We are still alive!

Yes, it has been awhile since I have posted. We are all doing well. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to lately.

Introducing Alayna to solid foods. She loves it! Sweet potatoes are one of her favorites and the messiest! She eyes everything that we eat, wanting it. I feel like I am being watched by a vulture. She does resemble a baby bird when the spoon starts coming.

Jenna went to the dentist for the first time. They just did a "Happy Visit" meaning she got to sit on the chair and go up and down. The dentist also looked into her mouth to see if anything was awry- everything looked good. She got to choose a toy from the treasure chest when she was done! I couldn't find her after that- there was just a strange lady with a funny nose and a mustache.

Alayna loves her jumperoo. She loves anything that allows her to move. She scoots incredibly fast across the floor after anyone; she can crawl, but prefers to scoot. She is a little monkey now climbing everything. She likes to pull herself up to a standing position which has resulted in a few bumps and bruises. It doesn't help that her big sister comes over and 'loves' her or wants the thing that she has pulled herself up on.

We planted a dwarf apple tree- I have been wanting one for awhile and we finally got one! Jenna was so excited to help plant one and even more excited about the prospect of apples. We were able to pick some at a friends house in November and she loved it. When we bought this tree, she said, "We plant the tree, it grows bigger, apples grow, I grow bigger, climb up a ladder, pick the apples, and eat them all gone. Yummmmy." She kept repeating that over and over.

Jared and I are great too. We just aren't as cute as the kids, so we don't take pictures of us- or we don't post them too often.

By the way, until I figure out why I can't upload pictures from the home computer, there will probably be another lapse in postings. I know the vast amount of readers will be incredibly sad.

Halloween!

We had a great time for Halloween. Jenna trick or treated at Daddy's classroom with Grandma's class, she got to go trunk or treating at church, Grandma and Grandpa Wright came into town, and she got to go out on Halloween night! What a weekend! Alayna did all of that too, but she got candy for Mommy- probably the only year that will fly! She loved Halloween. She loved trick or treating- she thought that it was the greatest thing, people giving her candy! The monkey costume is my favorite. So cuddly and it had an adorable tail! I might just have her wear it around the house!

I just loved this onesie- I had to include a picture of it!

Pumpkin Patch Excitement

So I decide that we needed to go to the pumpkin patch as a family- we have been so busy lately that the only time we could do it was in the morning before a baby shower that I was throwing that afternoon. We figured we wouldn't be gone too long and I could do all of the finishing touches when we got back. Yeah that's how it was going to work. So we set off to the patch. As we turned on the road to the pumpkin patch, we heard a pfffff sound (I know very technical). Jared and I look at eachother saying what was that. The car didn't react at all, but you could tell it was the car. So we park in the gravel parking lot and get out- our tire is sliced opened. Lucky Jared gets to change the tire on semi uneven ground and on gravel. I take the kids to the play area and let them run around while Jared changes the tire! Everything worked out- he did it fairly quickly and the shower went well- although it made for a much more stressful getting ready since Jared could no longer help me and I had the 2 kids! But I was grateful that the tire burst while Jared was with me and I wasn't alone with the kids- talk about what a nightmare that would have been!

What a cute family! Such a sweetheart!
This picture wasn't the funnest to get, but it turned out cute. I balanced Jenna on my knee and held Alayna up to the hole- that is probably why she looks like she it being shoved out of the hole!

She slep quite a bit of the time we were there, but since we were there a good chunk of time she woke up and we could get a 'few' pictures!

This is what happens now when we try to take pictures of the girls- craziness!

We were looking at the animals. There was a baby goat that was incredibly cute!

Trying to find our way out of the corn maze! Luckily we had a fearless leader telling us which way to go- and luckily we are used to her bossing us around!

Park Fun

We are loving the cooler weather that is upon us now. Before if we wanted to go to the park, we would have to venture out by 9 and then we could only stay for a couple of minutes because the slides would already be hot and I would have to bring a towel to dry them off from the sprinklers!

The adorable girls. Alayna is getting so she loves to look around, so instead of staying the stroller the whole time (which she didn't do once our park visits were lengthened), she gets to run around with Mom.

Jenna being silly! She loves these little chairs.

