October happenings

Thank you for all your votes...it really did make my decision for me...stay posted for our Halloween pics where we are all in costume!

Here's what we've been up to lately...on Oct. 11th we had a Halloween craft party (it actually was the 2nd annual). It's too much fun being girls!

On Oct. 18th, Marc ran the Mud Run (we did it together 2 years ago, but I opted out this year...felt a little guilty when I realized a bunch of our couple friends were all doing it). But I felt like I practically ran it anyways from parking in a parking lot like a mile away, running late, and therefore jogging while pushing Jake in his stroller, carrying the diaper bag and our pack and play. We got to the entrance as the race started and I ran back out running after them to get the picture below...needless to say, I acted just as exhausted afterwards as all the people who actually ran the race:)

We hit up a pumpkin patch in Long Beach with our friends the Ashton's last weekend...

No, Marc does not have freakishly long arms, Kim was ducking down and holding Jake up:)

I was so proud of my man...he hit the bell both times

I think Kim and I enjoyed this train ride more than the babies...I'm not ashamed to admit I use my baby to go on little kid rides for myself
Jake's 1st pet! I won it in a carnival game. We named him Pa (we were at Pa's Pumpkin Patch). Unfortunately, Jake will never remember Pa, as he was floating on the top by the next morning. That poor goldfish...he never had a chance...I've always had a fatal effect on goldfish.
Another family pic

Here we are with Justin, Kim and Brody

Marc and I carved our pumpkins the other night...
I made Frankenstein, and he decided to make the face I give him when he's been watching football too long...

Mickey Mouse or a lion?

I can't decide if Jake should be a lion or Mickey Mouse for Halloween...leave a comment with your opinion to help me decide. If he's a lion then Marc and I will be Dorothy and the Scarecrow. If he's Mickey, then Marc and I will be Mickey and Minnie (which makes Jake Mickey Jr.)

Our trip to Missouri

I know many of you probably think you must be seeing things...yes, this is real, I have done a new blog post! I would like to think I always have a good excuse for all the things I'm not keeping up at...and so this time, I'll blame it on the internet. I really believe the internet gods have it out for me...because Marc seems to never have a problem getting on...but it seems to not work every time I try. I'm counting it as a miracle today that it is actually letting me do this post:)

There are many pictures that I've taken in the last couple months that I haven't put on the blog...but for now I'll skip those, and post about our recent trip to Missouri. We went for a week and a half and got back a couple weeks ago...it was so much fun.

It was Jake's first airplane ride...and while I'd heard many horror stories from friends about their baby's first plane rides...and how they screamed the whole way, or did the biggest blowout diapers ever...Jake was great on both rides there and back...we will count ourselves lucky this time!

This is Marc's sister Michelle and her husband Dean and daughter Kylie. They live in St. Louis and we stayed with them mostly the whole trip. It was so fun to see them, play with Kylie, and hang out. And while I'm not a big dog person, they have great dogs...this one time at the end of our trip I felt so upset when I found out the camera had erased all the pictures on our card, and while I was sitting on the couch feeling bummed, the dogs came up to me and put a ball in my lap to play with them...they had never done anything like that with me the whole week and a half we were there! Can they sense when you are sad? I thought that was very cool. (By the way, as you can see, we managed to get our pictures back). Don't ask me why Marc and I are doing the prom pose for this picture.
We went to Grant's Farm while we were there...it was fun...saw lots of animals, and fed the goats some milk...as if I'm not already doing enough milk feedings in a day:) Kickin it with the camel
the St. Louis arch
Jake doesn't look too impressed with being at the top

It was cool to see the rivers over there...the Mississippi River and the Missouri River...we took ferrys across on some driving ventures we went on

In the middle of the week we headed to Nauvoo...on the way we went through Hannibal, Missouri...where Mark Twain was from...if only Marc's high school english teachers could see him appreciating Mark Twain's stories now:)

We made it to Nauvoo and stayed there two nights. It was so awesome to be there again. I'd been there before but it was Marc's first time. We loved it and had fun learning about the way the Pioneers lived and learning all the church history.

At Carthage Jail

Uhhh...scary. The guys running the ox pulled wagon ride we went on made us hold their horns for a picture...wasn't so sure about that--

On the wagon ride

We drove back to be at Dean and Michelle's house for a few days before our flight to come home. Marc went fishing with Dean and Kylie while Michelle and I (and of course Jake) went shopping...always a favorite pastime:)

Cute cousin picture