Paxton's Favorite Month

My sweet aunt invited us to her Halloween party and the boys loved being with the other kids. They had games to play and then a hay ride pulled by tractor to another home for dinner.

They'd made grilled cheese sandwiches and soups, perfect for kids and adults...my new favorite cheese is Havarti. Yum.

This is evidence of Paxton's involvement in the silly string fight. The adults had just as much fun chasing the kids. The whole yard was covered and Bennett kept picking it up saying, what is THIS?

Paxton was also very adept at the candle squirting game that Bennett is doing here, it turned out to be a challenge for just about everyone else.

Paxton does enjoy Batman like so many boys. He asked for chocolate cake...this is simply chocolate frosting under the black spray food coloring. Eating anything black isn't too appetizing so I didn't try to color the cake inside.

This is the current craze in toys at our house. Bennett loves them too, particularly getting a reaction out of us when he puts them in his mouth. Paxton can build a whole set with very little help. And we tell him doesn't follow directions well?

Since Bennett got to be Superman at the other party, I didn't feel too bad convincing him to wear the bear costume. But I'm guessing this will be the last time he lets me dress him up in what I want. They both enjoyed trick-or-treating.

Another great part of our week was meeting up with Jaylene to see her and their new little baby. We went to the children's museum at the Gateway. This cylinder sucked in light objects and swirled them around before they blow out the top.

 Paxton was acting as foreman to the crane operator. They had so many different things to do it's not hard to spend hours there.

The boys are sitting in an actual helicopter they have next to a play children's hospital where the kids get to take emergency calls, push gurneys, and dress like doctors.

This perfect little piano was so cute. Everything in the house, including the kitchen, was sized just right for Bennett.

At this station you can build block houses then choose an earthquake magnitude to see if the houses will stand or crumble. For little boys the only thing better than wrecking a house must be getting to push a button to do it.

I got some Christmas ideas out of the outing...both boys loved this wheelbarrow.

We had some dinner and I got to hold sweet Ellie. She is beautiful and I am so happy for J and J. They have been amazing to our family.

Is that a tiny smile?

Kittens

We talked about it for a while and decided the get not one but two kittens. The man of the house was not a big fan of the idea and I feared that our dog would not get along with another cat, not to mention two. But my aunt had many kittens on her little farm and one more batch was dropped off to her after their mother was hit by a car. She bottle fed and house trained them so I thought it was good to take 'em in. We think they're about 10 or 12 weeks old. They had been held and played with by her grandkids enough that they are very friendly and sociable. In fact they've put up with a lot from Bennett...he's not the gentlest to say the least. I don't let him play alone with the kittens for fear he'll squash one or carry one around by the tail.
Paxton also chases them but is learning more quickly that the kittens will like him more if he isn't running around squealing at them. He does get little boy crazy sometimes playing with them but he handles them well and even wants to clean the litter box. If only that desire would last. The kittens have had a few names, including Oreo, Charcoal, Bo, Shaggy, and Fred. At present we call them Chico and Chica, one is a boy and one a girl. Paxton is holding Chico here.

This is an old chair from my parents that I fondly remember growing up. When my Dad said he was going to donate it to charity if I didn't take it, I decided to grab it. The kittens like the ties hanging from the cushions.

I pulled out the ole sewing machine and made a kitten bed. The zipper is in and functional but not the prettiest; my Mom who is an expert in sewing told me she didn't know how I did it (wrong basically). I laughed. Next is a window cushion and maybe some pillow shams for my bed. No zippers on those.

We're trying to hang on to every last warm day so we've been to the park and we walk to school most days. Although I'm ready for the vegetable garden to be done in terms of the work, I wish the mild weather would stick around so we can enjoy being outside without freezing. The light frost we had recently did zap some of the vines - mine were mostly dead anyway except the ornamental potato vine - but the rest of my plants were fine. We're still harvesting a few cobs of corn from a late batch and we have about 40 spaghetti squash that I'm doling out to everyone I can think of. Our cucumbers have been great this year and the raspberries are slowing down in production but taste the sweetest they've been the whole season. It seems the cool weather has that effect on them. Oh how I wish Grandpa Les was still here so I could tap into his gardening and fruit tree knowledge. I often think of him when I'm in the vegetable garden.

A couple days ago it was Bennett's nap time (although naps are sporadic lately) and he announced he was going to nap on is bear. And he did. I assumed he'd move over to his bed but he didn't and stayed there his whole nap.

