Cookie Messes and Being Crafty

Recently, we have had some Oreo cookies in our house (which is something that never happens) because I made a homemade cheesecake with an Oreo crust (it turned out delicious! I even made homemade raspberry puree and put a few fresh raspberries on each piece. I was very proud. It was my first time doing this). Well, there were and still are some cookies left over, so Reed has had a few and loved them! He mostly enjoys the cream center, but eventually gets around to the cookie part as well. Well, here is what happens when he does.....


I thought his face wuld be much dirtier, but apparently, he just transferred it all to his hands :) (Doesn't he look so grown up?!)


Yes, both of his hands were equally as chocolatey.....he sure had fun!

A couple of Saturdays ago, we had a Relief Society craft day. I had signed up for 3 crafts (yes, very daring for me) even though I am not the craftiest person in the world. I ended up making a baby tutu, an eye spy bag, and a glass Christmas block. It was a ton of fun and my crafts ended up being pretty awesome (by my standards, that it is)!

The baby-sized tutu that I actually made! It is so sparkly and fun! I may have to make one in my size :)

I loved these "eye spy" bags at the school I used to work at and now I officially made one! I felt very accomplished after this craft.

I actually put the Christmas lights inside this glass, square box. I think it turned out pretty cool. I also want to do one with white lights in it. I just think white lights are gorgeous!

Natural History Museum

One rainy Wednesday morning, Reed and I headed downtown to see the tarantula feeding at the Museum of Natural History! I was pretty excited because animal feedings are always a good time. There was a school group there as well, so that made it even more fun. We even ended up finding free parking in DC! Yeah, I guess it is good to go out in the rain.

During the presentation a little girl (previously unknown to me) looked at me and said, "Are they going to make it scary?" I told her no and then went back to listening to the volunteer talk about tarantulas. A couple minutes later the same girl sat right next to me and started holding my hand (I am assuming because she was scared). I just kind of sat there. I think she thought I was a parent from her class? Who knows, but at least she thought I looked like a nice person :)

Well, the tarantula did not actually eat the cricket because she was about to shed her skin (apparently, they fast right before shedding their exoskeleton), however we saw a lot of other cool 'bugs.' They had hornworms (they are eventually moths), cockroaches, the blue fainting beetle (I think that is the name - they faint when there predator is about to eat them. It was really funny), and the stick bugs out for the kids to look at and even touch (well, some of the bugs).

Reed had a blast at this part of the museum. Most of the displays had live insects/bugs in them and some of the windows were even low enough that he could see just standing there, with no help. I would have to say that his favorite were the water bugs. He looked at the water display at least 10 times and would there for a couple minutes at a time. He also enjoyed the crab things (yeah, I forgot the name) because he could see them without my help.

We ended our trip with the butterfly exhibit. Yes, I did end up paying for it this time since it was not a Wednesday, but Reed was free. The $6 was worth for me because it is my favorite thing to see all types of butterflies and moths flying around. It is just beautiful!

Coming home I remember how much I detest driving in downtown DC - you cannot turn left where you need to turn left and there are no U-turns allowed! I was going to call my dad because he knows the streets, but realized that I had left my cell phone at home!
So, I took a detour on some roads, but I eventually made it back home. Phew! Crisis Averted!

Reed in front of the water bug exhibit....he is looking so old!

The water bugs - having some sort of secret meeting

I got an ok picture of one swimming!

This is where the crab things were displayed. Since they live under water, it was perfect height for Reed to see!

Reed was actually not sad in this picture. He always does this smile/frown thing, but I have never been able to photograph the frown - I finally got one! So, just before this he was giving a cheesy grin, then he sticks his lip out. So funny!!! He is really good at sticking out his bottom lip.

I think these are called Australian Stick Bugs....something like that!

Reed back at the water bug display...for the 10th time

The Butterfly Exhibit!

I thought this one turned out so beautiful :)

I wonder what happened to the wing?

Baby Shower and Hair

Last Saturday I had a baby shower for my upcoming little girl! Thanks goes to Jana for putting the whole thing together :) It was just fun to have a party, eat food, and open presents - 3 of my favorite things to do in the world! I am so excited for our little girl! She has been kicking and squirming, so I think she is pretty excited as well :)

I also thought my hair looked pretty dang good in these pictures, so here I am sporting the "not flipped out" or "under" look.

Her first little toy/blanket

Onesies - a must have

Thanks to Barb for this one! They are socks that look like Mary Jane's! Wow, I seriously thought they were so cute!

