Birthday Extravaganza!!!

I love October - the beginning of fall, pretty leaves, cooler temperatures, pumpkins, Halloween, and three birthdays in one month! Is it any wonder that we are so behind on the blog?

Matthew had his 4th birthday about a week and a half ago. He was really excited about his birthday this year and had been anxiously awaiting the day he would turn 4 and be "big." He even started counting down the days on the calendar. "Mom, did you know that tomorrow after tomorrow will be my birthday? I only have 2 more days!" he would say. Kevin and I are starting to wonder what we are going to do when he gets too smart to figure out our code talk for presents! The morning was great. He got to go to preschool (one of his favorite things) where they sang Happy Birthday and made a birthday crown. His teacher even gave him a small gift which he raved about the rest of the day. He received several phone calls from family and couldn't wait to open presents after dinner. After presents we had Curious George birthday cake with some friends (thanks Jack and Cameron!). He still talks about his birthday and always reminds us that he is big enough and old enough to do things now because he is 4. I wonder what will happen when he turns 5! Ryan also had a birthday recently. It's hard to believe that his is 2 years old! He didn't quite grasp the concept of a birthday until it came time for presents. He was a little wary of the first one but after he got the hang of it he quickly became a pro! He loved his Shake 'n' Go Lightning McQueen car. Kevin and I tried to think of some different presents for him, but Ryan is obsessed with Pixar Cars. He knows all of their names and plays with them almost all day, every day. Does that surprise you coming from our boys? :) Sorry about the cake. I tried to make a really cool race track but I was a little short on time. I don't think Ryan minded though!

Halloweenie Roast

My Aunts Gayle, Nola, and Jeneile put on a Halloweenie Roast every October at my Grandpa Tams' farm in Paradise. They have bonfires to roast hot dogs and decorate the barn as a haunted house. There are children's games and two tractor rides, one in a barrel train and the other in a wagon. The tractors take you over two acres of land decorated with various Halloween scenes. (The best way to describe it is like a drive through a Christmas light display, but it has a Halloween theme.) Honestly, it was amazing...I can't believe my Aunts and Uncles do it every year. We had a lot of fun and of course the boys didn't want to leave. You can't go wrong with candy and tractors!

Capt. Jack Sparrow, Ryan, and Amy.	Matthew, Ryan, Zach, and Amy at my Aunt Jeneile's house.	My uncle Paul driving the tractor barrel train.
Optimus Prime with Matthew, Ryan, and Kevin.	One of the many cool hanging skeleton decorations.	Matthew riding in the barrel wagon.

Happy Birthday Amy

This week we celebrate Amy's Birthday. Amy requested apple pie instead of cake...and it was great! It is so fun to see how excited the boy's get over birthday's. They really do love a good birthday party.

Ryan

Did you know that Ryan has a Dimple? It just showed up a few weeks ago and it is so cute. Ryan has been dealing with his new little brother and it has been quite the process for him.

Ryan's dimple...so cute	Not quite sure how to hold baby Zach	At first Ryan didn't know what to expect. He was a little sad and entered the denial phase.
He sought comfort in his toys trying to figure out the best way to solve his problem.	At last an idea came to him...I'll join the rodeo and be a barrel.	Then he thought if he ran off and became a pirate things would get better.
He even looked outside of the box...but nothing seemed to work.	He then consulted his favorite book series to see if George had any thoughts for solving his problem.	At last it was his big brother who let Ryan in on the secret. Little brothers are great...they make the world a better place.

Here is another funny story from Ryan. Amy prefaces it as Ryan being a Man after her own heart.
-----Mom: Ryan, what do you want for Breakfast today?
-----Ryan: Mom, I want Chocolate!

One Month

Zach and Amy have both survived the first month! Zach is gaining weight and growing everyday. Amy hasn't lost too much sleep and is amazing for taking care of Zach all night and Matthew, Ryan and Zach until I get home from work.We even made our annual trip up Provo Canyon to get fall pictures! This is one of Amy's favorite things to do. Zach has done better in the car than Matthew or Ryan did but I'm sure that it is nice to look at your brother's instead of the back of the car.Zach has been eating well, he binges before bedtime and once or twice he has slept about four hours. Amy loves those nights! We are so excited to have Zach in our family. The boy's just love him and we really can't imagine life without the little guy (that's what Ryan calls him).