Halloween Fun!

A little fun at the ward Halloween Party...

Hayden with his bestest bud Eli!!

Scawwy Graveyard Ninja and Pumpkin...

I love that Hayden is always trying to figure out what day of the week it is... the best part is that he reminds us to have family night. "Mom, is tonight family night?" Yup it is Hayden... lets carve pumpkins!! (Dad even spared a few minutes to spend time with us and carve pumpkins in the middle of homework, thanks Dad!!)

Hayden's first time helping!!

Can you guess which spooky pumpkin belongs to Hayden?

Mom braved it alone with two boys...

CAMPING!! Heath really wanted to go, but had to meet with a teacher Friday night. So, a little encouragement from some good friends and off to the ward camp out we went. We had so much fun hanging out with friends by the fire. Hayden had a blast riding his bike with his buddies and playing on all the trails outdoors. Tyler enjoyed himself too, a few sticks and rocks and he was set! It was a little tough finding the bathroom in the dark, we took the long road that's for sure. I ventured off with my two boys and a flashlight, it was so dark we walked right past them and had to back track. Hayden was a little afraid of the dark, I felt pretty good flashlight in hand until I heard a weird noise in the bushes. We were just fine, found the bathrooms and enjoyed the beautiful stars on our way. Most memorable moments of the trip... Hayden waking up early Saturday morning and jumping out of the tent to go ride bikes with his friends. He just wanted to keep up with the 7 year olds so bad... and of course then what did I hear, screaming like "end of the world" screaming. It's a little tough to be in two places at once, luckily while I was trying to get Tyler dressed for the day... a friend carried Hayden back to our campsite to me. I just have to say Hayden was wearing his helmet, but man oh man what an oweee on his forehead. I felt so bad and all I could do was hold him, a bandaid wouldn't do the trick this time around. Big old bump and all scraped up... of course that just means family pictures will have to wait for another couple weeks.

Lovin the outdoors!!

Then after breakfast someone suggested a little hike to the old tire swing. I was thinking a hike sounds fun and a tire swing for the kids, great! Well, the tire swing was a blast for all. Hayden was a little scared at first, we just learned that we couldn't push the kids to high. The hillside was slanted so it was easy to get on the swing and then you swing way out over the slope, I was going to sit back and let everyone enjoy this moment. But, someone offered to hold Tyler for me and so me being me a little timid sometimes finally gave in. Wow, what a rush!! It was so worth it, I even got a little tickle in my stomach... so awesome. Hayden couldn't get enough either he was patient and took his turn about 5 times probably!! Tyler even got a chance to sit in the swing too! We sure missed having Dad with us, but we took a few pictures so we could share our fun moments!

Boys and sticks!

Wahoo!!!

Can I go a little higher? Please??

We missed you Dad...

What have we been up to lately?

GOOD-BYE HOME DEPOT...

Well, Heath started a new job. Thanks to his way good buddy Kevin, Heath went from working for Home Depot for 4.5 yrs to a VWR International employee working on site at CPI. He is considered an inventory coordinator. What does that mean exactly? Well, that means he has an inbetween job. He will finish school in December, and this job will get us by until he finds his "career" job. He needs to finish his senior project and then time will tell. Here is a link to Heath's blog heathgrant.blogspot.com, so you can see how his project his coming along...

Next, our car oh, our car... over heated or something... and decided to have lots and lots of problems. It is now in the shop and we are driving a convertible, PT Cruiser. Yes, the kids love it! (and secretly we are loving it too, not too thrilled about all the $$$ problems, but we are finding that a little sun can make you smile!)




We are surviving, somedays are easier than others, some days we just make it. I love my boys, Hayden is so sweet and can tell when I'm really frustrated. He is so good about just giving me a hug. And Tyler is learning to laugh at the weirdest things. He likes it when we change our voices to sound like animals. And he loves to sing... lalala

I think they love being brothers...

..thanks for kisses Hayden!!

the birthday boy

Happy 5th Birthday Hayden!!!

Yes, we now have a five year old. Hayden is such a joy to have in our family. Happy, compassionate, giving, and so ambitious. He wants to be able to do everything now... and of course on his own. Hayden has been counting down all week to his birthday... and when it arrived the hardest part was that his party wasn't until dinner time 6pm. That was a tough one. It was great though. We started off the evening with Pizza, then had a fun airplane tossing game, which led to cake, and then presents. Thanks to all who could come, and for helping set up our party! I would have to say it was a success. We had lots of friends and family that made it, and we missed those that couldn't be there! Here are a few favorite moments from his party!

Thanks again to all those who helped make this day so special for our Hayden!! Special thanks to Derk, Angi, Seth, and Mema who came from Mo-town!!

more fun moments to share!!

Hayden's new creature... he is so creative... gets that from Dad for sure!!

I finally got Tyler to smile for me... how did I do it? I had to bark for him woof woof woof... he thinks it's so funny when I change my voice and bark so that his little dog 'ralph' makes noise.

just hangin out... in sunny hot california on the porch...

This is Heath's new favorite shirt!! Thanks mom and pops... he loves it and gets tonz of compliments too!

Lookin' good dude!!

Buttons

Our boys are finding they like to push buttons. Tyler has found a few recently that are just the right height for him to reach. On, off, on, off...some are noisy others are just fun!!





Hayden too, has found that he can get his way when he pushes our buttons, but mostly he enjoys pushing buttons that keep him entertained as well!

Hayden's First Talk

Hayden was asked to give a talk in Primary on baptism. Being 4 and the first time ever he was asked to get in front of so many kids, we weren't sure how he'd react. We practiced a few times the night before with a makeshift microphone, and of course is Dad by his side to tell him what to say. Sunday came, and Hayden did it! At first he was a little scared, and was covering his mouth with his hands, but he actually opened up and did his very best. Way to go Hayden, we are so proud of you!

Summer's Ending

So, we are back to the "we miss dad" days. Dad started school again, his last semester, and then... change is in store. To enjoy our last weekend before school started, we went to Seacliff Beach with some friends. We had a ton of fun. Hayden, played in the ocean. He loves chasing the waves, or should I say running from them! Tyler, is all boy... he found his sticks and enjoyed playing in the sand. I got a chance to "chat" with the girls, and Heath got his moves on with the frisbee wars, and "boy" bat ball game! All in all a fun, fun, fun day... and a yummy bbq in the evening thanks to our friends.