Preschool for Chloe...Finally!

It has taken a month of looking and checking out preschools in the area and I finally found one and it is right across the hall from Ella's room. Go figure! Chloe is now the newest member of the Pre-K program at the elementary school and besides having a few days of her ignoring the kids and teachers, she is getting more comfortable and active in the projects. The best part is she goes every afternoon and that seems to be helping with her recent outbursts at home. Hooray for all of us who live with her!

The only problem now is Tyler doesn't like waiting until 1:00 for his nap and even with a bribe of a rice crispy treat he still did this yesterday...

Poor boy!

Sedona

The big question in my head after visiting Sedona was, "Why don't I live here?". It was so beautiful and it's always about 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix. It would be the perfect spot for Eric and I to run away to without children. Since that will never happen, we will enjoy the views from parking lots and restaurant decks.

In Search of Fall in Oak Creek Canyon

Moving to the Phoenix area I had to give up my love for Fall foliage that for the past 9 years I've have grown to love and anticipate each year. Growing up in Astoria, Fall didn't mean color, it was green and beautiful like the rest of the year, but my first Fall in Utah I became fan. And then it got better in Maryland and trips to Virginia and then of course continued in New York. Even last year in Oregon City it was very beautiful, but this year, we are still in summer season, at least to me it feels like summer. So, to give me a little Fall joy we headed up north to Oak Creek Canyon. It was a beautiful drive and although we had missed the peak time it was enough to make me happy.

Ty had a blast in the leaves and did his best to copy his big sister.

We don't do a whole lot of hiking with three kids, but we were able to find an easy access stream to explore for a while.

She may be doing a silly walk, but the background on this picture kills me! It is so beautiful!

I love how Ty's shirt is completely pulled up and showing his tummy. This is how family pictures work around here!

Best Suprise Ever!

One good thing about the move to Arizona was that Disneyland was on the way! We kept our plans a surprise. The girls had no idea where we were at even though there were some big hints on the way to the hotel. They kept seeing Mickey Mouse things everywhere. They even saw the entrance which is pretty decorated and Chloe said jokingly, "This looks like Disneyland." But we got to the hotel and they thought nothing more about it. When we woke up the next morning, Eric drew a picture of what we were going to do (which was the outline of Mickey Mouse) and the girls had to guess. It was so fun to see their reactions! They were so excited! This was their first time and we had a blast! Unfortunately, Tyler woke up feeling terrible and had a fever. So, we gave him some Tylenol and he slept throughout the day in his stroller. (Yeah, we are that good of parents!) The girls were able and willing to do every ride they could and to our surprise was everything except for Indiana Jones. Chloe especially loved the thrill rides. Their favorite was Big Thunder Mountain which we rode three times. Eric could only handle that one once. We had such a fun time and can't wait to go again.
Grandpa Ron was our traveling buddy and lone helper to unpack the whole trailer! He's the best!

Watch out! Chloe's driving!

Grandpa bought the cutest ears for the kids. Thanks Grandpa!
Only decent shot of poor Tyler in his ears.

It was a long and wonderful day!

He Did It!

Hooray for Eric! He passed his oral boards! The letter came in the mail today and to much surprise, he passed and is now officially a board certified pediatric dentist! I had a feeling he would pass since the kid has never failed anything in his life, but he assured me that he did. He had to fly to Dallas the week we moved to take this test and he felt terrible about how he did. I felt so sorry for him because of the timing, but it was a test he had to sign up for a year in advance. Little did we know we would be moving. We are much relieved not to have wasted the crazy amount of money this silly test ended up costing and have just another thing to be grateful for this month!

Halloween Wrap Up

What an expression!

Ella's pumpkin head for a school project. The kids in her class told her it looked just like her.

What a big boy! Off to go trick or treating.

One tired super hero.

Happy Halloween!

Here's to Traditions!

Ahh, nothing like a fall day at a pumpkin patch!

The Pumpkin Patch

I love family traditions. They are what excite me about the holiday season. I loved the traditions I grew up with, but even better the ones that I create as a mom. One tradition that we've done since Ella's first Halloween is to go to a pumpkin patch to get our pumpkin. I thought this might not be possible living in the Phoenix area, but sure enough I found one just 20 minutes away and still in Glendale. It was cute and had all the qualities a pumpkin farm that I needed, except I didn't need the 100 degree weather. It was a record breaking weekend even for here. Despite the heat, we did our best to keep this tradition alive.

He was quite upset that he couldn't pick this up.

Right before she attempted to lift this she cracked her knuckles to prepare for the big moment. Which sent us giggling. Where did she learn that?

Corn maze! What the kids don't know is that we walked for 15 minutes inside and then found our way back out through the start opening. It was a great idea!

The only place Tyler was happy was in the corn box.

Not one kid could see the camera with the sun shining so bright! Don't you love the shorts and flip flops! Outfits to the pumpkin patch were not traditional!