Are these ladies frames?

Seven years ago,  Colby had Lasik surgery.   The last year and a half, his eyes have gradually started to revert back to their pre-Lasik form.  A couple of weeks ago, Colb got glasses for reading and driving.  (Ammon told everyone,  "you know what's so sad- my dad had to get glasses cause he was on his computer too much").  I personally really like Colb's glasses, I think he looks handsome and studious.  Thanks to George Costanza, Colby was more concerned about accidentally choosing glasses that were "ladies frames"  then he was about the fact that he needed glasses again!   As you can see, Colby did a great job- these glasses are clearly not ladies frames. 

Giving Thanks

This year I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the first time.  My family drove out all the way from Utah and stayed for the weekend.  I started making pies, jello and stuffed mushrooms on Wednesday and finished on Thursday morning.  I had a great time cooking and Ammon and Carter were great helpers, they especially enjoyed making the pie crust.  If anyone feels compelled to come to Middle America for Thanksgiving in the next two years, I would love to host again!

The great Thanksgiving tablecloth that I bought ended up being too small for our table (bummer).  We ended up using placemats. 

My dad and the Thanksgiving buffet.  Virgin river has nothing on me.

The "grown-up" table.  Mom, Dad, Colby, Leslee and Daniel.

After dinner we played Thanksgiving bingo.  The highlight of the day for me was when little Carter was laying on his tummy playing bingo and a space that he needed was called.  He put his  blue M & M on the space and said,  "Yes! That's what I'm talkin about."

We were so grateful that Grandma and Grandpa Stewart could come and visit.  The boys already miss them and can't wait to see them again at Christmas.

Grandma and the boys checked out the black Friday ads on the internet.  We had a newspaper that came up with missing ads.  A few days later we found them all stashed in Ammon's drawer.

Grandpa, Grandma and the cousins.  We are so grateful for our family!  I am constantly amazed at how many blessings I have and am continually receiving. I am grateful for my cute boys and wonderful husband, for our home and for the opportunity that Colby has to get an education. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Double tagged!

I was tagged by Emily (who is in North Carolina) and Heather (who is in Washington) and it is the same "tag."  This made me realize how easy the internet makes it to connect with friends and how small the world of blogging is!  So here goes, first list six random facts about yourself, then list six friends to "tag."

1. When I was little I loved to go to Baskin Robins and get bubble gum icecream.  I picked all the bubble gum out of the icecream and saved it in a napkin to eat later. 

2. I am really bad at volleyball.  So bad, that at my family reunion my immediate family refused to let me play on their team- they made me sit on the sidelines and sell lemonade. 

3. I have really big, really ugly feet.  In college they earned me the nickname "eagle claws."  Since I have had kids they have only gotten bigger and uglier.  Colby says if we have any more kids I am going to have to special order shoes. It's a good thing we will eventually have a podiatrist in the family.

4. In college I had, and lost, two different scholarships.  I also changed my major three times.

5. My parents tell me as a little girl I was always upside down. This proved to be a positive thing when I won the Utah state tumbling championship in my age division in 1993.

6. I once went on a date with a guy who wanted me to sneak into the movie theatre, it was our first date.  It was also our last date.

I am tagging:  Lisa, Stephanie, Kim, Carolee, Becca and Elizabeth

Pay it Forward

I saw this idea on my friend Auprielle's blog and thought it was fun!

I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay it Forward exchange.You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days!The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. (So, you must have a blog to participate.) I can't wait to see who I will be giving to. To join, just cut and paste this on your blog and comment away. So get posting!! 'Tis the season for giving...and blogging.

Growing Up

Today I got a roll of film developed that I have had since before we moved to Iowa.  I couldn't believe how much the boys have grown up in the last year and a half!  It has been a while since I have bragged about my boys so I thought I would post a few stories about the funny little things they say and do...

One day while looking at our fish tank..

Carter:  Your fish named Sylvester Grill died and we flushed it down the twoilet all the way to the beach.  But my fish did not die.

Mom: Nope, your fish is alive and well

Carter: MOM, he is not a whale, he is a fish

One night Colby and I were talking, Carter was sitting with Colby

Shauni: Can you believe how big our little baby boy is getting?

Carter:  I'm NOT a baby!

