Pumpkin Patch

The other day we went to pick out some pumpkins at a farm. It was fun to take the kids and we got some really cute pictures. Vanessa had a lot of fun picking out her pumpkin.

After that we went to eat at Santa Monica Pizza. It was delicious!

Vanessa is offically potty trained!

We tried potty training Vanessa a couple of weeks ago. She did really good for the first day but decided that it was too inconvient for her to stop playing and go potty. So we let it slide and told her that she would need to wear diapers until she learns to go potty. She wore them for about a week and this Wednesday, she wouldn't let me put her diaper on her so I asked if she was ready to wear big girl panties. She said yes and suddenly has become potty trained! It was so easy! I guess she finally decided to be a big girl.

She will occasionally have an accident if we don't get her to the potty fast enough but overall she is going great! I am so glad that I don't have to change diapers for two kids now!

Neighborhood Trunk n Treat

Yesterday was the Neighborhood Trunk n Treat. We dressed Vanessa in her giraffe costume and Owen in his monkey costume. They both looked so darn cute! They both fit the part perfectly.

Vanessa had a lot of fun going around and saying "Trick or Treat!" She liked to go for the suckers when people had them. After she would get a sucker she would want me to open it up so she could eat it. We had three suckers opened. And she would give it to us when she got another one.

While there, a boy came in dressed as Scobby Doo. Vanessa was so fascinated with his costume. She followed him around and pointed at him and said "Scobby Doo be Doo!" She got so excited to see him there. It was so funny. I bet she will have so much fun in Disneyland when we go this next Spring. I can just see her wanting to follow Mickey Mouse around everwhere.

Owen Rolled Over!

Owen has figured out how to roll over! He has been working on it for a couple of weeks now. On Tuesday, Oct 26th, he finally did it!

I put him down in his crib to go do my hair. When I came back he was on his stomach. I left him like that for a few minutes and came back to find him on his back again. He can roll both ways and gets pretty far.

It took Vanessa a little while to figure out how to roll from her stomach to back again. But not Owen. He can do it effortlessly. Every time I lay him down, he immediately rolls over. He enjoys being on his stomach at times but he usually gets upset.

I know I say this a lot but I can't believe how fast he is growing up!

Halloween Party

Vanessa got invited to her first Halloween Costume party. She was so excited to go all day long. She kept saying, "Go to Ellie's Halween Party?" She was able to dress up and put on her giraffe costume. She looks so darn cute in it! It fits her personality perfectly!

So when we left she was still excited but as soon as we rang the doorbell and she saw people she did not know she became quite scared. She immediately wrapped herself around my leg so I had to drag her in.

It took her a good 45 minutes to warm up to everybody. She has just started to get stranger anxiety. I thought that was supposed to be when she was six months to one year old. I guess she got it a little late.

They had lots of fun games to play but she wouldn't participate in them unless I was. She finally started to have fun when the kids all went upstairs and played with the toys. I got some really cute pictures of her and all her little friends.

Our Cute Little Boy!

I absolutely LOVE this picture of him! You just can't help but smile and be happy when you look at his cute little face. I LOVE his smile!



So, I was able to get some really cute candid pictures of Owen smiling yesterday. He was giggling and was so happy last night. I love how he is getting more personality each day. He is just so much fun! I can't believe that he is now 3 months old! Time goes by too fast!

Vanessa's Hair cut

I took Vanessa to a salon to get her haircut yesterday. She was a little nervous so she had to sit on my lap while she got her hair cut. It turned out really cute. I just had the hair stylist even it out and it looks great. She did so good. Usually when I try cutting her hair she moves around like crazy but this time she actually sat really still. Maybe cause she was scared.

Because she did so well, I took her to get an ice cream cone. We had a lot of fun sitting and eating our ice cream. We got some sprinkles on our ice cream. Vanessa got watermelon flavor and I got berry.

While sitting there, I realized that one of my dreams has come true. I have always dreamed of the day that I would be able to take my kids out on outings. I look forward to all the many ones that are to come!

Vanessa Favorite Word...

is Tomorrow!

She has decided that tomorrow is her favorite word to say. We will ask her any question and she will respond with tomorrow. I don't know why she has decided to say it so much but she enjoys it. She really likes to sing the song, "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow." It is so cute.

She also like to tell stories and is very animated with her hands while telling them. Her most recent story is about cheese. It goes something like this. "I like to take it and roll it the cheese and mix it and psst" (takes her hands and flicks them at you). It is so funny watching her tell this story. It makes me laugh ever time!

Potty Training...

