october 2013

October was a busy month full of fun!

Exxon sponsored a family day at the Fort Worth Zoo with lunch and an animal show. The kids had a fantastic day and the weather was cool and cloudy. The forecast was threatening rain, so it wasn't busy at all, and it didn't rain till we left.

For family home evening one night we carved pumpkins. Levi wanted to make sure his had mean eyebrows. Thanks to the Texas heat, they were wilted and moldy within a couple weeks.

On October 10, Anna lost her first tooth. The tooth fairy left her a golden dollar. It was all VERY exciting.

On Columbus Day, we went to the Texas State Fair. We had a rocky start. It was raining, Anna couldn't stop coughing, and we didn't have any cash to pay for parking. I hadn't brought my wallet and Sam had left his bank card in a pocket at home, so he dropped us off and drove all the way home to get cash. Finally though, we caught up with each other and despite being damp for most of the day, we had a good time. The kids loved the dog trick show and the baby bunnies and puppies. We went into the livestock barn to feed the goats and longhorns and camels, but it was packed and they were mostly overfed anyway. We found the cattle shed at the back of the park and the kids liked the little farm toys they had in their Texas farming display. We ate hot dogs and I had a thanksgiving dinner in a ball and Sam had cubano egg rolls. Levi LOVED the car show and both kids were enamored with Big Tex. He talks! My favorite part was the ostrich races. Those birds are huge! It's such a weird amalgam of rides and food and attractions and animals. There's absolutely no common theme aside from big and loud. I'm glad I got to experience it once, but I won't be heartbroken if we miss it this year.

October 19 was a BYU football game versus the University of Houston. We drove down the night before and stayed at Ben and Amy's house. The kids played together in the morning before we drove down for the tailgating lunch where I got to spend some time with my cousin, Marianne. The game went back and forth and was fun to watch with BYU pulling out the win in the end. Afterward we went to dinner with Jake and Lauren at Berryhill which we loved while we lived in Houston. On Sunday we headed out early to go to church in our old ward in Katy. Afterwards we visited with Catherine Demeers who had been like a Grandma to Anna and Levi while we lived in Houston and then ate lunch with several of my friends from Katy. They were so gracious to have so many of us in their home and it was great to catch up with everyone. Of course I didn't take any pictures on Sunday.

On the 21st, Anna had her first field trip to a farm. She and her friends got to help with the pig races and pet lots of animals. One of the more memorable moments for me was when Anna fed some goats who licked her hand until all the food was gone. Before we could get to the handwashing station just a few feet away, she used the same palm, from fingertips to wrist, to wipe up a little sniffle on her nose. I don't remember her getting sick afterward :) We also had an adventure when our hay ride got stuck in the mud and another tractor had to be enlisted to pull us out.

On the 25th, Sam and I went on a date to watch the Dallas Opera simulcast of Carmen at Klyde Warren Park. It was a great park and I've wanted to attend more events there.

A tree sweater at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas

And after all of this was the week of Halloween! We had a special dinner at Grandma's house where the kids decorated caramel apples. Later we went to a pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa Cosby and cousin Caleb.

I made a couple of special Halloween-themed dinners and on Halloween, all the Cosbys came for dinner at our house before trick-or-treating. It was probably one of the most fun Halloweens I can remember!

Hot dog mummies and monster mouth apples one night

Jack-o-lantern quesadillas, monster beans, and pumpkin rice

My visiting teacher brought over cookie dough, frosting, and halloween sprinkles. It was such an easy and perfect gift!

Our halloween spread

At our ward trunk-or-treat

Anna was Aurora and Levi was SuperWhy. He was SO excited about his costume I made for him.

 I painted the book design on a long sleeve t-shirt and made the cape and blue arm bands out of a large men's shirt. We bought him some basketball shorts to wear over some inside out green pajama bottoms. I had the gold belt already and we cut the mask out of felt. He wore the shirt at least once a week until it got too hot for long sleeves and the cape is the one he likes best whenever he plays superheros with friends.

We made this spider web out of yarn between the columns on our front porch and got the spider from Target

Someone's excited for trick or treating!

Enjoying their spoils

 Finally, here are some extra photos and videos from the month. Anna learned lots of new songs at school and wanted to share them with us. Levi got in on the action, too.

Anna wrote this next one herself

I did this make your own wild thing art project with the kids. I can't find the photo of Anna's yet, but when I do I'll post it. I've got both the originals because I loved how they turned out. 

Also, Halloween was the day I found out I was pregnant. I wrote a little poem about the fifth little Cosby pumpkin and left it for Sam to find. It was a fun little secret to keep between the two of us with all our family there.