Colby: (lovingly)  Yes you are, you are my baby boy

Carter: (like he is picking a fight) well, you're a big baby who wears diapers

Some Fun Facts about Carter:

Carter will only color with blue crayons- because blue is his favorite color

Carter knows the names of all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their corresponding colors

Madison, from preschool, thinks that Carter is her boyfriend.  Carter confirmed this when I asked him about Madison he said, "uh huh, she's my grilfriend"

Fun Facts about Ammon:

Recently, Ammon has started pronouncing his "r's"- for some strange reason this makes me very sad because he sounds so grown up.

Ammon takes after Colby in that he is a planner.  He already knows what he wants to be for Halloween for the next four years, what he wants to do for his birthday party when he turns seven and who he is going to marry.

Ammon is a pack rat.  He brings home TONS of art projects and drawings from preschool and wants to display them all on the fridge.  If I throw away any of these precious works of art, Ammon will take them out of the garbage can and hide them behind his pillow on his bed.

I love both of my little boys, and even though sometimes I feel sad that they are getting so big, I am glad that they are healthy and strong and I hope that they never stop growing and learning.

Let's cook!

Once a month we do a "babysitting exchange" with some friends.  We take turns watching all the kids and the rest of the couples have a date night.   Last night the couple that was hosting did a cooking theme.  The kids made their own pizzas and watched Ratatouille.  I took the boys to Walmart and let them pick our material and I made them aprons to wear to the party. 

Ammon chose Transformer fabric and Carter picked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

The boys had a great time at the cooking party.

After trying to go to two different Mexican restaurants (one that had gone out of business and one that we thought we may have caught Hepatitis from by just looking in the front window) we ended up at Carlos O Kelley's (which is also Mexican, not Irish). We had a great time with our friends. It's always nice to have a kid-free date night.

Late Halloween Greetings

Carter learned this song at preschool. It is a little bit late but it took me a while to get the video loaded!

Trick or Trunk or Treating

I know you haven't quite see enough Halloween pictures from us yet, so here are some more! These were take on the actual holiday (and beggars night, which is also a holiday in Iowa). We took the boys trick or treating around the neighborhood and the following night went to the ward trunk or treat. Our kids could now eat a diet of straight candy and still have enough to survive for at least a year.



Our cute little Spider Men



I know you can't see it, but there is the cutest little face you will ever see under this Spiderman mask.



In an effort to redeem myself from buying cheap Walmart costumes this year, I made cute trick or treat bags for the boys. My friend Megan embroidered their names on them and I think they turned our darling. The boys were a little mad that I wouldn't let them take the plastic spiderman bags that Grandma Stewart sent so I told them they weren't sturdy enough to hold all their candy- turns out I was right.



Oakley, Ammon and Ashlyn getting all ready to trick or treat.




The kids looked so cute standing on the porches, waiting for candy that I decided to get a picture. Every time I tried to take a picture, someone would answer the door. Colby finally made me stop, I guess he thought people would think I was strange if I took their picture as soon as they answered the door. This is the best action shot I could get.



By the end of the night the boys were too tired to walk. Once again, my sweet husband told me that next year we are only celebrating Halloween on Halloween night. We'll see.

Happy October!

Colby thinks that Halloween is the kind of holiday that can be celebrated in one night of trick or treating. I believe that Halloween should be celebrated the entire month of October. After reading this post, you will see who wears the pants in our family!

Tonight we had the Nances over for "dinner in a pumpkin." ( a great Stewart family tradition!) After dinner, we carved pumpkins. Here are our masterpieces.



The kids all sang "five little pumpkins" in front of their Jack O Lanterns.



As you probably guessed, the parents did most of the actual carving.



To kick off the Halloween season, we had some friends over to decorate haunted houses. Carter, Ammon, Cannon, Karlee, Oakley, Ashlyn, Caden and Austin were all very proud of their houses.



The boys did most of their own decorating this year, and they did a great job. Other than the roof almost caving in due to an abundance of candy pumpkins and whoppers on top of it- things went pretty smoothly.




