Well...

I'm such a slacker. We went to Utah for two weeks and I was determined to blog while there. I didn't. I'm lame. I need to catch up now so... here are some highlights of our Utah trip.

Owen's first time to the Zoo

He loved it.

 

Favorite animal at the zoo? The tractor. Couldn't get enough. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of him and his love for the tractor.
And the other little kids. This is him trying to get the attention of that little girl. He loved her. She paid him no mind.

Anyone that knows Owen right now knows that he LOVES choo choo's (trains). He was able to ride hi first train on our trip to the zoo... loved it.

Oh, the grossest thing that happened at the zoo? I was drinking a hot chocolate when all of the sudden I bring the cup up to get another sip and notice that there is BIRD POO on my cup. A bird pooped on my cup while I had it in my hand. Ughhh... isn't that disgusting?

Other zoo pics...

Owen wasn't the happiest in this pic but I promise he loves these little friends of his... See...

While in Utah, we also spent a lot of time with family. I was so happy to be able to spend some time with my grandparents. I want Owen to know them like I know them. They are such wonderful people and I feel so much gratitude that they are still around and still so much fun to spend time with. Why didn't I take some picture of them while there? I have no idea. I guess I was  too caught up in enjoying time with them to capture the moment.

We were there for the first snow fall. Some of you may not know this about me but the first snow fall is my favorite day of the year. I love how beautiful Utah is when it first snows. So excited we were there for it. Unfortutalely, this little baby that will soon be coming makes me very sleepy, and pretty dang sick. So instead of playing in the snow with Owen, I took a nap. But my wonderful mother stepped right up and made a snowman with him, So cute. She didn't have her camera out there wwhen they did the snowman. So sad right? I have seriously got to get better with taking picture.
We were there for Halloween. YAY! I love Halloween. Tyler  and I dressed up as Elvis and Priscilla Preslie (thanks Carrie!).

 I really really wanted Owen to be this:

but he wouldn't keep the beard on, so he was this:

Such a little cutie pie isn't he? We went to the Del Sol Halloween Party and there were a bunch of other little kids there. This little lady Tay was loving the Elmo costume. Just following him and hugging the head of the costume. It was so cute. I guess he knew what he was doing when he picked this costume out. He's already got a way with the ladies.

That night we took Owen trick or treating. I was probably more into it than he was. Chris and Kent (Tyler's parents) were totally laughing at how excited I'd get to go to the door or how even more excited I would get to answer the door and hand out candy. But really... isn't Halloween such a fun holiday?

A few things that I would call opposite of highlights that happend in Utah.

We took Owen to his heart doctor and found out that he will in fact need surgery. We are going to head back to Utah in December to get it done. Rough thinking about our little man laying on an operating table but we keep thinking how grateful we are that it's a problem that can be fixed. Keep is in your prayers and we'll keep everyone updated.

Poor Owen had a rough week. On Halloween night he and Tyler were wrestling on the bed and Tyler tossed him onto the bed and Owen's arm landed underneath him and this happened:

When we took him to the instacare we were thinking maybe it was just sprained, we walked into the place and Owen saw some fish across the room, he started running, tripped and landed right on the arm that was already hurt. Poor little guy... ended up with two little buckle fractures and has to wear a little cast for the next few weeks.
Side Note: When we took Owen to get the actual cast on here in Florida, we sat in the doctor office for FOUR HOURS. Not exaggerating. We were in the waiting room for two and a half hours and in the room waiting for the cast for an hour and a half.  Some other guy that was there for his child came up to us after we'd been there for two hours and said that it was like that every time he had been to that office
F
O
U
R

H
O

U

R
S

Sooooo long... way too long to be waiting with your one year old.

Anyway, that was a quick synopsis of our Utah trip. I didn't get to see half of the friends I wanted to see while in town or do half of the things I wanted to do but it was still a fantastic trip. We'll just need to stay longer next time we go.

Getting our Fall On

You know how in Florida it's like a million degrees, even now? Well, I was really craving me some fall weather and some Halloween festivities. Luckily, we had a little trip planned out to Utah this week... perfect timing to get our fall fill.
This weekend we were super lazy and just hung out, played trains and cars and spent some time with family.

Cars with Grandpa. Cute.

