Happy Halloween!

Tiller Days

So the night of October 1st (same day we went to Tanaka) we went to check out Tustin Tiller Days. It is at a school park really close to our house. I'm not one for fairs most of the time (they are so grimey!) but our friends talked us into going to see what Tiller Days was all about. Here's Pierson (minus a shoe) and his two besties, J and A. The babes were pretty good to just hang out in the strollers and watch all the crazy that was going on around them.

Avery rode this roller coaster by herself... she thought it was fun at first but on one of the turns it jerked her around in her seat and she wasn't too happy about it. But the ride went around a couple of times before stopping. She tried to be okay with it the first couple times but the third time it went around she nearly lost it. I wish I could have gotten it on tape because she was trying so hard to smile but just had sheer dread on her face. I tried to take a picture but I was laughing so hard I dropped it. Love you Avery :)

This ride was much better! She got to ride with R and S and it was slow and smooth.

She also liked this ride because it was slow too.

Here's me and P waiting in the face painting line so Ave could get her face all pretty.

And here she is with a pink sunshine. Fits her perfectly.

Here's Ave and R and S with their painted faces and balloons. They really had fun together enjoying all the rides and fun things to do and see. Michael especially loved watching all the interesting people there. Tustin Tiller Days didn't totally win me over but I'm not opposed to going back next year :)

Sundays

October 10, 2010 Church is 11-2 so by the time we get home the kids are READY for naps. Avery is a perfect example of this in this picture. Bless her heart.
Pierson on the other hand was ready to play as he slept the last 15 minutes of church. Luckily he still took a nap once we put him down.

And here is us today October 24, 2010

Today Pierson broke my necklace in Sunday school.

Avery tripped walking in the church parking lot as we were rushing to get there. Her little knees were skinned and her arms and legs were black. Luckily the black washed off easily and the knees were good after a cleaning, a kiss, and a promise of a Dora bandaid when we got home because she could "squish blood out".

Here is me and the Perdes (what Ave used to call him and what most people call him). He's given me a LOT of kisses today and I love it. He is such a sweet, cuddly, lovey boy.

Tanaka Farms

At the beginning of October Avery's joy school took a field trip to Strawberry Farms. Avery was really excited, can't you tell?! We took a hay ride to the garden area where there was a pumpkin patch, corn maze, and a vegetable garden. Here is Ave with her little joy school buddies (minus 1).

Pierson and Avery liked the tractor ride and had fun seeing everything while we were driving around. Pierson of course just wanted to stand up on the bench the entire time so he had to sit on Mom's lap for most of the ride.

They had a cute little corn maze there. This is the only picture that I got of the four of them in front of the sign, but I feel like it sums up our trip. At least one of the kids was whining at all time, one was being crazy, and the other two were holding it together for the time being. It was a really hot and humid day and we walked in the corn maze and then quickly found the exit. Each of us had our toddler and then a baby so holding squirmy babies and trying to reign in the toddler on a hot hot day = what in the world were we thinking when we walked into the corn maze?

We went up to the pumpkin patch after the maze and luckily a cloud gave us a break from the hot sun. The kids had fun sitting and playing and rearranging all the pumpkins.

Here's Pierson playing amidst the pumpkins and loving it. He thought they were balls or "daa" (really close Pierson... really close).

Avery even cheered up when she saw all the pumpkins.

We went to the vegetable garden next where the kids got to pick their own veggies. This was probably Avery's favorite part. We picked lots of carrots, green beans, and onions. This is a picture of Ave and her best friend (most of the time), S.

I am really sorry that this picture is upside down. (When I was uploading it it said that it was upside down so I went to my gallery where it looked normal but flipped it so it would look normal when I uploaded it and then it is flipped when it actually uploaded.... computers... I tell you sometimes I love them and sometimes I dont)

After we visited the gardens we went back to the main area where they had an animal pen. They had cute lambs and goats. One goat was huge pregnant and due any day and my heart went out to her. Pierson LOVED the animals. That is probably an understatement. He just wanted to be in the center of them all, petting them, getting kisses from them, hugging them, just plain being close to them. He was so excited the whole time. Just look at that cheesy grin.

