Dear October,
Welcome! I have waited all year long for you to come...and I love it when you are here! When you arrive, 2 of my favorite people have birthdays...and we love to celebrate for as long as possible!
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| Baby loved holding the sparkly presents! He may have even chewed on a corner or two...trust me, when the birthday boy opened it, he didn't even notice. |
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| My sweet, sweet boy turned 10 years old...double digits!!! |
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| A birthday unicorn (according to the kids)! |
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| Soccer video game, soccer shirt, soccer shin guards...we aren't obsessed. |
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| And of course there was a fabulous cake...designed by Matthew and created by our in-house cake decorator. And yes...that is toasted coconut dyed green to look like grass. What? You don't have a professional cake person at your house? |
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| A few days later MC had his friend party...and soccer was the theme...but you already guessed that?! |
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| It was a BEAUTIFUL day! We headed down the street to the park with a big soccer field and the kids played their guts out. I was the official "cheerleader" on the sidelines. |
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| The game really picked up speed when Professor Oscarson arrived and joined the festivities. You should have seen this serious academic play...and in a button down shirt and dress shoes! |
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| And the cake professional made ANOTHER soccer cake... |
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| Matt and the gang |
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| Birthday boy's alter ego. |
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| Cute baby break... |
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Next up...Miss Carrie. We celebrated her birthday in another beautiful park on another gorgeous night. Cool but not cold, mountains dressed in their most glorious reds, yellows, and oranges, and a sunset to take your breath away. Add 4 wonderful, silly families, a hot dog bar to die for, and Costco carrot cake, and you have yourself a perfect evening!
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| Nothing makes me happier than a gaggle of cousins giggling and playing together. |
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| And before long, we had a wicked game of kickball going on. I kicked a fabulous hit that sent the ball and my right shoe flying into the night. |
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| The birthday kids trying to keep the candles lit... |
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| Matt's reaction to affection... |
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| Blowing out candles...I don't know what the 10 year old is doing. |
I love you October because it means General Conference...and what a weekend it was! Inspiring, uplifting, and motivating...can't beat a weekend that gives you all that. Carrie and I were watching the Giles kids for the weekend while their mom ran the St. George marathon...we got together during Priesthood session on Saturday night and had a doughnut feast. Unbelievable...I'll take you there when you come visit!
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| Oh my goodness...I love these 2 fabulous people. And please appreciate that they have matching milk goatees dripping off their bottom lips! |
October brought a Cub Scout "advancement"...good bye Bear Den...hello Webelos!
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| There was the awkward pinning of the bear pin on the mom... |
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| And then the outrageous hug/kiss for my boy who loves public displays of affection... |
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| And the "clawing" where the father takes the bear paw mitt, dips it in red face paint, and pretends to scratch the young cub scout so his cheek looks like fresh hamburger meat. I'm not sure any of this will ever make sense to me... |
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| Joe comes to play every week...this corner of my house is his happy place. He retreats with his blanket, sippy cup of milk, and my Kindle...and Thomas the Tank Engine and Joe live happily ever after... |
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| Another cute baby break. |
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October...can't you stay and play for longer than a month? You bring perfect sunny days...weather so scrumptious that I just want to live outside! Fun days at the park with great friends! This is our new park find...crazy fun stuff to play on!
And there may or may not have been another box of those delicious doughnuts...don't judge me. I am also quite certain that the darling baby in the picture above is being fed a healthy organic snack and not a maple,bacon doughnut...
October, thank you for giving us a few days off for fall break! It makes you even more wonderful! ML and I took the kids bowling on a very rainy, very wet day. There were 8 of us playing...and the 2 youngest of the group (3 years old and 7 years old) ended the game beating us all in a tie. Next time I am TOTALLY playing with the bumpers up...and the fancy silver "ramp"!
Oh October, I love you so. I love red corduroy jackets and colorful leaves and crisp days. I love that they mountains are so covered in color that it truly takes my breath away. I love the magnificent trees that line the street I live on and their bright colors. I love that everywhere I look there is bold color revealing itself. I love caramel apple cider, Halloween decorations, and playing outside. Thank you October for being so good to me. We have 17 days left together...let's make the most of every glorious moment!
