Halloween Humor

Today, I was trying to teach Gus a Halloween joke that he could tell people. So this is how the joke goes: Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?....... because he didn't have any guts. So I told it to him a few times, and then I asked him, "why didn't the skeleton cross the road?" and Gus replied, "because he didn't have any nuts." OK, that also works! Hillarious. I almost died laughing. He now recites the joke correctly, but it is not nearly as funny as his first version.

farm boys

The Young Women's president in our ward is a photographer, and I wanted her to take some pictures of my boys in front of this cool old, rusty truck. She took so many awesome pictures. I am used to going to a lousy studio at JC penney or something, so I am not used to having to choose between so many good ones. Go check them out at this link

Kid's say the darndest things

Is any one else amazed at the things that come out of their kids mouths. I swear, when they start reasoning for themselves, they really come to some of the funniest conclusions. I love it! Today, Gus got done going to the bathroom. Sometimes he sits, and sometimes he stands. Today he decided to stand. When he was done, he walked out of the bathroom and said, "Mom, you will never be as strong as me, because you can't stand up when you go pee." Okay, where did that come from? I must admit, he is right. Boys do have the advantage of standing when they pee. It doesn't seem like an advantage until you have to go while your camping, running, or doing anything where a toilet is not readily available. I guess Gus already understands the leverage he has over the female population. He's a genius!

On a separate note, Max is really testing me lately. It seems like every time he is either in the bath tub, or just getting out, he decides that it is a good time to go to the bathroom (number 2, and he is not potty trained). I'll just leave it at that and spare you the gory details!

My baby is due in a month and a half, and when it is safe, I am going to start doing squats and lunges to help speed up the process. I am more ancy than usual to get this baby on the outside of my stomach. Oh and by the way, Happy Halloween to everyone!

Autumn is in the air

This is the Time that the leaves change every year in Flagstaff. Up here, we don't usually get a huge display of different colors, but we do get a glorious display of gold leaves on our aspen trees. We usually try to go hike up by the peaks every year at this time to see the dome of gold. It is really breath taking. This year it wasn't quite as pretty as in years past, but it was still amazing. We found the perfect hike that is not too long for kids, but is still long enough for and enjoyable hike. It went right through a whole lot of aspens. The weather has miraculously warmed up again, and we are no longer freezing! Hooray! I love living here. It is such a beautiful place to be!

There were huge rocks everywhere, and Gus took great pride in his rock climbing ability. It was hard to go very fast on the hike, because he kept insisting on climbing to the top of every big rock he saw.
Max, as usual, was just happy to be there! This is an old cabin that is just off the trail. It was very short. I am so glad I don't have to live there! We took our dog, Boo, with us, and when he gets too far away, we whistle to call him back. Max thought he knew how to whistle too. He kept saying "woo" "woo", and then he would yell Boo's name. It was the funniest.

Just below is Gus performing one of his amazing rock-climbing acts. I was really impressed with some of the rocks he climbed up. He was really having a ball.
Eventually, Gus ended up on Dad's shoulders. After climbing all those rocks, you would be tired too!

Coconino County Fair

We love going to the Coconino County fair. I must say, there is not really much to it. Our favorite part every year is looking at the animals. There are pigs, goats, cows, chickens, rabbits, you name it. Max especially loved that part. This year, we let Gus ride a couple of the carnival rides, and after that everything else was a bore. We should have waited until the very end to let him ride, it would have made the rest of our time at the fair a lot more enjoyable. He just kept begging to ride more rides, and telling us that the baked goods competition, the plant competition, and the gems and minerals were "stupid" and "boring." The nerve! Paul's brother Kevin entered his Dahlias into the competition (Dhalias are really beautiful flowers that are usually very large. They are usually purple with white-tipped petals). He won first place (most entrees win a prize, that's the benefit of a small fair). Anyway, it was good times for all. We loved it!

This was the first ride Gus got to go on. This was what ruined him. At least Max was easy to please. He could have looked at the animals all day and been happy. Of course he calls all animals "Boo" because that is the name of our dog. He is definitely my animal lover. I am glad because he reminds me of myself. Gus doesn't care as much for animals. He likes them, but he doesn't have a natural instinct to love them. Max tries to hug every animal he sees.


This was ride number two. It was the most jerky rollercoaster ever, but he didn't mind.

shiver!

OK, I have not been posting lately because I have not been taking pictures, and I figure most of the time, it is the pictures that people care about, but I just had to let everyone know that we are freezing up here in Flagstaff. It got cold overnight. We can't seem to warm up! The one thing I have always said about Flagstaff is that it is very deceptive. You look outside and say to yourself, " looks like a warm, sunny day." But when you go out there, the brutal wind chills you to the bone! Last night, we went for our annual Fox family fall cookout. We go out in the woods where we can see all the pretty leaves changing color, and we eat home made soup and biscuits. Last night was the least enjoyable fall cookout so far. Nobody dared step away from the fire. The kids were all bundled in their winter clothes, and still complained that they were cold. The weather changed from warm to cold so fast that the leaves did not even get the chance to fully change. They all just froze and died in a couple of days. Despite the harsh conditions, we still managed to have a blast, but hopefully, it will be a little warmer next year!