Here is P and A. A did not love the animals so much. He didn't want anything to do with them. I think this picture is so funny cause P is so happy and A is so NOT happy. Haha. It was really funny in person.
And Avery found a nice little spot for her to sit AWAY from the animals while everyone else was having fun.
UNTIL....
Haha. One of the goats wanted to come say hi and give her a kiss. And pee and poo right next to her. Gross. But it was funny to watch her freak out.
We had fun on that hot hot day at Tanaka Farms. I would love to go there again, especially in the spring or summer because they have strawberries and watermelons for you to pick... yum! Just hopefully next time it won't be so hot.

Thank You Grandpa Great!

My Grandpa bought himself a new piano and was looking for a home for his old one and when I found that out I asked him to PLEASE pick our home. Both Michael and I had pianos in our homes growing up and wanted that same experience for our kids. I am excited for when Avery can start taking lessons! I was really excited when Grandpa sent me an email saying it was ours. The only problem was how to get it from Spanish Fork, UT to Tustin, CA. Luckily, Kiara and Alan decided to visit and were nice enough to haul it along. We LOVE it! Here we are with it on its first day here! It was a task to turn these two around long enough to take a picture. I LOVE that I can turn it off and that I can turn the volume down on it. It is also the perfect size for our apartment. It looks out our front window.

Michael is probably the most excited for the arrival of the piano. He was looking for music to play on the internet and I am sure has ordered some already. Any suggestions for a guy who took piano lessons way too long ago but wants to pick it back up?

Here is a little video of Avery singing and playing. The poor girl has her mom and dad's voicebox but maybe her fingers will be a little more attuned to playing music :)

THANK YOU GRANDPA GREAT FOR OUR PIANO! WE LOVE IT AND IT IS PERFECT IN ITS NEW HOME!

Up Close

Here's the upclose shots of all the birthday goodies. I have to say everything was actually really easy! I had myself thinking these would be a lot more work but these came together really great.I got the idea for the cake here. This cake is the reason I did an owl themed birthday. (Mom, I'm using the birthday plate you made me!)
I found the cupcakes here. They were the most tedious... but definitely cute enough that they were worth it.

These little owlies were the party favor. They were so fun to make and so cute and cuddly! I think it would be fun to make them all different sizes so Avery could have an owl family. This is the tutorial I found for them.

Here's the whole table of goods before we brought it outside. We had party after dinner on his birthday so I made sure to take a picture of my hard work in the light. It was dark outside for his party which I thought worked really cute with the whole owl theme. It was a really fun party because I did the bare minimum (treats) so I wasn't stressed about getting food out or playing games or doing crafts. I like 1 year parties... I am sure that Ave's 3rd birthday is going to require a little more work :)

Pierson had a really great birthday and we are so glad that he is a happy healthy one year old. We wish that we could have celebrated with all of you! Next time, right?!

Happy Birthday Pierson!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday Dear Pierson,

Happy Birthday to You! We walked into your room and it was foggy from your humidifier because you've had a bad cold the past week, but are feeling a lot better today.
You love balloons so we filled your room with them for a birthday surprise. You loved them! You and Sis played with them for a long long time.

This is how Sissy watches you when Mom showers (minus the balloon... i gave it to you so you would take a pic). Look at all those books... isn't she great!?

Now onto the party!

Here's the table of treats and the all the presents underneath!

Here's the birthday cake!

You loved the Mr. Owlie birthday cake!

You gave him lots of kisses and then ate his eyes.

Here's the big kids getting excited about your cake and antsy for their own.

You and the family... we love you!

You and your friends... they love you too (especially when you give them treats)!

You didn't even make it to the cake... you ate the candies and cookies on the outside and then the frosting. Lots and lots of frosting :)

Here's your goofy smile! You are one messy boy!

Here's you with all your loot! You have such nice friends! Happy birthday Pierson boy!