Weston's Video Blog: Googly-eyes and Arc-Reactors

The Iron Man Pumpkin.

Fall Fun

I have been really enjoying the nice Fall weather here in Utah. There are always a few weeks of Fall when the temperatures are in the 60's and 70's and the leaves are changing, but haven't disappeared yet, where I really LOVE living in a place that has 4 seasons. It's about 4 months into winter that I hate it. Anyway, the other day Weston and I were playing outside while waiting for Ian to get home from work and I took this picture of him. It was so golden and beautiful.
Despite the gorgeous weather I still have to do the laundry. Sometimes Davin keeps me company.
Davin was wearing this really cute vintage designed 101 Dalmatians outfit the other day that my Aunt Nancy sent for him and it was so stinkin adorable I had to get a picture of him in it. Plus he's just so easy to take pictures of . . .
Last night we carved pumpkins and did the donut cat. Not sure what is up with Weston. This is the face we get when he doesn't want to smile for the camera, but we keep telling him to. I say, good enough.
Let the record show that Weston actually put his hand in the pumpkin 3 or 4 times. He pulled out ONE seed. Very helpful.
After enlisting Alann's help with the final scrape out Weston and I carved our basic, but cute pumpkin. We are proud. It is a sideways jack-o-lantern because when I went to carve it I couldn't get it to stand upright. Oh well.
Not even joking . . . Ian really did use this power saw to carve his Ironman pumpkin. He also stayed up way too late and went to 3 different stores last night in order to fashion an arc reactor so he could go to work today as Tony Stark. Boys.
Our finished pumpkins. Success! I like my pumpkin's pointy teeth. Very spooky.
Today I wasn't sure what we were going to do all day since Halloween festivities don't really start until evening time. I remembered that I saw a sign at Walmart that said they were doing trick or treating there in the afternoon, but I couldn't remember what time. So after Davin's nap, around noon, we headed over to Walmart. I had to go there anyway to return one of Ian's failed arc reactor attempts and also to pick up a pair of baby nail clippers (mine disappeared after my trip). So we did those little things and then had lunch at the little McDonalds there. By the time we were done they had started the trick or treating.

I know it sounds incredibly ghetto to trick or treat at Walmart, but it was actually really awesome! The boys each got a balloon (which they LOVED) with a number tied to it. Every 15 minutes they announced a number and that person won the "cake walk" and got to get a cake. Then they gave you a list of the places where there were people handing out candy. We wandered around the store and found the employees giving out candy. They all thought Weston was adorable and he got a lot of candy. Good candy too, not just the stuff they knew they wouldn't be able to sell. He even got a Lindt truffle! (I ate that one)

It ended up being a perfect Halloween day activity and, bonus!, I got my errand done. We still have one more trick or treating event tonight at the ward trunk or treat and then we will go around our block and be done until next year. Weston is a converted Halloween fan and will probably ask about trick or treating several times in the next couple months. What a fun holiday and season!

Weston's Video Blog: Episode 1

Pumpkin Picking

Last night Ian came home a little early from work to begin our fun family outing. We ate our Southwest Corn Chowder then bundled up and headed over to the pumpkin patch. I had never been to a pumpkin patch where you pick your pumpkins from the field. It was so fun. Since it's only a few days until Halloween, the patch was pretty picked over, but we still managed to find 2 decent pumpkins. Weston LOVED riding in the wagon around the field. He was marginally annoyed when the pumpkins left little room for him in the wagon. Davin was our eye candy, as usual. He's such a cutie. I put him in the Frankenstein hat that we got from my friend, Sarah, for Weston's 1st Halloween. When Weston saw him in the hat he said "Is Davin freakin Einstein?" He never did say it right, the whole night.

Here is Weston trying to pull our pumpkins in the wagon. He only tried for a few minutes before he said "Dad, hold the pumpkins so I can ride in there."
He got what he wanted, but we didn't hold the heavy pumpkins. He had to squish in there with them.
Here's our little "freakin Einstein" with one ear poking out. Hee hee. He's so cute.
Family fun at the pumpkin patch.
Weston also picked out this mini pumpkin. The guy who owned it was really nice and let Weston pick out another little tiny mini pumpkin since this one was only going to last a few days. We will definitely have to go back next year. It was such a fun experience, much better than picking a pumpkin at Walmart, and cheaper too! We got 2 big pumpkins and Weston's 2 minis for $6!
When we got home we had a little Halloween treat out neighbors had brought over earlier that day. Weston thought the chocolate dipped pretzel spiders were awesome and he had some milk with his skull straw. We love Halloween!
We are planning on carving our pumpkins tomorrow night with some friends, so we shall see if Weston is interested in the carving this year.

