Thankful

I just finished watching this and can't wait for all of you to see it, too. Talk about spreading good cheer!

 

Doesn't that just make you feel good? Gratitude is the best.

Spitting Image

It's an understatement to say that Clark looks like Brandon. The fact is, he look almost identical to what Brandon looked like as a little boy. Funny thing is, Brandon's parents don't really see it. I don't know how that's possible. I can only see my influence on him in the roundness of his face, and his eyes are shaped ever-so-slightly differently than Brandon's.

Baby Brandon at 6 months:

I used to tease Brandon about his baby picture hanging on his parents' wall. As cute as he is, he's making a face in the top portion that I like to call, "Doh!" Clarkie boy makes that same face all the time.

This next picture doesn't really do the resemblance justice. I'll have to put up side-by-side photos of the two when I get better ones of Clark.

Having three children has been wonderful, and I feel so blessed as a mother when I look at all of them. This is always what I wanted to do in life, and the more children I have, the more full and complete I feel. I love imagining what each of them will be like as they get older.

Of course there are craaazy times, times when the two oldest are pushing my limits, but that frustration is teeny tiny compared to the love.

Clark is the best baby. He has been a good sleeper, he mainly fusses only when he's hungry (he used to hate the car, but doesn't mind it lately), he smiles and is so engaged in what we are doing. He laughs readily for all of us. He is completely filling out 6-12 month clothes at 3 months old. My babies are big, but once they hit age 1, they stop growing. :)

Here's a video of happy Clark. All of our babies have laughed when Brandon tickles their hands and feet on the scruff of his face.

Daddy's Idea

Thank you friends for your input on the shoes. I love shopping with you all, and I miss so many of you. I think I might stick with my first instincts and keep the mustard shoes. I do think I'd wear them with more things than the olive, so that's that. Muchas gracias.

So...what do you do when your husband thinks this is a good idea?

Legos container turned infant tub? Clark looks super comfortable. Brandon actually got out of the shower to get this bin. I have to admit it makes me laugh. I overheard him talking to Clark, saying, "Does that feel just like when you were in mommy's tummy?" Not quite, I'm sure.

Birthday Shopping

Okay girlfriends. Pretend we're at the mall and you're helping me decide on a pair of shoes. I like them in two colors. But which ones, which ones?

I really love this gold/mustard color. In fact, I already ordered them and have them sitting in my bedroom, only a half-size too small. So, they'll have to be returned. My hesitancy about this color is the white mesh. Will it get dirty too fast? Or am I stuck in mommy mode and need to realize I am not shopping for a 2-year old's shoes here?

I love these ones, too. Confession: they're actually a pair of shoes I saw Jillian from the Bachelorette wearing when she and Kiptyn did the ropes course (surely you know exactly what I'm speaking of, right?). I think these would be good long-term.

Or, should I postpone a shoe purchase and instead go for this adorable trench coat?

or this perfect dress?

But back to the shoes: mustard or olive?

Halloween Festivities

Halloween is definitely one of our most favorite holidays. I have always loved Halloween because my birthday is on the 27th, and I often lumped my birthday party and Halloween together. My mom used to go all out. I remember one year, she turned our garage into a virtual haunted house and made homemade root beer in a big black cauldron, complete with spooky dry ice mist. She has always made holidays special, and I look forward to keeping up her traditions.

Pumpkin Carving:

Here we are carving our pumpkin...sort of. We hollowed it out, and Brandon got started, but our pumpkin carving knives are in storage, so he never finished.

This year we attended two Halloween parties: one that I helped throw at my friend Ali's house with some friends from our ward, and one I helped my sister Joy throw at her house.

Party #1:

                                    

 

                               

 

                                       

We played several games, including Donut on a String, couples style (the only way to go). It always makes for good pictures.

 

 

I like this one before the starting buzzer rings...Ali just had to get a little taste. Can't blame her.

 

 

1st, 2nd, and 3rd places overall

If you're wondering where we and our costumes are, that's a good question. I dressed up in my costume (which is really just an accessory to Brandon's costume), and Brandon showed up late because he was coaching at a football game. Well, he was supposed to go home and change, but he thought I was bringing his costume to the party, so in the end, he was dressed as Coach Fox at the Soiree.

Party #2:

The next evening was Joy's Halloween Hunt. It was a scavenger hunt all around town. There was a lot of planning and preparation involved for this party, taking 4 people to plan it. There were six different teams, each with a captain. We made stops at five different locations:

     Stop 1: Park where there were hundreds of tiny glow sticks scattered in the grass. Each team had to find  the glow stick with their team name attached to it.

     Stop 2: An abandoned Circuit City parking lot

     Stop 3: In-n-Out where one team member had to eat a "Scary, Hairy, Monster" (burger animal style) in 2 minutes

     Stop 4: A cemetery where the clues were frozen in a block of ice

     Stop 5: A semi-constructed house (this one was spooky!)

We came in 5th out of 6 teams, but had a fun time in the process. I didn't get any photos from this party, but my friend Ali did here.

Trunk-or-Treating, Halloween Day:

And now, the unveiling of Brandon's costume...(as he is getting ready)

 

The Lunch Lady

It was priceless to see Brady and Lucy staring at Brandon as he got all dolled up. Brady thought it was so crazy that his dad was dressed as a girl.

 

 

 

 

 

My 3 babies

 

Lucy couldn't grasp the concept of only one piece of candy. She would keep grabbing handfuls of candy out of people's bowls. 

As we were leaving the church, Lucy was fascinated with this guy dressed as a gorilla. When she saw him in the street taking off his mask, she went up to him and commented on how he wasn't really a gorilla. She is too cute.

 

 

 Showcasing the new smile

Lucy made herself right at home trick-or-treating. As soon as the door was opened, she'd let herself right in.

After trick-or-treating, we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and went to bed.
We were exhausted!!!