Wow, did the entire Summer just fly by or what? This past week ushered in the official start of Fall, which meant nothing to us when we were living in Arizona. Or any other place that we've lived recently. But now, that means the best part of living here has arrived! The leaves are starting to change, the temperature is slowly dropping, pumpkins are starting to sprout up at the stores, etc. Having the four distinctive seasons will be something that we will enjoy experiencing for the time that we are here. Not to mention there's about a gazillion more things for little b to do here during three out of the four seasons. And we won't talk about that "one" season just yet. We're looking forward to authentic hayrides and orchard picking and REAL pumpkin patches. So, to officially say our good-byes to a wonderful Summer - and a very adventuresome one at that - here's a few photos of little b enjoying the last bit of greenery outside. 
SO LONG SUMMER!
FINALLY! THE WAIT IS OVER!
Set your DVR's, turn off your phones and free up your schedules - because THE OFFICE is back tonight! 
A SIGN IT MAY BE TIME FOR A "BIG BOY" BED
As usual, I plopped little b down for his afternoon nap. Nothing out of the ordinary. I tucked him in, gave him a book (for some reason he likes to read himself to sleep - don't we all?), and walked out. I heard him talking in the room for about 5 minutes, which is normal. And then it went silent for about an hour. Then, on cue, he started to call out for me to come and get him. As I opened the door, I instantly felt like something was different about the room. I picked him up and headed out of the room, when my foot felt a wet spot on the carpet. I knew exactly what it was. It was then that I looked down and noticed that he had taken out about half of his books from the bookshelf. I was SURE that I didn't leave the room like that. I checked inside his bed to see if it was wet and I discovered a picture frame (of none other than yours truly) inside. Ha! I had figured out the mystery. For those of you that don't know - little b sleeps in a playpen (because he could climb out of the crib at 12 months) so he won't hurt himself climbing out. With one fell swoop he whips his long legs up on the rail and voila' he's out! I laughed out loud because I knew what he had done. He climbed out of his playpen to read some books and of course, he somehow leaked on the carpet and then had the rational thinking to actually climb back IN and take a nap! What are we going to do? :) More to come - stay tuned!
LITTLE b-ISMS
I love reading about the funny things kids say. And with that - here's a shout out to little Lexi, because frankly, she has some of the best kid-isms I've heard. Like the time she called me a liar. Or when she went around telling people her dad worked at the "gyn clinic." Oh, I have many, many more. But I'll have to get special permission to post those. I hope Tandy doesn't mind me posting these, but I just think they are too cute not to. Here are a few recent ones:
"Mommy, how old did Brian turn?" - Lexi (To which I gave the real answer) "WHOA, 3_??!! Wow, Daddy, that's older than you!!" - Lexi
"Is she still fat?" - Alexa about Aunt K. "Um, ya... she's pregnant, remember?" - Mommy "Oh, ya... I forgot!" - Lexi
A conversation at the dinner table:
"If we made a movie about this, do you think anyone would watch it??" - Daddy
"They might be grateful..." - Mommy
"Would it be a comedy or a horror movie?" - Daddy
"It would be a HORRIBLE movie!" - Lexi
We just stopped there and laughed... and laughed!
Ahh...little Lexi. She is always so entertaining. Well, I figured that it would be years until little b could be on par with the kid-isms, but that day has arrived!
Here's the little b-ism of the day:
#1. We were shopping at a store similar to a super Wal-Mart. I headed over to the frozen section and little b and Bri were following behind. They cut through the clothing section, specifically the womens undergarments, to find me. As they were walking they passed an advertisement of a woman modeling the said clothing, while propped up on a pillow, on a bed. Well, little b sees it and points to the poster to which he exclaimed in his little innocent voice, "Nigh, Nigh!" Bri couldn't help but bust out laughing and then of course, had to tell him that he was in fact correct. Oh boy.
Okay, now let's hear your stories folks! We can always use a good laugh!
WATERMELON TEARS!
It all started when little b was about 7 months old and we gave him his first taste of watermelon. "Oh what a tangled web we weave!" He's got a bad case of watermelon addiction. He can go days without eating a good solid meal - because he is only interested in eating you know what. His face lights up every time you even mention the word. The funny thing is that whenever he is eating it, he gets completely silent. We call this his "watermelon zone." He doesn't laugh, talk, peep, smile, or grimace. He just stuffs and stuffs his mouth until he's bursting at the seams. It's ALL BUSINESS when it comes to his one-on-one watermelon time.
So, the other day when we went to the grocery store we were shocked to find out that our precious little red, juicy, bowling ball of goodness, was not in stock. Duh! Summer is almost over and Fall is just around the corner. Sure, there are still the mini watermelons, but you have no idea how many of those we'd have to buy to appease our watermelon monster. We have to buy at least one to two big watermelons a week - and Bri and I don't even eat any of it! We are getting a little nervous at the thought of him asking for it and not being able to explain the nature of crop seasons and all. So, what are we to do? Any suggestions? I guess if all else fails, we'll have to ween him off of it. Oh the thought. I can already see the tears. 
LIGHTS OUT!
