Olive YOU!

The night before Thanksgiving, Jack completed a rite of passage that marks the end of babyhood and the entrance to big kid territory! Just look at those olive fingers! He was so excited when Mommy showed him that olives taste best when eaten off the tips of your fingers. Seems most adults I know remember "olive fingers" on Thanksgiving with such fondness, but I have to admit is was even better being the parent and watching my child get such joy out of such a silly tradition. Can't wait til next year! I also included a couple of pics from the most beautiful rainbow over our house the day before turkey day. I wish I had been on a mountain top so that I could have captured it in its entirety. It was so big and vivid and you could almost see where it began(Gilbert) and ended(Queen Creek). Forgive me, but it seemed to be talking to me. Bryan and I shared our first home in Gilbert and we are now moving to Queen Creek. Seemed sort of symbolic in a way. Hope your Thanksgiving was full of family, laughter, joy and .....thankfulness.

I am NOT an animal!

This morning before the sun even came up, Jack wriggled his way into our bed. I reached over to smooth the hair on his head and he sat straight up. I could tell he was annoyed even in the dark. Then he said, "Mommy, don't pet me! I am not an animal!" I laughed so hard. What a way to start my day!

Puppies and Backhoes

Jack and I visited our dear friends, Janie and Rhett, yesterday. They live in Coolidge and have a wonderful farm with lots of animals and veggies growing everywhere! The invited us out to make pizzas for lunch and to see their 2 week old Kelpie puppies. They were so adorably cute and the boys really enjoyed holding them. What they enjoyed even more was being able to have their picture taken in Rhett's Daddy's backhoe scoop! What a dream come true for Jack! It is such a joy to see these two boys play together. Janie said that the boys will get to have a ride on the bobcat next time we come to visit. What will she think of next? I will have to stay on my toes or Jack may decide to adopt a new(and much more fun) mommy who has better toys! Thanks for the visit!

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Schnepf Farms for their annual Pumpkin and Chili Festival. It is turning into a Schwieger family tradition to take a picture of our little pumpkin in their pumpkin patch! Jack had fun trying to find the biggest and littlest pumpkins he could find and then it was on to dinner. We enjoyed chili, cornbread and corn on the cob on the farm and then took in our of their famous pig races! The louder the crowded yelled "suey!", the faster the little piggies ran! Their special treat for winner were double stuffed oreos! Well, I guess they don't call them pigs for nothing! We took a really fun train ride around the farm, rode the swings and then the rollercoaster! It is an old-fashioned coaster that is great for little guys while still giving adults a thrill! Bryan was quick enough to catch us with the camera! As you can see, Jack is becoming quite the coaster afficiando!

Captain Feathersword

Tonight we trick or treated with the cutest swashbuckler on the high seas! He LOVED every minute of it and at each house a big fuss was made over him! He remembered his manners and even told our neighbor, Joleyn, the class: "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! If you don't, I don't care, I will take your underwear!" Too funny! We saw a child dressed as a mummy and I called Jack's attention to it. Then he asked me, "Mommy does that mummy sleep in a sarcophogus?" He remembered seeing the mummies in the Eqyption display at The Museum of Man in San Diego. This boy is so smart it's.....scary! Ha ha! I couldn't resist a little Halloween humor!

Frankenstein is in the house

Today, Jack and I made cupcakes for his class. They are having a spooky Halloween party tomorrow and I have been invited to be the host parent and take some photos. These cupcakes turned out so cute! I am not much of a baker, so the frosting and cupcake mix was store bought, but we jazzed them up with little frankenstein heads to add some flair!

Beach Blanket Bingo!

Jack's second trip to the beach was very eventful. We had a picnic of seabass sandwiches(from Pelly's...absolutely the best fish sandwich you will ever eat!), apples, chowder and cabbage slaw. Then, Jack and Daddy built his first sandcastle. He even dumped a bucket of water over daddy's head, but didn't like it when Daddy splashed him to return the favor. He played with 3 other little boys for a long time in a hole they encountered on the beach. They took turns jumping in and out of it giggling the whole time. I waited patiently for my coppertone moment and it finally happened when our little streaker ditched his wet skivvies and made a run for it. This is definitely become a tradition! We all miss Carlsbad already. Can't wait for next year!

Breakfast with Shamu!

We went back to SeaWorld a 2nd time to have breakfast with Shamu. It was very exciting to see such a large animal be so gentle with it's trainers. Jack loved all of Shamu's squeaks and squeals, but was worried that he would get splashed. After the excitement at breakfast, we revisted the shark exhibit and then visited the Wild Arctic. I got a big kick out of the kissing walrus. He would come up to the glass and blow big kisses to everyone watching! I think Jack's favorites were the penguins, especially the Emperor and Macaroni varieties. Daddy spoiled him with a stuffed emperor penguin and a stuffed Shamu. What a lucky duck!

A trip to Carson to see the Greats!

On Wed., we followed Dad up to Carson to drop in on Jack's Great Grandparents, Don and Jokki. Jack quickly traded in Grandpa for Great Grandpa as a playmate. Grandpa Don didn't seemed to mind at all! Grandma Jokki let Jack pick out a teddybear from her collection, but he wasn't satisfied because he would have rather had her Qewpie Doll Collectible. We had lunch and visited for a bit and then it was time to go. Next stop was Grandma and Papa Hunt, Aunt Mary, Raven and the girls. Sorry everyone, my camera battery needed to be recharged, so I don't have any pics of them with Jack. Such a bummer because it was his first chance to meet Aunt Mary and Raven is so darned cute!