It took me a while to get her to go down the slide- Mommy and Alayna went down first and then Mommy and Jenna. After 2 times, she was doing it by herself. "no, stay there Mommy. I do it by myself." She was so cute when she would go down the slide she would say, "Here goes nothing." Once she started, it was hard to get her to stop! Gotta love Fall weather!

What we do during the soccer game

So we go to the home games. I think Jenna enjoys getting a stamp almost as much as or more than the game. I put the girls in our stroller and roll them up to the game. We stand on the outside of the track. I don't really want to sit on the rickety bleachers with both of them by myself- we did it once when Grandma and Grandpa Critchfield were there. So Jenna runs around and Alayna stays in the stroller for a little bit until she gets fussy and wants to get out. Alayna really likes watching the game and being outside. Even when she has a really fussy day at home, she pulls it together for the game. Jenna loves seeing people, but her absolutely favorite thing to do is at the end of the game: After Daddy talks to his players, he walks back to the bench. Jenna gets to run through the gate and out onto the track towards the soccer field, calling "daddy!" He picks her up and goes to his bag and finished a couple other coaching thing. She loves that. She feels like such a big girl. After we go to a soccer game, it ends up in her prayers for at least a couple of days. So this last month she has been thanking Heavenly Father for Daddy's soccer games every night.

She loves the little cement lip that separates the track from the start of the hill. We always have to bring snacks to the game. I think she is adorable in this picture! Alayna relaxing!

Sitting on the bleacher steps watching the game so excitedly. They have an old hose that is hooked up, but Jenna loves it! She pretends to water things.
2 of the young women in our ward playing with the kids at the soccer game!

Soccer

So with the start of school and Jared coaching JV boys soccer, he has been pretty busy. We have been enjoying September because there have been a lot of home games; however, that means that October will not be as fun since there are a ton of away games- only 3 home game in the entire month. We get to go to the home games and cheer. Jenna loves getting a stamp on her hand and cheering 'yeah Amador' or 'go Buffaloes'. Yeah the cute coach focusing! Burlie playing defense.

Chandler saving a goal.

Ebert scoring!

Jared talking to his players.

Rice Cereal

We have entered into the introducing Alayna to food period! We started with rice cereal. I love this picture! This is the end result of Jenna's feeding- more on Alayna than in the mouth! Jenna got mad at me when I told her I needed to feed Alayna for a little bit- so she could actually get some rice cereal.

I put Alayna in the high chair and the food down to go get a towel, I turn around and Jenna is already feeding Alayna. She is such a little mother, it is funny.
Alayna loved being fed by Jenna. It was once she actually got food that she decided that she wasn't too big of a fan of rice cereal- but don't worry, we shall try once more!

Skating Girl!

Ever since we went to Bend and visited the Keldsens, Jenna talks about bikes when we are out. I kind of find it funny, because, yes there are bikers everywhere in Bend, she really only noticed because Eli and Paige had their own bikes. Since bikes are a little expensive, she will probably be getting one for Christmas. However, Walmart was clearing little skates out, so a compomise came about.

She picked out her own helmet before I said anything- Eli and Paige had helmets for their bikes. She loved all the gear. She did very well for her first time- she loved it at first, but her first litlle wobble had her reconsider. Don't worry, she never fell and she will do it again!

2 Girls

I dressed the girls at separate times only to discover, I must have been in a yellow mood! I set Alayna down in one our enormous recliners ( and I mean enormous- they are made for up to 350Lbs and 6'8", a little ridiculous, yet so comfy!) and turned my back to pick something up. When I looked back, Jenna had hopped up to sit next to her. It was a perfect photo opp.

They are just too cute!

Fourth of July

So we had a little trouble taking pictures. Jenna did not want to take Fourth of July pictures- she loved Alayna getting her picture taken, but she was not a big fan. Jenna saw this headband and loved it at the dollar store, but she refused to wear it. So, Alayna got the honors! Ahhhhh!
If you can believe it, this anguish picture was the first one we took with both. She looks so distraught!

We had a good 4th. My fam was visiting- we went to the Jackson Ward Annual Pancake Breakfast, swam, hung out, and had a GREAT BBQ! It was a blast!