Happy Halloween

and happy one year blogging anniversary! After the pumpkin patch, we had a pumpikin carving night and here is the result



This year for Halloween we went to the Zoo Boo in ABQ. There were a lot of people there and there was a lot to see and do. The candy booths were set up throughout the zoo and it was great fun to see the animals, the costumes, and get lots of candy (which Lukey faithfully munched all day). Luke was a zebra this year and his costume was amazing thanks to Grammy and Grandpa hand-painting the stripes. Logan was Yoda and at one point, I felt like Luke Skywalker training on Dagobah with my little Jedi master riding on my back. Leyly-loo was Spider-girl/tiger, Grammy was a baby jaguar and Grandpa dressed as a cowboy. We finished off Halloween with a festive ;) Costco trip and Olive Garden.

Arrival...



lounging zebra



smiling kids





Luke with a fellow zebra



Leyla golfing



Yoda getting a ride from "Daddy" Skywalker (not Darth Vader)



The end

Boys' first haircuts

Somehow we have had trauma surrounding haircuts in this family and as a result the boys were looking kind of shaggy so we took them to get their first official barbershop cuts (the shop even had the spinning barbershop pole). They both did amazing. There was no screaming, crying or moving; they held still and got very handsome new do's.

Boys in the chairs

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday we went to McCall's Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty, NM. It was our first trip to go pick pumpkins and we did not know what to expect. There was so much to do there and we had a great day.

First up, the kids rode in these cute cow cars and rang the bells.









The kids!



Playing on the tractor...





Bunnies



Lukey liked to look at his "body" in these things



The corn maze was created in the shape of hot air balloons...not that you could tell from within the maze but it was pretty elaborate.





Scarecrows





A couple things that I did not get pictures of were the pedal carts, the huge jumping pillow, the tunnel slides, and all the animals. It was quite the fun place. We took the hay ride out to the pumpkins and chose our victims.







Then we had hot dogs and hamburgers and headed home in the dark.

Annual fish hatchery visit

Looking back, it seems that we visit the Red River fish hatchery at about this time every year. Well, it is such a very fun place. The worker man gave us a huge coffee can full of fish feed and we had a great time gorging the fish with all the food. We also had a picnic on the bridge over the river and threw rocks in the fish pond. Great day!

ABQ International Balloon Fest 09

Me and my little Bobo arriving at the festival



It was like a big fair with all the greasy fixings and some balloons on the side.

Nemo was the kid favorite



The kiddos actually went in the bouncy house. It was their first time and they all had a blast.







It ended up being too windy for a balloon glow but they started inflating and it was a pretty amazing site to see.







This is what they ended up doing instead of the glow, a torch burn. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...



Happy boy on the way home

Friday night drive

We went on a drive around the Antonito/Chama loop at the idea of our friends and saw lots of amazing scenery, wildlife (antelope and elk) and leaves. Nothing was more exciting for the kids, though, then the train, which we happened to catch just as it was coming up the hill. Luke kept asking where we were going and we were telling him that we were just driving, which was not a very satisfying answer to him, but after the train he was very content that the drive had a purpose and we had accomplished it :)

Cuddles

Luke was loving on his brother during story time before bed and we captured the moment in pictures

Birthday boy

Luke is four! He asked for a froggy theme and we had a very fun day. Grammy and Grandpa decorated a room at the youth and family center to look like a froggy jungle. There was a lily pad musical pad game and frog toss and fun swimming. Luke and everyone else had such a great time! I did not get very many pictures because I was enjoying all the festivities...but here are a few.

Pancakes for breakfast



and the frog toss



Some things I don't want to forget about my Lukey at this age:

-he likes to make little animal noises (sometimes loudly) all the time

-he snores loudly and I know because he loves to sleep with us, cuddling right next to me

-he is generous and loving with everyone...he willingly shares things that are special to him

-he enjoys putting his things in containers, any and all containers he can get his hands on are very quickly filled with goodies
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