More Sept...

September also brought with it some end of the summer traditions. We always mourn the end of the summer a bit with extra evening walks and extra trips to the park. This year, Ben inherited a raft from one of his customers, so he took the kids floating down the Spokane river. I stayed home with the babe, but these guys sure had a great time! I had to pick them up at their end point and take Ben back to his truck where they started. 

Love these guys:

Cheesy smile for her new church dress from Grams! Thanks Grams! :)

Jackson hanging out with Josephine during Stake Conference. :)

Poor little man is pestered every waking minute of his life! :)

A few girls nights out were just what the dr. ordered for this tired mama! :)

I love these ladies! And I love our tradition of dinner and shopping for all of our Birthday celebrations! :)

Getting a few last walks in on the trail before the weather turns too cold! :)

I love having friends who live right behind us. Tara and I have been trying to convince Ben that we need a gate in our fence since we moved in. He doesn't see it as a necessity, but seriously, these kids want to play all.the.time. Tara's boys are big enough to hop the fence, but mine aren't. PLUS, I got in trouble from Ben for letting Tucker walk around the block to get to their house, so what does he expect??? I do watch him walk all the way down our street. Then he has to turn the corner and walk one block on a different street, which I can see from his bedroom window, so I run up there to watch him on that street, then I make him come out on their back deck and wave to me when he gets there. :)

Anyway, I love living in a neighborhood where kids are always at our house, and the doors are always open. Friday nights usually include one or two of these boys with us, and I love it! :) They love to eat dinner on our counter!!!???

I looked over to see Jackson mesmerized by the light! :) (my cute boys!!!)

Speaking of Jackson, I just can't get enough of this boy! He is getting so big! And he just happens to be the cutest baby on the planet, so we are so lucky! :) Big boy is starting to sit in the bumbo, which has made dinner prep a whole lot easier!

And he LOVES to talk. He just jabbers and jabbers all day! It is the cutest thing ever!

He is just the most precious thing!

This picture totally captures his cute and happy and easy going personality! Seriously, he is just a sweetheart!

Oh My Jackson, whatever did we do without you???

And, if you ever see this in one of your photos on a DSLR camera, you will know that that is the shutter BUSTING in your camera! After 6 years, and lots and lots of use, my camera died in the middle of a photo shoot!

Seriously, I was in the middle of doing a senior session, and it stopped working, which was so embarrassing, but luckily we were almost done, anyway. And when I got home and saw that the last two pictures looked like this, I knew something was not right. Sure enough, the shutter totally busted! Luckily it gave me a good excuse to get a new camera! I had been wanting to upgrade to a DSLR with video capability anyway, so this was my chance. And I love it! :)

Now, on to the quest to find the perfect Halloween costume. Taylor and I found this at a second hand store the other day, and since Grandma is such a huge Raiders fan, I thought it would be fun for Taylor to be a Raiderette for Halloween. We will see if it lasts! :)

Now, on to my favorite month of the year, October! I love that fall weather!

10 years!

10 Years! I can't believe it's been 10 years with this guy:

He surprised me with a weekend getaway here:

And we had the best time! I thought I was doing good and I got him a Roku box and a tool box (which both sound totally lame right now as I'm typing this for a 10 year anniversary!) And he surprises me with a trip to San Diego! I didn't know what to do with myself without my babe for the whole weekend. (It was actually more like 5 days) But it was the perfect amount of time of just Ben and I and having a truly great time together! It was exactly what we needed.

