Viva Las Vegas

Last week Joe was sent to Las Vegas for some training. Since neither of us had ever been to Las Vegas and we had yet to go more than one night together withot kids since Chloe's birth, we decided to take the opportunity to go spend some kid free time on this trip. Vegas really is a site behold. Aside from my relaxing days while Joe was in classes, we had some fun filled nights exploring. Please forgive the poor picture taking!

We were amazed at the size and sights of the strip in itself We knew our kids would have loved the Trojan horse in Caesar's Palace's Forum Shops

The Bellagio fountains were as cool as everyone said they are

And the time spent together was priceless!
I worried about and missed the kids a ton - our nightly conversations always pulled at my heartstrings that I wasn't there with him, but I loved getting some time to spend with my Joe without worrying about what my kids wanted or needed every five seconds. When we got home and found our kids safe and happy, we resolved that this is something we need to do more often!

Thanksgiving!

Football madness hit the Hubbard home again this Thanksgiving 2009. Competition runs on high in our family and so we loved the opportunity to get those competitive, calorie burning, pre turkey eating juices flowing and have an annual turkey bowl. We had a great time and ended with a "tie". This picture has everyone in my family except for me - I thought I had set the timer, but thought incorrectly. Oh well - it probably turned out better without me in it! Joe didn't realize this picture was being taken, but as it was the only one of all four us, it gets posted anyway.

All the grandkiddies!

Another Thanksgiving tradition took place as we celebrated the end of fall by tossing the decorative pumpkins that have adorned my Mom and Dad's porch this fall season. My parents backyard has an unfinished area that is perfect for tossing these, sometimes lit on fire, gourds. Last year, we actually found pumpkins growing from previous years. Here are some videos of our fun!

Thanksgiving really is one of my favorite holidays. I love spending time with my family just enjoying the time together without thinking about presents, or chaotic lives. The members of my family are my best friends and favorite people. I have truly been blessed in life and am grateful for all that I have - a loving family, wonderful friends, and the gospel. Life is good. I am blessed. Period.

With the end of the Thanksgiving season, comes the beginning of the season of giving! I LOVE Christmas time and love all of the things that we can do as a family. We had fun attending the Ogden Christmas Parade with my sister, Amy, and her family, DJ, and my parents. What a great time the kids had. What a great time we adults had watching the kids. What a great time of the year that I wish lasted forever. At least until I realize how cold it is and long for summer again!

PreSchool Parent Day

On Wednesday Joe, Noah, and I got to go to Chloe's preschool for Parent's Day. I loved getting to see her interact with her teacher and classmates and having her show off some of the things she has learned so far.

Joe got to help Chloe make a pilgrim hat

The kids all showed us a book they had been working on and took turns each reciting a page

Then they sang us cute little songs!We are grateful Chloe is in such a fun class with a wonderful teacher and new friends!

October-Fest

Being as we had no other choice, there was no better month to live at Grandma's house than in the month of October. We had an eventful month and enjoyed sharing it with Grandpa, Grandma, and DJ in their home!

We started the month with a Hubbard family trip to Lagoon. Chloe and Noah LOVED the rides and, even without naps and staying up WAY late, were perfect. This was one of the most enjoyable family outings we've had so far. We created and decorated a haunted house with all of the cousins:

We had silly moments with scary suckers...and scarily long socks
We got together with our friends, Chad and Kristina, and their kids, Isabelle and Christian and painted pumpkins!

We celebrated Halloween - with Chloe (requiring hair, face, and all aspects of her costume to be pink) as Thumbelina:

and Noah, as an Ewok
We got to take a picture with Gladys - Grandma's special friend that left treats daily in the month of October for all her good little kiddies. All the Hubbard cousins: Raegan, as Ariel, Riley, as a dalmation, Camden, as Darth Vader, Jack, as Jack-Jack, and Hadlee, as ToTo

While full of ups, the month also had a few downs and I know it was no accident that we stayed with my parents during the time that we did. Heavenly Father knows so much more than we, and although I wondered why the timing would work out like it did, I now know it was HIS plan and I am grateful for the opportunity we had to be there! Instead of a trick, it was a real treat! Happy October!!

Where To Start?!

Yay!!! My computer has internet again!!! I have no idea where to start, so I will start at the beginning - or the end, depending on how you look at it - the beginning of going without our computer, and the end of living in our old/first house.

Right before we moved Chloe was able to go on her first field trip with her preschool. We got to go to a pumpkin patch / corn maze / pig racing / fun place called BlackForest Farm. We had a great time. Here are some of the things we enjoyed about this trip:

Getting to have her neighbor and fellow classmate, Cadence, to play with

Picking her own pumpkin and have it picked off the vine

Tasting a carrot pulled fresh from the ground Watching cute little piglet races
Climbing up and sliding down a huge hay slide Having Daddy and Noah along for the (hay) ride - doesn't Noah look so excited?! He actually loved that he got to come with Chloe - he always wants to stay with her at preschool when I drop her off
There's a lot more to get to and I need to catch up soon, because with the holidays fast approaching, I am only going to get further behind. We are loving our new house and neighborhood so far and will post pictures of that soon too. As soon as I have the energy...

Funny Kidlets

Chloe:

I put Chloe in a Halloween shirt yesterday and, when she asked what is said, I replied that her shirt said "Daddy's Under My Spell." She smiled, turned to Joe and showed him the shirt.

"See this mean's I control you!"

Noah:

When he's done eating, coloring, or cuddling, Noah is quick to look at you and say "All done." I love that he lets me know this important piece of information. This morning at 7:00am, all the sudden from his bedroom, I heard: "All done. All done. All done. Mom. All Done." Hmmm, I think he was done sleeping?

As a side note - we are set to close on our house on Monday! I am excited to have my own home again, as well as access to my own computer and my cute pictures - I promise an overload of pictures from all things October as soon as we get settled!

Update

A week ago today we said goodbye to our first home and moved in with my parents until we find the "home of our now" - the "home of our dreams" is still a few years off. I have been postponing posting anything because I love when people post pictures with their blog entries and I have some pictures from the move and recent events that I would love to get updated on here. One of the kinks with living in someone else's home is that you deal with things that in your own home you wouldn't have to. In this case it is the inability to get our computer connected to the internet. There are too many computers, not enough connections - so I will be picture free for a bit.

So one week in and living in my parent's basement and been great so far. I only have to cook twice a week, my sister, Amy, and her kids are here almost daily providing myself and my kids with endless entertainment, and with Grandma's Halloween decorations and treats Chloe and Noah feel like they are attending an endless party! We have plenty of room in the basement and even a separate entrance, the kids get to wake up and go to bed with hugs and kisses from Grandma and Grandpa, and Joe has someone to beat every night playing cards with my Mom.

We have a house under contract and may be moved in as soon as November 9th, but there are a few details still pending before I feel confident that this will be our home. I look forward to the comforts of being in my own home, but for now we are enjoying ourselves, our no house payment, and our time at Mom and Dad's!