3 Things....

1. Grateful that this....

didn't include a concussion as maybe this picture would suggest.
He was standing on a plastic box trying to turn on his bedroom light and the box slipped out from under him.

2. Grateful for this recipe. It's very much a love/hate relationship.

3. Grateful for Lysol wipes. I don't know what I'd do without them.

Attitude of Gratitude

3 unique 'things' that you are grateful every day for the month of November (inspired by Jessie). I'm a couple days late getting started but thought this was a great idea.

1. Grateful that my family is all healthy. We've had a rough past couple of weeks with Greg, Dylan and Adam all getting sick (Adam got sick twice!). We are finally back to normal (fingers crossed).

2. Grateful for Stake Conference. Our Stake had an Adult Session last night and the main meeting was this morning. My favorite talks were about the atonement and humility.

3. Grateful for the audio recording on Greg's phone. Greg taught Dylan to use it and we have a few very cute recordings of Dylan and Adam talking. We listen to them a lot and can't help laughing every time!

A Fire Station and a Infomercial

Friday we were invited to visit a the MillCreek FireStation with some friends. Dylan was very excited to see the big firetrucks up close with his friends and Adam seemed to be just as excited, yelling "Yay!" and clapping his hands when I said where we were going. However, he does that about anywhere that I tell him we are going. :)

We started by checking out the Ambulance:


This is Fireman Chet with Sarah trying on his equipment. He said all the extra equipment weighs up to 50 lbs!Noah telling the boys about the wheel parking blocks for the cars. Noah was very knowledgeable about the equipment and it was very fun to hear him explaining how things worked to Dylan and Eric.

We even got to hold the fire hose and spray into the bushes.

Adam wasn't quite sure about all the equipment and was content with me holding him.
Driving the firetruck!
Thanks Sarah for inviting us along, and Fireman Chet for showing us around!


Also, Greg and I did something very out of our ordinary this week and were part of a infomercial shoot for a fitness product, the Jyze Pro. We found out about it through a trainer at our gym and coincidentally we had both tried the Jyze at the 4th of July Freedom Festival. We weren't quite sure what to expect of the shoot, but thought it would be a fun experience to do together. The coordinator that contacted me on the phone explained in detail what the women should wear but was very vague on the guys wardrobe, just that we would be one of 20 couples in a reception-like setting. Greg wore slacks and a nice polo shirt and was sent home to change into a suit. Oops! But we had a great time, had great food and met some very cool people. We aren't sure when the infomercial will air so if you're ever up between midnight and 4am watching TV and happen to see a infomercial for jyzepro, we'll be the blurry couple walking into the party behind the "main" guy and gal. :)

This was just after we got home. After a very fun night playing with Grandpa Smith, Dylan was tuckered out.

Picture Perfect

We hit a huge milestone yesterday. I don't think that I have one picture of both Dylan and Adam smiling at the same time....until yesterday! We were picking up Greg from work and were a little early so we walked around BYU campus for a few minutes. Our first stop was the check out the large Beehive that Dylan spotted last week right out of the BYU bookstore. Here is Dylan pointing up at it. It's huge!

After taking the beehive pictures the boys were playing on a statue and I told them to look at me and say cheese. Usually Dylan will look and say cheese, Adam will say cheese but continue with what he was doing, or better yet tell me "no, thank you". BUT yesterday, I got this!!
So I tried my luck again, and got this one! Adam is saying "cheeeeeeesse!"


I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but I was one happy Mommy. I'm always looking through my pictures trying to find a good one of them together to put in frames and don't have many. Now I finally do and it gives me hope for many more cute pictures in the future!

Halloween Fun

Monday we went to Halloween Family Night at the Bean Museum on BYU Campus.

Spooky craft and treat

Creepy Animal Show
Waiting for the show to start. Luckily we got there early and were on the front row.
Thursday Night was the BYU Spooktacular for families of students, staff and faculty.

Dylan and his friend Nate had a fun time on the slide. This was the favorite activity of the night! (sorry about the random guy in the shot but I couldn't get around him quick enough).

This is the cauldron that the wet sponges were kept for the "Smoosh the Spook" game. The kids threw wet sponges to try and hit the spook (aka parent) in the face. Dylan did "smoosh the spook!"

On Halloween night our tradition is to go to Grandma and Grandpa Haws' house first but I didn't even get a picture with them! Oh, well. Next year. It was the perfect Utah evening for trick-or-treating."Yes, I'm a fire fighter (for the 3rd year in a row)!" I let Dylan choose his costume and he has picked to be a firefighter every year. Until of course the day of Halloween and then he wanted to be Buzz Lightyear.
Adam wasn't feeling really well so he didn't get in on all the candy action. But he didn't mind.Cousin Sighting! We were happy that we got to see the Pope group for a little bit. Here is Rachel and Meg.

