If you can't tell we are a little excited that Halloween is right around the corner. Also that our theme this year will be Pirates! Scott and I will be dressed up as well and it shold be a jolly good time! That is if you aren't forced to walk the plank. I will be taking more pics in the hope that I can make some Halloween cards and have them sent before the day arrives! We'll see as I can make no promises in that dept. I thought they looked adorable and couldn't wait till it got closer. Plus Riley really wanted to show Nema!

I should just leave it at that... because I don't think it really helps to explain this was a ward party activity...

Well it was time for a little bit of a change. After all the nicknames Garrett was being given, (all which I found very amusing), it was time to look like himself. So there is no more munchichi, Elvis, or even the "little Jewish man" (another fun name my friend Melanie came up with). 1 1/2 weeks ago Garrett got his 1st hair cut big boy style, via the clippers. He did great sitting up in his boppie while I cut and Scott took pics. Riley faithfully gathered the hair into one big pile. We then sent half to each set of grandparents with a ransom note demanding a visit! It was all in good fun and my little "munchichi" is now a little man!

Finally... we are swimming, the boys are riding bikes, and the grass is growing! YEAH! The backyard is ALMOST complete. At least it is livable. We still have workers here daily fixing little things, but at least we have been able to enjoy it for almost a week now. These are great pictures, but I thought I should at least get something while I was thinking about it.

We had a party on Saturday for Mike's birthday... 5 families came over... we counted 16 kids - the oldest 7 years old. It was chaos, but quite fun. The kids all were in the pool at one time - which was barely big enough, but very kid friendly... especially the "jump wall". So much for blocking it off with boulders. It just made it more enticing to climb.

Parker is diving to the bottom swimming all over the pool picking up diving rings. He is doing great! Ryan is also diving to the bottom, picking up diving rings. He thinks he is doing great, but hasn't figured out how to lift his head out of the water yet. Not that the choking thing seems to bother him in the least bit. He just has to keep up with his big brother.

The pool is like 95 degrees... sooooo warm. Hopefully this means we are able to enjoy it for quite a while since it just got finished. We hope you all are able to come out and swim soon!

We had a great week in California! The boys LOVED the beach. We went every day. We tried to go to the pool a few times, but Parker said that was not as much fun, and he wanted to go to the beach so he could get DIRTY! They loved digging tunnels (and crawling through them), racing cars in the sand, catching sand crabs, playing in the surf, and getting buried.

No one liked when Mike lost Ryan in the waves... that's right, Mike took Ryan out to play in the crashing waves, and got nailed by one crashing on top of them... Ryan slipped out of his hands, Mike came up, couldn't find him, dove to the bottom, and pulled Ryan up from the bottom of the ocean! Poor kid. He cried for a minute, but still wanted to play in the water.

Parker had an equally tramatic experience, but this time on dry land. He ran ahead of us in hall and pushed the button for the elevator, he got on and it closed before we got there. He got off on the floor it opened and Mike could hear him crying for "his daddy"... however, Mike didn't know if he got off, was on the elevator, and which one. I was still down the hall. It took us a few minutes to find him on the right floor and catch up to him, but he was OK. A nice couple waiting on the couch outside the elevator and was trying to call our room (they got Parker to tell them his last name). Parker was sooooo sad. Everytime we walked in the hotel from that point on, he would grab our hands and tell us to hold tight so he wouldn't get lost again. He still brings it up almost every night about how the elevator makes him sad. Hopefully he has learned to stay close to us now.

Well, CA may just have to be a frequently visited place for us. Apparently, it is the BEST! There is a beach, a hotel, and Legoland (although we didn't go this time.) Parker now tells everyone that when he turns 4 on his birthday he will be big enough to learn how to surf. (Since this summer I said he was not old enough to try... oh boy... didn't know that 4 was old enough. I have a feeling that he might just remember this next year!) He now wants to be a SLOW race car drive (because you have to follow the speed limit so you don't go to jail), and a SURFER DUDE. Oh boy.

Ryan, well... he was just happy hugging and flirting with the girls... and any girl on the beach that had a ball... oh boy, watch out. He watched some volleyball players for almost an hour - couldn't tell if he was watching the girls or the ball. Trouble, I tell you! Trouble.

I know we all saw this image, but I love it... Can't believe there are going to be 6 little ones in a couple months! I can't believe that Parker is hugging Ryan and that Ryan is actually letting someone else hold Garrett! And Riley... quite the model, as always!

We have water in the pool... which you would think means the pool is complete, but now almost 2 weeks later, we are learning that is not the case. It has been a daily struggle to get this complete, but mom and dad spent all day Saturday helping us clean up the backyard and move the furniture back on the patio, so at least we have been able to go out and enjoy the deck and water! One day... it will be finished! The boys love riding their bikes on the deck, and of course, love swimming. Parker swims all over the pool by himself... Ryan thinks he can too.. However, Parker constantly reminds us that the pool is not finished because he chose a slide from the pool store. And... the pool is not as fun as Nema's or Uncle Mike's. Oh well. At least it has been a fun process even if it is really not that fun! :) (Although neither excuse stops him from wanting to swim every day!) If Ryan gets into the pool area, it doesn't matter what he has on, he immediately goes to the steps and climbs in. It drives Reeces crazy! She chases him around the pool barking everytime he goes under water. (Forget fancy alarms and gates... Reeces is the best alarm for kids in the water!) Well... maybe by the boys birthday we will have an ice skating party out on the pool (if it is as cold as last year's party) and can celebrate a finished yard!