Counting down......

Only 62 days until Christmas!! When you think of it that way that is not very long! Better than being 1 day away, Cayden told me that Santa Clause is coming tomorrow!! It is going to be a long 62 days for Cayden (and me having to explain everyday to a 3 year old why Santa isn't coming yet):)

Pumpkin Patch Fun

We took the kids tonight to the pumpkin patch to pick out there pumpkins. This is one of our favorite family traditions!:)

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Cayden went on his first preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch today! He was so excited. The kids made patterns out of the pumpkins and got to sit on the tractors:)

More pictures......

The candy store we found in California:)

Long Beach, California

Carlie's favorite ride and Lance's not so favorite, The Teacups

The Happiest Place on Earth!!

Getting ready to go on the Jungle Safari ride, the kids are both scared to death:)

Cayden loved looking out the window at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and watching the airplanes

Rachel, this picture is just for you!!! We missed him by one day:)

Rainforest Cafe in Las Vegas

"VOLCANO", the dessert at the Rainforest Cafe!!

Always nice to come home....

We just got home from a week long vacation. We left last Thursday to head down to Las Vegas. We had to make an unexpected stop at the hospital in St. George because Carlie came down suddenly with a major ear infection! She had not complained once about her ear until after we had left home. After the Motrin only stopped the crying for 2 hours I knew she must have an ear infection and it wasn't just congestion!! Not what we wanted to be doing at 9:00 P.M. but we were definitely glad that it happened before we were out of state and having to figure out where to take her. We finally made it to Vegas at 1:00 in the morning on Friday.

Later that day we drove the rest of the way to California where we stayed in Long Beach. It was fun to walk around on the pier and the kids liked looking at all the boats. While in California we got to visit my Uncle Mike and his 2 boys. The kids had fun playing and getting to go swimming with there cousins Ben and Luke. Saturday we traveled to Anaheim. The kids have been so excited to go to DISNEYLAND!! It was rainy and colder than normal. That didn't stop us from having fun though, we just had to dress a little warmer than you normally do when you go to California! Our favorite ride was the Soar in

Over California (at California Adventure)!! If you have never been on that ride you have to go! It is one of the best rides, you really feel like you are flying! Carlie was scared the first time but when we went on it a second time she liked it a little better:) We got to go to Disneyland for 3 days. It was more fun this year for several reasons: NO diapers, NO bottles, and

Cayden was barely tall enough to go on EVERY ride (I think we barely made it with his spiky hair)!! Also Cayden understood more where we were going so it was fun to see his excitement!!

Carlie's favorite ride still remains the Tea Cups!! Lance goes on it with her every time at Carlie's request and every time he looks like he is going to throw up!! Luckily he doesn't:) Carlie also really like the Grizzly Rapids ride in California Adventure and the Pirates of the Caribbean! We are completely surprised that she would say she liked those rides because she cried the whole time we were on them,but that is what she says!! Cayden's favorite ride is Dumbo and he loves going to Playhouse Disney!!

Sadly on Tuesday night (October 13th) Lance's Uncle Ralph passed away from complications he has suffered for the past 5 months after undergoing heart bypass surgery. We never gave up hope that he would get better and be able to go home

but it just wasn't meant to be. It is difficult knowing he had to go but we know he is in

a better place now and that he is not suffering anymore!! We will remember Uncle Ralph the most for our family Easter morning breakfast. He would be in the kitchen all morning making the huge omelets that are a family tradition. We will miss Uncle Ralph and miss seeing Marjie everyday. Marjie lived with us for the past 2 months while he was in a rehab facility in Provo.

We drove back to Las Vegas on Wednesday because Lance had a work conference scheduled for Thursday and Friday. His conference was at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. It was definitely the nicest hotel we have ever stayed at in Las Vegas! While Lance was in meetings all day the kids and I got to go to the amazing pool!

It is just like a beach!

Unfortunately the kids were too short to go in the main beach area with the waves just like a real beach. We still had fun though off to the side where you still got some waves, just really, really small ones:) They also have a lazy river and lots of sand to play in which was Cayden's favorite part!! I didn't dare to venture too far during the day by myself with 2 kids! In our room we had a floor to ceiling window overlooking the airport. Cayden loved to sit by the window and watch all the planes land and takeoff! You can't go to Vegas without going to M& M world and Coke World!! The kids and I went to the aquarium that is located at Mandalay Bay. It was kind of pricey I thought (it was $30.00 just for 1 adult and 1 child and under 4 was free), but the kids thought it was fun to see all the different types of fish:) We ate dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe one night, the kids loved it. We went for our first time while in Disneyland. The kids loved to look at all of the fish and the animals that came to life while you were eating! We were planning to go to St. George for the weekend

before heading home but ended our trip so that we could be home for the funeral. We had a fun week but were definitely ready to come home and not

be living out of suitcases and hotels anymore:)

Little Boy Fun.....

We went to the pumpkin patch last week and Cayden and his friend Korbin got to check out all of the tractors! I think they had at least 10 different ones. They had to sit on each one and check each one out:) They had a great time!! Cayden can't wait to go back and pick out a pumpkin!