Loves his Uncle Derek

Oh and took a ride up the canyon. I couldn't wait to get up in the mountains and take a hike but... not feeling up to hiking right now (our soon to be addition really hates me to do much other than lay around and hug the toilet), we just drove up the canyon and visited some family up there. It was perfect.

Now as I've mentioned before my mom is so super into holidays. Halloween is no exception. Last night she threw a Halloween bash for the grandkids. It was fantastic. It was filled with all things Halloween.

Such as:

Halloween Sherades. Hannah being a spider

Halloween Toy Toss. The kids let Owen cross the line to toss it in. Unfair advantage.

Bobbing for worms in whipping cream (mmmm... yummy)

Pin the nose on the pumpkin

Halloween Cake Walk (for prizes, not cake)

We played all games for prizes. This was Owen's prize bucket. Don't worry, everyone's prize bucket looked like this. In my mom's world, nobody ever loses. Everyone wins and to be fair, everyone wins the same prizes.

Could this lady be any more fun? Really... such a fun grandma.

Off to such a great Halloween start. Luckily we are here for another week and a half so we'll get plenty more Halloween fun in. YAY for Utah in the Fall!

Mmmmmm... Cruisin the Ft. Lauderdale Canals

When I was little, we'd go to Lake Powell every year with my aunt and uncle. We camped out in the red sand and played in the water for a week straight. At the time we didn't have a boat but our Uncle John and Aunt Debbie did... we loved that boat. I remember sitting on it listening to Bruce Hornsby for hours on end. When I was seven years old, I got out on the waterskis for the first time. It totally clicked. I loved it from the second I got up on those things.

Right before tenth grade my parents decided to invest in their own boat. Best purchase ever! We were so excited (Except for my poor older brother Brandon who had just left on a mission, bad timing for him). Looking back it feels like we spent every weekend on that boat. We listened to mixed tapes and waterskied the days away. Since those days I always swore I would have a boat when I was older and married so that my kids could enjoy that same thing. Well, when Tyler and I were dating, I mentioned that to him and his response...  "I will never own a boat, you are always putting money into them and I would rather put my money elsewhere". So sad for me and our future children.

This past month, Tyler ate his words.

We are now the proud new owners of a little 17 footer. We have yet to name her but she is a beauty.   We took our first ride this past weekend and it was bliss...

Working on the boat... look at those sexy mechanics

Me, Mel and the kids loving it

 

Love these boys. P.S. Owen is a natural on the boat. Loves it.

Landon (The Captain)

It was windy. Oh and look how happy his little face is. See... bliss!

The Johns

Unfortunately, but for very good reason I won't be doing much skiing at least  for another seven months or so because of the little peanut growing inside my belly. Yes, that's right people, there is something else that starts with the letter B that's going to be new to the Rhode's family. It's name right now is baby, I'm sure we'll come up with something more original than that by the time he/she comes along.

Suggestions for names for both boat and baby are welcome.

Who Indeed?

A few days before Tyler's Birthday I went to get a card for him. I  love looking at cards. I could spend hours standing in the card aisle reading and reading... or wait... is it that I have such a hard time finding a good card that I end up spending hours looking for one that I could give to someone and actually feel good about it? Either way, this day, Owen and I were in Target and I had been looking for the perfect card for my perfect husband for-EVER. Owen was sitting patiently in the stroller next to me (really... shocker right?), when out of the blue I heard this. I shrug it off thinking that someone must just really love annoying early 2000 singles hits as their ringtone but then I heard it again and again... I look to see where it is coming from and lo and behold, it's coming from my child. Not that he was singing it, the card he was holding and loving was singing it every time he opened it up. I decide it's probably as good a card as any since Owen picked it out for his dad and we were on our way.

Fast forward a month... this card has been the most fantastic (or annoying?) birthday card ever. Owen walks around with it constantly, openeing and closing it, dancing to it. So cute. He totally knew what he was doing when he picked it out.

Please excuse  the messy house and the annoying voice in the background.

In other Owen news, a few new things he is doing.
1. He loves shoes. He goes in to our room, digs out my shoes and brings them to me and Tyler and wants us to put them on and walk around the house in them. He also loves wearing my shoes. He's constantly walking around in heels. (Should I not admit that my son prefers heels?)
2. He loves a clean house. Even if it's food he's dropped on the floor, he points to it and yells yuck until you wipe it up. He also loves pushing around the broom and the swiffer or bringing them to me and having me hold him while I push around the broom or the swiffer.

