Rubix is 19 months and Halloween Fun

The front closet in our house that is for our jackets and shoes is very odd shaped. It is about 6 or 7 feet deep and only 3 feet wide except for the back half that is only a foot and a half wide. We were getting something out of the closet, which I can't remember for the life of me now what it was. It became an instant fort and hours of fun while I cooked dinner and helped Axel with his homework. With all of the giggling and fun I made sure to get a few pictures. This was one of two pictures that wasn't blurry. Phoenix could hardly sit still she was having so much fun. 

While at Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago Phoenix found this haunted chocolate house to build and the kids have been asking ever since when they could put it together. Last Friday was the big day and the kids had loads of fun putting it together.....

Or should I say tasting the "yummy" frosting and candies, while putting it together. I was super proud of Axel and Phoenix because they actually figured out how bad the frosting really tasted. They didn't want anymore when I gave them the okay to eat more. Rubix did a great job of trying to help out and not ruin any of their creating. He just wants to do what the big kids are doing all of the time. I was impressed at him helping out without creating any disasters :).

On Saturday Axel went to the movies with his two new girlfirends from school, Selena and Kristin. They all loved the new Lego Movie. Keith said it was fun to see the three of them play chase after the movie. I had a good friend visit from Colorado while they were all watching the movie.

On Sunday we went to pump it up to a birthday party. Rubix was primarily interested in the balls.

Phoenix was the only one really interested in the slides and obstacle courses. We had so much fun going down the big slide together. Here is a cute picture of her.

Daddy had fun playing air hockey with his buddy KP.

It was KP's daughter's 3rd birthday.

Axel befriended one of the older kids and had fun playing air hockey as well as knocking down balls suspended in the air. He is actually reconsidering the possibility of playing baseball in the Spring. We will see what happens.

Rubix was so tired. The party lasted until 1:15 pm and he is normally well into his nap by then. He was so overly tired that it took him a long time to fall asleep in the car and was unable to transfer into his crib.

Here are the three kiddos with Evelyn the birthday girl.

Because Rubix wasn't sleeping we headed to the pumpkin patch. It ended up being a very hot day. I believe it crested 90 degrees out.

The kids had fun painting their pumpkins as usual.

Rubix turned 19 months on Sunday. I tried my best to capture a good picture of him, but this was one of the only ones he was really smiling. Again, he was so tired from missing his nap.

The kids really wanted to do the cow ride, but after a few minutes Rubix decided it wasn't very fun. It was a little challenging to get him to stay calm, but we ended up finishing the ride.

Here is daddy with the kiddos and their finished pumpkins. 

I leave you with a cute video of Rubix saying a relative newer word. Can you guess?

That's right! It's football season and he loves watching football!

Firsts

We continue to go to story time most Thursdays. The library received new toys for the kids. They have these raised play surfaces. One of them is for trains, another for Legos, and a third one for wooden sticks and circles. I was looking for books and Rubix got really quite. When I peeked around the corner he was inside the storage container smiling away. He is so cute! 

Rubix is almost entirely on dairy now. I still have him drinking Lactaid or lactose free milk. Since we have gone to full fat milk he is sleeping through the night 50% of the time. He is also eating by himself 75% or more of the time. He even manages to use a spoon! He is opposed with pumpkins right now. I really need to record his cute voice. 

He is also mastering his ball handling skills both with his hands and feet. Here is a cute video of him dribbling the ball at the park last week. 

 Phoenix started swinging on her own last week.  She finally got the lean and pumping down and now she is unstoppable. She wants to swing almost the entire time we are at the park. I love seeing it because I loved the swings so much when I was her age.

I spent 6 hours in Phoenix's classroom last Friday and I will do the same thing tomorrow. I am amazed at the dynamic of her class and a little disappointed that things aren't a little easier. I mentioned before there are 22 boys in her class and they have a couple who require extra needs. The entire class except the two boys had to go outside because of their behavioral issues. Luckily, the teacher improvised and they did circle time outside, but it was difficult for the kids to concentrate being outside. I plan on talking with the principle about providing some assistance so the teachers can teach and the kids who want to goof off can sit in the office. We will see what happens. I am looking forward to seeing how things go tomorrow. 

One year ago my mom planned for Shannon, her and I to spend a weekend together getting pampered in Calistoga. We didn't quite make it an entire weekend because of all our little ones, but we had an amazing 24 hours together. Here we are having a mud bath. Yes, weird, but we laughed so hard, it will be a great memory for years to come. 

After the mud bath we had massages and soaked in the mineral pool. We then headed back and got ready for dinner. We went to Healdsburg for dinner and had a delicious meal together. 

Shannon and I split a cucumber martini and the tapas we shared were scrumptious. 

I am so glad we were able to spend the time together. We plan on trying to spend a weekend together every year with each year bringing a new adventure!

Axel started flute lessons 1 month ago. He has had 4 lessons and now he can play Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb. He is catching on pretty quickly. I am excited that maybe we will be able to play a couple of Christmas carols together this year. I do hope he continues to enjoy it and plays for a few years atleast.

The fires are so sad. We have had unbelievable poor air quality and my heart feels so heavy for all of the thousands of people who have lost their homes and businesses. With the Las Vegas Massacre, the 4 hurricanes and the 2 earthquakes and now the fires I just keep praying that God's glory will shine through this all and that the hope of his name will carry people to trust in Him.

We have another event filled weekend, but have to wait and see if we will be able to do our outdoor adventures because of the air quality. Until next time....