This week we decided to take on the task of potty training Vanessa. She has been ready for about a month but with going to D.C. I did not want to be running around D.C. trying to find a bathroom our whole vacation. So we made her wait. She has been doing really good so far. We had her throw away all of her diapers and put big girl panties on her. We are not going back now! She has had her fair share of accidents but she is understanding what it feels like when she needs to go.

Last night, she finally told us she needed to go potty, ran in and sat on the potty and went! We were so excited for her. She was also so excited! She gave us a high five, said, "YES!!", and put some stickers on her chart. She also got to call her Aunt Kimberly and tell her she went potty.

Today she had another break through. She went poop on the potty! When she did she had "Yeah, I went poop on potty!" I think she is getting it down. We still have a long way to go but it is a start. We are so proud of her. She is such a big girl!

Washington D.C. Vacation

Day 1
We had such a blast out in Washington D.C. and visiting with Jeff, Michelle, and Aliyah! We flew into the Baltimore, Maryland Airport at 11:30 p.m. The kids did so well on the plane. Both of them fell asleep for most of the flight and we were able to enjoy a movie. When Jeff picked us up, he drove us into D.C. so we could see it at night. It was sure amazing to see all of the monuments a glow and the State Capital building. Mark got a great picture of it at night. By the time we got to Jeff and Michelle's house it was 2 in the morning and we were so tired from traveling. We jumped into bed and fell asleep quickly.




Day 2
We woke up and got ready to go to church with the Thomson's. It was actually their Stake Conference. It was pretty neat to be able to attend another ward in a different state. It confirmed to me that the church is the same wherever you go. The people there were so friendly. Senator Orin Hatch is actually in Jeff and Michelle's stake but we weren't able to see him.

After church we came back to the house and enjoyed playing games and playing with the kids. Vanessa had so much fun playing with her little cousin, Aliyah. We sure do miss them so much!

We were able to go and see the Washington D.C. temple as well! It was absolutely amazing and so big! I love how it is surrounded with trees and that it stands out! We were able to see it right at sundown. When looking at it I was overcome with the Spirit. Just by being there in the of such a sacred and beautiful building, my testimony of Jesus Christ was strengthened. I really wish we could have attended a session there but with two kids and limited time we were not able to do it. Definitely next time!










Vanessa really enjoyed seeing the temple. She would point to it and say "Temple, Temple." I also asked her where angle Moroni was and she pointed to the top of the temple.

Day 3
On Monday we had our first Metro ride and were able to go to all of the monuments and memorials. It was a day of a lot of walking but worth every minute! Our first stop was at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. What a site! I couldn't believe how big it was. It was so cool looking at it from across the Potomac River.









Our next stop was at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. I never knew it was that big. It was fun to be able to walk around it and read some of the quotes and see all of the statues and fountains.


After that we set off to see the World War II Memorial. That too was amazing! I loved how it had all of the states etched into the pillars. It is also located in between the Lincoln and Washington monuments and in front of the Reflecting Pool. It was such a cool site to see.


We then made our way down the National Mall to the Korean War Memorial. It was very sobering to realize that so many Americans and UN men and women died to protect freedom. There is a saying imprinted on the wall there that reads: "Freedom is not Free." I realized then and there how important our freedom is! I am very thankful for all of those people who gave there lives so we could be free.


Our next stop was one of our favorites, the Lincoln Memorial. I was so excited to see Lincoln's statue inside the building. It was amazing to think that I was standing in that building. I have always wanted to go and visit D.C. and see all of these things! I thought it was neat that the Gettysburg Address was inscribed on the walls.

We took many rest stops to allow the kids to stretch and eat. Vacationing with kids is always an adventure! After our rest, we made our way to the Vietnam Memorial. This too was very sobering. To see all the names of the people who paid the ultimate price for our freedom was very sobering.


Our last stop was the Washington Monument. It was incredible to see how big it actually is! It is amazing to think that people can build something so tall and have it be stable. We were not able to go up in it this day but we were on Thursday. Monday was such a fun day even though we walked over 6 miles.



Day 4
On Tuesday, we were able to take a tour of the White House. We have never been inside it so we were all very excited to see what some of the rooms are like. We were able to through the first floor and see the Red, Green, and Blue rooms and also the Dinning room. It was so cool. The walls were decorated in what looked like wall paper but it is actually silk. The majority of the decor was all authentic. It was so cool to see such old things and to be actually walking the same halls as our current and previous Presidents. The White House has so much history. Just being there made me want to find out as much as possible about it. Unfortunately we were not able to meet the President. I guess he is just way too busy to come out and meet us!


