AZ Zoo

It is always fun to stop by the zoo when we are visiting AZ. When we went this Nov. the weather was perfect. I think the kids favorite part about the AZ zoo is the petting zoo. Owen especially loves animals (having grown up around Anubis his whole life). Some kids are a little cautious going in, but he went right in and would grab the goats by their faces and make them look at him while he talked to them like "Hey goat, listen up, I have something important to say to you!" They also really liked taking the train (at the time I was feeling sick so I liked that part too), and the play area. Mom was great to provide the tickets and Kendra was great to haul us around and show us the ropes. Thanks!

Matthew is 7!

Yes, it is true. I have a child that is 7 years old. Wow, it was good to get that off my chest. He asked for two things for his bday this year- a new trick bike and Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics. I did run out early to get the standard donuts for breakfast. We also went to Chuck E. Cheese after school. We did break a little from tradition this year- Matthew wanted cotton candy and milkshakes instead of the regular cake and icecream. Also, his brothers saved up points to buy him presents from the mommy store. Andrew got him a Bakugan wallet and Owen got him an Iron Man shirt. Everyone had a blast.

Nashville Science Center

Matthew loves lifting this car (levers are awesome)












































This skin model is part of the climbing area. You can also climb through the heart, down the spine, etc.





























It has a fantastic view of downtown Nashville.














These dinos really move and roar!





























This body made Owen a little nervous the first time (he didn't like all the people poking and cutting it). It does look pretty realistic.












Near downtown Nashville is the Science Center. We love it! It has all kinds of fun things to look at and try. They cover all areas of science- music, anatomy, electricity, sports, levers, space, dinosaurs, etc. There are so many things to try, climb on, touch, and experiment. They do a good job changing it up too. Perfect for little boys!

Blankets

Everyone's kids have weird things they like to do. Andrew and Owen LOVE to play with blankets. They empty out the hall closet any chance they can get. Matthew usually misses the fun because he is at school, but he seems to enjoy blanket piles when he happens to be around for the event. These crazy kids even seems to prefer playing with blankets to playing with toys. I've stopped washing the blankets because I was washing them 4 times a week! Now I just wash them right before I know we are going to use them. Anyway, Andrew and Owen make forts, houses, piles, tunnels, whatever. The other day I walked downstairs to see that poor Anubis had been forced into the fun. They were crawling all over him and covering his face, and he just sat there! He let them bury him completely! When I came in the room, only his nose was sticking out. I'm so glad we got him as a puppy- he really is used to all the abuse and now just tries to sleep through it.

Halloween 09

Halloween weekend was a blast. Our neighborhood was built for trick-or-treating (in fact, that was one of the first things Matt said when we moved in!) One of the best parts was Uncle Jeffery's surprise visit. The kids loved having him around. He helped carve the pumpkin and carry tired kids around with Matt on Halloween. I stayed home and handed out candy while the guys went around. We can't wait for next year!

Ward Halloween Party

Matt was out of town at a conference, but the kids and I had a great time at the ward Halloween party and "trunk or treat". Matthew was a clone trooper this year, Andrew was Flash, and Owen was Bumblebee. The ward had lots of fun games, prizes, and food. So many people had great costumes- my fav were some young men who came as tetris- super funny! The kids had a blast and ate way too much candy- yea Halloween!

Adult Halloween party

Party planning girls


















Cindy Loo Who and the Grinch


















Zach and Kelly (Saved by the Bell!)














Chubby Pumpkin winner- no one else was even close. He of course won all the left over pumpkins and a Halloween bowl in case he needed it when he was done!







































































Cowgirl and Cow














Superman and Lois














Tonks and Lupin (my personal fav)














Candy corn toss














Food and root beer


















Dinner














Nursing babies welcome- especially such a cute little devil!













Witch, Devils, and one caveman














The invite


















So, keeping in the Tia tradition, we had an adult only Halloween party this year! It was a lot of fun to get together with some new friends. Thanks to everyone who came and made it so much fun! Marcia brought tons of great decorations. We had so many fun prizes. We had an M&M jar for guessing, a Halloween facts quiz, we had a guts guessing game, a candy corn toss, a couples donut eating competition (or make-out, whatever!), Chubby Pumpkin (which produced some of the funniest pictures), and costume contest (which was so fun because everyone had such great costumes!). Dinner was chili with spooky appetizers and desserts- the home made root beer was also fantastic! It was so much fun we can't wait for next year. A BIG thanks to Marcia for co-hosting. We loved it- thanks everyone!