Halloween 2008

Tyson and Elise were quite the duo with their Pebbles and Bam Bam ensemble. Tyson couldn't get enough of going door to door saying "trick or treat" and then in exchange getting a handful of free candy. The only hang up was when one of our neighbors decided to dress up for the occasion in a ghoulish costume with some make-up and a wig. Tyson's eyes grew wide with horror, but he was able to overcome his fear and ended up taking the candy from the man's outstretched hand. Thanks to Grammy Salmon for supplying us with the adorable costumes!

Community Fall Festival

Tyson and Elise enjoyed attending the fall festival in the Islands over the weekend. Tyson got to get up close and personal with some farm animals in the petting zoo. Elise just enjoyed taking it all in, and getting special attention for the cute bow her Aunt Heather made for her.

All Dressed Up for Church

Elise and Tyson decked out in their Sunday best!

Tyson's 2nd Birthday

Tyson has now officially reached his second birthday. There were days when I wondered whether I would let him survive to this point, but we somehow made it! He definitely understood more of what was going on this year and it was fun to watch him get excited about opening presents and blowing out the candle on his birthday cake. I also came to the conclusion that the amount of work and stress that goes into the party is all up to me. My theme this year was to "simplify." His dinosaur cake was of minimal time and effort, and the meal plan was all decided upon by the amount of time in preparation. My parents kindly volunteered to let us use their bouncy castle to entertain the kids, and I put Brad in charge of setting up the pinata for the little ones. I feel that this years' party was a success merely due to the fact that my stress level this year was cut down at least by half in relation to Tyson's last birthday party. Brad and I got a little ahead of ourselves in excitement of our growing boy, and gave him a bike that is a little too big for him at this point. Oh well...live and learn. We are so grateful for Tyson and all he adds to our family. He is truly a joy!

Trip to the Farm

We had fun spending the afternoon with Grammy, Aunt Tiffany and the Hulme cousins at the Farm in Gilbert. There were animals to pet, straw hay mazes to get through, and pumpkins to decorate. Tyson had a lot of fun, and was not too happy about having to leave. It is pretty amazing to find a fairly large farm still in existence in the middle of a large city. All Tyson could talk about in the days following was the pumpkin patch and all the things he did while there!

Salt Lake Trip

We enjoyed visiting family and friends this past weekend in Salt Lake City and Provo. Great Grandma and Grandpa Miner got to see their first great-grand daughter and Brad and I enjoyed a trip out with Grandpa Miner to This is the Place Monument. It was quite cold on our trip up there, and Tyson was able to see his first snow. It was a little rough going from 90 plus degrees down in Arizona, to the 40's and 50's in Utah. I had fun making some winter caps for the kids during general conference, and both Elise and Tyson were able to put them to good use while up in Utah. We took family pictures in Provo with the Miner fam, and Elise and I were making trips back and forth between the outside and the car to defrost. We also had a lot of fun visiting with members of the ole' Provo Towne Center Wells Fargo co-workers. Although we had to stand around the barbecue grill to keep warm, it ended up being lots of fun. Tyson and Elise got to spend the afternoon with their Aunt Taryn and Aunt Syrell while Brad attended the BYU homecoming game. Tyson had a blast going through the Monte Bean Museum to see the stuffed animals. The kids did surprisingly well throughout the trip with sleeping and everything, but the plane ride home ended up being a total disaster. Oh well! You win some, you lose some!

Elise's Baby Blessing

We had such a special day with family and friends on Sunday for Elise's blessing. It was fun getting her all dressed up in white and getting to use Grammie's headband and Aunt Taryn's bracelet to complete the outfit. She looked truly angelic and was such a good baby throughout the day.

Tyson is getting to be such a good helper and loves to dote on his baby sister. Just the other day I walked in to find the baby had on one of my headbands that Tyson had decided she should wear. Elise is just starting to smile and coo, and I tried my best to capture some of those smiles on camera.