October 2013

Dear Friend, 

After spending all of September in one place, we had to start off the month with a quick trip up to Tober.  With my Grandmother there visiting we just couldn't resist!  It was so fun to spend time with her and my parents as we relaxed and watched conference in one of our favorite places on earth.

The next week Elias had to fly to Calgary for work and wouldn't return until late Friday night.  It just so happened that the annual Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was going on in Albuquerque that weekend, so thanks to an awesome last-minute "name your own price" Priceline deal, I took the kids down for a little one-night get-away.  

We got a hotel room just a few miles from the fiesta and had a little slumber-party, Elias joined us when his flight landed around midnight, and then we headed to the Fiesta around 5am the next morning.  

Since people come from all over the world to see the fiesta I'm glad we went, but unfortunately the weather was a little tricky so a few of the events were canceled and all of the balloons blew away really quickly.  

Home life has been pretty blissfully simple lately.  The boys wake up around 7 and once I finish feeding them I will go and get Summer.  After reading a few books to get her day started, she runs straight to her brothers' room for a little morning playtime.  

 

  

Then we will get ready for the day and run errands or do chores around the house before the boys' 10am feeding.   Summer has fallen in love with reading so while I feed the boys she will sit in the large armchair with a big stack of books and go through them one by one, as pleased as punch. 

At 11am we head out for our adventure of the day.  We enjoy going to the library storytime, playdates with friends, going to the park, or meeting up with Daddy for lunch.  We've also hosted a few craft dates at our house.  

By 1pm we're headed home for lunch and the 1:30 feeding.  Two o'clock is the special hour when everyone is put down for a nap!  When I'm lucky all the little ones sleep until 5, but I usually get some one-on-one time with either Boyd or Smith, so they come with me to get Summer when she starts calling.  When they do, she always invites them into her crib for a little play time.  

 

After the 5pm feeding we enjoy tummy-time, reading books, and getting dinner ready.  

I've really enjoyed trying new recipes lately and Summer is a great little helper in the kitchen so we always try to have dinner ready when E gets home so we can maximize his time with the kids.  

He usually gets home between 6:30-7:30 and the kids head to bed at 8pm.  Lately, once all the little ones are tucked in, Elias and I have decompressed over a game or two of ping pong.  

While this is our normal schedule, obviously little things change day by day.  And since you're my friend, I have to let you in on a few moments this month that are just too classic not to share.  My fellow moms will understand.  One day we were headed out to a play date, I had loaded all of the kids into the car and ran inside one last time to grab Summer's sippy cup.  While passing the powder room right by the garage door, I decided to grab some last minute tissue, and that's when I saw myself.  I was about to head out in public with three of Summer's bows in my hair and an obscene amount of spit-up that went from my shoulder all the way down my back.  Awesome.  

On another occasion I was feeding the boys during their 5 o'clock feeding.  Smith had a large projectile vomit that covered my lap.  I quickly took off my pants before it soaked through to my unders, and decided I would finish the feeding before going into my room to find another pair of pants.  We proceeded with the feeding when suddenly I heard someone come into the house.  I knew it was at least  an hour before Elias would be home, and with all my little ones beside me, my Mama Bear kicked in and I grabbed the only thing larger than a bottle that I could find and went charging out into the kitchen. Suddenly Elias was greeted with a pant-less wife waving around Summer's flowery rubber boot.  "Are you dancing?" he asked curiously.  The boot fell from my hand and my shoulders dropped as the adrenaline flooded out from within me.  I'm still quite certain I would have destroyed him had he been an intruder.  

Weekends are filled with little errands, family adventures, and sweet moments in between. 

Changing a tire on the car

Swimming at the local rec center 

 

Goofing around after dinner one night 

 My parents surprised us with a quick trip this month.  We absolutely love having them visit!  There is still so much I need to learn about home-ownership so their expertise is invaluable.  They helped winterize the yard and gave me the encouragement I needed to become a true New Mexican and hang red chilies at my front door.  

Elias introduced us all to a great barbecue place downtown.

 Summer enjoyed a "Grandpa Peter Adventure" while Mom attended the boys' 4-month check-up with me.  

Summer loved every minute Nana & Grandpa Peter's attention.

 Speaking of the boys' 4-month check-up...they couldn't be better!  They are both around the 40% (not taking into account they were born a month early).  Boyd has actually passed up Smith in the weight department, but they are still within a half pound of each other.  They are both such happy little kids.   

 

 And of course the month concluded with Halloween.  A friend was nice enough to let us borrow one of their old costumes and luckily Summer loved it.  Not only because it allowed her to match her little buddy David, but also because she realized that every time she put it on and walked around with her little purple bucket people would give her candy.  

I dressed the boys up as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" with shirts that a friend from CA had made us.  They thought they were hilarious!

 On Halloween afternoon I took all the kids trick-or-treating at Elias' office.  It was fun to see his new place and meet some of his co-workers.  I think Elias enjoyed having us visit (even though, while saying goodbye Smith performed a massive spit-up covering Elias from head to toe).  "Bye Daddy...it was fun."  E was soaked, and even though he had three more hours of work, he was a good sport about it.  

 That weekend Elias & I attended an "adults only" Halloween party (someday we'll attend yours Katie!) as Willie and Korie from Duck Dynasty even though we've never seen the show. 

Lastly, in my constant attempts to get you to come visit us, I took a few pictures.  I don't know what it is, but Santa Fe has the largest sky I have ever seen, and the sunsets are amazing.  We have a great view right from our front door, so I just snapped a picture of it a few days this week just to give you a taste of what we enjoy each day.   (Please note, these are all taken with a camera phone, so it is even more amazing in person.  Besides...in person you get to turn around and come into our house!)

 Here are a few videos to enjoy: 

Smith

Boyd

Summer

We love and miss you all!

Brittany, Elias, Summer, Boyd & Smith