It started out pretty interesting, sitting next to a drunk kid (like 22 maybe) who hates flying so he got himself drunk before so he'd be calm. He had some pretty good stories for Ben and I and totally became our buddy. He even got Ben's phone number to play golf with him. He claimed he was a semi-pro golfer. He also claimed that he goes to Gonzaga University free of charge because he works there. (we made fun of him tha the was Matt Damon in  Good Will Hunting.) Anyway, it was a fun way to start our trip. Even after we had to make an unexpected layover in Las Vegas and then ended up getting booted from our flight (we volunteered because they would reimburse you your ticket and a half in credit toward another flight) We were't in a rush, so we jumped at the chance and got to San Diego just an hour and a half later than planned! Not too shabby! :) Our hotel was right on the waterfront in downtown. It was so much fun. That first night it was like we were young all over again, and we stayed up until like 1 am just exploring the hotel. We were actually on a hunt for some Diet Soda. We finally found a soda machine outside near the marina that charged 2.50 for a can of soda! You can imagine that didn't go over well with my frugal husband. So, we went and played some ping pong in the game center. We explored some off limit parts of the resort. And we even stole some bananas from the breakfast bar area that were under a cloth in prep for the next morning, I think. (but shhh...don't tell!) It was just fun being care free with my husband again! :)

The next 3 days were spent just relaxing in the southern California sun! We hit up Balboa Park, Old town San Diego, Belmont park and Mission Beach, the La Jolla caves, Downtown Gaslamp district, and found some awesome thrift stores! Of course, San Diego would have the best thrift stores! :)

Old Town San Diego:

We stopped at the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center, which I thought was really cool. A bit cheesy, as Ben was rolling his eyes through at least half of the program, but I loved hearing the stories and the history of it. I had no clue anything about the Mormon Battalion.

They even e-mail you this cool photo that makes it look like we were really there! :) Which brings me to my next bit of sad news. I lost my camera in San Diego. I was so so so bummed! It had the pictures from Taylors first day of pre-school, which lets be honest, she's going to be in pre-school next year too, :) But it also had a ton of pictures from our trip. These happen to be the ones I took on my phone (and our free one from the Mormon Battalion Center). I had even better ones on my camera! I'm talking my little point and shoot camera here, not my big DSLR, thank goodness! I hardly even got my big camera out on this trip, sadly enough! :)

We also, did a little bit of lounging poolside: (and a bit of reading)

Top rated breakfast place, Richard Walkers Pancake house (or something like that) It was packed packed packed, but really really good! :)

We ate a lot of really good food on this trip! On the night of our actual anniversary, Ben had made us reservations at a place called 'the Crab Catcher' right on the beach at the LaJolla caves. It was very good, and very expensive. Ben was disappointed because they didn't have bottomless sodas. You had to pay for every one. So he just got water. But really, what restaurant charges for every soda these days??? Other than that it was fabulous! I told him next time we'd head to McDonalds before dinner and smuggle in a Diet. :)

I also got to sneak away for a lunch with a good good friend from BYU-Hawaii, Kim. It was soooo good to see her and catch up! It was like no time had passed, even though it's been years since we've actually seen each other. Facebook and phone calls just aren't the same! We've been planning a reunion with our BYU-H friends for years that just hasn't happened, so I'm so glad I got to atleast see Kim. Love her!

One thing we realized about San Diego is that it is TOTALLY a family friendly city! We kept on thinking and seeing things that the kids would love. Like Balboa park, a huge park with tons of different museums and attractions, like the zoo, that the kids would love. Seaworld, obviously the kids would love. Beaches and parks. Next time, we're bringing the kids, for sure!

I got these beautiful glass stars to hang in my kitchen in San Diego, I love looking at them and remembering the great time we had, just the two of us! :) I got one for each member of our family, but one broke on the way home, so there are only 4. I guess that means we need to to back soon to get that 5th one! :) Am I right?

Oh...but there's more! Our next stop was Seattle! We flew into Seatle on Saturday night really late to stay with our friends, Doug and Sadie, because we got to go to the Season opener home game for the Seahawks, against the 49ers!!!!! D&S have season tickets along with her parents, and her parents just happen to be in Italy celebrating their own anniversary, and they offered us the tickets! Awesome friends! :) It was so much fun!