Disneyland!!!

On Wednesday of our California trip my mom and I took the boys to Disneyland. It was their first time there. I hadn't been in years either. Our friend, Troy, works there doing the window displays on Main Street, so he came down and met us there to sign us in. It was great because, well it was free, but also because we got park hopper passes and I had never been to California Adventure.

First things first we went to the hat shop and bought the boys their Mickey ears with their names on them. Weston wasn't a huge fan of wearing his, but Davin wore his for awhile and seemed pretty happy about it. We headed to Fantasy Land and got in line for Peter Pan. Weston didn't really get the whole waiting in line thing, but he did ok. Grandma B took him on his first ride and when I got off behind him, he turned around and said "I liked that ride, Mom. I saw Peter Pan with a sword and a crocodile." After that, he was slightly better about the lines. Here is a pic of Grandma B with the littlest mousketeer in line for Peter Pan.
Next up was Dumbo. Weston claims that this was his favorite ride, but I think he really liked Buzz Lightyear the best. Dumbo is always a hit though and Weston and I enjoyed our ride.
After Dumbo, I sat down and fed Davin while Grandma B took Weston on the carousel. Poor Dav was already exhausted and he fell asleep eating and then stayed asleep, so we decided to eat lunch right there at Gepetto's. It was already nice to get a break from the heat. It ended up being 97 that day!

After lunch we hit the potty and then the teacups. Weston was pretty excited about the teacups because we had seen a picture of them on the Disney website the week before. They were actually more fun than I remember them. Next we got in line for the Storybook Land ride. The line there took forever! Oh well. Weston got to sit on the bow of the boat and thought he was driving. He loved that we went into the whale's mouth. "Just like Jonah, Mom!"
When we got off of Storybook Land we put both the boys back in their strollers and walked around to Tomorrow Land. We popped in for a look at the Star Wars padawan (?) training show, which was cute, but there was no place to sit, so we moved on to Buzz Lightyear. There was no line on Buzz so we ran right on. Weston LOVED this ride. He was so excited that he had a gun and tried to shoot all the Z's. He told his Daddy that night "We shot the Zurg. He was a bad guy, but Buzz came and we shot him out!" We went on Buzz again and then I discovered that Dav was poopy, so Grandma B took Weston on Buzz one more time while I changed Davin. Of course as soon as I finished changing him and got all the stuff packed back up in the diaper bag and Davin back in the stroller I looked at him and he was pooping some more. Little stinker. We changed him the 2nd time at the Baby Station by Main Street. It was so cool! They had little pottys for Weston and changing tables and a nursing area with comfy chairs and high chairs and everything you would need for a baby. I also stopped into first aid to get some sunscreen for Davin, since we forgot ours.

That was kind of a nice little break and then we walked over to Frontier Land to go on the Jungle Cruise. It was cheesy as always, but on the way there we ran into Aladdin! So Weston got a picture and his first autograph in his book. Big huge THANKS to Aimee for giving him the fun autograph/photo book and the mickey clicky pen. He loved it.

We were trying to make it to the Playhouse Disney Live show over in California Adventure, so we headed that direction and ended up getting there a bit early. Both boys fell asleep in their strollers, but then we saw Minnie Mouse, so I woke up Weston and he was so excited! He tried to just climb the platform instead of waiting his turn.
Right after that about 100 feet away were Chip and Dale. They were so cute with Weston. Before we got to the front of the line Weston asked "Can I hold his candy corn?" and I told him probably not. So we get up to the chipmunks and they immediately hand Weston the candy corn. He thought it was great. Weston talked to them and they signed his book and we got our picture. So fun.
We had about 15 minutes to kill before the show, so Weston and I hopped on the Monsters Inc. ride. It was pretty cute and Weston likes that movie. The Playhouse Disney show was definitely a highlight. Weston LOVED it. We watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so he thought it was awesome that they were all up there on the stage and we sang along with the songs. Even Davin recognized the music and was bouncing and smiling. I didn't get any good pics there because you can't use flash photography.

After the show Grandma B was ultra brave and took both the boys while I went on California Soarin by myself. The boys weren't huge fans of the Bug's Life rides, but they survived. It was starting to get late, so we headed back over to Frontier Land and went on Pirates. Weston actually really liked it and didn't get scared. Davin didn't cry either. I thought he would because he got splashed. Our last ride was Pooh and Friends up by Splash Mountain. It was kind of weird, but Weston liked it. We were all really tired, so we got on the train and rode all the way back to Main Street to shop before heading home. On our way out we got our requisite picture at the front. Mickey was just starting to light up in this one.
The boys were both so good. No major meltdowns. Davin got in 2 naps. But it was a long day and we were all exhausted. Weston didn't conk out until about 10 minutes into the drive home. He woke back up enough when we got home to eat a little dinner and then straight to bed.
We had such a good time at Disneyland. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Thanks for my mom for going with us and to Troy for getting us in and to Aimee for the fun Autograph package!