We have already been to lots of fun Halloween parties. Des Moines University had a party for the students kids. They had lots of fun games and served goldfish, juice boxes and sugar cookies. Ahhh, the perfect snack for a 2 year old. The boys had a blast playing with Oakley, Madison and Ashlyn and chasing around the Incredible Hulk (who our two little Spider Men have decided is the "bad guy")



Carter's preschool class had a great Halloween party complete with sugar cookie decorating, trick or treating and a costume parade.



Caden and Austin had a fun party with lots of friends! Megan made cute Halloween food like peanut butter and jelly fingers, mummy dogs, jello jigglers and spider crackers. The kids decorated Halloween masks and did a pinata.



We also went to a Halloween party at the YMCA. The boys had a blast painting pumpkins, jumping on inflatables and playing games. Ammon liked to feel all the "yucky stuff" they had hidden in caldrons.



Like I said, a whole month of Halloween fun! We can hardly wait for Beggars Night and the Trunk or treat!

*a disclaimer for those of you who are unfamiliar with "Beggars Night:" In Iowa, they trick or treat on October 30. They feel it's safer for the kids because people are not out partying for Halloween. Lucky for us, our ward is also having a trunk or treat on October 31 so we will have two fun nights of trick or treating. Colby is not thrilled and thinks we should boycott one or the other. I, on the other hand, love this idea. I love Iowa.

Halloween greetings

Carter learned this Halloween song at preschool. He is growing up so fast!

Des Moines Marathon

Last weekend, l ran my first (and possibly only!) marathon. It was an amazing experience. It was a beautiful fall day and a great race. My finish time was 4 hours and 53 minutes, which was slower than I had hoped, but I was just happy to finish. Colby was very supportive and came down with the kids to cheer me on. I was able to see them 3 times during the race and at the finish line. I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband and 2 darling boys, my running partner Celeste, my sponsor Paul and the Macaroni Grill, Aerosmith and Def Lepard (nerdy, I know- but they motivate me). I have to add a disclaimer before these pictures: alot of these are pretty cheesy, but I wanted to show proof that I actually did this!



Getting ready for the race, holding my race number, and feeling really nervous.



Celeste and I running through one of the parks.



The kids were so excited to see me, they were running up and down the road and giving me high fives.



Part of the marathon course (I think it was about mile 18) ran through the Drake University stadium. There was a live band and a broadcast of runners on a big screen overhead. It was pretty cool.



The marathon started and ended downtown. There were tons of people cheering on the runners, it was a huge adrenaline rush.



On the home stretch, running toward the finish line.



This is really cheesy, I warned you. Me crossing the finish line.



One more crossing the finish line. This was definately one of the coolest experiences of my life, actually I think it's number 5 behind 1. marrying the love of my life 2. the birth of my kids 3. graduating from college and 4. traveling to Russia and Europe. It might be tied for #4, either way, definately in the top five.

The Pumpkin Patch

Last week, we went on a fieldtrip with Ammon's preschool class to the pumpkin patch. The boys had a great time and both got to pick out a little pumpkin.



Ammon and Ashlyn gettting ready to board the bus



Ammon was very excited that he got to ride on the school bus. Carter on the other hand, was sad that he couldn't go with Ammon.



Ammon's preschool class on a giant swing.



After Ammon's class had their picture taken on the swing, Carter had to get on and have his picture taken also.



The kids had a great time playing in this giant pit filled with corn.



I was vacumming up pieces of corn and finding corn in the laundry for about 4 days.




Another highlight was climbing on this giant haystack. They are fearless!



I am so grateful I have the opportunity to do things like this with my kids and be (mostly) a stay at home mom.

Thank Heaven for Grandmas

Ammon and Carter are so blessed to have two Grandmas who love them and spoil them (in a good way!) This week they got a package from Grandma Stewart and a package from Grandma Frost. Now every day Carter reminds me to get the mail! They were so excited to receive these packages and now they are all set for Halloween.



The boys were so excited about all the Spiderman stuff that Grandma Stewart sent. Carter couldn't believe that the flashlight even had Spiderman batteries!



These skeleton bikes were a hit! The lollipops are long gone, but they both have the bikes in their special cubbies on their beds.



The boys had to put these transformer shirts on as soon as they saw them.



I thought these masks were scary, but the boys love them!



Thank you to Mom and Susan for being so kind and remembering our little peanuts out here in the midwest. You really brightened our rainy week.