"Reely" fishy Halloween

Halloween rocked this year. It was such a fun-filled day. And the cool part is, Brian got to spend the morning with us. It's always special when he has some time to be with us.. And he sure caught himself some "reely" cute fish to spend it with. 

(PS-if you notice.. Brian's costume is the same from two years ago when he was a bug catcher.. he's not much into dressing up so.. Usually a hat and prop is the way to go)

This picture almost had me rolling on the ground laughing..Where's Adeline? Halloween really was a blast and I have a feeling it will only get better from here as Lydia starts to understand more and more.

We went to Gardner Village for the Witchfest and did Six Hags. We swam in corn kernels and played in a haymaze and they had a super cute petting zoo that she adored.. even when she got nipped by the horse. I'm pretty sure it was Disneyland to Lydia. She could have stayed there all day. She also got to ride a pony... and it is a good thing her pony was so well-behaved because her loud laughing the WHOLE time would have spooked most horses. It was adorable. Too bad she can't get a pony for Christmas... ha

Kaitlyn was our neighbor in Chicago.. our doors were seriously about 4 feet apart.. We became instant friends which is such a blessing to find when you're away from family.. especially when the person is your next door neighbor.. close enough that she could hear Lydia singing in the tub at night through the wall! It was a blast to have her come visit as well.

Debbie and Lydia have a very special relationship.. Debbie's husband Brett passed away a few months before Lydia was born. Lydia took immediately to Debbie and it often seemed as if Lydia already knew Debbie. I always had a very strong impression that Debbie's husband Brett had sat Lydia down up there and told her to take good care of Debbie while they were apart. Lydia loves and adores Debbie and I think it is safe to say Debbie feels the same. They share a very very special bond.

 

The llama wanted a selfie.. so I had to oblige. 

That smile says it all... like I said. This was probably how Disneyland would rate to this girl.

This is how Lydia feels anytime she gets to hold the baby... and while it is super duper adorable.. it also scares me and has me on edge ready to save Adeline from Lydia's sudden movements (I'm talking about the times when Lydia will push her to land on her face or try and carry her in a choke hold, or "hand" her a toy and end up giving her a goose egg on her head... those kind of sudden movements).

I truly hope Lydia always loves her little sister as much as her face shows in these pictures. I can just stop worrying when Addie can defend herself a wee bit better.

Lydia is obsessed with airplanes or "kites" as she insists on calling them. She reminds me of the dogs from the movie Up. When they see a squirrel they stop mid-sentence or whatever they are doing and say.. "SQUIRREL!" Lydia does the same thing with airplanes.. "KITE!" or "AIRPANE!" Don't believe me? Watch her video I did for her second birthday. I didn't even put in how many times she got distracted by an airplane flying overhead.

I'm pretty sure Adeline wondered why I woke her up to stick her in this big poofy thing... but it kept her really warm so that was worth it. And she makes an extremely adorable fish if I might add..

Lydia was surrounded by quite the crew for Trick-or-Treating.. and I'm that really cool person that made them all wear a costume (which turned into a hat of some sort).

With Debbie and Kaitlyn  in town they were able to catch Adeline's blessing and spend Halloween with us which made Halloween a real treat. Brian's mom Laurie joined us for some quick trick-or-treating. Brian sadly had to work.. He started night shift for the next couple weeks.. Ugh.. don't get me started on that... ANYWAY.... 

 

Trick or treating was adorable.. like melt my heart can we do this forever kind of adorable. We practiced her saying trick or treat before we went and hearing her darling little voice say that was enough to make anyone dump all their treats into her little pumpkin container.

But when we actually went to the door and she saw the candy people where just giving away.. She would say... "P-p-please?" and that put her trick-or-treating cuteness up a notch. SO STINKING CUTE! Especially as she'd wave goodbye and say "Tank Ooou!" and blowing kisses. My mommy heart was bursting.

Trick or treating crew! If I were to somehow tie in all our costumes I would say that Kaitlyn is the magician with a magic mouse (Debbie) that comes out of her hat because the bunny was on vacation. Me and the babies are the fish in the magician's fish tank in her office where the evil assistant magician Laurie is trying to steal Kaitlyn's hard earned money....

Okay.. that was a stretch.

Happy Halloween from our tank to yours! 

Becca&Stew

    Yay!! Friends came to visit us! It was a busy-party kind of week. We dropped them off at the metra to take into the city while Brian and I had work and school, and picked them up after! They got to explore the city by day and party all night!

This amazing young lady is heading on her mission in a month and a half to Paraguay!

Sleep OVER!!! (sorry for the blur!)

