...beware...

we've got lots of catching up to do in the world of blogging...so there's a lot of pictures!! here's part of what we've been up to the last couple of weeks in anticipation of halloween...

zac & his little friend finn were mesmerized by this little house of my parents'. the magic of being a little kid...it's so real & makes everything more exciting!

miss brooke decorating her pumpkin in a most BOOtiful fashion!


zac working so intently on his pumpkin. this boy loves things like this...

our halloween house (our 2nd attempt, i must add). fyi: if you're going to make a gingerbread house in the future...take my advice & never buy the "wilton" brand kit. they look cute because the roof is all jagged and such...BUT they don't come with anything to support the walls of the house on, so they collapse...for me at least. i found this gingerbread kit at albertson's...it's our second year using it & has worked both times...disaster free! :)

zac & grace getting ready to eat their "yummy mummies" for lunch...funny how food seems to always taste better to kids when it's made out to look like something other than just food...

an unexpectedly very cold trip to the pumpkin patch...but we still had a good time! okay, so emerson loves this pink jacket & its' hood. this day at the maze, it was freezing and the wind was blowing, so it worked out great. but on other days like today when the sun is shining and it's actually warm outside and she still insists on wearing her jacket and hood everywhere...i cringe. but then i get over it...because really, it doesn't matter... ;)

we went to the pumpkin patch with zac's preschool class & his teacher wanted a picture of all the kids wearing these straw hats...zac did not think that was cool. here he is trying his best to be polite and cooperate...he's a pretty good faker i must say!

so glad that we found dad's jacket in the trunk...it was a the perfect warmer upper for emmy while zac searched for pumpkins...

she got a kick out these small pumpkins. there must have been more of that childhood magic going on...

nothing like a good oreo cookie to warm up your insides....not really. hot chocolate would've been much better...

...busy bodies...

emerson has decided that she wants to be extra clingy. i really can't get anything done without her hanging on my leg or being held in my arms. i've resulted to putting her in her highchair in front of the tv while i try and be somewhat productive for the time that she is entertained with sesame street or backyardigans. she's at that age where she leaves her mark wherever she goes, like you can see here...

or here...

and she literally loves getting on top of and into everything she possibly can...this cupboard is perfect for her to play in though...why? because it's empty. :)

but i love her...and i wouldn't trade her for anything. it's just a busy, busy stage that's all....:)

now zac...he is getting to that age where he LOVES to help. he loves to feel like he's all "growed up" as he would say. the other night i was pretty tired after dinner. zac insisted on cleaning up it up and doing the dishes by HIMSELF. i kept on saying, "zac, are you sure? because i can help and it will go lots faster." he turned me down every time...and obviously was so proud of himself when it was all said & done...which was about an hour later. now hopefully this isn't a phase...

...bat craze...

i'm really liking bats this halloween...even though i haven't made any yet. i've had the paper sitting on my dresser for like two weeks now, so i think it's about time i get my act together and actually DO it. i'm hoping that here in the next day or two, zac & i can copy one or two of these cute ideas from martha!! you can click here or here for some fun downloadable bat templates.

...hogle zoo...

yes, we are still alive. just a bit busy. chad & i went down to lake powell last week with some friends...and i didn't have my camera, so no pictures...but of course, we had a good time!

we made a trip to the zoo this week before the weather gets too cold...probably one of zac's all time favorite places. i think he most looks forward to being able to navigate his way around. every time, he HAS to get a map & map out our course. thank goodness for zac, we'd be lost without him!!

emmy's version of a giraffe tongue...their tongues ARE blue you know!

i don't know why we brought the stroller, all emerson does is scream until she gets out & then she insists on pushing it everywhere...so cute, but so VERY slow.

the albino crocodile...how often do you get to see one of these??

zac measuring up..."i'm getting REALLY big mom!" and that's so true...i sometimes wish i could stop time and keep him just how he is forever...this is such a fun stage...and i'm sure that life has lots of fun in store, but for now i'm really enjoying my "almost 4 zac" for as long as i can! :)

...we did it...

bedtime has never been my favorite time of the day for more than one reason. zac...he's not a problem. we have our nice little routine with him of brushing our teeth, reading three books, a prayer, and some milk. pretty simple...minus the fact that sometimes i end up sitting on his floor for close to an hour until he falls asleep. but for the most part, it's not bad.

emerson on the other hand...now that's where i get stressed out of my mind when it comes to going to sleep. and not only at night, but for naptime as well. and the main reason is because, i hate to admit it, but i have still been nursing her to sleep. actually, i should say i have been pacifying her to sleep. she has never taken a binky, and hasn't been crazy about the bottle or the sippy cup, so i'm the lucky one! and it really is not her fault, i know it's me...but i just haven't had the energy to just stick it out and get the whole weening thing done! until this week...

thankfully my friends jessica & kelli came and stayed with us for a few days and they were the perfect moral support that i needed in order to start this whole process. jess referred me to supernanny's website and i got on and found some great information...and i learned that i'm not the only one that has struggled with this problem...which of course helped me feel better. anyway, long story short...the first night...she woke up at 11 p.m. and cried & screamed like no other. at 2:30, i had had enough and shut her door as well as my door and went to bed. i'm not sure exactly when she finally fell asleep...but she did. anyway...second night, i was all geared up to do the same thing....but it was amazing what happened. i did the little routine that i found on the supernanny website of a warm bath, reading, rocking, bottle, and soft lullabies, and she was asleep within 15 minutes...no crying at all!!! and no boob, just a bottle! and even more amazing, the same thing happened tonight!! yes, i am so happy! and yes, i am so proud of myself for just sticking it out and being strong and getting the job done. it was way easier than i thought it would be...thanks to supernanny's website, and of course, the support of my friends!! now i'm going to bed to enjoy a good night's sleep...so great! :)