California Adventures

Where do I even begin? We had a fabulous trip to CA. Taking two little boys on a plane all by myself was totally worth it. The plane rides actually went just fine. Weston was such a good boy and mostly entertained himself with minimal whining while we flew, and Davin fussed a bit, but ended up sleeping for most of both the flights.

We got there on Saturday evening around dinner time. Mom and Dad picked us up and we went over to my Grandma Snowball's house and ate In N Out and visited. The boys were pretty bushed by the time we got to my parents' house, so it was bedtime.
Sunday morning we all went to church (the whole 3 hours even!). I always enjoy going back to my home ward to see all the people I grew up with. It is fun to catch up. Anyway, that evening my sister, Joy, and her girls came to stay for a few days and play. We had a chicken scampi family dinner and even the kids decided it was amazingly delicious. Grandma B got some Davin snuggling in while Weston "played dough" in the backyard Sunday afternoon.
Here's Joy with Davin. He loves his auntie!
The newest cousins meet at last. They were so cute together. Rachel is a little bigger than Dav, so I had a hard time remembering she is only 3 and a half months old. She is such a cutie pie. I had so much fun getting to hold her squishy little babyness.A little later in the evening I hosted a mini high school reunion with the girls I hung out with back in the day. Some of us had kept in touch more than others, but it was so fun to have us all together again. We just ate and talked and laughed for about 5 hours. I am lame and didn't take any pics, but my friend Lara is supposed to be emailing me some she took, so I will have to post those later. My dad made home made ice cream for us, so that was a fun treat. My mom entertained the kids with Halloween magnet crafts while I visited with my friends. Thanks Mom!

Monday was kind of a down day. Joy and I stayed home and let the kids play. We did get going enough to do a little craft with them. We made the mini caramel apples from Family Fun magazine. Our butterscotch chips didn't exactly melt correctly and became a really thick paste, so we kind of had to frost the apples and then let the kids dip them in the toppings. They tasted great anyway, so no worries.
Look at how big these 3 are getting! They had so much fun playing together now that they can communicate.
On Monday we also went and visited Grandma B at her middle school. Her choir sang for us and they were so good. Then Lizzie and Mimi sang the Scooby Doo song for them. Then Weston and Mimi sang Popcorn Popping. The kids were a hit with the middle schoolers. Grandma B took us all out to lunch then we dropped in at her other middle school and did the singing thing again. Weston even sang Itsy Bitsy Spider out loud! I was so proud. :) Anyway, it was a fun day. That night we had all my grandparents and the Koszyk's over for dinner. It was so great getting to see so much family. Most of them hadn't met Davin, so that was extra fun. Unfortunately I'm a nerd and didn't take 4 generation pictures while we were all together. I'm kicking myself, but hopefully we can do that when we go back to CA next year.

On Tuesday Joy and I stayed home and let the kidlets play again until lunchtime when we all piled into Joy's minivan (it was a sight to behold . . . 5 carseats!) and went to visit Grandpa Bob at work then went for a picnic with him at the park. It was warm and sunny and the kids played and then we fed the ducks.
That afternoon while hanging out in the backyard Weston decided he wanted to wear all of Lizzie's padding to ride the tricycle. It was kind of funny watching him try to pedal with knee pads on. He struggles without them! Anyway, Weston was very happy that his cousins had brought their bike and scooter to share with him.
Tuesday night we had some family friends, the Hennessey's, over for dinner. It was so great. Kim is such a crack up. I laughed most of the night. Since Joy and the girls were heading home the next morning we decided to try to get a picture of all the cousins together. I think this one turned out best.
This was taken earlier that evening. Grandma B and Grandpa Bob with their newest grandbabies.
On Wednesday my mom took the day off work and we took the boys to Disneyland. Despite the 96 degree weather we had an awesome day at the Land of the Mouse. I think we can say the boys' first trip was a success. Disneyland gets its own post though, so more on that to come.

Thursday we recuperated from our Disneyland day. The kids were so tired and grouchy. Davin napped most of the day. That night, after the kids were in bed, Mom and I went to this place called Happy Feet. It is this Asian massage place. You go and sit on the ottoman of a recliner and soak your feet while they massage your back, shoulders, arms, and hands for 30 minutes. Then you turn around and sit in the recliner and they massage your feet and legs (up to the knee) for another 30 minutes. It felt amazing. Especially after a long day on our feet at Disneyland the day before. The best part about this pampering place is that the whole thing only costs $2o including tip!!! It will definitely be a must every time I go home now.

