jain, 2 years ago. She had Jain on Nov. 2nd and the day after Thanksgiving had her stroke. Jodi came home this summer and it has been so fun to see them all the time now. Their whole family is such a hoot! Aleq kept spelling EVERYTHING. Tommy was so slow, he said he had lost his speed somewhere. They are so funny!

The Halls, the Birds and the Cranneys carved pumpkins Monday. It was fun, we had pizza, caramel apples, pumpkin seeds, veggies. Who ever comments on veggies! blek! :) Just kidding Heidi, we hate them, but they are so good for us! All of the pumpkins were great, even Mike Bird's but this is Mike Cranney's. Darwin Theory Pumpkin. Cool, huh?

So we got home and I'm PLEASED AS PUNCH when Porter starts organizing his candy into piles!!! ahhh...finally something he really got from me!!! I remember doing this when I was little too. I organize everything! It's so FUN! Mike said he never did that when he was little. I am not surprised.

Porter began with four piles: "yucky", "mine", "dad's" and "mom's". Isn't he a sweet heart to share? Oh I love my boy!

FYI. This is the first year in my 26 years that I didn't get some kind of milk chocolaty treat on halloween. EXCEPT for MAYBE my first halloween when I was 6 months old. I can't even believe it really happened. what a rough life, huh?

Mike's FIRST ACCEPTANCE to Medical School! 10.30.09

YAY!!!! Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona accepted Mike today! He called me around noon after looking it up online while at the school. A couple of hours later a woman calls asking for Mike. "He's not here, can I take a message?" "May I ask who I am talking to?" "This is his wife." "OH well, we just wanted to let him know that he's been accepted into our Medical Program!" AHHHHHH! It's real! It's not a dream, he is really really accepted and we really really are only 8.5 years away from a job! WOW! :)

We have a couple more interviews lined up. Kirksville, Mo. and Parker, Co. in about a week. As winter approaches, we get more and more excited about Arizona weather! AHHH.

Trish, KB and their one and a half girls 10.29.09

Trish (yeah, she's preggy and it's the cutest belly you've ever seen!), Caleb and Maggie came over to hang out tonight! They are so funny!

Porter Playing in the leaves 10.29.09

Today I had some errands to run. When I came home, I found my two big boys, Mike and P. Diddy playing in the leaves. I am so glad when Mike spends quality time with Porter. He's such a cool dad!

"Porter, show me your happy face!"

"Porter, show me your mad face!"

"now show me your sad face."-Wow, he's intimidating when he gets emotional.

Black Island Farms Field Trip 10.29.09

Our preschool went on a field trip to the biggest corn maze in Utah located RIGHT HERE in

Syracuse. This little trip was scheduled for Tuesday, but since Tuesday, October 27th was our first SNOW FALL, they cancelled it. So Thursday we went and it was FREEZING COLD! All the kids were crying by the end. I am sure it was at least 30 degrees outside. It was a nice crisp morning....

Here is Elle Bell looking like the little bundle of joy that she is.

Lincoln Bird. He and Elle ended up looking like Randy from a Christmas Story.

There were lots of things for the kids to do while we waited for the hay ride to begin.

Jumping around in the GIANT PUMPKIN. Kenedy and Porter.

There was a tiny slide. Corn Maze. Teeter Totters. A GIANT slide. Animals to see. A little three week old baby sheep.

Julia, Porter, Kenedy and Talmage on the hay ride, waiting for more passengers.

Porter's freshly picked carrot.

Chalyse, Talmage and Porter searching for the perfect pumpkin.

Porter and his perfect pumpkin.

We all learned a lot from the farm visit. This is the carrot, the pumpkin and the parsnip carrot that we got. Along with one of the pumpkins Porter and I had painted the day before. It's been a great fall. Cold, but fun. I am sad to see October end.....hello winter.

This is a video with on the whaling wagon!

Swine Flu Vaccine 10.27.09

Doesn't this little girl look so happy to be getting vaccinated? That's exactly the opposite of what Porter did when we were at the Clinic. Chalyse called us at 10 to 5pm and said "my mother in law is a nurse and they are giving swine flu vaccines until 6. It takes an hour to get there are you interested?" I told her i'd think about it and call her back. The boys were both sound asleep, I knew I'd have to throw them in the car and they'd probably wake up and cry the whole way there. I also knew that if I didn't get us vaccinated I would feel AWFUL if we got sick. So I called her back and we flew up there. The boys were angels on the way up there! Porter was asking all kinds of questions about where we were going. I didn't wanna tell him, cause I knew he'd FREAK. I think he's traumatized from when Andrew got his shots at 2 weeks and when he saw kids on the news getting their vaccines. So we walk in and the kind nurse says "okay, you get a shot and you get a shot." and the whole rest of the time we were in line Porter was freaking out. We got up to where we get the mist and he is freaking out so bad another guy has to come and hold Porter down. WoW. Kenedy, Talmage, Lincoln and Elle ALL got the SHOT and they MAYBE shed a few tears. Not my brave son Porter. But I DO remember getting some shots when I was young and I believe I freaked out as well. Anyway, Andrew screamed the whole way home. (what else is new).

Bennett Halloween Bash 10.24.09

Liz threw an AWESOME Halloween Party for all of us! It was fun. We all dressed up in disguise, walked into her dark garage and walked around acting out our parts. Mike and I were basketball playas! We brought a CD player with "warm up music" and we had Wyatt's little tykes basketball hoop in there with us. It was so much fun! I couldn't stop giggling at all the funny costumes! My FAVS were the terrorists who were dressed like Muslims and kept walking around "accidentally" dropping their dynamite. Then there was Angie who was a tourist from Utah. She was so obnoxious like tourists are. "ya want some sunscreen?" "does anybody want some gum?" "can you hold my three thousand cameras and take a picture of me with this basketball star?" "Oh my gosh, my mom is not gonna believe this!" She was a hoot. Chalyse and Mike hall were AWESOME too. They are so creative. Chalyse was a cave woman. She REALLY looked like one. I hope they have pics so you can look at her blog and see it. Mike was a homemade robot! They are so freakin' funny!

After we revealed who we all were there was food and then Liz and Spencer had created a REAL Amazing Race! It was so much fun!

Anyway, here are the pics!

Brianne and I. She is always my babysitter for the Halloween Parties. She was here the year we were Q Tips running around getting ready. I love this girl! She is a sweet heart!

Trish came down for the partay. She and I followed the Amazing Race in our own car talking to the kids on the cell phone nearly the whole night for fear they would all freak out and need us at any given moment.

Mike and I are always in love, especially when we are black.

gettin' gangsta for the game.

I don't know why but I always take pictures like this. Straight on. Arms down like some kind of freak.

Maggie wishes she could pull off this look.

Brianne and her best friend. A two month old.

Maggie was WIDE AWAKE until after midnight.

Maggie and Porter were snuggled in bed. Porter crashed WAYYY before Maggie.