Halloween Parties and Play Dough Shapes

Our Ward Halloween Party was last night, and instead of Trunk or Treating, we just had a regular inside party. Candy was given out at the booths. Unfortunately, still being on bed rest, I wasn't able to go, but here are some of the pictures Matthew took. Not to knock my husband, but I would have taken a few more of Aidan with his bat hood on. Oh well. My sister-in-law's Halloween party is Friday night and we are going to try and go to that for the Trunk or Treating and I will make sure to take more pictures.



Aidan LOVES to play with play dough. It's an activity that he can actually sit for long periods of time doing. Needless to say we play with play dough a lot around here. Yesterday in preparation for the Halloween party he was going to with his Daddy, we made Halloween shapes. Aidan was very proud of them and insisted I take pictures.

Sunday Best

I thought it would be a good idea to take pictures of the kids before church on Sunday while they were still looking their "best." I love this one of Emma!

I thought this one was cute, because they were looking at each other like they actually liked one another, which is rare these days :)
Emma wouldn't stand still long enough to get a really good shot of her, but this was cute, because she was running away from me and laughing, so I was able to get a good smile.
Aidan is much better about posing for pictures. He looks so sweet in this one... I can't believe that in a month he's going to turn three. Time really flies.

Donuts and Milkshakes with Aunt Celeste

Matthew's baby sister Celeste has come over a few times recently to help us watch the kids while we do projects around the house. On two of her visits, the kids got special treats. Oreo milkshakes made by Daddy, and homemade chocolate filled donuts that Celeste made all by herself here at our house.

Emma after her milkshake...she's actually smiling a REAL smile!
Matthew sampling the chocolate donuts...
Aidan eating his donut with a very serious look on his face...it's tough work snacking on sweets!
Emma sampling the frosting before we put it in the donuts...notice my concrete kitchen floor. I am STILL waiting for it to be finished. Matthew's deadline is now set for November 15th. Aidan's birthday party will be on the 21st and so everything needs to be completed. We'll see what happens!

Four Years Ago Today...

...I was sealed for time and all eternity to my best friend, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. It's hard to believe that four years has come and gone already. So much has happened to us in that time. We have both graduated from college, bought our first home, had a son, then a daughter, and are now expecting our third child, another son, in just a few weeks. As I was looking through my wedding photos, trying to decide which ones to post, a lot of the little things about our wedding day/weekend came back to me. It's very easy, in all the chaos of getting ready for the sealing and the reception to forget the meaning and importance of marriage. When Matthew and I got in engaged in August of 2004, we had originally planned on getting married in December, a typical choice for most BYU/UVSC students, seeing as that is when the semester ends and there is a little free time. But after being engaged for a few weeks, we decided to get married in October instead. Part of that decision came from the fact that we had dated on and off for two years and didn't see the point in waiting. So, we were only engaged for two months before we actually got married. Plans had to be made quickly and that two months was quite a blur of school, work, and dress fittings. I didn't take a lot of time then, to really ponder the eternal nature of my decision to get married, not only to Matthew, but in the Temple. If you were Mormon, that's just how you got married. Since we decided to get married in the middle of the semester, we chose a Thursday to get sealed and had our wedding reception and ring ceramony the next day on Friday. I am a convert to the church and so for my family I decided to have a ring ceramony so that my Father would get to walk his only daughter, and child, down the aisle. Also, my mother never would have forgiven me if she didn't get to actually see me get married, even if it wasn't the "official" ceremony. It was a very rushed weekend, since we had to be back to work and school on Monday. I didn't get to really appreciate how special and beautiful everyone involved made that time for us. My two close friends came from Utah and Michigan to be my bridesmaids, my Father flew in from Vermont, my Mother and Uncle had just recently moved here, and all of Matthew's family and friends came and helped set up and make everything as perfect as it could be. There were glitches, as there always are. For instance, it rarely rains in Tucson, especially this time in October, however, the day we got married in the time in took us to get from the car to the Temple doors, there was a five minute down pour. Just enough time to soak my hair, clothes, face, ect. I walked into the Temple in my wet, white shirt, with dripping hair and mascara running down my face. That wasn't so fun. But I dried off, got in my wedding dress and the day went on.

Although the last four years have not been free of trials, tribulations, or problems, they have been, without a doubt, the best four years of my life. I married my best friend. I have chosen to be married in such a way that he will be mine forever. I now have an eternal family, something that until I had it, I didn't know how much I wanted. I have a partner that loves me, takes care of me, puts me first, and is always looking for ways to serve me and make me happy. I don't always appreciate him as much as I should, but today at least, I remember just how lucky I am to have him in my life! I love you Matthew, happy anniversary!

Our ring ceramony, performed by Matthew's Uncle Rick, a former LDS Bishop.
Our wedding reception, the day after we got married, at Matthew's parents home.
Matthew and I in front of the Temple doors. This picture was actually taken one month after we got married, because we couldn't take pictures after our sealing because of the rain...
This is a picture I didn't really like the first time I saw it four years ago, now I do, so I decided to show it off!

Ouch!

So, Aidan's new trick is to fake throw something at you, and when you flinch, he laughs hysterically. I have told him many times, on his way to time out for fake throwing, that someone will end up getting hurt and it's not a joke...well, I was right. On Tuesday afternoon, after spending four hours at the lab taking my second glucose test, Aidan fake threw a toy at me, and when I flinched, I somehow threw out my back. Matthew had to come home from work, and my mother has been with us everyday since helping with the kids. I have been in bed, with an ice pack for the last two days, catching up on my soap operas, checking my friends blogs, emailing, and taking much needed naps. Aside from the pain, it's been a nice break. However, my house is a mess, the laundry is piling up and Matthew has been having to do the dishes :) I go the the chiropractor tomorrow to get adjusted, and hopefully that will help. Just 7 more weeks and this pregnancy will hopefully be over and the big belly that adds all the extra strain to my back will not be as big (well, at least it won't be as heavy, it will still be big!)

The last few weeks of fun!

A few weeks ago I went with my mom and my friend Allison to Apple Annie's, an orchard in Wilcox, about an hour or so south of Tucson. In years past they have had a great selection of apples to pick, but this year wasn't so great. We didn't end up taking any apples home, but we had fun helping Allison pick hers, and bought some yummy apple bread and pie to take home for our family. Aidan really enjoyed himself, and it gave me a sense of home, since every year while I was growing up, my parents took me apple picking. Hopefully next year they will have a better season.

Emma wasn't so good at picking them, but she enjoyed eating them. That is my mother Sally, holding her.
On September 26th we celebrated Matthew's 29th birthday (yup, that's right, my husband is two years younger than me) by decorating his office and surprising him with a new monitor for his computer, something he has wanted for a very long time.
I bought Emma these sunglasses because I thought they were so adorable...she seems to agree because she NEVER takes them off. She wears them around the house for hours at a time and when you try to take them off of her, she throws a fit. My little diva in training!