Pumpkin picking

Found the camera battery!! We went to pick out pumpkins last night at this great pumpkin place (Tucsonians- corner of Thornydale and Orange Grove in the Sunflower parking lot). Nate and I are going to give them our business from now on. They had the coolest assortment of pumpkins and they give little baby white ones out to the kids for free. As always, it was impossible to get a semi-pleased look on Gabe's face for the pictures.

How much mess could a toddler make...

A lot. No pictures, because in the heat of my anger in these moments, I wasn't thinking about grabbing my camera. Gabriel LOVES to draw. Like, unceasingly. He could color all day long if I let him. So we have quite a few crayon and marker mishaps.

• Before I had the chance to hang up our canvas painting of Jesus, it was leaning against the wall. Now, he has a face full of green crayon. I would like to think he has a sense of humor about these sort of things...
• Black, red and blue scribbles along the hallway walls and every time he walks past these, he stops and looks really angry and says "Oh NO!"
• Snuck a pink crayon into his nap one day and when I went to get him out of bed, the wall against his crib slats was covered in pink including the teething rail, some of his sheets, the phone jack...
• Went to pick up Nate from work the other day and while I had my back turned, Gabe had procured a black Expo marker and scribbled large black swirls all over the white walls. I shrieked and sat him firmly on the couch in the break room. I grabbed some cleaning solution and started scrubbing and luckily it came off. Satisfied, I turned around just in time to see Gabriel holding down the blue lever on the water cooler. Water was flooding all over the floor and into the surge protectors with the Tv, DVD player, etc plugged in. When we turned the outlets over, water literally came pouring out.
• I had just finished sewing his Halloween costume and was trying it on him, when he grabbed a red marker, uncapped it, and slashed a mark on his new costume in one fell swoop. Luckily for him, it came out. After I screamed and scared the poop out of him.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Rachel! Take the crayons away!" Yeah, I've already thought of that, and I don't know where they keep coming from. I feel guilty because he will sit and fill an entire notebook up with drawings and so I feel like I should encourage his drawing, but at the expense of my and others property?

Today, I realized it was awfully quiet so I went into his room and found him standing in a pile of raw spaghetti. He has pulled a box of Pasta Roni out of the cabinets and opened it in his room. There was spaghetti everywhere! He gave me a big smile and said "Cereal!" So I made him clean it up but every time he took a step to pick the pasta up, he would shatter the noodles into tiny pieces. Aye caramba.

I'm looking for a little advice. I was thinking about buying him some Crayola Wonder Markers for Christmas to cut back on the wall, furniture messes... or maybe attaching a white board to the wall down low in his room? Any thoughts? I really want to let him color because he loves it so much but it's too messy at this point.

Back in the UT, back in the UT, back in the UT...AH?

Doesn't flow quite as well as USSR.

Anywho, Gabe and I went to Utah to visit family/help Emma get settled into college life at BYU. My good friend Donald Scott was getting married the 7th so we had to make it by then. We met up with Emma at the Phoenix airport the afternoon of the 6th and drove up to Kanab on the border of AZ and UT. What a nightmare. We arrived at about 2am to find that there must have been something BIG going on in Kanab because in the whole city there was not A SINGLE ROOM TO BE HAD. We stopped at three different hotels and they said every hotel was full. We felt like Mary and Joseph, knocking door to door. So we just kept driving north trying to find a place. The nearest "major" city was about an hour away and we were exhausted. We checked in every tiny town along the way but there was nothing. Finally after driving for an hour, we pulled into a church parking lot and slept for a few hours. It was terrible! Anyway, we got to sleep at 3am, woke up at 6 and drove to Provo where we relaxed until the wedding that evening. At the end of the month, Nate flew up to spend a few days and then drive home with us. Elaine and Gordon were SO kind in letting us stay with them for the month. Thanks again!!

To summarize, we tubed down the Provo aka Devil River, met up with my cousin Jeff and met his adorable wife Amy and baby Grant, my friend Sean and his super fun wife Summer and baby Oliver, and my friend Donald and his brand new wife Janey. I got my hairs did, went to Cabela's with cousins, had fun BBQs with the Watkins and the Browns, went boating at Deer Creek, shopped at Park City, went to Temple Square, went to Logan to visit the Hathaways and went to the cutest zoo there, stayed the night in Roy with our friends Andy and Cami, visited Grandparents grave, and the Mockingjay midnight release! Pretty much we played our guts out and if I have forgotten something we did with you, please forgive me! It was a slam packed month and I'm still recuperating!

At the park before the wedding

The one picture I have of the wedding. I'm a bum.

Lauren Scott, Me, Emma, Ginelle Britton, and Emily Scott

Temple Square

Deer Creek

I would like to point out the similar poses of Gabriel and Dallin. Sittin' by the lake, throwin' rocks.

Yes, I did take my baby tubing. What of it?

Karl, Sylvia, Amanda and Kelly

Mockingjay release!!! Psh.... look at those two losers taking their pictures...

Cabela's with the cousins. For the fudge and the animals. It seemed strange to me too but was totally worth it! And yes I look much better in the other picture I have of this but everyone else was blinking. I figured I'd sacrifice my dignity and post the most flattering for everyone else.

The Cousins BBQ at Renaes. We only took pictures of the most important people there: the babies. :)

Shopping in Park City. Bought me some Crocs and new pants, Emma got a nice pair of jeans and a winter coat.

Visiting the grave

Random Fun

We love Utah!

Thanks to everyone who entertained, hosted and played with us! We love you all and can't wait to see you again!

My Sewing Chair

I haven't unplugged the cords for the camera yet but I had to share this project captured on my cell phone. I had this great '50s cartoon strip home sewing themed fabric that I desperately wanted to use for something fun. And this is it. A sewing chair for my sewing table. I took a grey folding chair we had and spray painted it a great raspberry color and reupholstered it. I absolutely love it!

Rachel and Martha

***Update***

I had a little dyslexia and typed the link in wrong... should be working now. If not, it's rachelandmartha.blogspot.com

It's been a long time since my last panic-stricken post and thanks for all the support! We made it to Tucson safely and are doing well. Haven't found the camera cord and such yet so no pictures but soon I promise! In other news, I have started a new blog called Rachel & Martha. I like followers... :) Love ya'll!