Fall Fotos

I found an opportunity to break out the "big" camera today and get some shots of our funny boys.  I had a new shirt for them to model and they were thrilled to be cheesy for the camera.

I love getting to practice photography. And I love that our cute boys will say "Cheeeeese" a hundred times so I can get a semi-good shot. 

I LOVE these boys!!!

Here are some of my favorites from today. 

Big Bad Preschooler

Watch out Preschool, here comes Simon!

Our little Engineer is now going to preschool and we are all so excited about it. Can't you tell?

He really is excited, he just did NOT want his picture taken. But I had to commemorate this big step in his life. He has already been making new friends and learning all sorts of great stuff.
Ryan misses his brother when he is gone, but luckily he usually takes his nap when Simon's at preschool. This gives me some time to catch up on everything at home.

(The color of the day was red. Ryan wanted to wear red to so he could match his brother. )

I love checking his backpack when he gets home to see what they worked on that day!

Ryan's Birthday

Choo Choo! Look who's 2!

 Our little guy is growing like a weed. We just celebrated his 2nd birthday! We have had so many happy and adventurous times with this boy throughout the last 2 years. He is so full of life and personality (and attitude!)

I was so happy to FINALLY get to use my best selling "Choo Choo, I'm 2!" tshirt design for one of my own kids. I made his extra special by adding his name on the back and stitching around the sleeves and hem.

 We started out his birthday by opening presents while Jeremiah was home so he could join in on the fun.

 Then we packed a lunch and spent our afternoon at Tempe Beach Park.  The splash park there is huge and it is free! The kids had so much fun I practically had to drag them out of there.

 On the way home we stopped by Neilsen's Custard to get some yummy custard ice cream! Simon accidentally dumped his whole cup of ice cream on the floor but the workers there were nice enough to give us a new one. mmmm!

 The birthday boy decided he didn't just want his ice cream, he wanted mine too. lol.

After a fun day we had Karissa and Cabrena over for cake and ice cream.
 Ryan got to pick out his cake flavor and we made him a chocolate car cake decorated with neon green frosting and melted chocolate details. 

We spent Labor Day in RV with our families. Almost everyone was able to make it up there so we threw Ryan a party at Ramsey Park.

 Par-tay!!!

 Among the crowd were some adorable couples: Heidi and Austin. The newly-est newly-weds in the family.
(Aren't they so cute!)

 Jesse and Randi. The oldy newly weds. (They just celebrated their first anniversary! woo hoo!)

And Marie and her fiance Josh, the almost newly weds. We got to meet Josh for the first time and we love him already!

 CUPCAKES!!!!! The trains are made of cream cheese candies. delish!

 Lots of cupcakes = happy kids

 Keaton was trying to run away from the camera so I wouldn't take his picture. ha ha. Gotcha!

 The kids had a BLAST playing on the merry-go-round. I was waiting for Simon to turn green and . . .
 well, he didn't. He must have his dad's iron stomach.

The kids also got to bust open a homemade train pinata and we had a big ol' water balloon fight!

I got completely soaked, guess that's what I get for starting it.

At least I got Jeremiah soaked too. bwa hahahahah (evil laugh)

Look how much our little Ryan has grown!

Ryan = Happy, determined, mischevious, independant, lovable, smart

Happy Birthday Little Prince!

Don't get distracted

This video seemes to echo what I've been hearing in my thoughts lately. The video just says it so much more eloquently than I can.

Don't get distracted by what isn't important.

Wedding MADNESS!

I feel like I'm spinning my wheels trying to catch up on this blog. It was such an eventful summer that I can't leave a single post out. I'm just going to have to condense so I can finally get it done!

NEXT UP: Wedding Mania

Aimee and Heidi both got married this summer. . .within 4 days of each other!

It was party central here. Melesa's family came to town, we threw a double bridal shower, and helped with decor and other projects for the weddings.

Melesa was the brains behind the bridal shower. She planned it all down to the last detail. It was fantastic! If she ever needs a job I'm sure she would be a natural party planner. 

Here are the beautiful brides-to-be.

 I had a blast making their sparkling "Bride" tank tops and their headbands.

Here is the yummy food, including a secret recipe artichoke dip. Sooooo good! 

The fabric flower clips and headbands were the party favors.

The decor was my favorite project. We wanted something inexpensive yet dramatic. How about some huge tissue paper fluff balls? We made a truck-load of these babies and hung them everywhere!

 For games, we played a game where you have to draw the bride-to-be's dream house on a paper plate. . . on top of your head.  The brides got to pick a winner. I drew a dog in the yard and it won Heidi's heart over. 

Then Melesa played a game of The Price is Right. From Kool-aid to tissues, to a bag of rice, we battled it out to win the product we were pricing. 

 Here's Randi modeling the product to be priced. (She's so cute I can hardly stand it!)

 Then we showered the girls with their gifts. It's not a real bridal shower without a couple of embarrassing gifts, right?  

And somehow between packing and planning, Melesa found time to make the girls one-of-a-kind aprons. Aren't they to die for?

Melesa = Super mom!

NEXT UP: Aimee and Franc get hitched.

I have to brag on my sister for a minute. She looked like a porcelain doll on her wedding day. My sis-in-law Cabrena did her hair and she looked amazing! I must inherited my Grandma Udall's tear trigger because I cried, and cried, and cried some more. Aimee was a stunning bride and Franc is a great man and we are so happy to welcome him with open arms into our family!

Here's the whole Udall clan sans spouses and kids. (I stole these pics from Aimee, thanks!)

*sigh*

The ceremony went beautifully thanks to all of our helpers.

NEXT: Austin and Heidi

(Austin, don't hate me for posting this picture. I love it! )

The night before Heidi and Austin's wedding they had an open house in Thatcher at a friends house. Besides the angry winds blowing everything over, the weather was perfect and we all enjoyed the fresh air and pleasant company. The kids wore out Uncle Jason with their wrestling, chasing, swinging, twirling, climbing. . .  

(Sorry it's sideways)

And as if the Uncle Jason jungle gym wasn't enough to tire them out, they found other stuff to jump on too! 

Aren't these guys just down-right adorable!?

So. Stinkin. Cute.

Then came the wedding day! They were sealed for time and all eternity in the new Gila Valley Temple.  

 Everything was perfect. . . except. . . 

did I mention it was really really windy? Heidi had to hold on tight to her veil so it wouldn't fly away.

And my hair doesn't do so well in wind. The other bridesmaids looked beautiful! (I stole this pic too. Thanks Jason.)

After all the action we enjoyed lunch with Austin's family in the church next to the temple. The food was fabulous! They even sent us home with leftovers of the scrumptious green chile.  mmmmm.

EPILOGUE:
So, now we have 2 brand spankin' new members of our family. We love them and can't wait to get to know them better. Aimee and Franc are living in Utah and Heidi and Austin live close by in Mesa.

These few days were such a whirlwind, I'm sure there are many important details that I have left out. Stories about fajitas, the ghetto hotel, and driving home from Thatcher in a massive storm. . .


AND I don't know if you have heard the rumor or not but there is yet another Udall wedding coming up before the year is through.  Woo Hoo!

THE END