Thanksgiving et cetera

Jensen, Kiki and I hit up Grandma and Grandpa's house for Thanksgiving this year. Al was (and still is) at a training thing for work. (apparently we are going to be underlined for the time being...can't get it to stop...)

Jence and Jamie had a nice time reading...

...and destroying the newspaper.

Kiki and Kookie.

Bananaphone... Raffi sings about one, and here we finally get the visual.

Jence joined us for dessert...after not touching his dinner.

He did a lot of eating at the table like a big boy (my words not his- he still doesn't get that a"big boy" is something he wants to be...)

This is a choo-choo train, (which are suddenly fascinating to him).

Breakfast in grandpa's chair... we see he is loved...

Grandma Chrissie and Mr. We followed Grandma back up to Cleveland while Al finishes up his army fun.

Kennedi and Jen were up here as well and we got to get together- it's so fun having friends just as weirdly transient as we are, and ending up in the same neck of the woods from time to time.

Gramps kept our wooden train set and I pulled it out for Jence. I was so suprised to see that not a single piece was missing... at that moment...I'm not so sure anymore...

Any thoughts why trains are part of Christmas?

By the way, Gramps said this tree is very difficult to set up (??). I told him I'd have it up in five minutes, and I did. There's one for you, Jes. Don't all dads read directions for 30 minutes before opening the box??

Grandma Chrissie thinks it's so funny how he lays on his side and plays.

Jence and Grandma came with me on a shoot for Mason. We used this fun giant chess set, and I spent half my time keeping Jence out of the pictures.

Hugging his pal Mason.

Thinking strategy...

Check mate,

And we're out.

Pretzel face.

The two wandering during the shoot.

Isn't that Mason so cute?

This is before Daddy left. Momma had an outside shoot on a cold day so my boys pulled out the cold weather gear for me.

Love those boys!

Pixel Ink.

I finally decided it was worth the time to update my photography blog. The new link is set up over there on the right. Go me.

Halloween!

Since Brittany and I went to Disneyland last February we've been planning on having a Peter Pan and Captain Hook of our own this Halloween.

And with Miss Kik as Tinkerbell. And of course it started raining as we walked out the door.

This is the first year I've made Jensen's costume for him. I had so much fun making it. And he was so cute!
Pit stop...
Pit stop from the pit stop- Whoah- that's a truck!

They were so cute knocking on doors all by themselves!

See his hook? Hehe!
Half way through the trip Jence no longer wanted to walk- which was fine with me, because he was never that cuddly and never wants to be held, but when I picked him up he squeezed my neck and said "hold on tight!"

When we finished our short and wet run of a mostly empty neighborhood we came home to share our spoils.

We made dessert (which was wonderful) and played while we "watched" some football game.

Jensen has always had a thing for Brittany.

And we ended the evening in a rousing game of horsey with Daniel.

One of the rougher games of horsey I've witnessed... poor Daniel.

Trunk or Treat

Captain Book! Aka: Captain Hook

We got to do a dry run of the costume during the ward's Trunk or Treat.

I was worried that Jence wouldn't want to wear the costume with all it's pieces, but with the promise of candy brightly awaiting he was all for it!

This is Jence's official stance... he's always squatting. Joe Kuban loves our little "Shen-shen", and we love him and his family, they are so good to us!

Madam Tinkerbell.
Off to get the candy!
Every time we pass their house Jence says "Ryan and Joe's truck! Ryan and Joe's Jeep!"

He got a frog... Don't you love the mustache? I'm so bummed I forgot it on Halloween!

Another shot of Miss Bell.

Tonight at bedtime Jensen decided that he would rather go sit in the papasan chair than go to bed. Alex has (against my better judgement) developed a bedtime routine of offering a small piece of chocolate to calm the raging beast and lure him into bed.

Tonight when he had other plans on his agenda and Al offered the chocolate he also offered the choice of hot sauce. He was being a bit crazy. So, I swear it wasn't harsh- we told Jence that he could calm down and lay down and get the chocolate, or he could go "sit down" as he so desperately wanted to do- but then he would be getting a taste of hot sauce- and hot sauce is the dreaded around here, I mean horror of all horrors. He didn't seem to be getting it. So I took him and the hot sauce to the chair and told him that he could sit down and have the hot sauce or he could go back to bed and get the chocolate. He insisted he wanted to sit down. I tried again- holding up the bottle as I lowered him to the chair, stopping before he got to it to ask if he wanted hot sauce. And he looked at me and opened his mouth!! Silly little monster opened up his mouth kept it open as I opened the bottle, then still as I brought it to his mouth, and as I poured some in!! He got a bit of a pained look, swallowed, said "hot sauce". He tried to wipe some of it out a little as we laughed hysterically. He sat for a minute or so and then said he would like his chocolate- happily ran to his bedroom, let daddy put him in bed, ate his chocolate- giggling- and said "nigh-night."

Crazy child...