Who Needs Pockets?

Mark forwarded this video to me and I thought some of you would get a kick out of it! I don't know how this mom could stand there and watch her little girl do such a thing! I know I would be freaking out...how about you??

Fun at the Science Center

So my good friend Haylie stopped by today because she wanted to show me this cool application she found where you can do fun collages with your pictures. This is BAD news! I thought blogging was addicting enough...no I was wrong. This application is way too much fun! It is like scrapbooking but digital and for your blog. I LOVE IT! So this is my first little creation and I am sure there will be many more to come!! Thanks Haylie for having patience with me and my 2 little munchkins as you taught me all the tricks!

A couple of weekends ago Marks sisters family came to visit. We had a great time with them! It was a rainy weekend so we took the kids to the Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland. It was a lot of fun! There is this great kids section there and they really enjoyed playing. I don't know who enjoyed it more though, the kids or the dads! Mark and Lance filled up this big bucket with the balls and then had all the kids lay under it and dumped the balls on them!! Josh loves being able to play with his cousins and asks me all the time if he can go to "Shells" (Michele's) house. It's so nice to live just a few hours away!!

Oh Where, Oh Where Has Fall Gone?

I really enjoy living where there are four seasons. I don't think I could live somewhere that didn't have all four. I love the changing colors during the fall and the crisp days, cool enough for a jacket or sweater but not so cold that you need a coat. This year is flying by. It seems as if here in Ohio the fall has come and gone and winter is setting in. For the past couple of days it has been snowing and believe it or not, I LOVE it! I love that we had a nice warm summer, a decent fall, and now it is time for winter! It's coming just in time for the holidays! I feel like this time of year feels complete with a little bit of snow on the ground!

Living in Rexburg for the past 3 years, I really missed the changing colors of fall! It seemed out there, despite the fact that there aren't many trees, that fall was almost non-existant. It felt like it would go from summer to winter and back to summer! So I am really enjoying being back out east with all four seasons and so many trees!!

A few days ago we went to Huntington Beach, it is right on Lake Erie, and had a picnic. Mark and Josh played a little football (as much as you can with a 2 year old!) and Natalie and I cheered them on! The trees were gorgeous, the air was crisp, it was the perfect fall day!

Better late than never!

Over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house we go! (Actually more like just a 6 hour drive!) A couple of weeks ago I got up the courage and drove, by myself with both kids, to my parents house in Maryland! If you know me, I am not so good with driving. I don't know what it is about the car, but once it starts moving I get sleepy. So I was a little bit nervous about driving out there without Mark to keep me awake, but I got up the guts and gave it a shot! We weren't even out of Avon (the town we live in) and I almost turned around and went back home. Natalie was crying and Josh was yelling "I want out! I want out!" I was thinking what the heck am I getting myself into! Well we kept on going and 2 stops to feed Natalie and 6 hours and 45 minutes later we made it! Alive...in one piece! I was pretty proud of myself and we sure are glad we went. We had a great time! Josh LOVES wrestling around with his Uncles and reading with Grandma. And of course, Natalie just eats up all the attention she gets! I figure that while I live so close to family I need to take advantage of it and spend as much time as I can with them. We went down for the entire week and loved it!

Uncle Aaron and Josh playing around! Josh adores Aaron and likes to tease him!

Playing Wii Mario Kart. Let me tell you it is NOTHING like N64. I would dominate in the N64 version. But on the Wii I am lucky if I even finish the race! It was fun though!

Uncle Max has a paper route and Josh thought it was pretty fun to play in them that morning!

Grandma and Natalie having a good time together! That little girls smile is contagious!

Josh thought it was pretty funny to wear Grandma's glasses!

While we were there we went to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. It was such a great park to take little kids too because there were so many kiddie rides. I wasn't quite sure how Josh would like it but he absolutely LOVED it! There were some rides that we had to go on over and over and over because he liked them so much!

When we first got there we measured Josh to see what candy bar he was so that we knew which rides he could go on. He wasn't quite tall enough to go on the Hershey Kiss rides he was a Miniature Kiss!

This was Josh's very first ride to go on and I wasn't allowed to go with him. I didn't think he would actually go without me but he climbed right on in, I buckled him up, and off he went all by himself! Most parents would be so excited for their little ones and I was, but I have to admit a part of me was sad. My baby boy is growing up. He is starting to do things on his own and it tugged at my heart strings a little! But I was proud of him too!!

The rides that go round and round make me sick so Uncle Aaron would go on those ones with him! This rocket ship would go up really high if you pulled on the steering wheel inside and Uncle Aaron showed Josh how to do it so the entire time Josh had them flying high!

Natalie was the best baby all day! She just hung out in the stroller and didn't complain one bit. In fact she was so smiley all day! It was a bit chilly so we kept her bundled up in the stroller!

Josh will eat ice cream anywhere. It doesn't matter if it is cold outside or not. He really liked the Dippin Dots and just for the record that wasn't his only cup of them that day!

Josh rode the "Choo-Choo" with Grandma!

Uncle Aaron and Josh fed the ducks from the top of the bridge!

We all rode the Sky Tram around the park. Natalie enjoyed this part not being in the stroller!

Josh loved riding the airplanes. This is one of the rides he went on over and over and over. It was so sad because the last time he went on the ride he said "Ouchie Mommy" and pointed to his tummy. I can only imagine what riding that thing 7 times in a row would make your stomach feel like!

The Frog Hopper was Josh's all time favorite ride. I can't begin to count how many times we went on this ride! I didn't mind it at all because it just took you straight up and then dropped you. Josh thought it was hilarious! He had so much fun on the froggy ride!
We stayed the weekend for General Conference and then we headed home Sunday night.

Natalie and Grandpa watching Conference together.

Josh, Uncle Max, Me, and Uncle Aaron watching Conference together.
We had such a great time visiting my family. I know that we will be making the trek out to see the fam a few more times before we leave Cleveland! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for letting us come crash for the week! We had too much fun!!

tRicK-or-TreAt

This was Josh's first halloween to go trick-or-treating. Last year our little apartment complex did a trunk-or-treat for the kids but it was little. So this was his first year to get in on the real thing. My parents and little brother came to visit for the weekend so "Uncle Mack" went with Josh up to the doors. At first I don't think he quite understood the whole concept. But by the end he was going right up to those doors and sometimes when they would answer the doors Josh would walk right on in! It was cute. Josh had a ton of fun trick-or-treating!

Uncle Max taking Josh up to his first house...

Walking along with Grandpa...Josh was a little slow especially when his bucket got so full!

There was someone dressed up as Elmo and Josh was fascinated by him. He didn't want to leave. He sat right next to Elmo and even gave him a hug!

Josh went as a zebra, Natalie was a little kangaroo, and Uncle Max was a samurai!

Thanks for coming to visit Grandpa and Grandma! We had a great time!