3. He loves kicking, throwing and catching balls. He loves running through the house kicking his soccer ball and he is just figuring out how to catch the ball when you throw it to him.
4. He loves trucks. He loves standing at the window looking out when the garbage or recycling truck come down the street. He'll also points out every truck we pass when we're driving "Mommy, truck, mommy, truck, mommy truck" until you look at what he is pointing at. So cute.

5. He loves boats, we actually purchased one (I promise to write a post about it soon) a couple weeks ago. It's parked in our front yard and every day, all day he comes to me and Tyler saying "Outside, boat, outside, boat". He likes to go sit in it and act as though he's driving it around. We can't wait to get him his own little captain's hat. 

6. He loves to read. A few times we haven't been able to hear him and we'll go look in his room and his sitting in the rocking chair by himself, reading a book. So cute.

7. Some things that he loves doing that mom and dad maybe don't love so much... putting food on his head to get a laugh, throwing food, either to get a laugh or just because he loves to throw things and taking off his pants... he hates wearing pants. Also, we've started seeing a bit of a stubborn side. This boy knows what he wants and is bound and determined to get it.

It's so fun to see all of the new things he is constantly doing. I have no idea what Tyler and I did for entertainment before he came along. He is the perfect addition to our little family. We just LOVE this little dude!

A Clown Ballerina? Is there such a thing?

It's nearing the end of Septmeber, which means the start of fall and the beginning of the Halloween season. YAY! I love Halloween so much. I have so many great memories of Halloween. When we were little, some people in our ward would have a giant Halloween party at their farm every year. They would have a scary movie playing in the barn, a hayride for the little kiddos, a warm fire, hot cider, the works.  I also have memories of my cousins who lived up Brighton canyon coming to our house every year to go trick or treating with us. As we got older and didn't trick or treat any longer my mom made it a tradition to have Chili, breadsticks and donuts at her house every Halloween for whoever wanted  to stop by. I love love love Halloween!
Even though it won't be the same Utah Halloween I'm used to (crisp fall air, leaves changing colors, the annual Halloween parties) I'm determined to not to let the sweletering Florida heat fool me into thinking Halloween isn't just around the corner. I've started thinking of costume ideas for Owen (suggestions welcome). I'm coming up with nothing. Am I horrible mother? The poor little dude isn't even two and I've already run out of fun Halloween ideas. I thought of sticking him in his costume from last year again but as you can see from the second picture, he doesn't really care for mustard. (Tyler's joke... need to give credit where credit is due)

Anyway, I decided to go back to some of my pictures from past halloweens to see if it would conjure up any creativity on my part. Mostly it just conjured up tears of laughter about what I thought were great halloween costumes at one time. Like this one:

I wanted to be a ballerina, my best friend April was going to be a clown. Can you tell that my mom did both my makeup and April's makeup? Maybe she thought deep down I wanted to be a clown too. It's ok mom, I think it's hilarious and I must have not known it was embarassing at the time.

Or this one:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At our church they asked everyone to be something from the past. I thought it was a great idea to be the Pinta. You know the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria? Weird.  Do you see the shirt under the boat? It's a clock. I thought it was super clever to wear something that was representing "turning back time".

Or this one:

I honestly don't even have an explantation for this one. I don't remember what I was thinking but it was probably something along the lines of "I know I'm too old to be trick or treating and I don't have a costume but maybe if I draw polka dots on my face, stuff my outfit with pillows and throw on a red wig, I can trick neighbors into giving me some candy."

Anwyay, like I was saying,  I love halloween, there is nothing more fun than going to a haunted house with the man you love and cuddling up close when the chain saw guy is coming at you or eating chili and donuts on halloween night (Tyler thinks chili and donuts are a weird combo but to me that's halloween. Yummy) or getting lost in corn mazes or eating candy corn or seeing my mom dressed up for Halloween even if she isn't going anywhere the whole day. Plus, I love fall, it might be my favorite season. Could you Utah friends please mail me some leaves that have changed color? I need me some crisp fall air and something other than green trees!

