October

After going through all the pictures I took in October I now know why I am so completely exhausted…holy crap we did a lot.  

October in Utah is one of my favorite months though (it almost rivals June).

We took the kids to hike The Y.  

I was the only one who had done it before and I had forgotten how incredibly steep it is.  

1,000 feet of elevation gain in 1 mile.  that’s a lot for little legs and
even longer ones too.  

The kids did amazing and M&M ran most of the way up (after complaining and crying the entire drive to the trailhead).  

As always, Paul and Ruby were best hiking buddies.  

We are soaking up the sunshine until the cold weather hits.

Lots of playing on the deck for these 2 while I try to get a few things done in the house.  

It’s crazy how much I miss this tiny space when the snow comes.  

And who can resist getting to play in the rain?!  And yes, he has pants on, he’s just rolled them up. :)  

This is Ruby bossing the big kids around and telling them not to touch her toys.  

Every once in awhile Crewby gets lucky and I take them somewhere fun, instead of just running errands while the big kid are at school  

Checking out the new toys at the mall

Krispy Kreme

and swimming at the rec center.  

And when I’m feeling very generous I pull out the paints and playdough.  

And then I am reminded why I prefer to do things outside of our house. 

M&M obviously get a little upset when we do things that are too fun while they are at school, so we make sure to include them from time to time.  

Thanksgiving Point usually does the trick.

Especially when it’s with The Brown’s.  

We have about a million pictures with this dinosaur, that can no longer be seen since we have so many kids now and they are all so big. 

We picked the perfect Saturday to go to The Museum of Natural Curiosity.  

Ruby parked herself in the Vet Clinic and had it all to herself for probably 30 min.  And we didn’t even loose anyone in the Jungle.  New record.  

Pretty sure everyone else was busy at Cornbelly’s.  

Ruby and I have still been running with Traci a few times a week.  Her and Hailey like to ride together to pass the time and we rotate pushing that beast of a double stroller. 

Macey has been working on her cooking skills this month.  And it is starting to become very helpful.  

First, she made us cookies and then when I was at the boys karate class, she preheated the oven and put dinner in for me.  Sometimes it’s not so bad that these kids grow up.  

Sharing her cookies with the neighbors.

We had a girls night with some of our favorites.  

Dinner at Corner Bakery, a 1 hour play, and we wore our matching leopard print booties. Perfection.  

One of the more exciting things that happened this month was Miles graduating from Speech!

This kid has been rocking first grade and is working so hard (that does not mean there still isn’t lots of screaming and tears) .  

I cried at his IEP when they told me he tested out.  Mostly I was crying because Miles has had a team of people at his side since he was 6 months old! It is a very strange feeling to be out on our own and I just have this deep gratitude for all these amazing programs and people who have helped to get us to this point.  

In case you were wondering if Ruby has calmed down, she has not.  In fact, things have only gotten crazier when it comes to her.  

yes, she’s cute.  And it’s fun to see her start to use more imaginative play. She always makes sure I never go hungry and is constantly “cookin” me things in her kitchen.   

But, don’t let this fool you.  

The moment my back is turned she’s flushing things down the toilet, climbing on things, dumping things, hitting kids, breaking child locks, and drawing on any surface that should not be drawn on.  

The hardest thing this month has been the fact that she forced our hand and we had to move her out of the crib.  

This means no more naps, early rising, terrorizing of the boys at night, and emptying everything in their room every single night.  

I am barely holding on by the end of most days.  I am still not used to not getting a break from her to eat my lunch in piece or shower or just stare at the walls in silence.  I miss nap time.  

Luckily, she has fallen asleep a few times this month, so I have been able to eat a snack without her trying to steal it from me.  

Her current favorite book is Alice the Fairy.  I think there’s a lot of resemblance between Alice and Ruby.  and luckily, it’s one of the books I don’t mind reading every single day.  

Low point of the month was when Macey asked me,  ”if it wasn’t for Ruby would you be so grouchy?”  :)  

I did have one glorious afternoon this month where I got my hair cut & colored.  I even had time to read some of my book club book.

And yes, my amazing hairstylist made cat ears on me while my color set. It’s the little things. 

phew. That’s our October in a nutshell.