Happy Halloween

(Yes, this is our jack o'lantern)
We've been Halloween partying for nearly a week now. We kicked it all off with the ward Halloween party. I was pretty busy the whole night, so Stetson spent most of the time playing with Dean.
Then we carved a pumpkin for Family Night. Stetson loved the goopy insides, but was a little frightened by the end result.

The next night we made caramel apples.

And Wednesday we took Stetson trick-or-treating at the dorms of a local university. He didn't quite understand why he didn't get to eat all of the candy right then. You can see, however, that he did enjoy a few pieces of tasty chocolate.Although he wasn't sure of it at first, Stetson now loves his dragon costume. He even wore it to the grocery store this week. I'm glad he's gotten so much use out of it! We're excited to dress up and go trick-or-treating again tonight. We hope your family has a safe and happy Halloween!

Trip to Kirtland

With company in town, we headed out to the historical sites in Kirtland -- only about 20 minutes away. Although the forecast said rain, we had perfect, sunny weather while we were there. Stetson loved running down the paths in between the houses. We're glad we enjoyed the weather while it lasted; now we've got rain, hail and snow!

Ode to Stetson

For you, Kara -- a picture of my new haircut. I think Stetson looks so old in this picture -- he's growing up way too fast! He can climb out of his crib now, so we're looking into a "big boy" bed. He'll probably do fine with the transition, but I'm not ready for it (the story of our parent-child relationship). It's still amazing to me when I hear him talk, saying things like, "I want" or "yeehaw!" (his two favorite phrases) It seems like every day he learns how to do something new. His favorite thing to do is snuggle up on the couch next to Lafe and share a bowl of popcorn. He's the man of the house when Lafe's at school, and I couldn't ask for a more wonderful buddy. Most of the time, he has me laughing out loud with his antics. My new favorite: he does a pretty fierce pretend scowl. Sometimes Lafe and I will be eating dinner and look over to find him scowling at us in an attempt to crack us up. It always works.

Because you don't know nearly enough about me yet...

As promised, here are the answers to my second tag. Thanks, Heather! I thought this one was going to be easy, but it was much harder than I anticipated.


8 shows I love to watch:
Backyardigans (Stetson's favorite - it's a daily must)
So You Think You Can Dance?
Chuck
House
Grey's Anatomy
The Office
Psych
Design on a Dime

8 favorite restaurants:
Tia Rosa's
Gecko Grill
Cafe Rio
Olive Garden
Moki's (you have to try the cake and coconut ice cream)
Outback Steakhouse
Cheesecake Factory (more for the dessert than dinner)
Aladdin's (delicious falafel)

8 things that happened yesterday:
Stetson and I headed to the pediatrician to make sure his ear infection had cleared up. All clear!

We went to the "zoo," aka Petland to play with the dogs. We goofed around with a fiesty puppy that looked like a small rabbit. Stetson loved it!

I accidentally tossed Stetson on his head. :( Great parenting. I was playing with him on the couch when he rolled off onto his head. He didn't cry and didn't appear hurt at all, but it sure scared me!

I taught my darling dance classes -- the highlight of my week! Every Tuesday I pack all my family room furniture into the office so that two classes of sweet 3-5 year-olds can take over my house. I can only hope that they have as much fun as I always do.

Dinner: the extremely fancy Hamburger Helper. I teach until 5:40pm on Tuesdays, so whatever I do has to be super quick. Usually I stick something in the Crock Pot, but the doctor's appointment threw off my groove. In emergencies, I send Lafe to Subway. This seemed the more economical choice.

Stetson and I headed to the library to pick-up/drop off books and play in the children's section while Lafe studied.

Stetson threw a big fit because I wouldn't buy him a snack from the library's vending machine. He was grouchy the whole way home and during his bath. After the bath he ran out, dripping wet and naked, and sat on the kitchen floor saying, "pop-pop" (popcorn). So we made popcorn and then read our library books on the couch.

After Stetson was in bed, I read Frankenstein (great choice for October. Dracula's next on my list), and watched TV until Lafe got home.

8 things I'm looking forward to:
Going to see A Chorus Line on Thursday.
Halloween.
Finding out what my sister's fifth child will be. And then meeting that cute baby in March.
My in-laws coming to visit.
Thanksgiving -- and having a house full of family and food.
Christmas break in Arizona.
Lafe taking the boards. More accurately, Lafe being done taking the boards.
Owning a home someday.

8 things on my wish list:
Snow bibs, boots and jacket for Stetson (because if we have to stay inside all winter, we'll go crazy)

My guest room organized.

All of my favorite books. Make that a house full of my favorite books.

The repairs in my apartment finally done. (Hole in roof, hole in ceiling, windows stuck, screens missing, drain clogged, faucet dripping, linoleum peeling, paint chipping...).

An all-expenses-paid trip to NYC. See previous tag.

Knowing where we'll be and what we'll be doing post-dental school.

Having our student loans paid off.

8 people I'm tagging:
Alysen C., Kara F., Jordyn P., Jacquee W.,
Lisa S., Tasha M., Kimberley Y., Ashley Y.

Tagged!

Lucky me! I was tagged twice in the same day. Not knowing which one to answer first, I flipped a coin. So this one from Caprice first...My seven random things:

1. My favorite snack while reading (my favorite hobby) is string cheese dipped into Coke. Can't remember when I first tried it, but somehow the mixture is just right. C'mon -- people cook their meat in Coke, why not dip string cheese?

2. In high school my plan was to go to dental school. But -- whiz! bang! -- I ended up studying (and loving) journalism instead. The dental thing was destined in my future, I guess, because here we are in Ohio while Lafe studies teeth instead.

3. Related to #2, I had a very big overbite and gap in my teeth when I was young. By the time my senior year rolled around, I had endured 3 sets of braces, 1 hot pink headgear, and several retainers. After spending every month in the orthodontist's chair from 3rd grade on, you can see my obsession with teeth.

4. It seems I can pop nearly every joint in my body -- fingers, toes, elbows, etc. Perhaps the most disturbing are my hips, which sound like my legs are going to detach. And no, it doesn't cause arthritis.

5. I love the smell of coffee. It reminds me of my 1st grade teacher. Sometimes I'll wander back and forth on the coffee aisle of the grocery store, contemplating buying some beans for the calming effect at home.

6. I hate having the covers on when I sleep, but I love to have just a piece of the blanket up by my face. This has posed a problem for my husband, who wonders why I end up with all the covers on my side of the bed but without any of them on!

7. I am dying to visit New York City. If I could be awarded a vacation to anywhere in the world -- all expenses and activities paid for -- that's where I would go. Not Europe or even Hawaii (although that's a very close second). I want to spend enough time and money to see Broadway shows, museums, ballets, Central Park, all of it.

And my final task... finding 7 fabulous people to tag.

You're it!
Heather R., Amber B., Chantal H., Miriam P., Kara J., Kendra F., Erica W.

Quick Update

Let me tell you -- October in Ohio is way nicer than October in Arizona. I know. I've tried them both in the last two weeks. Here in Ohio, Stetson and I went apple-picking a couple of weeks ago, and I'm just getting around to posting the pictures.Just a few days later, we headed to Arizona to visit the fam. When we arrived, we heard people discussing the nice fall weather (it was 95 degrees). Now I know for sure that the Arizona sun warps your brain. But we reveled in the sun (wearing shorts, not long pants like some people I know) and enjoyed all Arizona has to offer -- endless family time, delicious Mexican food, and MVT football games. Go Toros! I was able to be there for homecoming weekend, where the team won easily and my brothers and their dates had to be the best looking couples at the dance.