Halloween etc.

For the first time in years, Phil and I dressed up for Halloween and went to an adults only party. It was super fun. My costume was forgettable, but Phil's was not. He was "Keith Stone" and wore this wig/hat thing with a long stringy mullet in the back--the same wig/hat thing that he wore when we went to sign our mortgage papers at the bank here a few years ago. I nearly died from embarrassment then and it was just as creepy this time around!

Sasha was a white tiger and Jack a cow. Sasha loved trick-or-treating this year and was very brave about going up to doors by herself.

These are just a few of my favorite pictures of Jack from around that time. We keep wondering where he gets his blond hair. Just in the last few weeks he has started to be a real handful (15.5 months). With Sasha we never experienced all out tantrums with screaming, kicking, and head-banging like Jack is doing. Hopefully it's just a phase, but this plane ride to Indiana on Friday could be the longest day of our lives!

Pumpkin Patch

One beautiful Saturday in October we made the annual pilgrimage to McCall's Pumpkin Patch for a day of fun fall activities. The cow train above was one of Sasha's favorite activities this year.

Jack enjoyed all the people watching and also practicing his walking on all the varied terrain.

We could have spent an hour in the corn kernal sand box.

The gigantic inflated jumping pillow was fun for all ages.

And lastly the hayride to the actual pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin was the highlight of the day. Sasha took a long time deliberating on which would be the perfect one to take home.

We carved the pumpkins the next day into Jack-o-lanterns. Sasha, of course, wanted a super-scary face on hers. She really looked forward to lighting them nightly after that.

Sept/Oct.

This is a very hodgepodge posting but it captures some of our everyday life this fall with some of my favorite pictures. We all continue to enjoy and appreciate the weekly visit from my mom and often my dad. They drive up one day during the week from Albuquerque to spend the day with me and the kids. My mom always bring delicious homemade food to eat that night or to put in the freezer and often has some fun activity planned to do with Sasha. And if that weren't enough she just starts in on the laundry without me asking and wants to know what other little projects she can do during nap time to help me out. I am VERY fortunate. I hope I can do the same for my kids someday.

Jack's obsession with things with wheels continues. His first two words together were "Jack car" He is talking a lot with more words than I we can count now. He has a low voice for a baby I think which I recall Phil's mom writing in Phil's baby book as well. I love this stage when they finally can start to communicate better.

This is one of those pictures of Sasha that gives a glimpse of what she is going to look like as a teenager I think. Something about it makes her look so old

We had our first snow here in early October! It melted the next day at our house but the snow-capped peaks were visible for a least a week from our house.

Here we are at the New Mexico State Fair. Sasha had a blast riding the ponies and carnival rides. She was so brave and rode all of the rides by herself (within her height constraints). I think she would say it was one of the best days of her life.

Phil and Sasha on one of our Sunday hikes up in the mountains when the aspens were at their peak.

The Rest of September

Just one of my favorite pictures....

Labor Day weekend we had a fun potluck up in the mountains with some other families. Sopris and Sasha have been friends since they just turned one. Even though they now go to different schools, we still get together fairly regularly for playdates and family dinners.

Jack had just had his first haircut before the gathering--no more long whispies around the ears.

On Monday (Labor Day) we drove up to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for the day to go the natural springs. Phil and I had been there by ourselves a year ago and knew we wanted to return with the kids some time. There were about 25 different little hot tubs to try and Sasha also really enjoyed wading in the adjacent river which is also warm from the springs.

Jack and Phil playing together on a weekend. This week Phil leaves for Houston to take his oral boards to become "board certified" in neurosurgery. He's been studying hard for the last 6 months or so and we will all be glad when it's over!

As it is everywhere in the country, September was absolutely gorgeous here in Santa Fe with fields of gold and purple flowers everywhere, clear blue skies, and perfect temperatures. Here are some of my favorites that Phil took one afternoon.

Jack Turns 1!

Jack officially turned 1 on September 12. My how this year has flown by! We had an early birthday party for him Labor Day weekend with local family and some friends here at our house. After much deliberation, Sasha and I decided on a cat cake since at the time "kitty" was one of the few words Jack could say and because of his undying affection for our cat Burt.

We enjoyed some of Jack's favorite foods for dinner: lasagna, watermelon, corn on the cob (off the cob for Jack), garlic bread, and home-cranked coconut ice cream. The weather was glorious that evening and all the kids and babies had fun playing in the yard before/during/after dinner.

We had been practicing the "Happy Birthday " song for several weeks before the party to where whenever Jack heard the first few notes he would start clapping and grinning. He LOVED his yellow cake with chocolate frosting, making a huge mess and devouring all of his piece.

I saved a few cupcakes for his actual birthday (a Monday when Phil was on call and didn't get home until after the kids were in bed) Good thing we had the party earlier!

Jack weighed 17 lb. 4 oz. at his yearly check-up (2nd percentile) and was 29 inches tall (40th percentile). He started walking one week after his birthday. Things Jack is very into right now:
1. Cars and trucks--he zooms toy cars all over the floor and furniture with sound effects, spends as much time as I will let him in the garage walking around the cars touching the different parts and saying "CAR" over and over, his favorite books all involve cars and trucks
2. Climbing--he scales ladders, stepstools, chairs, etc. Yesterday he climbed all the way from the floor onto the kitchen counter via a small chair and had his hand on a sharp kitchen knife before I intervened. I was watching the whole thing and mostly just wanted to see what he was capable of!

Late summer

We really have enjoyed hiking again this summer. Last summer it was out of the question with me in my last trimester. This year Jack rides in the Bjorn and Sasha either walks or Phil carries her in the hike back pack (she still only weights 28 lbs!). This particular hike is our favorite through a forested canyon following a stream that requires at least 6 crossings through water (Sasha's favorite part by far) and then ends in a rather large waterfall and pool for wading. We always pack a picnic lunch and spend some time at the waterfall before heading back.

This was Sasha's first day at Rio Grande School. She goes 4 days/week and is in a class of 13 3-year-olds. She really enjoys all of the organized activities. Her favorite things to do there are circle time, looking for "treasures" in the sand box, science class, gym class, and cooking.

My parents were kind enough to take Sasha overnight camping. This is not a good age to take Jack camping for a number of reasons but Sasha LOVED it so much last year that we were feeling guilty about not giving her that experience this summer. Phil, Jack, and I joined them for dinner and s'mores and then went back home. Apparently Sasha slept great in her sleeping bag in the tent until about 5 am when she woke up freezing and just snuggled in between by mom and dad in their sleeping bag for a few more hours of sleep.

Jack dined in comfort at the campsite in his good old high chair that we threw in the trunk. He was perfectly content this year with his watered down plain graham cracker s'more.