Halloween Parade

Every year near Halloween the Creighton Women's Dental Alliance has a parade at the school. Joe loved going to daddy's school and loved trick-or-treating around the parade even more! Each time someone gave Joe a treat he told me he wanted to open it, but we convinced him to put in his treat bag for later.

Us with our dinosaur and little Bob the Builder. The dinosaur was more interested in his spoils than in taking a pictures.

Walking the parade route

Uh-oh, every teenage girl's nightmare, our neighbor is wearing the same outfit as Joe. Thankfully, he doesn't care.

Matchy-Matchy

I got the boys dressed the other day and realized they were sort of coordinating, and had to take a couple pictures. Plus, I haven't taken pictures of the two of them in a little while. So here are the little stinkers.

Check out that little chunker's wrists. I love it.

Also, Will cut his first tooth a little over a week ago. Joe tried to help me get a picture of it.

I don't think Will appreciated his help.

Mondays...

I don't normally love Monday, but today was such a good day.

It always help to start the day right, and I actually woke up before any of my boys today so I could exercise and shower. It felt so good.

One of Zach's patients brought him some fresh corn tortillas at the clinic today. So Zach offered to make dinner and we had them with beans (thanks Jenny) and scrambled eggs for dinner. If you've never had it, that probably sounds like an odd combination, but it was tasty. And by the way, fresh tortillas smell amazing, maybe it's just me, but I love it. It also reminded Zach how much he wants to go back and visit Mexico.

We have been trying to be more consistent with family home evenings. Tonight, our lesson was on temples. Joe was so engaged in the lesson, it was awesome! After talking to him about what a temple was, he kept telling me he wanted to "come in" the temple. He was also trying to step on the pictures, with the hope it would transport him there, I think. I hope he always has the desire to go to the temple.

He then entertained Zach and I by pretending to be a dinosaur (what he will be for Halloween) and then racing from one side of the room to the other. That kid has so much energy!

Top of the night with an episode of Castle with the hubby, and I am one happy girl.

Too Quiet

In my short couple of years being a mom I feel like I have learned a lot. One of the things I have learned is that quiet is not always a good thing, and sometimes can mean the exact opposite.

The other day Joe was a little on the grouchy side. I sent him downstairs to play while I was in the kitchen. I can hear him pretty well from our kitchen. I was so impressed with how well he was playing, especially because he hadn't been very easy to please that day, and then I realized that it was too quiet. So I came downstair to find this:

and Joe with a green sharpie in hand. There was also sharpie on our wall and Joe was in the process of coloring one of his trucks.

So I googled how to remove permanent marker from furniture and was happy to see people had already experimented with various methods of removal (what did people do before google?). So I tried overwriting on the sharpie with a dry erase marker. It worked! It may have also removed a little of the finish, but I was happy with the minimal damage it left.

Downtown Omaha

While Will was here we took a little trip to downtown Omaha. There is a little park with two slides, a pond with ducks and some metal artwork.

Can you tell I love when Joe holds hands with his uncles?

I was feeling a little nervous Joe was going to fall in, but I had nothing to worry about.

Isn't he so handsome?

He has become quite the goofball.

He is pretty funny and apparently he knows it.

As demonstrated by his prayer he said before bed with Zach listening.

"Heavly Faher...

thankufer foo..

umm...

[a bunch of words we mostly don't understand]

umm thankufur...

joejoe funny...

Amen."

He sure does make us laugh.

Visitors!

Just two weeks after Will left, Jerry and Ashley came to visit. We had so, so, so much fun with them. Joe loved playing with his cousins and was asking about them first thing every morning they were here (and the morning they left :( )

We went to the zoo, the pumpkin patch, and the visitor's center and temple while they were here. We wore the kids out and the last day they were here we just hung out and visited. It was so nice!

Joe and Sarah bouncing on the jumping pillow at Vala's

Getting ready to check out the zoo. Joe is being silly, as usual.

Joe loves the petting zoo.

I think Sarah liked it too.

Checking out the polar bear together.

Will and Lily hanging out in the stroller. Can you believe those babies are double cousins? You would think they would look more alike.

Well, they may not look that much alike but they are both adorable.

Thanks so much for coming to see us guys!

Stolen

I have a habit of misplacing things. Sometimes insignificant things, sometimes important things. Last week on Sunday we went to the visitor's center and when we got home I couldn't find my cell phone. I just assumed I had misplaced it like I have so many times before and it would turn up in my car, or couch, or purse. I called it a few times and can't ever hear it ring. Then it goes straight to voicemail so I know it has run out of battery.

Thursday, Jerry tried to call me and my phone rang, someone picked it up, and then immediately hung up. So someone had charged my phone and started using it.

So Zach called Verizon and found out they had racked up $30 of text messaging charges. So we suspended my phone line. Fun stuff.

Although I am irritated, and a little confused and when it actually got stolen (it was right next to Zach's in the cup-holder of our car the last time I remember seeing it, but they only stole my phone?) I am grateful they didn't incur more charges, and that it was just my phone that was stolen and not my car or something...

So... until I get a new phone you will just have to call Zach, email me, or stop by my house. And if you want me to have your number you can email me and katie.t.taylor@gmail.com