Uncle Matt telling Dylan that he had something "special" just for him. Dylan wasn't amused, but we all were!More cousins! Houston as Superman with Austyn as Wonderwoman.
Last stop was the Ward Trunk-R-Treat. This is Dylan with friends Noah and Ava.
It was a great week and the boys got to finish it off with donuts and watching Adam's favorite show, farm Baby Einstein.

Game Day

Well, we all know how the football game turned out but the day wasn't completely a loss for us. We got see the last of the taping of ESPN Game Day (we went later because Greg was watching it on TV at home!) and then see the BYU Homecoming Parade. Adam was in heaven with all the excitement at the Gameday taping and cried when we had to leave the Stadium Parking Lot to head to the parade. That boy has football in his bones.

We made it just as the Gameday Team was giving their predictions of who would win the game.

A Lavell Sighting:
Football!
Dylan getting in on the excitement.Adam was looking at the camera until he spotted the "canny!" (candy!).
This is Dylan's standard parade pose. New Cosmo....Old(er) Cosmo:
Adam loved waving, and giving the occasional high five, to the people in the parade.Not sure what this was about but think it's pretty funny.
Adam giving Daddy some love on the walk home after a great morning!

What we've been up to....

Since I posted a Sacrament Program preview I thought I'd better let you all know how it went. Dylan was excited to walk to the stage with his friend Colin and just after the got to the stage and sat down he looked at Greg and I and waved with a big smile on his face. However, I was a little nervous that Dylan and his two buddies, Noah and Nate, were sitting together but overall I think they did a great job. It seemed that they enjoyed the songs the most when they could all stand by each other in a row at the edge of the stage over the sacrament table and look out into the crowd. When it was time for him to give his part he got up and said his part right into the microphone with no problems or promptings. "I can serve others by telling the truth." I still think it's funny what he chose to say but he stuck with it. The Sunbeam teachers also did a excellent job helping all 15 of the Sunbeams be reverent and the program turned out very well.

In other news, this week has flown by for us. Here is what we've been up to:

• Adam's 18-month check-up complete with 5-shots! Wouldn't have been too bad but I could only get him in during nap-time The poor little guy fell asleep in the stroller even before we got out of the physician's building. I'm glad that he has finally hit a growth spurt. He's been hovering just above 20 lbs. in the 1 percentile for weight but 90 percentile for height so hopefully he'll start filling out a little (or a lot).
  

Look at those skinny little legs!

• Going to the gym with Greg at lunchtime. Greg and I enjoy working out together (even if it's not the same routine) and the boys love the kids club. Dylan thinks that working out with Daddy means Burger Supreme after for lunch....and most times he's right!

• Sister's Day -ok, this really isn't as normal as it should be but I'm trying to be better. It was my week for the project so we did a service project making cards for the Ronald McDonald House and we were able to get 45 cards done! Grandpa Haws and Uncle Erwin (and of course the kids) were there too, just didn't make it in the picture. (Thanks Bekah, for the idea!)

• Library for story time and then the duck park to play (it was Adam's turn to pick a park and he'll always pick ducks over a playground).

• Annual Homeowners Association Meeting - Conducted and held at our house with meeting minutes and surveys to post the next day. Phew! I'm so glad that's over and done with for now.

• Daddy daughter date with my dad to the BYU Homecoming Spectacular. It was just that - spectacular - and really made me want to hike Mount Timp!

• Going to the Vineyard Pumpkin Patch. You know it's going to be craziness when you pull in the parking lot and there are already 6 buses there! That's what we get for going on a Friday morning but the kids still had fun. The excavators (commonly known at our house as diggers) weren't part of the show but sure stopped the boys in their tracks!
  

Playing at a nearby park (where there weren't 100 kids running around).

• Friday night movie Night is more of a cold weather regular at our house, and unfortunately it's already starting to make it's debut. This week was Swan Princess. It's really not as girly as it sounds.

• Last but definitely not least, the boys sleeping so well together in the same room...even if it is in very weird, and seemingly uncomfortable, positions.
  

We are also excited for all of the BYU Homecoming Festivities tomorrow. This includes a blue pancake breakfast, parade, hopefully a ESPN Game Day sighting, and of course watching BYU vs. TCU (on our couch with plenty of goodies). Go Cougars!