August activities

August was busy but great. We did a few camping trips which I'll show below but the biggest event was Paxton's first day of Kindergarten. You can see he was happy to go (despite that cheesy forced smile all kids seem to learn somehow) and I was glad he wasn't too nervous at all. There were a few kids and moms crying but we thought it was a fun day. He likes school, let's hope that continues since there's at least 12 more years to go buddy!

Bennett rarely sits in his high chair anymore, he wants to be at the table like everyone else and he insists on choosing his utensils and plate. He is in the "do it by myself" stage and gets pretty upset when he doesn't get the chance. Even simple things like taking off his shoes - he HAS to do it.

This pic is from our trip to a nearby canyon where we had a good time. The boys like to ride their bikes a bit and we try to cook some dutch oven recipes. This one was chicken and rice. Our campsite was well shaded but well used.

The weather was beautiful, and it was so nice to gain some elevation for cooler, but still enjoyable temperatures.

Paxton has learned the skill of tying his shoes. He can do it by himself but needs to master how to make it tight....sooner or later he'll get there. Once again this photo is deceptive, making Bennett look HUGE and Paxton small. Although they are on opposite ends of their height and weight charts, Paxton is still quite a bit taller and maybe 7 pounds heavier : )

I wasn't thrilled to see Paxton with a giant bow saw but he did very well using it. If only he could stay in one spot long enough to get through a log...he could be our firewood guy.  But, then again, he probably shouldn't be handling an ax much either.

We camped in this area while these yellow flowers were at their peak - I think it's a bush called rabbit brush. Jared and Paxton took a drive near dusk one evening and spotted a cow moose and her calf as well as a porcupine.

I got brave and brought my camera on the canoe the morning we took it down to Currant Creek reservoir. It was calm, sunny weather and we could see nicely into the water.  Of course we didn't catch any fish.

This is the fishing pole Paxton got for Christmas last year. I think he'd like it better if he caught something besides lake moss but he takes after his dad.

Many evenings we enjoy being in our own back yard.  Bennett likes swinging a bat at balls on our tee and he loves having his picture taken.

Hopefully my kids remember me for doing something other than yard work. I do involve them from time to time but usually I am happy to do the weeding and deadheading while they play. The zinnias grown from seed this year have done well and I like how long the blooms last.

We decided to take Paxton to Timpanogos Cave. Bennett stayed with Grandma and we headed up for a morning hike. Paxton was good hiker, not complaining on the way up but tired on the way down. He didn't appreciate the group of kids with us who decided to scream when the tour guide turned off all the lights but he was brave about it all.  

Our Summer fun

While this doesn't count as swimming lessons, it's a step in the right direction! Since our HOT streaks of weather kept coming, I decided the boys and the dog needed this little splash pool. You can see Bennett KNOWS when he's on camera. He definitely likes getting other people wet, but Paxton is more of a good sport in getting splashed, dumped on, and otherwise drenched. Paxton has been a great big brother this last week, cheering Bennett up when he's grumpy, we think due to some molars coming in. I love how easily they are entertained, we've done lots of chalk drawing on the patio, kicking soccer balls and batting off the t-ball tee. The boys do like their bikes too, Bennett's getting better at gliding on his and Paxton's already a pro. The neighbors are all super sweet to our boys, especially the 10 year old girl who could soon be a great babysitter. She is cute with both of them and they like her just as much. Sorry Grandma, you need a break here and there even though we LOVE your willingness!

These goggles are Paxton's but, like everything else, Bennett claims them as his own. The two year old selfish stage is here.  He has plenty of words too to say what he wants.  We have had a couple success with toilet training but haven't abandoned diapers just yet. As long as Bennett is willing and happy about spending time in the oval office, we're game.

Paxton wants to show off his muscles, he definitely tries to do push-ups like daddy and helps Mom bring in the gallons of milk we buy each week. If only he was taller he could mow the lawn!

For the 24th we waited, and waited, for some fireworks we expected to see from a neighboring park but they never happened.  SO, in the meantime we did some of our own and I had fun getting these sparkler shots.

These are some pots from Jared's latest glaze fire. They were, as usual sort of an experiment, this time Jared mixed the glazes, one of semi-transparent and one was transparent.  My favorite pieces are the bowls that have dark and light clay combined.  The surfaces within those bowls are different too, the dark part has a more rough texture and the lighter area is totally smooth.

Here's a couple pics of one my my "hobbies", our yard and garden.  I knew I was planting too much too close together in terms of the vine plants, but I did it anyway.  The cantaloupe, pumpkin, and spaghetti squash plants are doing well along with some corn, swish chard, cucumbers, raspberries, blackberries, and peaches.  And of course one very vigorous zucchini plant that I can't keep up with.