Enforced Gratitude

I realize that I'm a day late, and I also realize it's pretty lame to really only think of things I'm grateful for on a holiday centered around eating until you explode, but I'm going to do it anyway. Lately, I've been really focused on the "have-to's" in life - laundry, work, cleaning up toys, planning dinner, doing dishes, cleaning up more toys. You get the idea. Anyway, I've been reading this book that says that as cheesy as it is, you have to find joy in the those have-to's, or basically you'll go crazy and end up face-first in a chocolate cake mumbling incoherently. Now, as enjoyable as chocolate cake is - the going crazy part is not necessarily appealing to me. So, here goes!

Things I Can't Do Without (in no particular order):
My family
Jobs
My bed
Hot showers
Bryce
Diet Pepsi
Hoodies
Jessica, Erin, and Brie (Cole's "Daycare Moms")
Dove Dark Chocolate Promises
My "Besties"
Toothpaste
Cameras
Books
Cole's giggle
Restaurants
Pancake mix
"Clean House Smell"
Debit cards
Music

It really is amazing how, when you really think about all the things you "have-to" do in life, you realize how horrible it would be if those things weren't there. (Like how much I dislike going to the grocery store. But what would the alternative be - growing my own food? Not eating at all?) So, for these things, and many more, I am truly grateful!

Nothing Says "Thanksgiving" Like Cake

I couldn't resist!

First Official Haircut

On Saturday, I took Cole to Cookie Cutters for his first official haircut. He's had the "Mommy Special" for the past year, and it was time for a real cut.

An airplane? Super cool!I was so proud of him, he didn't get upset one bit. (Although you will notice the binkie - that was in case of melt-down.) He loved playing in the airplane and watching Mom blow bubbles at him. (And kudos to the stylist - I cannot begin to imagine what a challenging job that must be.)My handsome little man. Congrats on your first haircut, Cole!!!

Where Did My Baby Go?!

Cole has started standing on his own and has taken a couple of tentative steps. (The first ended in a face-plant onto tile - ouch!) As I was looking through his pictures, I couldn't get over how old he's looking. He's definitely not a baby anymore!

Already prepping for the teenage years.Trying to put on mom's shoes.I always thought this stage would be so hard, but it just keeps getting more fun. He loves to point at everything, and every bird he sees is "Geese." I'm getting excited for when he can actually talk and tell us what he thinks!

The Big Reveal

I can't believe it's already been a couple of months since Bryce got his nose job. Bryce is super happy with the results, and loves the way he can actually breathe through his nose now. The surgery and recovery were not pleasant - I think a little worse than we anticipated - but were well worth it. So, without further ado, here are the before and after shots!

Before:
After:Before:
After:

This is Halloween

We had a fantastic Halloween this year - here are the highlights:

Beth and I dressed as cougars at work. All good fun until your boss hits on you because he doesn't recognize you.As a family costume, Cole was Sebastian, I was Ursula, and Bryce was The Little Mermaid. I give Bryce props for committing to the costume!
Cole had a love/hate relationship with his costume:Kelly threw a Halloween party, so I did a graveyard cake:Motley crew - Wonder Woman, Charlie Chaplin, and a sea witch.Happy Halloween everyone, hope you had a great one!!!

Pumpkin Festival

On Monday, we stopped by Farnsworth Farms, which is an orchard out in Draper. They were having a Pumpkin Festival, and at the right price (free!), we were sold. The first order of business? Delicious scones. The second order of business? Staring at the creepy life-size "ghoul butler."While there, we ran into our friends Kim, Rob, and their daughter Clara. We loaded the kids in a wagon and were off to find the perfect pumpkins. I sense a budding romance!We also took a "tractor ride," which consisted of driving around the orchard (now pitch-black). But we still had fun and tortured Cole by trying to take family pictures.While I'm not sure how much older kids would like it, it was a really fun activity for our little family, and I'd recommend it to anyone!