We got to go see Jeff''s law school. It was pretty big and nestled right in the busy city. It was very different from the school settings that we have gone to. It seems like a really great school though.

After eating lunch, we walked to Ford's Theater and got to see where President Lincoln was assassinated. It was pretty neat to see the actually place. They had a museum there as well and it had the gun that Booth used and Lincoln's clothes he wore that night. We also got to sit in the actual theater and listen to a guide talk about Booth's plot to assassinate Lincoln. I did not know half the information that he told us so it was fun to learn more about it.



We then were able to go across the street to the house where Lincoln died. They had a replica of the bed he died in. I guess the real one is in Chicago at a museum. Lincoln is one of my all-time favorite Presidents. He did so much to change the course of history and will forever be praised and honored for what he did to free the slaves. What a great man! It is sad to think that he was killed.

Our last stop was the National Archives. We got to see the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution. It was pretty amazing to see it. Our pictures did not turn out the best because we couldn't use the flash but we tried.

Before going home, we got ourselves some street vendor hot dogs! It is not a vacation without getting hot dogs. They were pretty good.


Day 5
On Wednesday, we went to the Bureau of Engraving and Imprinting. We got to see a case filled with 1 million dollars of unmarked bills. That is as close as we will probably get to a million dollars! The factory was pretty neat. We got to see them making 20 dollar bills. There was sure a lot of money being made. I just wish we could have some of it!


Our next stop was to the American History Smithsonian. We got to see some pretty cool stuff inside there. There is so much to see that we spent hours in there. There was a section of money and coins that we thought was cool and they also had a section dedicated to Lincoln. We got to see his original top hat and face mask of him when he was alive.

The coolest thing we go to see was that Original flag that Francis Scott Key saw and inspired him to write the Star Spangled Banner. It was huge! I never thought it to be so big. It was an awesome site to see. I got the cold chills when walking through the exhibit. I am sure "Proud to be an American!"

Our last stop was the Natural History Muesuem. We only had 30 minutes to walk around and see things that day because it closed at 5:30. We got to see the dinosour, early animals, and oceans exhibits before it closed.

Day 6
On Thursday, we decided to brave the rain and cold and go see Mt. Vernon. We were very glad that we did! What a cool place! Now I can say that I walked that same paths as George Washington. He sure knew how to pick a place to live. The view and grounds are breathtaking. I would love to sit on my back porch and look at the Potomic River! His masion was incredible as well. I thought it was interesting that he made the outside of his house to look like bricks with wood and sand. Pretty inovative.



While there we got to see where he is intombed. It was cool to be able to stand in his presence!
We also got to go in a museum there and see some things that he owned and used on his plantation. We got to see his dentures too!

We returend to Jeff and Michelle's house soaked and cold. The kids did exceptually well for being so cold and raining. We decided to leave the kids there at the house while Mark and I ran into D.C. to go up to the top of the Washington Monument. We barely made it in time! We had to run all the way from the Metro to the monument. Talk about getting so exercise! Because the weather was so bad, we were only able to see a few miles out, but it was still cool to be up so high and see the District.


Day 6
On Friday we started the day by going to finish seeing the Natural History Muesum. Vanessa really enjoyed seeing the animals and especially the big elephant. One of our favorites was the Precious stones and gems exhibit. They had some pretty amazing stones and jewlery. We actually got to see the Hope Diamond out of its necklace. Why can't I be lucky enough to find something like that!

Our next stop was the US Capital. We were able to have a guided tour and go and see places that some people don't get to see. We saw the House Room and got to go into the Rotunda. I can't believe the hand work that was throughout the whole Capital! It was so intricate and exquisit! We were able to stand in the exact center of D.C. there too! It was very impressive!



Our last stop for the day was at the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. That buidling too was amazing! I couldn't belive that human hands were capable of making such intricate masterpieces of art. It was pretty amazing to see all of these things!




Day 7
Saying goodbye! It was so fun to be able to stay with Jeff, Michelle and Aliyah! We are so appreciative for letting us stay with them and for them taking time to show us around D.C. It was hard to say goodbye knowing that we would not see them for awhile. This vacation was sure a blast and a great opportunity for us to learn more about our history.

On the way to the airport, we stopped at Arlington Cemetary. It was raining quite a bit that day so we made it quick. We saw J.F.K gravesite along with Ted Kennedy's. We also got to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. That was neat to see. What respect and reverance! I was once again made aware of all the people that have given their lives to protect our freedom!

All in all, our vacation will be one to be remembered and treasured! We learned so much and gained a desire for further knowledge. We are so glad we were able to take this trip!