Then a sad goodbye at the airport.. See you two at Becca's Farewell! Miss you already!

Friends are Fun

   With most of our family in Utah, we really have come to rely on the good friends that we have made out here.. We feel very blessed to be surrounded by such great people!

We enjoyed the warmer weather by heading to the forest preserves with Matt, Brittany, and their son Josh!

Our good friend Stein turned 26! His parents flew out from Utah to visit and took us to dinner to celebrate! Good news ladies! He's single, LDS, and charming! haha

And of course I've got my little daily buddy! We've been enjoying our morning walk to the duck pond!

Bob's Baptism

    So my ward is a fun ward to be involved in. I love the people that I meet and I absolutely love to serve them. My callings in the ward are Acitivty Day Girls leader (I absolutely love my 15 girls!) and a ward missionary. I was a ward missionary in Utah, but to be honest-we didn't do much. Out here when I was first called I was kind of bummed because of my previous experience with the calling.

    This time it has been much different. We are very involved! As part of our calling, each week we are to devote time for at least 7 hours of study or missionary related activity. We have meetings each Saturday morning with the missionaries assigned to our ward. Through this calling I have come to know many people I wouldn't normally have the chance to get to know-including the less actives in the ward and investigators, I absolutely love it!

  Anyway, through this calling I've come to know this great man pictured below, Bob Ratfield! He has one of the most amazing, hard-working, and dedicated spirits I have ever met! He was baptized May 2nd into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I had the honor of speaking at his baptism in which I spoke to him about the Iron Rod, and gave him a small key chain as remembrance to "Hold to the Rod." He told me many times, "This is a miracle! It's a miracle that I can be baptized!" This man's faith has inspired me and given me new dedication to be more like him. What a special special opportunity this was for me and such a testimony builder!

The Church is True! ♥

And the Hunt Begins!

      I got a call on Tuesday from my friend Keshia Tanner with a proposal that we send our husbands on an Easter egg hunt around the town. Though I was pounded down with homework, I couldn't resist the idea and so we quickly came up with a plan. Instead of writing my 23-page paper for my infancy class, I wrote the clues for the places we would send our husbands. 

    Our plan was this: Tell the boys that we were meeting together Wednesday evening around 5 p.m to play games. And so at 5 p.m. the next day, Dan and Keshia showed up at our apartment to play our favorite game, Sequence.

    When Brian opened the box to set up the game, Dan spotted a yellow egg marked #1. He asked what it was and Brian grabbed it and opened it up to read:

When your tummy starts to whine
and it just won't be quiet
get something from Little Caesar's
and you will satisfy it

Both boys were a little confused until I said, "Sounds like a treasure hunt! Get going!" They laughed and took off for the car to go pick up the pizza we had previously paid for and find their next clue. Keshia and I took off for the park with the rest of the food to meet them there when they figured out the next clue. 

Now its time to indulge and devour
before it gets too dark

Hop in the car and drive on over

near your home at the park

Answer: Adams Park

    The boys got lucky when another family that decided to hide eggs in the park at the same time spotted our egg and pointed it out for Brian and Dan. 

The 29th ward created this
A memory that brings you glee
A competitive sport played here
to dive for the ball on your knee

Answer: Church where we play Volleyball

The next clue was this:
A symbol of our school
is where I must confess

a want of your lips on mine

with a good old firm press

Answer: True Aggie A

This next clue was hidden under the A!

A place we recently ventured together
You must go before it is too late
To the trail of a large stone structure
Don't worry the next clue is just at the gate

Answer: Concrete Playground

We took these two on a spontaneous night hike a few weeks ago. The next clue was hidden in a log and read this:

A small little pond is the home

of these creatures that eat mostly bread

Your next clue will be hidden there

Sometimes I think they will all be dead

Answer: First Dam (Duck Pond)

Then it was off again to our next spot:

When you're feeling less than fresh
and there is just one place to go toward
to pray, worship, and renew our covenants
in the house of the lord

Answer: Temple

It wasn't over yet! The next clue took us:

We have shared many memories together
I hope to always remember
We once roasted stories as well as food
in the glowing embers

Answer: Tanner's Firepit

They thought it was over here, but we weren't done with them yet:
This night we went on a date
and you brushed your hair with a comb
to go eat popcorn at the big screen
and see the action of Sherlock Holmes

Answer: Cinefour Theater

Now FINALLY! It was almost over! They found the last egg that read:

Our first activity together
in a cold November rain
to slurp up the delicious ice
to even more freeze our brain

Answer: Zeppes

    This is where we all hung out for the first time and so we decided it would be a fun place to end our little adventure! Woot! Happy HAPPY EASTER! :)