Ok, so as I writing this blog post Tyler came up with the best idea... he wants the few of you who read this blog to email me a picture of your most ridiculous or your funniest Halloween costumes from the past. My email is: brittersport@gmail.com. If it's ok with the people who do send them, I'll do a post ranking our favorites. If only one person sends me their picture, then I guess you'll automatically win. For you more timid folks, you can just leave a comment about your funniest costume. I would just love to hear that there are others out there who wore humiliating costumes in their pasts as well. The winner will receive halloween peeps, unless of course you hate peeps in which case I'll send you the halloween candy of your choice. Please send some pictures in... Tyler and I need some entertainment!

YAY for the Brandon and Sarah Cushing Family- The Conclusion

Saturday, Sunday and Monday:

After our exhausting day at Disney, we woke up Saturday morning and decided to relax and play by the pool at the hotel before heading over to Downtown Disney:

Ok, so the kids didn't relax at the pool, they spent their time working hard at dunking their dad for the hour or so we were there. The hard work paid off. They totally succeeded.
Then to Downtown Disney:

Can you believe that whole dragon is made out of legos? So intense. Who has the time to build something like that?

Yep, Woody is made out of legos too. There was also a whole family of tourists and with dogs built out of legos. I was so bummed I didn't get a picture of it. Oh well. You should probably go and see it yourself. Totally worth it.

At home Owen loves to pull out the oven mitts, put them on and run around the house with them on. We found these Dinasour puppets that fit over his hands in the Disney store and he was chasing everyone in the store trying to scare them. Pure entertainment.

After shopping for a little while the kiddos found the souveniers they wanted and we got in the car to make the ride home. I lost my book somewhere along the way and my sweet husband pulled into a rest stop and spent a good ten minutes looking everywhere in the car for it.  In the end,  we found it under my seat. Oops. He was mad...

Doesn't he fake a really good mad face? What a talented guy I married... such an actor.

We got home around 6:45 that night and Brandon, Sarah and kids really wanted to hit the beach one more time before they left back to Utah so we quickly changed, jumped in the car and headed down to the beach for a swim. We were too busy swimming to get any pictures. Bummer...

One thing so weird about the beach that night... we get done swimming and we go to rinse off all of the sand and this family of five was at the showers totally showering, not rinsing off, full on showering with shampoo, conditioner and soap.  Also, the dad had hair cutting shears. Isn't that so weird? Cutting hair and then showering in the beach shower. Not ok.

Something so sweet... while we were at the beach Camron was looking for shells most of the time. When we got home he asked for some string, I didn't have any but told him I had some wrapping paper ribbon he could use. I had no idea what he was using it for when about ten minutes later he came out with a necklace for me and Tyler that he had made out of the shells and the ribbon. We loved them. Such a great gift. Thank Cam!

Sunday was Brandon and Sarah's anniversay so they took an anniversary drive to get some donuts:

 

Don't be mad at me for posting you guys eating donuts ok? They are the only pics I have of your anniversary date!

They also came back from their anniversary drive with a gift for my house. A new swiffer mop! YAY for anniversaries! Who goes out for their anniversary and comes back with a gift for their sister? Brandon and Sarah do. Man... what did I ever do without a swiffer? They are so much nicer than a mop and bucket. Anway, thanks guys! Happy Anniversary.

We hit up church and then relaxed the rest of the afternoon. That night we decided to take a walk down the riverwalk and jump on a water taxi to check out some of Ft. Lauderdale from the water.

Wow, are we bad parents? Letting our child suck on a hand rail in a water taxi? Probably not the most sanitary item for him to chew on.

Tyler and I love the water taxi but realized that it may be more of an enjoyment for the adults. The kids weren't super into it until we make a stop and saw these:

Can you see those? They are called Tarpon and they are huge. The kids loved this part of the night.

We got home and crashed. We had such a fun busy week and were so not looking forward to the Brandon and Sarah Cushing family leaving us the next day.

Monday morning we got up and said our goodbyes. Such a sad day for us:

One thing I forgot to mention in my first post is that when we picked Brandon and Sarah up from the airport, they came out with only THREE carry on bags for luggage. That's it, for a family of six. Can you believe that? I take more bags than that for just me and Owen. I was super impressed.

Good bye Brandon, Sarah and kids! We miss you already!