And Here It Is.....

....Halloween 2009.

It all started Friday night at the trunk-or-treat put on in Grandpa and Grandma Stephenson's neighborhood.

Madelyn caught on pretty quickly to what was going on. She didn't realize that if she went to every trunk she would get a piece of candy, but as she cruised up and down between the open trunks she would see candy being given to another kid and so she would go to get some too. We didn't go to all the trunks, and some we visited more than once. She led the way and Spence and I just watched and laughed as she timidly took a piece of candy out of each bucket.

Tonight was not as eventful. Madelyn had come down with a cold and after being at Grandma Loveless' halloween party for an hour or so she had had it and was ready for bed. So home we went.

Too bad we had to leave the party early. Grandma Loveless always throws fun parties.

I got one picture of a couple of the kids and grandma. We have Jackson, Maci, Halley and Cambri. I thought that Cambri was the cutest when she explained to me that she was a "ghost princess".

Here we are on Halloween night. Madelyn has been in bed since 6:00. Spence and I have enjoyed giving candy to the neighborhood kids, and think they are so cute.

All in all it was a great Halloween. It was fun to see Madelyn trick-or-treat for the first time and we look forward to many more years of trick-or-treating.

"Kiddi Cove"

These girls are great. We started getting together a few weeks ago and have become really good friends.

Let me introduce you. Rebecca is in the white T-shirt. She has a little girl, Elaina, who is a couple months younger than Madelyn. Brittney is in the brown, and she has a little boy, Luke, who is six months. Both ladies are first time moms so we have very similar schedules which makes it easy for us to do things together.

Today we went to Boondocks Fun Center. My nephew Jayden would have been so jealous. He absolutely thinks that Boondocks is the coolest place. I was actually surprised at how much there was to do and how nice everything was. It was especially relaxing because it was all free for us. Rebecca's husband is a manager there and was able to use some of his "Boondocks Bucks" to treat us to an afternoon of good food and lots of fun for the kiddos.



We ate lunch. We ordered all the food that we wanted. I ate on of the best grilled chicken sandwitches I have ever had.

We played in the "Kiddi Cove" for a good chunk of the time. Up and down, through the plastic tunnels , bouncing on the tramp, walking on the tight rope, in the monkey pit, and down the slide. Over and over again. I followed Madelyn's little diapered bum all around until she needed help climbing up this or that. She was lovin it.

We played a few archade games. We played Deal or No Deal. I tried to take Madelyn on a roller coaster ride where the chairs move along with the image on the screen, but she didn't like it. It scared her.

And finally we finished with yummy Blue Bunny ice cream. I got home right in time to put Madelyn to bed. She slept well.

Our Last Days of Summer

Its time to start our goodbyes to summer. When Madelyn and I went running the other morning she wore her winter hat and gloves. Goodbye summer.

Good thing we spent an afternoon at the fair, and had one of our last ice cream cones for the summer.

...and said hello and goodbye to the animals.

(see the cow bums in the back. Those are said animals.)

And an afternoon at my cousin BJ's homecoming. (My aunt has made their backyard beautiful. I hope ours looks this beautiful one day.)

The last two days have been chilly. I am looking forward to the cooler weather. I am really looking forward to making applesauce next month... and for Halloween...and Thanksgiving...I am really looking forward to Fall.

Putting Down Roots

I just read one of my younger friends blogs. She is in college. Her freshman roommates are going their separate ways which leaves her with some adjusting to do.

I was reminded of my time in college. It was so much fun in so many ways. There were a lot of freedoms that I had then that I don't have now, but there was an instability in that phase of my life that I didn't recognize until I was out of it. I moved frequently in college. I had many new roommates. The best semesters were when I was living with friends, but that only lasted a semester or two. I went on a mission and came home and felt like there was NO ONE around. I remember feeling lonely. I lived in an old house with three other girls that I didn't know. My friends were married, serving their own missions, living in Salt Lake (I was in Provo) or just busy with other things. Like I said, I really enjoyed college for the most part, but I didn't know what I was missing.

As you know, we recently bought our first home. We could live in this house for a long time, and it seems that consciously and subconsciously I recognize this. I have made more friends and been more involved with the ward than I ever was in our most recent ward (that does have a little to do with the fact that I have more time on my hands because I'm not working). I think about how many kids we will have and which rooms they will share.I think about my kids going to elementary, middle and high school out here. I think about celebrating holidays in our home and about ways that I can make them more meaningful. I think about local politics and what I can do to contribute. It is a good feeling to feel like I am in a place to stay. I will always have my husband as my roommate, and I really look forward to this. I think that eternal marriage is a fantastic part of the Plan of Salvation. Its exciting to think about.

In short, I am putting roots down, and it is a good feeling. I am really loving this phase of my life.

Feelin Kinda Crafty...

I haven't always felt crafty, but recently something has sparked my creative juices. I think it has to do with our empty walls and feeling like I need to decorate. It also has to do with Madelyn growing up and me wanting her to have things to do and play with.

So, this past week I did a few little things that I thought were fun.

I made some letter blocks that spell Madelyn's name. They are on top of the book shelf in her bedroom.

And the second items are some good 'ol sock puppets. I'm not sure why I thought to make these, but they turned out cute. I made four with supplies from Wal-Mart.

Madelyn laughs when she plays with them. She puts them on (they go all the way to her shoulder) and then shakes her arm around and laughs.

I'm sure that one day we will have some great puppet shows.

First Time Zoo Goer

It was Madelyn's first time at the Zoo.

The animals were great...

...but the excitement of the day was found at the water feature near the entrance of the Zoo.

She was pretty excited about this ball with water flowing over it.

Madelyn put as much of her body into the water as she could,

which resulted in an outfit change.

We went with the Loveless cousins (the ones in town). I love spending time with these little kiddos.

Love the cotton candy face. Classic.

Do you remember this lion? It was definitely my favorite part of coming to the Zoo when I was little.

So cool, you get to drink out of the lions mouth.

We rode the merry-go-round...

...the train, and played at the playground.

We were sad that Daddy couldn't come. Hopefully next time.

It was a full day and we can't wait to go back.

They Got Here Last Week...

...and we are so excited!!

Cort is finishing some schooling on the Navy base in San Diego, so Shannon and her three kids are going to be staying with my mom for a couple of months.

I am so excited to have them here...

...and Madelyn is too.

We love you guys!