On Friday Mom and Dad both took the day off so we could play. We went to Irvine Regional Park. They have a cute little train the runs around the park. It was surprisingly crowded, even though we got there by 11am. Oh well, such is the life in southern California. Weston still wasn't completely recovered from Disneyland and was being a grouch, so we had to have a little chat about being happy and appreciative. He still didn't crack many smiles, but I think he did enjoy it.
The park also had a pumpkin patch and pony rides, so we did a pony ride. It was kind of cool because instead of the horses going in a little circle on that merry go round thing, you got to lead them around a little track. I do think Weston liked that. He was pretty happy when he got done riding Freddy.
Davin and I watched with Grandma B while Weston rode the horse. Dav was such a happy baby the whole time. What a trooper.
After that part of the adventure we found a spot to eat our lunch near a playground. Irvine Regional Park is also home to the Orange County Zoo, so after we ate we headed over to the little zoo. Even though it's a pretty tiny zoo, it was one of my favorite zoo experiences. The animals were mostly all out and about and it wasn't so exhausting since it was small. Anyway, here is Weston feeding the goats.
The highlight of our OC Zoo trip was the California black bears. They were both out wandering around and came right up to the fence in front of us. I'm talking literally 10 feet away. They were play fighting and everything. I have never seen bears so close like that. It was really cool.
Friday afternoon during naps I got my shopping fix in at Old Navy with my mom. There's nothing better than shopping with your mom and/or sisters. I found a lot of cute stuff and ended up getting 3 tops and a zip up sweater for myself, 3 shirts for Ian, and 2 shirts for Weston. My mom got Weston some church clothes too. So cute. Anyway, that was fun. That night we all went to my home ward's Halloween party. It seriously was a blast. It was mostly all the same people I grew up with, except our kids were running around playing. There was a chili cook-off and a pumpkin carving contest. Weston loved all the games, especially the fishing booth. He got his face painted and won a cupcake at the cake walk. His favorite, by far, though was trick or treating. He was better at it this year too. It was a fun night, so here's the Halloween preview.
Right afterwards I ran off with my sister, Julianna, to play softball. She plays on a co-ed city league team and they were a few girls short, so I subbed in. It was tons of fun even though we are horrible. Here we are screwing around in the dugout.
By Saturday we were all wiped out, so we stuck close to home. First thing in the morning Weston and I ran a couple errands including getting donuts for the cat. I went to the donut shop we always go to that is between our church building and my old high school. I went to pay and found out they only take cash. I was $1.50 short. I was going to just leave the donuts, go get some cash and come back, but the lady was like, "Oh, you can just pay it next time." I was so amazed. Nobody does that anymore. It felt so small town. Needless to say my dad went back later that day and paid my tab. :) Anyway, Weston picked the twisty donut that didn't really go on the cat. We improvised.
Grandma B and Weston made this spooky pirate ship while I was showering and getting ready for the day. It was a lot of work, but Weston had a good attention span and helped out a lot.
A little later in the morning Grandpa Bob had a wood building project to do with Weston. It was so cute watching him work with my dad in his little Home Depot apron and a huge hammer. Weston thought it was so cool that he was building something. He kept saying, "We're building a truck." in his important voice.
Here's the finished product. We will work on painting it here at home. Maybe Daddy can help him do that part. He loves the truck and has been playing with it at home since we got back.
After naps we went over to the little local park and my friend, Paige, did a little photo shoot with me and the boys. The pics turned out great. I will post some soon. It was so hot the whole time we were there, so after the park we hopped in "Grandma B's pool" (aka the spa turned down to 95 degrees). That night after bedtime Mom and I finished watching Hello Dolly and got Golden Spoon. I packed up and after an hour and a half flight delay (while sitting on the airplane on the tarmac) we made it home yesterday.

We are back to the daily grind . . . cleaning, feeding, storytime, sleeping in our own beds, cooking, swimming, etc. If you made it through this post I really am impressed. Sorry it was so long, but we had such a jam packed, fun filled trip I didn't feel like I could leave anything out. Yahoo for California. I am already looking forward to our next trip out.

Looking for an Action Script Ninja.

So my work is looking for an action script 3 flash developer. We have been down to one for the past several months now, and I feel bad for him since he is working even crazier hours than me. Please let any friends of friends who are action script developers know that there is an opening at a pretty cool company in Sandy, even if they aren't currently looking for a job...

You can just send them my way and I can refer them to the right manager.

ian@verite.com