Halloween Fun!

The PUMPKIN PATCH

The pumpkin patch is always one of our favorite halloween destinations, and this year didn't prove wrong. Mckenzie took a little more interest in the attractions at the pumpkin patch this year rather than just riding in a wagon looking at hundreds of beautiful, orange pumpkins...which turned out to have both pros and cons.

Pros:

-now we also are spared of looking at hundreds of beautiful, orange pumpkins one by one

-we get to do fun things too like ride on trains pulled by tractors

-no more pulling wagons through dirt, hay, and grass...crowds of people..

Cons:

-now we get to stand in line for 30 minutes to ride the fun train pulled by the tractor.

-much more hay/dirt stuck in pants and shoes

-dealing with the bounce house departure drama

It really was a good time and its fun to see their interests change from year to year and watch them grow!

TRUNK OR TREAT

Its been fun to go to a couple "trunk or treats" and see all Mckenzie's cute friends dressed up. (not the best picture I know, but we were just happy they all stood next to each other long enough to snap a picture).

It was especially fun to see her with her cute cousins Jacob and Caleb this halloween since their costumes all coordinated this year... Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, and Captain Hook!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It was a fun halloween night last night. We went trick-or-treating with our friends Jeremy, Vanessa, Brendan, and Tanner. Their boys sure were cute in their hunting outfits...lucky for us--they were equipped to scare away all the spooky halloween ghosts and goblins!

A Trip to the Zoo

Last weekend was Russ's first weekend home in a LONG time...so we wanted a little bit of a change of scenery. We didn't make it too far though--but we decided that a trip to the zoo would mix things up a bit. We hadn't been for a good 1 and 1/2 years...which makes Kenz barely 1 last we went. It was a beautiful day and we had a really good time. We even splurged an extra couple bucks to ride the train this time around and Mckenzie couldn't have been happier. :)

Nothing like a shot of elephant bums. :)

First Haircut!

Its been a while since we posted...so we've got a little bit to catch up on. A few weeks ago we took Kenzie to get her first ever haircut. We decided after 2 1/2 years it was definitely time. And Mckenzie was as excited as ever to get one. We were kind of surprised...we didn't even think she knew what a haircut was... but she sure did love it. We took her to a little kids cuts place because I was unsure of how hard this task was going to be..but really the hardest part of it all--was just waiting for her turn. Especially since the kids get to sit in little airplanes while they get their hairuct- it was a little hard for her to sit on the sidelines. Once we got past that part--she was all smiles!

As you can see, she was a little put out that she had to wait.





















Here's the before shot.

Utah Highlights!

BOYS II MEN!!!

It really doesn't get any better than seeing Boys II Men live in concert--not to mention at the Scera Shell!! We went with the Schaack Clan to this and it was soo fun! I wish I had a recorded clip to let you all in on what you missed out on. Kenzie really enjoyed it and was dancing in the isle and with Lindsey most of the time; however this is kind of a silly picture and Kenzie doesn't look as happy as she really was. AND I think her moves were outdone by Papa Schaack's. I am refraining from posting a pretty good pic of him to save him from possible embarrassment. But i'm sure many of you can paint a pretty good picture in your head of what some of his moves might have been! :)

It was really fun to see Eric and Amber there! (and we give credit for this amazing night to you-thanks for letting us know about this concert!!--and then to my dad for making it happen) :)

It's always fun to spend time with family. Kenz had fun playing with all her cousins while we were there! We are so excited that this clan has now moved closer to us!! We think Mckenzie might have more of an influence on all these boys than we thought--who would have thought they would agree to a tea party with her?! ( ice cream incentive goes a long way I guess!)

It was fun to hook up with Grandpa Howard for lunch up in Sugarhouse while we were there! It was really great to see him and its always a good time when he's around!

One night we lit up the little fire pit in my parents back yard and roasted marshmallows and made smores. It had been way too long since I last did that. And the company was fun. Robbie and Jess came, along with Grandma Cook!! It was so fun to spend time with them all and catch up. And we enjoyed a little campfire music with Papa Schaack's guitar! Always fun when my dad starts busting out the guitar or banjo! It doesn't get any better.


My mom and Grandma Cook sitting around the fire. Aren't they cute?

