Giddy Up!

For months, Halle has been obsessed with horses, boots and all things "cowgirl," so her costume choice was pretty easy this year. When I found a cowboy outfit for Chase to match, we were thrilled. I'm pretty biased, but I must say they are the cutest little "pardners" around!

Halle got her hat and boots from Burns Saddlery. (Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa!) Even after growing up in Salina, I think that was our family's first purchase from Burns. After I saw her boots, though, I think I want some for myself!

Chase hated this hat! I have about twenty wasted pictures trying to get one with his hat on. We were finally successful!

They had so much fun trick-or-treating. Chase had a hard time keeping up with the other kids, but he totally lived it up.

Happy Halloween to all!

Playing Catch-Up

Over UEA weekend, my parents treated Halle and I on a trip to Seattle. We had a blast! Since Chase takes up so much of my time on a regular basis, it was so nice to spend 3 days with my girl.

We kept busy hanging out at the zoo...

Checking out the city from the top of the Space Needle...

Checking out the fish at the Aquarium...

Taking it easy...

And being silly...

Thanks, Mom and Dad for a much needed trip! We loved it!

Perfectly Pleasurable Pumpkins

We made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch a little early this year and we had a great time. We usually wait until the week of Halloween, and scour the place for a few round pumpkins, but this year we had plenty to choose from.

It is so much fun to watch the kids pick out a pumpkin. Halle was determined to find the biggest pumpkin she could, and Chase was thrilled to just put every pumpkin he could into the wheelbarrow. We would have spent $100 in pumpkins if we kept each one that Chase loaded.

If there is one thing that Chase loves in this world, it's a pile of dirt, so imagine his excitement when he discovered a whole field with endless opportunities to get dirty. Talk about Heaven on Earth! He found this little wheelbarrow and pushed it around the entire time. Seriously, for all the stress this child causes me, he can be pretty much adorable.

I love simple family activities. Sometimes life becomes so crazy that I forget how blessed I really am, but spending an half hour in the middle of a dirt field with my family reminded me that I really am so lucky. I have a wonderful family, and I love nothing more than to see them happy.

Just Call Me Martha Stewart

Before Sunday, my best culinary skill was ordering take-out, but now, I'm pretty sure I could host my own show on the Food Network.

Let me explain. When the Mormon Times arrived last Thursday, there was an article about how many families have the tradition of making homemade cinnamon rolls before the morning session of conference. Sam read the article and thought it was a good tradition to have, so we decided to give it a try. I was a bit apprehensive, because my only cinnamon roll experience consists of pulling Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls out of the freezer and putting them in the oven. But, I made these cinnamon rolls completely from scratch. Holy Smokes! I'm a domestic diva!

Anyway, they came out of the oven just in time for conference to start. It was so great to sit down with my family and enjoy the words of church leaders and eat cinnamon rolls. This is definitely a tradition that we will continue every conference Sunday. I can't wait until April!

Letters

Dear Chase,

Listen, son. I love you dearly, but for goodness sakes, can you please stay in the nursery? I know you don't think it's the greatest place in the world, but every other kid goes in there without throwing the massive fit that you throw. It's been 4 months now, and you've spent a grand total of 40 minutes in there by yourself. If you stay in the nursery, I promise not to bring up your behavior in Sacrament Meeting. We'll just keep that between us (and the rest of the ward).

Dear Halle,

Just because you have a small scratch does not mean that you have to apply 7 band-aids to keep from bleeding to death.

Dear Sam,

Next time you go on a totally awesome trip, and you are buying souvenirs for the kids, please don't forget your wife. The shampoo from the hotel doesn't count. I'm just sayin'.

Dear BYU,

Anytime you want to start winning is fine with me.

Dear Diet Coke,

I know I'm pregnant, and I probably shouldn't drink you as much as I do, but thank you for helping me get through my day. I don't know if I'd make it to lunchtime without you. Smooches!

Dear Economy,

If you'd like to improve, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it. A little extra $$$ never hurt anybody.

Dear Costco,

Thank you for existing. I love our little family trips to visit you every week. And, I love your return policy. But one quick question. How come every time I try your taste test, I totally need the item, but when I get home and I have enough fried rice to feed 65 people, I'm wondering what tasted so good about it in the first place? Are you drugging me?

We can now refer to this baby with the correct pronoun.

Apparently, I am totally lacking in the "mother's intuition" department. For the last 4 months, I was convinced this baby was a boy, but at our ultrasound yesterday, we found out we are going to bring a little more drama to the Taylor household.

It's a Girl!

Halle kept saying that she knew this baby was going to be a sister, so I guess I should have listened to her. She's certainly a little more "in-tune" than I am! When we came home and told her, she started jumping up and down. It was pretty cute. Chase, of course, couldn't have cared less, but I'm sure when she arrives, he'll have plenty of opinions on the new arrival.

Sam and I are thrilled, and feel very blessed to be welcoming our third child.

Now, I have to figure out the bedroom situation.

It's About Time!

Halle's Big Day finally arrived! She's been so excited to start kindergarten. We've been counting the days down for about a month, so we were all thrilled to take her to school. We are looking forward to helping her learn and grow this year.

She was thrilled to see some of her friends from preschool. These girls are adorable!

Her teacher, Mrs. Holt, is amazing!

(Minor disclaimer here: Don't look too close at me. I'm in the middle of "is she pregnant or just fat?" stage of this pregnancy.)

Hooray for kindergarten!