Catch up for October

My months are getting away from me. Where does the time go? It's already November. The years are flying by. My kids are getting older, I am getting older. My husband is getting older, only, it looks good on him! :) This is just not fair. I guess that's why we have to be grateful for each moment we have with our families. Especially our children when they are young. It's always easier to say that once my little ones are tucked in their beds and sleeping away. The day may bring chaos and craziness, but it's those days (like today) that I really am grateful for these little people in my life and the lessons they teach me. Today it was patience, love and to just stop and enjoy the sweet moments.

Tonight I laid down with my boys and we swapped stories, sang songs and cuddled. I feel like I don't do that enough and I need to be better. Gunner told me I was his best mom. :) He still wants to cuddle with me. Still wants a goodnight kiss. Still wants to hold my hand. How I love that. I asked him if he would still love me when he was all grown up and his answer was "Don't worry Mom, when I grow up and you get old, I'll turn back into a little boy and take care of you." Oh, he has no idea how I wish that could happen. I guess that's why I love taking pictures of my kids at this stage. It's a great way to freeze time.

Anyhow, on to October. I spent 3 out of the 4 weeks this month sick so I was excited to finally get out and do something! I guess you could say it was good timing because it was so hot here in the Valley that by the end of the month it finally started to cool down. And we took advantage of the beautiful weather. As of now, it's getting hot again. In November. Oh well, here's hoping the holidays bring cold! Anyway, we visited Schnepf's farm, attended the Down syndrome Buddy Walk and of course celebrated all the Halloween festivities...all in the last week of October! I also managed to paint Breezy's room but I'll have to put that in a separate post because I still haven't decided what to put on her walls. Let's just say, when it comes to this girl's room, think pink! 

Since I took so many pictures at Schnepf's, I put it in a collage. My mom came with us and brought my niece Corinne to join us. They all had so much fun together. We visited the petting zoo, which was definitely Caleb's favorite part. He adores farm animals and would live with the animals if he could. We also saw the pig races and then headed over to all the rides. 

I love this picture of Caleb with the cow. He's trying give him or her a kiss. Love this kid.

And this one with the girls holding hands...one to blow up for the grandparents. :)

We enjoyed the hot dogs and the live band while we ate and the kids got to dance their hearts out. We also went for a little train ride around the farm which turned out to be pretty scary for the little girls. I guess Schnepf's brings out the zombies and scary dead people when it gets dark and they nearly made Breezy & Corinne faint. My boys on the other hand, loved it. We all had fun and I'm glad we went. The kids were all caked with dirt by the end of the night I could barely recognize them. 

The next night was our ward trunk or treat. I'll do a separate post for that one because, again, I took too many pictures! 

A few days later we attended the Sharing Down syndrome AZ Buddy Walk. This is a very rigorous 1 mile walk and then celebration afterwards. It's right up there with a marathon. Catch my sarcasm? I think it's barely 1 mile. But it definitely is a celebration for those with Down syndrome. The organization raises funds every year for parent support meetings, inclusion efforts, & advocates for those with DS. 

We have been going to this since Caleb was 2 months old. We have missed the last 2 years due to vacation & Breezy being sick. This year we were excited to go. Caleb loves this party every year. He loves it mostly because he likes to dance to the loud music blasting, jumping in the bouncy houses and of course to celebrate him! 

Highlights of the party...

Caleb was on the stage with DJ Ron for a good majority of the time there. He loved dancing with his cousins & just being a part of the action. We love you Caleb! 

This was the best we could do for a family picture. Breezy was not in the mood for pictures because I took her away from Grandma (GaGa). How dare I do that for a picture!

Until next time...