Meet our Monkeys!

What fun we had this year monkeying around this Halloween!  The boys were all monkeys-- it all started with a monkey knit coverall that I got on clearance for Jacob, to us thinking that Kyle would make the perfect monkey to Josh switching his idea of being Buzz Lightyear to wanting to be Curious George so he could be a monkey too.  They all made great monkeys and certainly had personalilties of their own!  We spent one evening at a Mom's Club party and another Trunk or Treating at a local church.  Come meet our monkeys: 

First we have our silly monkey (AKA Curious George)

Next, we have our sweet monkey that likes to eat everything

And finally, we have our chunky ham of a monkey

By the way, if you are wondering where I got those adorable hats, it was from a lady who sells lots of sweet stuff on Etsy.com for a great deal (here is the link to her store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SallyPowell  )

Crazy Snow!!!

On our way back from shopping this afternoon, we were driving up a hill in bright sunny (yet very chilly) weather and when we hit the top of the hill we looked down the valley that opened up to the west mesa dessert where we saw a sheer cover of what looked like fog.  The sun hit it perfectly to where it almost sparkled.  We got home and while I unloaded the groceries, I noticed it had started to snow?!  It is still Oct & we live in New Mexico!?...  The kids ran outside with excitement and had the time of there lives chasing the huge blowing snowflakes of this quick blizzard like storm that passed through our neighborhood in less than 15 minutes.  I tried to capture the moment, but the blowing snow was so intense that my camera lens kept getting wet.  When it was finished, the sun came out and while our grass turned white for a glimpse of time, it is now back to green filled with fallen leaves.  This is the kind of storm that could have been missed if you didn't happen to look out a window.  After the storm, we had some hot chocolate and now the kids are sleeping :)--- This is how every winter afternoon should be! 

Pumkin Patch & Horseback Riding

Last weekend we went to the local parking lot pumpkin patch and were very pleased to find so many fun things to do with the kids (and it was all free!!!).  We had so much fun that the kids and I brought grandma with us to play there again the next day. 

Of course there were pumpkins to climb on on and buy...

But I would have to say that the highlight was the free horseback riding, Josh loved riding the horse named Red.

HI!

Look Mom, no hands!

Grandma and Kyle watched with excitement

And then, Kyle got to ride his own animal, a bull!

Our little cowboy and horsey

You could always find Kyle in the corn pit with the trucks!

Duck races at the water pump

What a great day, we ran into lots of friends too on our visit!

A visit to the Pumpkin Farm

Fall weather and fall colors are all around us and we have been trying to get out and play around town as much as possible the past few weekends!  A few weeks ago we headed to Corrales after church to check out Wagner Farm.  The kids loved the fields to run, hay mountain to climb, corn pit to play & animals to watch!   

Tractor play in the corn pit

The kids were given a free apple to eat

Josh on top of the Hay Mountain... He was so proud!

Kyle enjoyed all the baby animals the best...

It was a bit bright at this photo spot... opps!

You can't catch me!

This is Kyle's pick for a pumpkin

The kids waving bye, bye to the tractor hay ride

I Heart Faces- Halloween Dress up...

This week is all about dressing up and that just happens to be one of my kids favorite playtimes!  My 3 year old plays dress up on a daily basis and loves to include dressing up my 1 year old as seen in this picture.  Luckly, Kyle is easy going and just deals with the kiddy costumes that Josh puts together for him... I think this expression is priceless because he looks so sincere in his 'not another costume' attitude.  There are some great pictures at iheartfaces, so go check them out!

I Heart Faces "Pink Week"

So this week's contest at I Heart Faces is "Pink" since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.... Cheers to my mother in law's health, as she is a breast cancer survior!  We love you!

With 3 boys, I had to look really hard to find a picture with lots of pink!  Luckly my mom had a birthday last week and we made a pink cake to celebrate.  Kyle got to lick the frosting spoon for the first time in his little life time, he didn't want to give me the spoon back!  There are lots of great pictures of 'pink', so go check them out by clicking on the logo below-

Pink Cake

It was my mom's birthday the other day and I took the oppurtunity to make a chocolate cake with PINK frosting... something that you don't see around our house too often :).  We took mom out to dinner and ate birthday cake afterwards.  Happy Birthday Mom, I hope you had a great day!!! 

I made a whipped cream frosting that I fall in love all over again every time I make it, so I will share the recipe with anyone interested... it is soooo yummy and easy to work with (I found it on allrecipes.com):

1-8 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.

In a large bowl combine all the other ingredients and beat until smooth, fold in whipped cream.... vola, go frost your cake!!!

Tomato Bug

Kyle is going to be a gardener some day... He absolutely LOVES picking tomatos!  I will be happy when our garden bed is cleared out for the season because I can't keep him out of it... I decided to let him have his way while I took pictures of him the other day-- I guess I should be thankful that eats his veggies!

Caught in action... look at that messy face!

Not the GREEN ones!!!!

Ohhh, so good!

All cleaned up...

Jacob- 3 months

Jacob is already 3 months old... Where did the time go?!!! He is such a great baby, always smiling when you talk to him, cooing on demand and sitting up in a Bumbo! He is a big fellow as he is already starting to grow out of his 6 month clothes. I got some pictures of an afternoon bath in the kitchen sink.  What pure JOY he brings to our family :)---- You can see for yourself (don't forget to watch the video of him talking)!