And I finally got to meet this guy:

The newest member of their family, who is already 8 months old!! He is the absolute cutest thing in the entire world! I just loved on him all weekend long!

It was a pretty quick time in Seattle, but it sure was fun being with Doug and Sadie again and going to the game! :)

Of course, I told them to turn around and smile, and this is what I got. Finally, I got a decent one! :)

It was crazy crowded, that's for sure!

It was SO much fun! The noise was so incredibly loud, we broke the record for loudest NFL game ever!  We also broke the record of the biggest NFL crowd! It was a fun night!!!

Of course, it was a typical Seattle fall evening. The clouds started rolling in, and luckily we were under the eve, but they eventually had to rain delay the game, and clear out the people who weren't covered.

So we sat for about an hour while this happened:

That didn't stop us (or anyone for that matter) from having fun!!! :)

Well, there was a little drama. The two dudes sitting in front of Sadie and I, right when they got to their seats to sit down, turned around and said, totally arrogantly, 'just to warn you we aren't sitting down the entire game!' Well, that sucks, I thought! But whatever. But really, it totally got annoying after awhile. I didn't want to stand the whole time! So, of course, Ben taps him on the shoulder and totally politely asks if he would mind just sitting down every now and then, maybe on the offense, (or defense? There is one you're supposed to stand during and one your're supposed to sit during) They get all attitudey, and rude.

So, Ben and Doug switch us seats, and proceed to yell and clap RIGHT in their ears the entire time. Which is totally juvenile. Doug was getting a bit tipsy at this point, and Ben just loves egging people on like this. I told them to stop, that they were going to get like beat up or something--but they didn't. And of course, there were some heated exchanges. Then the rain delay happened. Every single person was sitting down except these two! I'm pretty sure it was just based on principle at this point for them. There wasn't even any football being played. Well, once Ben and Doug head down to grab some food, the dudes totally sit down! :) I thought it was hilarious! I was just about to snap a picture to text to Ben when the one closest to us turned around (also a little tipsy) and was like, 'Where did your dudes go?' and we just laugh uncomfortably and say they went to get some food. And then he apologized. He said he knew he could be stubborn, but that they were being stubborn, too (which they totally were) But then he gave us hugs and said that we were on the same team and that they had season tickets too so they had better become friends. And then the guys got back and he apologized to them and they apologized to him and the rest of the night we were best buds! Seriously, every good play he would turn around and hug us or give high-fives! It was hilarious! They became best friends! Which I was glad about! I hate contention like this. And it was an awesome game, and I got to see my boyfriend Russel Wilson, so the night couldn't have gone any better! :) So grateful for good friends to enjoy the game with!

But, more importantly, I'm so grateful to have this guy to enjoy the game with:

Can't believe it's been 10 years! I'm so lucky to have this guy to go through the ups and downs with! Life certainly hasn't been perfect, but I can honestly say that he's my best friend, and while we drive each other nuts sometimes, every year brings us closer and more aware of just how lucky we are to have found one another and that we get to live this crazy life together! (And it's totally not fair that while I've gotten fatter and fatter over the years, he's getting skinnier and skinnier!!!) :)

*I've had this idea in my head for a while now of writing down the story of how we met and fell in love. Ya know for posterity. And I thought it would be perfect to add it to this post, but it is soooo long. I've even scanned in photos and everything. But I'm going to do a post just on that. Hopefully soon here before I forget. I want to write down our story before I don't remember the details anymore. My brain is already starting to leave me!* :)

September...

Lots of fun things going on in September. We got to go to our first Qunicenera! A girl in our branch, Stephanie, daughter of one of my good friends, Antonia, turned 15. It was a blast! :) It was a first for me, and my friend Connie who is also in our branch. We sat back together, and just enjoyed the show! (and the delicious food!) :)

Stephanie with her dudes. I'm not sure what they are called, but she had 4 boys from our branch all dressed up sitting at the head table with her, wearing her same colors. Here are Alonzo, Stephanie and Johnny, Alonzo and Johnny are two of Ben's young men.