The crowd....

More people :)

More people :)

More people :)

Sleepers - also a must have

So, I just barely noticed the "ballet slippers" on the bottom of this sleeper! Man, little girl stuff is too cute!!! I wish they made baby/kid clothes in my size!

Nevada Day

October 31st (Halloween) also has another name to me and many from Nevada - it's Nevada Day - the day Nevada officially became a state! Yeah, a little weird, I know, but I enjoyed it growing up because we got the day off school. So, I forget that people actually have to go to school on Halloween (when it's not on a weekend). Sorry about that all of you who did not attend school in Nevada. Happy Nevada Day everyone :)

Tuesday night was our ward Halloween party. I got Reed dressed up as a cowboy and man, he is just so cute! I got a few pictures of him at home and we even got some pictures at the church. Reed loved dancing and trying to take apart the fake fire built in the middle of the floor. We got to watch a celebrity show - featuring Gladys Knight and the Pips, Sonny and Cher, and the Thriller dance. Reed just watched in awe as all the glittery costumes and dance moves flowed across the stage. To end the fun-filled evening, we did a trunk-or-treat, except it had to be inside since it was raining outside. Gotta love East coast weather! Give it up for a fun ward party :)

The cutest cowboy in the world!

He didn't like his hat at first, but warmed up to it by the time we got to the church.

The fake fire is in the background.....Reed loved the lights in the first. Yes, I did cut my hair, but it got rained on so does not super stellar in this picture. I will take a better picture later.

The cutest cowboy in the world with daddy.

Reed LOVES suckers - so he actually initiated the trick-or-treat on this one (by just taking a sucker).

After the sucker, he got the hang of getting candy from people.

He even put it in his pumpkin, which is the same pumpkin that Tyson used as a child (and maybe adolescent) :)

Pumpkin Goo and other news

Recently, Reed has found the washer/dryer very interesting. He helps me put the clothes in the washer and the dryer (although the latter is harder for him to reach, since it is a stackable washer/dryer combo). One day he decided he wanted to actually be in the dryer. Yes, daddy lifted him into the dryer and Reed opened and closed the door on himself for at least 10 minutes. It was a blast!



Last weekend we decided that it was time to carve at least one of the pumpkins in our apartment (note: the tiny pumpkin that we got from the pumpkin patch went moldy, but the bigger is still in tact!) We ended up carving the one that I purchased from our local Safeway. We tried to get Reed to pull out the pumpkin goo/slimey stuff from the pumpkin with his hands, but he flat out refused that. So, I ended up giving him a spoon to dig some of it out. He dug out a few spoonfuls, then decided he would rather watch daddy do it than actually do it himself.



Then, we decided to carve the pumpkin. Now don't expect anything super fancy or exciting. Neither Tyson nor I are good at that kind of stuff unlike some of our friends (James/Amy). We always go for the traditional geometric shapes, and we did the same this year. It has worked out thus far :)


The pumpkin turned out cute and Reed is a little obsessed with taking the lid on and off and on and off. We also put out fake lights in it - they turn different colors when you turn them on. Reed thought that was the coolest thing and knelt by the pumpkin for at least 1/2 hour playing with the lights. I think real candles will have to wait for a much later date! Someday.......




Reed also got a new Halloween tie on Saturday. Of course, he had to show it off on Sunday. I must say this is one of my favorite ties yet! Thanks Grandma Walker! Reed loves to point out the spiders on the tie :) He is just getting so big! What am I going to do?


In other news, fall is officially here and the trees are officially beautiful! I got a photo of one of the trees at our church - I do love East coast fall colors - some of my favorite scenery ever!

Reed's last tooth (besides the 2-year molars) finally broke the skin and is actively growing in! People have been asking what happened to his tooth - wondering if he got it knocked out or something. I just smile and say, "It's finally coming in!" So, hopefully those questions will stop soon. (Reed actually took this picture himself! Can you see that last little tooth poking through?)


Lastly, our primary program was on Sunday and I am on chorister (which = me waving my arms in from of everyone for the better part of an hour). It actually turned out great! I was a bit overcome with emotion at the beginning and started crying during one of the songs, but was able to pull it together. I probably could have cried through the whole thing (note: when I am pregnant, I can cry much easier than when I am not pregnant), but decided the kids might think that they had done something wrong. Really, I was just so happy it was all working out and could feel the little spirits of the kids. It's amazing the power that music has to touch your heart. For me, music is the most powerful way that I feel the Spirit. It was awesome to lead the kids and now that weight of the Program is gone - also an amazing feeling.

