Tyler turns 1!

The poor little birthday boy was sick the week of his birthday and especially on the actual day. It was very sad! We still haven't celebrated yet, but to mark the occasion, I wanted to post a little video of him taking a few little steps. He's starting to gain confidence and will take 4 or 5 steps on his own. I love this stage. I can't get enough of this boy.

sing a song of sixpence

Johnny loves to sing. If he's not sleeping or eating, then he's singing. I've been keeping a running list of songs he knows and it's getting pretty long. He surprises me almost daily with a new song that I didn't know he knew. We have been attending a little Music Makers class at church for the past year. He's very shy and reserved in class and doesn't ever sing along or do the hand movements or participate like many of the other children his age, but I'm realizing that he's like a little sponge soaking it all in. The songs are starting to come out little by little and it's so fun to see how much he is learning. This is one of my favorite songs that he sings:

October

The pumpkin patch at Underwood Farms is my favorite fall-time tradition. We drug our city slicker behinds up to the farm twice this year 'cause it's so darned nice to breathe in some fresh air (all be it, smelly due to some livestock).

Riding in the wagon is so much fun.

Johnny and his two best friends, Eleanor & Ella. Cute hu?

Halloween was fun this year because Johnny really got into it. We put up a few decorations like this here skeleton. And believe it or not I actually dressed up (if you can call it that - I just painted my nose and wore a hat) for the first time in 20 + years. It will probably be another 20 before I dress up again, so here's one more picture.

Instead of handing out candy at the trunk or treat, we made a big jug of homemade rootbeer complete with dry ice. It was a real hit with the kids. You can't find this stuff in L.A. so I had my mom send me a bunch from good 'ole Walmart in Idaho. We have enough to do it again next year.

We also had a visit from our awesome Uncle Mikey. The boys had a great time getting to know him.

Well, that's it for the pictures. In other news, Brian became the bishop of our ward on October 16th. The first few weeks I was feeling a mixture of shock and denial. I'm a bit more used to the idea now, though every day brings new surprises. Brian has jumped in with both feet and is giving it all he's got. He's as cheerful and positive as ever. I'm proud of him for being willing to serve.

Anyway - Happy Fall!