Pumpkins

I'm getting really excited for Halloween. Usually it's a Holiday that I don't get too excited about but, since I've had kids, it has become much more exciting for me. Kayla won't know what the heck is going on but she'll look dang cute in her bunny outfit and Jaxton will have so much fun this year! Last year he had fun but I don't think he really grasped it all that well. This year, though... watch out. He'll pick up the door-to-door thing in a heartbeat. He will be ever so proud of his bag of candy and we will have to find a safe spot out of reach. Jaxton has learned the art of sneaking. I've caught him several times sneaking a piece of candy out of the candy jar after we've told him no and he has seen us walk away. It's so hard to get mad at him when he does it. He looks so cute on his very tippy toes, trying as hard as he can to get whatever it is he's not supposed to have. The first time I saw it, I had to walk out of the room and laugh before I put him in time out. :)
Picking out pumpkins has never been so fun as it has this year. Jaxton was amazed at all of the pumpkins to choose from and he even saw one that seemed to be almost as big as him. He got a kick out of that. Carving the pumpkins was even more fun. He wanted to get right in there and when he finally stuck his hand in to help me take out the guts, he said, "mommy that's gross!" No less than 5 minutes later, he dug right back in. I guess he couldn't help himself...

Kayla, a beer bottle, and socks...

So Kayla is getting so big. She can't crawl yet although she tries. She just scoots around. Most of the time she ends up going backwards and gets herself stuck in a corner and sometimes her legs even get stuck under our entertainment center. We have to watch her close. That girl is on the move. Even when we hold her, all she does is wiggle and she thinks that anything we are holding, she is entitled to. She'll reach as far as she can until she can grab it out of our hands. Mitch was drinking a beer the other day and she must have liked the color of the bottle or something because she got ahold of it and threw a tantrum when he took it away. No no, don't worry...not a drop touched those precious little lips. Needless to say, he stopped holding her and passed her off to me at that point. He had to keep the beer temporarily out of sight. She also likes to suck on her toes and she hates socks. They keep her from doing it and she doesn't hesitate to whine about it. Here are some pictures of Baby Kayla in action. I have also included one of her in her Halloween costume. Please excuse that the ears don't fit so well. It's a little small but given the fact that it was mine when I was a baby, she has to wear it.

don't mind Jaxton in the background... it was potty time

Who needs baby food when there are pistachios on the table?

Kayla getting mad at her socks

Kayla in the bunny costume

sweet baby

Oh happy day!

I hesitantly decided to give it a go and feed Kayla some green beans. I'll be honest that I wasn't hopeful in the least bit about it going well but, to my great surprise, she ate almost the whole entire jar! Not only did she eat it...she actually liked it. Not one tear...not one. It was an amazing moment. And what made it even more wonderful is that Mitch was at home to witness it. I had someone at hand to share my excitement with. What a good day :)

Belated Baby Shower

Just this past Sunday, Mom threw Kayla a belated baby shower. It was so much fun! We did the same thing when Jaxton was born and it was so much fun that we did the same for Kayla. It's always fun to show off the baby to people who have never met her before and she actually dealt with it quite well. She only got cranky towards the end and it was just because she was tired. I was hoping there would be no stranger anxiety.
Mom got me a crib set, which I was so excited about. Kayla seems to have lots of boy things...most everything except for her carseat. She has Jaxton's hand me down swing, bouncy seat, crib bumper, etc. It will feel good to have something girlie and cute for her. I'm so excited! She got some cute clothes, too, that I can't wait to put her in. Not a huge fan of snow but I do love winter clothes. She's gonna be so cute! I don't have any pictures yet but when I do, I will post them. :)

Halloween Festivities

Today Mitch and I took the kids to Gardener's Village and we all partook in some Halloween Festivities. I don't think I've ever been around so many screaming kids in my life. Some were squealing out of excitement and others were screaming because, I assume, either got no nap or were hungry and it was past lunchtime. Anyhow, I felt like I was truly broken in as a Mom, having to watch other moms deal with their kids and empathize, while being grateful that mine were being good, and at the same time making sure Jaxton was keeping his nose out of other people's affairs. He has gotten pretty nosy these days. The candy shop was this biggest obstacle. I have never told Jaxton to put something down more times in one breath than I have today in the candy shop. Of course, everything is within little hands' reach. We did let him fill a bag of candy though (which we will hide when we get home) and we all enjoyed a carmel apple...it was his first and he loved it. And good little Jaxton, being the excellent sharer that he is, had no problem offering bites to other little children...they gladly took them. Jaxton got his face painted and to end the day, he got to have his first pony ride. The pony's name was George and I'm pretty sure that Jaxton loves pony's now. He had so much fun!

Not sure what to think of getting his face painted

He loves his pumpkin!

comparing carmel apples with Dad

I can do it myself...

He was amazed by the dancing witches

Jaxton, George (the pony), and me

Milestones

We have had a couple of milestones since my last post. Kayla had baby cereal for the first time and she hated it. It was so cute. We've come a little ways since then but we still have a long way to go before I can say that she truly enjoys meal time. Maybe she will like baby food better. We'll see...

Mitch and I also celebrated our 2nd anniversary. We took a very much needed overnight trip to Park City to celebrate. It was the first time that we have gone anywhere alone together since we've been married and I have to say that it was amazing. Mom and James watched the kids and Cynthia had the house all to herself. I think she enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Jaxton played teatherball (sp?) for the first time, too. Gosh he is getting so big. Anyway, here are some pics...

 

Mitch and I on our anniversary trip

She looks like she's waving