Stephanie's amazing dress:

Taylor enjoyed herself! That's not unusual, she pretty much does where she goes! :)

And was dancing as the people all ate their food:

Then the real dance party started, and you know Sister Anderson was willing to dance with Taylor. They are both party animals and dancing fools! This all happened after a choreographed dance with Stephanie and the boys. Then her coronation, where her mom gave her a crown, then Stephanie and a little girl who was also part of her 'court' who was wearing a dress like her, did a dance. And then Stephanie changed from her tennis shoes to a pair of high heels signifying her becoming a woman and then it was a dance party! :)

Stephanie & Alonzo:

Adrian & Brian: Two more of Ben's Young Men.

Taylor had me dancing most of the night so my friend Sonia hung out with this little dude! :) (Tucker & Ben had left early to have some much needed boy time together. A quincenera isn't Ben's idea of a fun time, believe it or not!) :)

Soccer has started again! woo-hoo! Tucker loves soccer, and I love watching him play. We are on a new team this year. I think that they disbanded the team from last year, as I keep hearing that none of the boys on Tuckers soccer team were playing this year. I had requested to be on the Sunrise team and was a bit disappointed when he didn't get on that team, but then found out that his team is kind of a mis-mash of different schools, and he actually has three boys on his team from sunrise, I wasn't so upset. THEN I found out his coach is the husband of a girl I grew up with and ran with in high-school whom I actually love, and I got even more excited. He is a football and baseball coach at CV, his name is Ryan Butner, and their son Beau, who is on the team is awesome at soccer.  And because he is in the middle of football season at the high-school, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to make every game, so he asked his brother in law to help who has coached soccer for years, and whose son is on the mens soccer team at Gonzaga University! So these boys are in very good hands! This season has been awesome. It is like night and day watching their soccer games compared to last season. They are actually learning moves and passing and playing the ball rather than just running in clumps up and down the field, hoping to kick the ball somehow. It is amazing! I am so so so happy with this team we are on. They decided to name themselves The Barcelona Lightening. (awesome name!) 

So our Saturdays are mostly filled with this:

Tucker has been doing awesome. His favorite move is the pull back, and he has actually used it a few times to move the ball away from the opposing team and pass the ball up the field. I am very impressed! He did it once in a game that was awesome, so we all told him how awesome it was, so now he may try a little too hard to ALWAYS do that move, but he's learning! :) A few weeks ago my dad called from Alaska to wish Tucker luck in his game, and told him that he would pay him $5 for every goal that he scored in that game. Well, that must have been the motivation Tucker needed because he made 5 goals that game! It was awesome. They are so much fun to watch! He usually has at least 2-3 goals every game now and I am just so impressed with how much he's grown as a player. His coaches are awesome!

This season has been a wet one! So this is how Ben, Taylor and I have been watching the games:

My cute little cousin, Kjersti got married. Her new husband is Seth and this was the first time I had met him and he is so cute! Here she is with Seth (wearing the boutonniere) and her good friend from high school, Michael, who has come to many a family function over the years! :)

My sister was in town that weekend and also a lot of our cousins came up for it:

My beautiful Aunt Sherry! It's always fun when Aunt Sherry comes to town! :)

Some of the little cousins dancing. That Jackson is hilarious! I was so happy that Alicia and her family got to stay with us, it was fun having them here. She has a Jackson, too! :) Tucker and Jackson are good buds.

Any chance Taylor gets to dance is a good day for her! She was teaching Kenzie her moves!

My cousin Nicole is getting married in December, and I got to meet her fiance for the first time too. Taylor was impressed with his dance moves! :) He was so cute with the little kids!

And now you know why my children are so crazy! It's in their blood! Any time spent with the Edvalson side of the family is a party! :)

They're all crazy! :) But that sure is why we love them so much!