Family Pics 2013

Our family pictures this year have arrived! Gosh, I love my little cute family.

Pumpkin City

Trying to keep up with the Halloween festivities this month we headed for Pumpkin City! It was a first for us, and although we had a good afternoon, it will most likely be our last. (Think kind-of a dinky, over-priced, make-shift pumpkin patch in the middle of a ghetto-ish mall. Ha.)

After first petting the nauseating smelling goats, chickens, and pigs, to our surprise the first ride the girls wanted to do was go on the "Goliath", a giant inflatable slide. We were shocked. Our girls are afraid of everything. We have told them that we can't take them to Disneyland unless they start being less afraid of things. So we didn't stop them from wanting to go on this ride when they asked!

I don't think the girls had a clue how fast they were going to go down this slide. Looking back I can't stop laughing. They both thought they could slowly start down but didn't realize that once you go there is no way to try to hold on to the side of the slide, which they tried, or there is no way to try to slow down!

There they go...

Their faces of shock during and after the slide were hilarious.

Again to our shock, Marisa went down all 3 times, and Natalie only went one more time. We'll take that!

The rest of our time was spent going from dinky ride to dinky ride to picking out a dinky pumpkin...ha.

We thought this pumpkin was pretty cute. So we took him home too.

Today was proof that no matter what I do with my family, I love being with them regardless. Like playing Old Maid at Chick-fil-a afterwards. Highlight of my day.

come listen to a prophet's voice

This past weekend was General Conference weekend! It is a wonderful, uplifting weekend where we listen to our beloved prophet and other church leaders talk about the things that God wants us to know. It is broadcasted live all over the world and I greatly look forward to it every 6 months. It always provides the spiritual boost I need to carry on. This talk was a direct answer to my personal prayer and this talk was raw, real, and I know a sense of comfort for many.

Well, we started the weekend and kicked off October just right by eating pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin butter! Mmmmm! Also, I did the usual printing off children's General Conference coloring packets to keep the littles busy while we listen to conference, 

but this year, since the girls are now getting older, I decided to not only print coloring packets but make a treat activity!

Marisa helped me with this pinterest inspired candy/snack filled jars idea and I felt like a genius mother. In front of each jar was a word you would hear often during conference and every time the girls heard that word, they got to eat the corresponding candy/snack to that word! 

It was a hit! 

But after an hour or so, Tim and I started to see the repercussion of having loads of morning sweets. Natalie was affected the most. She was going crazy. She wouldn't stop running around, kept slamming her body against the couch for fun, couldn't sit still, bugging her brother, shouting. Even when the 2nd counselor from our ward came to give Tim a new calling in between sessions, both girls were in the living room, arms out, and spinning in circles. They wouldn't stop...

And then the sugar hangover from child #2 came as the 2nd session was starting. Meltdowns, tears, lack of focus...I felt not so genius after all! 

Either way, I loved spending time as a family, feeling the spirit together, and having prayers answered as we listened to a prophet's voice.

Zoomars

It's October already and I am not wasting time! Today Marisa didn't have school so we headed off to our first pumpkin patch adventure at Zoomars! First stop, the feeding and petting zone...

Natalie was obsessed with this llama. She thought it was the funniest thing! Can you imagine her giggles?! 

Marisa enjoyed feeding the bunnies more than the llama but she enjoyed feeding the guinea pigs even that much more! (Which I didn't get a picture of, darn.) She loved it so much that she even stayed behind longer with friends we ran into while there and apparently she had tears when having to leave. And since coming home she hasn't stopped talking about it. She now wants a pet guinea pig and name it, Anastasia... (Imagine my eyes wide open.)

Zoomars is a cute little farm in quaint San Juan Capistrano. They had a handful of activities for the kiddos. Like a corn pit for this cute baby boy!

And they had loads of unique pumpkins that made my heart swell! I love fall! (Even though it was like 85 degrees here in Southern California.) Happy October!

first lost tooth

That one time your first child loses her first tooth and the tooth fairy forgets to leave money...

...sigh...good thing the tooth fairy felt so bad and left two 1 dollar coins...