Adventures in Pumpkin Land

Today, Bella and I met some friends for a play-date at the Lane Farms Pumpkin Patch.

Lori brought her 4 week old baby, William.  He loved it (well, maybe not really)

We rode on the tractor hayride with our new friends, Cari, Grace and Ben Owen.  They just moved here from Arizona and I LOVE them!

Bella took a ride in the wagon ...

... rearranged some of the pumpkins ...

...got lost amongst the pumpkins ...

... showed mom a beautiful pose on the pumpkins...

... tried to climb into the animal pens ...

... and had a really great time despite the fact that it was 90+ degrees today.  Mmmm ... don't you just love that crisp fall weather?

The most thoughtful gift EVER

So, anyone who knows Paul, knows he is a clothesmonger and is fiercely loyal to brands that he loves (James Perse, Paul Smith, Dunhill, etc. anyone??).  Well, he loves the brand EVER (you've probably seen the logo pasted on him somewhere), and they just so happen to have a store in Montecito.  Apparently, he frequents the store so much and is such a fixture there, that they sent him a shirt and a get well note for his knee surgery.  Talk about charisma!  They are such nice people and do have GREAT clothes that are super comfortable...check it out when you can:  www.ever-us.com or 1145 Coast Village Road in town.

Katie Speed tagged me...

...so here are my six "unspectacular, quirky" characteristics:

1.  I count down from 20 when I am doing tasks or waiting for things (in my head)...Yes, I am a tad OCD.

2.  I rub my fingers together while I am eating...like brushing off crumbs even when they are not there.

3.  I eat 3 freshly baked chocolate chip cookies every night before going to bed--my nightcap, thanks to the Herleans.

4.  I love the corners on brownies, but I hate crust on bread.

5.  I would marry Paul all over again just to plan another wedding.

6.  I have mastered the craft of loading a dishwasher in the most effective way.

Now I tag:  Emily Erickson, Lindsay Lundquist, Jen Ross, Kristy Herlean, Jenni Speed, & Sarah Palin:)

Book Club

Time for kids to get in bed...where are they???  That's right, having an impromptu book club in Jason's bed.  Pretty cute.

My husband, the invalid ...

Paul had knee surgery on Tuesday.  It turns out that he crushed his meniscus and tore his MCL while skillfully jumping off of a customer's retaining wall while holding a 100 lb. tree.  You may ask yourself, "Doesn't he have employees to do these things?"  The answer is yes, but at least this way our worker's comp insurance isn't going up.  

He's recovering nicely (a lot of pain, but that's to be expected).  He's upgraded from using a walker to a pimp cane now so that's always  fun.  The best part of the whole deal is that he has been issued a temporary handicap placard.  He says he likes to wear it around his neck so that people will know he's too incompetent to make any important decisions on his own.

See, there's always a silver lining.

A soap box moment ...

I know most of you have heard of the Proposition 8 battle going on in California, but I would be remissed if I didn't speak my mind on the subject.

If Proposition 8 doesn't pass, my children will be REQUIRED to learn about same-sex marriage as early as kindergarten. They will HAVE to know that a daddy and a daddy are as normal as a mommy and a daddy. That is not okay with me!!!!

Since when is it okay for schools to teach my children moral values? Since when is it okay for schools to teach my children that something that I see as a blatant sin is okay? Since when is it okay for me to have to keep my mouth shut if I even dare utter a negative comment against homosexual lifestyle, but the school that MY taxes pay for will tell my kids that their religious beliefs are unlawful and illegal?!

It will be a cold day in hell when I stand for that. Satan is disguising his plan to destroy families in a pretty little package called "tolerance" tied with a nice bow of "equality". That's crap. There is a bomb in that package and it's being sent to MY KIDS!!!

So, to all you virtual listeners who can make an impact, vote YES on Prop 8. Protect MY family. Protect MY kids. PROTECT JASON, BELLA, AND JONAH AND EVERY OTHER CHILD HERE IN CALIFORNIA AS WELL AS THOSE SPIRITS WHO HAVE NOT COME YET.

Also, visit this website http://www.protectmarriage.com/.

Birthday Boy

Jason had his 9th birthday this weekend ...

  

We started out with his first flag football game on Saturday morning.  The good news is Jason's team, the fearsome "Dragons", won 24-6.  The bad news is... 

... it all happened in the rain (the first rain we've had since March).

After the game, we came home for a little General Conference followed by a spooky flaming-eyed ghost cake ...

... lots of balloons and presents ...

... and most importantly, a new nano i-pod just for the birthday boy.  Pair all that with a visit from Nana, Papa Mike, Aunt Bethany, and Jason's mom Gina, and I think it was a pretty good birthday.  

Unfortunately, we've lost him to the i-pod forever.  ;)

Happy Birthday, Jason.  We love you!!!

You know it's time to call Jenny Craig when ...

.... someone asks you if you're pregnant.  Kinda like yesterday when a woman from scouts asked me if I was pregnant again.  So I put on about 5 lbs since Jonah stopped nursing; I'm still 45 lbs less than when I delivered him a year ago.  

I'm thinking about getting my Medela pump out of storage just to burn a few extra calories.  Let's be honest, I've never been one for that old diet and exercise routine anyway.