Happy Halloween!

We're not big halloween celebrators, and this year we kept remembering that last year, I was in labor...right now. Well, our little K. was not feeling well all day and R got home late so we were all dressed up and ready for bed by the time we had our little trick-or-treating round the neighborhood.

Just in case you were wondering, 1. That's a headlamp on J's head (it's really dark out there!) and 2. K is mid-cry, not mid-laugh.

Happy Halloween!

Country Time!

How many times in your life do you get to hold a humming bird in your hand? This little guy flew in our house the other day. It took him a minute to realize I wasn't going to kill him before he flew off. 

Mud Mash

I had so much fun doing this race! The Mud Mash, 10K.

 It was 6 miles, with a total of 24 obstacles (a three mile loop done twice). A few of my favorite parts were the bamboo "forest," the mud pits (of course), and the fire hose that sprayed us as we were jumping over hay bales. The walls and the hills were the most exhausting obstacles.

 I was the second girl in my race!

It's K's 1 year birthday this week and this was a great way to celebrate not birthing a baby in the fall for the first time in two years! 

Ryan's Fault

So, it's Ryan's fault really. 

He's the one that came home and asked me what I thought of getting a little golden retriever puppy. So, believe it or not, I actually put a bunch of thought into it (seriously, I really did) and decided that I was ready for one too. 

So, I got really excited for a new little family member that looked something like this. Unfortunately, the one we had our eyes on was sold before we got it. 

I looked on craigslist and could only find puppies that looked a little something like this. Not happening.

I sorely missed having a cuddly little puppy friend, and so, we got five new chicks..."for Josiah's birthday." Totally for Josiah. 

Ok, so maybe they were a little bit for me. But we played it up like they were for Josiah. After all, that would mean that I have to admit that we did it because I like watching Modern Family and snuggling with a chicken at the end of the day. No way. That's weird.

 It was totally for Josiah.

TWO!!

Even though we really wanted to do a mellow birthday for Josiah, it was just so fun and easy to spend the whole week celebrating and doing fun things for him (and me!).

 The 9th, his actual birthday began with strawberries and homemade whipped cream on pancakes, a Lucio tradition. 

 Apple picking with Aunty T, he asked  to do this again every morning right when he woke up for an entire week!

Later in the week we picked out baby chicks, I,  I mean, the kids, were so excited and absolutely loved it.

Josiah screamed with excitement when he heard me mention the zoo, so the zoo it was to celebrate his birthday party. 

 Aunty T and Aunty Andrea, feeding the animals.

Hands-down the best exhibit at the zoo (according to Josiah)... the tractor working on part of the park.

 Pizza and salad, simple is good.

Wrapping paper, toys, it was heaven for him, the presents just kept coming! 

The group, it was all our family. We are so blessed to have so many involved family members. Andrea even drove up from San Diego by herself to be with us! We love you all.

Grandma and Grandpa Hayes also threw him a party a few weeks ahead of time, so our little guy had no lack of celebrating how much we love him this year! 

For the Fam

The War Zone. She Won.

Country Time!

I couldn't resist this picture of the kids feeding the chickens. They sat there forever, methodically dropping oak leaves and beet greens through the wire on the ground. Soooo cute!

If I Were a Millionaire (Part 2)

If I were a millionaire (plus some) I would also have a sweet home in the mountains, and, I suppose since I'm a millionaire...no billionaire, I would have a plane to fly between the two homes (for the other home see, If I Were A Millionaire (Part 1)) with ease.  I would have a sweet fly-fishing river right out our door to fish whenever we wanted, and I would have those beautiful mountain views every morning when I woke up and every evening before I went to bed. 

Thankfully, I don't have to be a millionaire to enjoy the most important parts, our sweet time with family, some good rompin' in the creek/fishin, and enjoying time with God in an environment that so clearly showcases His awesome glory. We are so thankful for our northern family and their cabin. It holds so many special memories for R and now for our whole family as well.

I just had to put this on there to say, yes, that's our son in grandma's hat. hehehe

S'mores around the campfire, K. couldn't get enough.