Dear Love,

 Hey babe, it's your wife here.  Just thought I'd post what's been going on at the home front the last few weeks.  I've slacked off on the "Dear Dad" installments, so I am going to try to make up for it now.  

So basically, you missed this awesome dinner.  Homemade chicken pot pie with puff pastry.  You see how I made that puff pastry into a lattice?  That's like at the level of Martha Stewart.  

Your boys are still cute as ever.  Vessel loves school so much and always comes home happy and excited to share the new things he's learned that day.  I am impressed with his teacher and I think she is doing an excellent job.  I am also excited that Vessel has started to bring home chapter books from the library instead of picture books.  He's growing up! 

Jacob wanted to show off his favorite toys of the day.  His green ring, Wallace, yellow beanbag, Tigey, and a gun created out of Trio blocks.  As you can see, he got his photogenic skills from you.  

We really needed to get out of the house one night so we took a trip into the city to get the best ice cream in Portland.  On our drive there it was pouring rain, and then the clouds opened up in the west and the sun came through and caused a beautiful rainbow to appear overhead.  The kids were so impressed with it!  It was an incredibly beautiful sky.  If I wasn't driving at the time, I would've taken a picture of it for you.  I love walking down 23rd in Portland.  The kids and I had a good time checking out the various shops as we walked to Salt & Straw.  I got 4 compliments about how cute and well behaved our kids were.  That made my night.  Well, the ice cream flavors are what really made my night.

Jacob is always the last to go to sleep at night.  I can hear him talking or singing to himself, moving around on his bed organizing his toys and blankets, and tapping the wall with his foot.  When I came in to check on him a few nights ago, I saw that he adjusted his stuffed toys to hang above him from the upper bunk.  He refers to his four stuffed animals as his "beebees" and has named them all.  Tigey, Wallace, George, and Scout.    

We had a few warm days with blue sky, so we took advantage of the weather by taking a walk.   

And we stumbled upon a new playground we had never been to before.  

We admire this house every time we walk by it.  

The kids love to draw with sidewalk chalk when it's nice outside.  

Jacob is becoming quite the artist. 

 Vessel and our neighbor, Jacy found a fuzzy black and orange caterpillar when they got off the bus after school.  I gave them a jar to put it in, and they agreed that they would share the pet and take turns keeping it at their houses.  Unfortunately the little creature died after 2 days.   

 The boys and I jazzed up the living room with fun Halloween decorations.  

 Jacob and Haven's favorite pastime as of late, is building guns with the Trio blocks.  I don't know if it just something these boys inherently know how to do, or what.  I sure didn't teach them.  But they enjoy building guns and then shooting the "bad guys."  Jacob says he wants a real gun for Christmas.  Aye!

Toddlers gone wild!

 There was a week that it rained for about 4 days straight.  I think this must've flooded the ants so they've been seeking refuge in our house.  We've had quite the ant problem ever since. 

 We went to the Barnes & Noble to look for some new books and ended up in the toy section.  Check out this "Meowsic" keyboard. 
 

 I got to be totally crafty and make lots of awesome projects at Super Saturday, including this fall wreath.  I posted the other projects here. 

Look at these boys.  Aren't they so cute that you could absolutely roll over and die?  They look so spiffy right before church.

As cute as he his, this little guy always needs a nice nap before church in order to maintain my sanity during sacrament meeting.   

And no nap days means Haven is completely worn out by 6pm. 

 Jacob is our most destructive child, just FYI. 

This is what I sweep up after the kids after one day. 

 I finally got around to letting Jacob paint the piggy bank he got for Easter.  He loves to draw and paint lately. 

 

Here is the finished product.  He wanted me to paint his name on it, so I did.  I also added the eyes and nose holes.  It's a pretty colorful pig, am I right?

And that's about it!  We miss you everyday and can't wait until we can all be together again!