Halloween

We love Halloween around here!  It was so fun to watch Berkley get excited about everything and point out every witch and pumpkin she saw.  The girls wore Halloween attire the entire month.



We loved decorating the house and counting down to the big day.

The Saturday before Halloween I attempted to make some awesome finger sugar cookies for my book club.  The problem is they spread out when I baked them and didn't look very cool anymore. 

The Sunday before Halloween we headed to the Morby's house for their annual Halloween dinner and pumpkin carving.  Zack made meat fingers with blood red dipping sauce.

Berkley liked the witches brew.

And she actually participated in the pumpkin carving this year.  A little.


Her favorite part was probably the cookie decorating (and eating.)






We ended up with some awesome pumpkins!  Amy's chewbacca and Zack's cannibal pumpkins were my favorites.  All of the pumpkins were grown in Drew and Lisa's garden, and there were even more left over!

Halloween day I took some pictures of the girls and our pumpkins.





As far as costumes go, maybe someday I'll be that awesome mom who makes clever matching outfits for the whole family.  But this year we had Berkley's old unicorn costume for Peyton (which Berkley called the dragon queen.)  And our neighbors let us borrow a Brobee costume for Berkley that she loved. 



There's just something about little kids in costumes.  They are the cutest.  My kids will stay this little forever right?


I agreed to work that afternoon so my coworker could help with her daughter's school party.  I figured I might as well dress up so I threw together this ensemble. 


Zack went to school that evening and then came home to pass out the candy.  We stayed up in Bountiful after I got off work and went trick-or-treating around my Mom's neighborhood.  It was SO warm and perfect.  Berkley kept sweet-talking her way into getting more candy by saying things like, "I want two because I am two" and then, "I need one for Peyton, and one for Grandma, and one for Mommy."  She loved it. 

And here's a video of her singing the witch song.

Parenthood

Some days I wonder what I've gotten myself into.

7 Months

Peyton turned 7 months old on October 27th.

She not only has mastered sitting but has also started scooting around.  I'm pretty sure she started this way sooner than Berkley did.

She also started dancing.  She loves music and especially loves when her dad plays the guitar. 

She has loved all of the new fruits and vegetables we've given her.  It took her a while to warm up to applesauce though.  Here's a video of one of her first times eating it. 

When she's really happy or excited (usually while eating) she wiggles her head from side to side.

Is it just my children or do all babies say, "dadada" when they're happy and yell, "maaaamaaa" when they're upset?  It's like something they're born with. 

She gives the best slobbery kisses.

And I'm still her favorite.  :)

Berkley Funnies

Here are some of the things that have made us laugh.  This is from Berkley 2 1/2 to 3 years old.

•  One night she was saying the prayer and said, "Thank you for all the blessings we have, indivisible, under God, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
• Zack: "Berkley should Mommy give me a hair cut so I can be handsome?"
  Berkley: "I don't want you handsome."
  Zack: "What do you want me to be?"
  Berkley: "I want you to be really important."
• She doesn't quite understand the concept of rhyming but if something is similar in any way she'll say it's the 'same rhyme.'  Like one day she said, "Bus and butt is the same rhyme!"
• Zack was watching Fast N' Loud, a car fixing show on the Discovery Channel.  Berkley said, "This is a good daddy and girl show."
• In the car Berkley told Zack to make a spotting scope with his hands so he could find the store.
• Zack was telling me about digging out a "stupid power pole" at work and Berkley came up behind him and said, "Dad, we don't say stupid."
• "There's a fly mommy!  Get the whack flyer!"
• "You count and I'll hide in the bathtub."  Or, "You hide right here and I'll count."
• She pointed to a man at the grocery store and said, "Look mommy, a giant!"
• On that same subject, she was talking to our bagger at the store, who was a boy, and said, "You have earrings just like my mommy."
• She asked to watch Peter Pan because she likes "Captain Hook and Mr. Speed."
• "How about some branch on my noodles mommy?"
• "Let's pretend to swim.  You can be a fishy and I'll be a bottom-nosed dolphin."
• Me (singing): "That's what makes Berkley beautiful!"
  B: "Did you say me is beautiful?"
  Me: "Yes."
  B: "Even in my jammies!?!"
• "I taked my overwears off for the bath."
• Me: "Do I need to flick your hands?"
  Berkley: *starts crying* "No. They're covering from surgery!"
• "Dad you forgot to put your seatbelt on so you can be safe. Or the police man will spank you."
• Zack finally shaved after 'Novembeard.'  A few days later we were singing a song that says things like 'as quiet as a mouse, as strong as an ox, etc.'
  Me: "As pretty as a mommy."
  B: "As pretty as a daddy."    
  Me: "As handsome as a daddy."
  B: "As shavey as a daddy."
  Me: "Is daddy shavey?"
  B: "Yeah, he's shavey beardy."
• Sometimes to compliment the food she's eating she'll say, "Mom, this is not half bad!"
• She climbed into bed with me one morning and said, "So... How's your problem today?"
• Walking all over the house "Where's my other... My other fantastic shoe?"
• When I was leaving for work she said, "I want one."
  Me: "One what?:
  B: "One hug and one kiss."
• She handed me some paper and said, "Here.  Educate yourself." (From Lilo and Stitch)
• After she peed in her bed I was changing the sheets and she said, "I can pay for that." (Also from Lilo and Stitch) 
• Another time she peed her bed, came out the next morning and said, "Don't touch me dad."
  Z: "Why not?"
  B: "Because I'm all freaking wet."
  
  Which one made you laugh?

The Zoo

Going to the zoo was on my summer bucket list but the summer came and went and we hadn't gone.  So my mom called me up in October and offered to take me and the girls.  It ended up being the perfect day to go.  It was overcast and even rained a little but the animals were so active and it wasn't too crowded. 



Berkley loved seeing all the animals.  Peyton just liked going for a long walk in the stroller.



We brought the umbrella stroller for Berkley just in case she got tired of walking but she preferred to push it herself. 

The polar bear was the highlight of the day.  He was really showing off.  Berkley will still tell you that the polar bear jumped at her face. 



As we were waiting to go into the giraffe house, out walked my old friend Michelle and her cute girls.  What a nice surprise since they live all the way in Pennsylvania now.  We took a quick pic in front of some construction. 

The baby giraffe was adorable.  If you ask Berkley about it, she'll tell you that the baby giraffe was drinking milk from its mommy.  True story. 


We finished up at the carousel.  Probably Berkley's favorite part. 


She enjoyed it so much, in fact, that she threw a fit as I pried her off.  Grandma felt bad so she took her on it again.  Typical grandma.


And afterward, we were all wiped out.