We were able to make it over to Thanksgiving Pointe and the Dinosaur Museum while we were there. It was $2 day and we thought we would get in on the good deal along with the rest of the county. It was really crowded--but still interesting to see as we had never been there. Kenzie was semi-enthused by it...she tends to be a little cautious and timid with stuff like this-but I think she enjoyed hanging out with some of her cousins. I had to post this picture even though its not so cute and Kenzie looks a little challenged. I would like to draw your attention to the kid in the red shirt in the background though--if you haven't already noticed. :) So great- isn't it?! Love kids!

And last but not least we really enjoyed the wonderful weather and beautiful scenery (or not so beautiful). The mountain right above Russ's brother's house caught on fire while we were there and gave them a bit of a scare--but all turned out OK.

We also enjoyed spending time with some friends while we were there! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures--but we were so glad to see you all and catch up!

Dancing Queen

This is just a funny little video that I tried to post a while ago, but couldn't get it to work. Its not the best quality (I think it turns sideways half way through) But it was taken at the 4th of July celebration and made us laugh. The girl has got some serious moves. She "danced" for at least 30-45 minutes straight, but I won't bore you with all the videos we took. It was almost embarrassing how into it she got. I think its time enroll her in some real dance classes so she can put all this energy to good use! :) Sorry Aunt Lisa...you definitely have your work cut out for you!

America's Favorite Past-Time

Last night we went to a Rangers baseball game with Russ's brother Jared and his wife Christy who are in town this week house hunting. Its been fun to spend some time with them. We are so excited they are moving here in a couple months! So....while I think those baseball games are fun...I wonder how baseball earned the title of America's "favorite" past-time. Its a pretty slow, uneventful sport for the most part. I usually find myself bored and analyzing how many more outs we need to end the game, through at least a portion of it.

So is it that we are able to eat popcorn, hot dogs, cotton candy, and other bad food and not feel guilty? Or is it really the peanuts and crackerjacks?

I personally love the beloved song that is sung in the 7th inning, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and in our case, the song in the 5th inning, "Deep in the Heart of Texas", which the fans seem to get into maybe even a little bit more. (and we feel proud to say that Mckenzie just about knows all the words to both those songs) :)

But the best part has got to be the part when "the wave" goes around and around the stadium. I started contemplating "the wave" while watching it through Kenzie's eyes. Her look of confusion and excitement made me laugh. Why is it such a thrill to stand up and wave your arms and scream like an idiot over and over again?? We all know its silly, yet a part of us gets a little excited about it everytime.

I am not sure what it is that keeps us going back again and again...in my case most credit is due to my sports finatic husband who loves EVERY sport. But I do admit to being excited to go and having fun, counting the outs left for the game to end and wishing that we could leave early, and feeling a little disappointed at another loss at the end of the game, and then discussing when we would go next.

We LOVE Summer!

Its hard to believe that we are deep into summer now..almost ready to enter August! We have definitely been keeping with many fun summer activities.A few weeks ago we went with a few friends to a petting farm. While I thought this would be a great idea, I quickly realized that Mckenzie is all for looking at these furry friends but never really likes to touch them. She has always been like this with dogs-- but for some reason I thought this fear of animals would magically disappear when she was around goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, etc. Not much of a success for us- but it was fun to watch some of her friends get excited over the animals.

We also had a great 4th of July a few weeks ago! We went to a great fireworks show with a bunch of friends. Mckenzie enjoyed staying cool in the water fountains while we waited for the show to start and she definitely enjoyed the pre-show music! She LOVES to dance, especially if she has an audience. I will try to upload some of the videos we got. It was pretty funny. We also went to parade that was a little disappointing-despite my high hopes. It was advertised to be the biggest parade in Texas...and me being the parade lover that I am insisted on making the 25 minute drive to see it....but I'll admit it still didn't really compare to the good old Provo Parade.

Some of our other favorite summer activities include going to the pool, baseball games, playing at the malls, and Kenzie's favorite pick....the library. She LOVES books and really would be happy going there everyday if she could. She could be there for hours wandering and looking/reading all the books.

And our most recent summer adventure has been moving to a new apartment. New management took over our last place which brought a number of changes, including a significant increase in rent....so about a week ago we packed our bags and moved to another apartment about 3 minutes away from our last one. It was nice to be able to sift through some stuff, but its always a lot of work! But I always like change and I admit to liking the feel of carpet beneath my feet rather than hardwood floors. (although the wood definitely made for easy cleanup)