Free Adventures!

I love hearing about local fun stuff to take my kids to. I love it even more when it's FREE!! Today we hit jack-pot! We found a "Family Fall Festival" where EVERYTHING was free! It was great! We all had a good time. There were businesses that set up tables and passed out candy and fliers (of course) and there were all kinds of things for kids to do - much of it geared toward small children. PERFECT!! Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera with me. Fortunately, I have a cell phone w/ a camera! Here are some pics of our adventures:

D got to hold a very pretty bird. He LOVED it!

He loved it even more when it climbed on his head! He held sooo still, and just let that bird get comfortable!
Both boys got to enjoy going on a pony ride! This is J's first time on a horse, and he did really well!

Another angle with the pony!

There were ALL KINDS of bouncy houses, castles, slides, obstacle courses, etc. I've never seen so many in one location before! Here's J peeking out of one!

D happily jumping!

J attempting to jump!

There was even a cute, mini little "train." The boys loved it!

Another angle of the train.

Two very happy boys, though only one would look at the camera (phone)!

There was also a guy making balloon animals for the kids (J got a monkey, D got a rocket), face painting, karaoke, a horse drawn trailer ride, free food (that line was WAY too long to attempt getting anything though), candy, a fire truck, ambulance, police car to explore, etc. I'm so glad the boys got to create some fun memories today! They were pretty worn out, but it was so worth it!

Halloween Festivities

Our halloween this year has been quite a bit different than in previous years. This is largely due to the climate and the kids' ages. After being in Alaska, where there is snow on the ground and temps below freezing, being able to go to a pumpkin patch in shorts, and SWEATING wearing a tshirt and jeans trick-or-treating is quite a shock, and seemed very odd to me. But, we had a great halloween season. Here are some pics to help tell the tale.

On a spontaneous trip to the zoo, we discovered that it was all decorated! It was fun!

The boys and I went to a pumpkin patch this year to get our pumpkins. They both loved it!

Still at the pumpkin patch. D's friend and her mom came with us!

The boys and their friends at the playgroup halloween party!

This is the pumpkin D selected from the pumpkin patch - it has warts! He picked out the face pieces and put them in! He was very proud of it!

This is J's pumpkin. He picked it out himself. He also helped put the stickers on it and broke the stem off! Ooops!

Our costumes have a bit of a story this year..... D picked out the theme for our family. He was quite insistent on being a....

BULLDOZER!

Then we thought J would be absolutely adorable as a construction cone, with Matt and I as flaggers. Unfortunately, the bulldozer turned out to be too wide to fit through doorways (all parties automatically ruled out), too heavy/akward for a 3 year old to carry, and a bit on the fragile side to be carrying through the neighborhood. So, we took a couple pictures with it, and had to explain to a very sad D why he wouldn't get to wear his bulldozer. Matt felt HORRIBLE, since he's the one who made it. D wore Daddy's construction worker costume instead, and Daddy didn't dress up afterall.

J's cone turned out to be quite a hit wherever we went! It was pretty fun, inexpensive, and easy to make as well (my kind of costume!).

The boys had 2 opportunities to go trick-or-treating this year. Friday night, we had a trunk-or-treat at church, and we all had a great time. Then, on halloween, the boys experienced "real" trick-or-treating for the first time! For previous years (in Alaska) we went to an INSIDE halloween party at church, and called it good!

Here are the boys, just as we're headed out to go trick-or-treating!

We had a lot of fun with halloween this year, but, when I'm honest, I'm glad it's over!

Discussion at Dinner

Here is part of our discussion at the dinner table tonight:

D: (to me) You're Oseph's (Joseph's) Mommy.
Me: Yes, I am.
D: You're Nehneh's (Darren's) Mommy, too!
Me: Yes, I am your mommy!
D: You're Daddy's mommy too!
Me: No, I am NOT Daddy's Mommy!
Matt: Mommy is Daddy's wife!
Me: Daddy is Mommy's husband!
(D looks slightly confused, so I explained a little.)
Me: Mommy and Daddy are husband and wife. That means that we are married!
D: I want to go in!
Me: Go in where? (my turn to be confused)
D: The temple! I want to go in temple! Married!

Matt and I looked at each other and dropped our jaws. Several months ago, we took the boys for a walk around the San Antonio temple, and talked a little bit about why temples are important. Nothing long or drawn out - just tried to keep it simple and in toddler terms. Unfortunately, we haven't discussed temple marriage with the boys since then (we've discussed several other gospel topics, though). Tonight, we were really impressed with not only his memory, but also his ability to link getting married with the temple without any sort of prompting from us! He is SUCH a great kid with an uncanny sensitivity to things of a spiritual nature.

Gotta just LOVE this kid!

Early Halloween Fun!

We just made this fun Halloween video of our family (actually just plugged in our faces), but it's on the post just below! There is a special guest appearance by my mom. Enjoy the clip, and Happy Halloween a bit early!

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New Tradition!

We are at the conclusion of General Conference weekend for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and this time, we started a new tradition. Where we currently live, the morning sessions are at lunch time, and the afternoon sessions at dinner time. So, in an effort to keep little hands occupied (and quiet), tummies full, and minimal dishes to do afterwards, I decided to make a veggie tray, fruit platter, and other finger foods to munch on throughout conference.

They turned out colorful and pretty, so the boys were so excited to dig in! The best part is that my plan worked! It helped the boys stay occupied for awhile, everyone was fed, AND it was yummy and nutritious! Plus, we spread blankets out on the floor in front of the computer to watch it, and it looked like we were having a party! I think we're going to do this again - in 6 months!

Elder Holland's talk is quite possibly the most POWERFUL testimony of the Book of Mormon that I have ever heard. It was amazing! President Monson's talk on service - well, that just may start some more new traditions in the Coleman household......

Speaking of traditions, this is my 100th post on our blog. Starting new traditions seems like an appropriate post for such an occasion!

Time With Grandma!

In September, my mom came to visit. The boys were SOOOO excited to have Mama Beeben (Grandma Deeben) here - my poor mom seldom got a break! It was great to have her here, and I wish that we lived closer, so that we could see her more often. Here are some highlights from her visit.

Goin' for a ride in the truck!

Playing at the beach!

We got to watch a rocket launch while she was here! My mom was SOOOO excited about it, she was LITERALLY jumping up and down with excitement! It was so funny!

We took her to the zoo - D and Grandma posing for a pic.

D got to feed the giraffe! He also gave it a hug and kiss!

Sliding together at the park.

Ready for the IMAX movie at the Kennedy Space Center!

3 Handsome astronauts!

Just before she left...

Loving the lovin'!