Butler's Orchard

Yes, in the title it says orchard, but it is also known as the best pumpkin patch ever! (It better be because it is all the way in Germantown, MD) I was so excited for trip #2 to Butler's Orchard. Last year we went, but Reed was not super excited about it - he was just too young. But, this year was a completely different story.

Reed was SO EXCITED to go on the hay ride to the actual pumpkin patch he almost could not wait. He kept trying to cut kids in line. Silly, silly. I tried to distract him with the apples we got for paying admission to the pumpkin patch, but it only worked for a few minutes.

He LOVED the hay ride there (they had decorated the forest with pumpkins and ghosts - yes, you are jealous of our hay ride), so much so, that he did not want to get off and get a pumpkin. I finally convinced him that finding pumpkins to take home would be fun as well.

When we got to the pumpkin patch Reed took of running, only to trip about every 10th step due to all the vines. But, he jumped right on up and went scouring through the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin. He found a little one that was small enough for him to hold. He brought it to me to hold and then took off in search of another pumpkin (we both got one since we both bought admissions to the pumpkin patch). I thought that he would probably pick another small pumpkin, one he could carry, but I was dead wrong. I think Reed chose the largest pumpkin they had available in the pumpkin patch! He tried and tried to pick it up, but to no avail. He even looked at other pumpkins, but ended up going back to that same pumpkin. So, we picked it up and waited for our friends to be finished. (Check out the video below: it was Reed's second or third time going back to the same huge pumpkin)

Reed, again, was very impatient when attempting to wait for the hay ride back. He didn't quite grasp that the people in front of us got to get on first. He even started crying when the first tractor pulled the people away and he was not on that hay ride. Luckily, we fit on the second one, mostly because Reed pushed his way to the front (well, not really, but he certainly was trying). On the way back, he saw the animals (pig, lamb, goat) that they had. He LOVED the hay ride again, and did not want to get off, again. But, after counting down from 10, he decided it was ok to go and eat lunch.

We ate lunch as a play group, then we headed home because it was FREEZING that day. There were other fun things to do, but I just got so cold. Reed played in the rocks and was happy as a clam (although, are clams happy?). All-in-all a great play group activity! I am looking forward to it again next year. It is worth the drive - if only I could remember to go during berry season.


The first hay ride of the day. I know Reed doesn't look excited, but he was :)


Picking his first pumpkin all by himself!

"Look what I got!!!"

Ah, how precious!

Yes, I am holding the second pumpkin that Reed picked. Isn't it huge! I think we will carve that one!


Reed in search of the perfect pumpkin, not to mention the biggest in the pumpkin patch.

Fire House or Fire Station?

So, apparently instead of saying fire station I call it the fire house and Tyson always thinks that is funny. I was wondering why the other day and then it hit me - I read the book Clifford The Fire House Dog to Reed all the time. So, that solves that problem. Phew :)

Reed and I went to the Dunn Loring Fire Station with a play group from a different ward. I was actually pretty excited myself because I never remember any trips to the fire station. So, we packed up our stuff and were on our way. Reed did not like it as much as the 4-year-old kids that were there, but he was still entertained.

We learned about the fire truck and what the firemen wear when they go out. Right in the middle of the tour they actually got a call about a fire. So, the kids got to see the firefighters in action. So cool!!!

While they were gone, we learned about the rehabilitation unit which is used for the firefighters. It is a van that shows up after a while and checks the health of the firefighters. We also saw a rescue truck, like an ambulance. We got a tour of the inside of the fire station and by the time we were done, the other firefighters were back with the fire engine. The kids got to walk through the truck and I even snapped a few pictures :) Overall, a fun time.

Reed's favorite part was finding a small statue of a firefighter and "honking" his nose (one of his new favorite things to do) and playing with the firefighter hat he got at the end of the tour.


Going in the back of the rescue truck

The rehabilitation unit

Reed contemplating going in the rescue truck - he decided against it.

Apparently it's a fire department, not a fire house nor a fire station! Ugh, I am so confused....

Reed "honking" the firefighter's nose

He actually did get in the actual fire truck!

But, he would not sit down on the seat...

The kids who went, minus Reed. Instead, he went over....

here and sat by himself. Too much craziness for this little guy!

The hat!

He loved putting it on backwards.

He was smiling, but the wind kept blowing his hat off. So, this was the best we could do :)