Well, we actually have a good excuse for being M.I.A. this past week! The strangest thing happened. Hurricane Ike decided to pay us a visit last Sunday! I was getting ready for church when I heard a loud "whooshing" noise outside. I peaked out to see that the wind was starting to pick up, but thought nothing of it. It wasn't until we were halfway through church when the wind started to really howl. Everyone was glued to the windows, as construction signs/machines, branches and leaves flew across the parking lot. Our friend's windshield actually got smashed by some flying debris. When the lights in the church started to flicker, you could tell people started to get a little worried.
On our way home, we saw that there were HUGE trees scattered everywhere across the roads. When we got home, we discovered our power had gone out. Not to mention that most of the houses and the apartment roofs were loosing shingles and siding was flying off! And seeing as the winds were not slowing down, our friends, who live a few streets down, invited us to come over, in case there were tornado warnings (they have a huge basement). Soon after, another group of friends came over because power lines were down in front of their house. Stuck in the dark and starting to get hungry, we realized that we'd better start eating everything out of the refrigerator/freezer before it went bad. Brian busted out the BBQ and we stuffed ourselves and made a party out of the situation. But, soon the sky started to become cloudy and eventually the rains came. And so did the darkness. Little did we all know that for the next THREE days we would be living by candlelight. And ice. And car chargers. And radios. And showers by flashlight.
By the end of the second day, we were getting a little worried that the electricity would never be restored because the news said it could take up to a week. Ironically, they sent out our electric company crews to Texas to work on the damage there! My folks in Texas had their power on before we did - go figure! There was a glimpse of hope the second day, when the lights came on for about 45 minutes, only to loose power again!
At about 1:30am the morning the power returned, I was tossing and turning trying to figure out what time it was (Bri was at the hospital). Then, as if a bright ray from Heaven came beaming down on us - poof! Practically every light in the house turned on. *SIGH* I quickly jumped up and turned the lights off and peaked out the window to see the rest of the neighborhood lit up. What a relief!
Anyhow, to make a now, long story even longer - we made due and had fun playing camp out. But oh how I missed our sweet, sweet electricity. Don't get me wrong - I never took it for granted, but I appreciate it even more. Any longer and we'd have to start filming an episode of Man vs. Wild. Just kidding. Seriously, if you've ever lived in Hawaii, then you can live with anything! For you non-locals, you just wouldn't understand until you actually lived there. If you've ever seen Bri's college frat house aka "the Rock", you'd understand.
I told Bri that the Amish people deserved to laugh at us trying to make it through three short days. I admire them, but I'm not ready to give up my modern conveniences necessities anytime soon!
WE'RE STILL HERE!
I'm starting to become one of those slacker-blogger types I complain about. I'm always telling Brian how I wish so-and-so updated more often and wonder why some people always post in spurts. Well, let's call it like we see it folks - HERE I AM! Life happens and then blogging priorities quickly make its way down our to-do list. Never fear, though - we are back in the saddle and we're going to try to stay on top of things. Whether that means one post a week or a month - we shall see! So, without further adieu, here goes another catching up post!
August was a great month here in Ohio. Lots of humidity, sun, mosquitoes, swimming and hanging out with friends. The daily dialogue went something like this: "It is so hot and muggy here. Turn up the AC! Blasted frizzy hair! (After 20 min of playing on the playground with Brighton, Brian says) Let's go - I'm sweating. And plus Brighton's face is red." Followed by more sweating and complaining...
Be careful what you wish for! Today's morning news reported that by mid week the lows would be in the 40's! 40's? Arizona's lowest of lows isn't even that cold in the middle of January! Oh man, what did I sign up for?! Sure, it's no Siberia, but heck, the coldest place I've ever lived in was Texas. Sounds like an adventure to me! Well, as one girl here put it (which I though was so profound) "At least you'll have fun buying cute sweaters and jackets!" Oh...yeah!
Anyhow, enough with the jabbering. Here's the update:
Brian is still working and is loving it. His hours aren't as intense as Arizona, but the work is - in fact even more so. I won't bore you with the gross details, so you can ask him about any exciting stuff he's run into lately. And trust me, he's got some VERY interesting ones.
He also recently got called as a senior nursery assistant. Hee, hee. Gotta love that one!
As for me, I got called to be the Laurels advisor AND the ward photographer. How ironic is that? So, that's kept me very busy lately. Not to mention young. My head is spinning trying to keep track of what's "cool" these days. I'm still having fun with li'l b and doing the photography here and there. And still trying to get this place settled and somewhat esthetically pleasing. It's no IKEA showroom, but it'll do for the next three years at least!
Brighton is running around like that road runner from the Looney Tunes cartoon. He likes playing his piano and dancing, doing somersaults, jumping off furniture, eating watermelon and reading books. He does this routine pretty much every day! And the three words I hear constantly around the house are: "this!" "uh-eye!" and "Jesus!" He's finally learning his alphabet - slow start - but we're getting there! Last week he learned the letter B! Ahh...the life of a toddler. Eat. Play. Poop.
Here's a visual recap of last week:
Brighton reading his favorite magazine -
We decided to take a stroll in the park one afternoon. Brighton assumed the fountain was a big bathtub and tried to climb in.
Then he and Brian ran around for a bit. His little legs move faster than he can handle and he fell into a huge puddle of mud. As you can tell from this picture he is taking after me. Of course, Brian can't wait for all of the mud and bugs that come with being a boy.
And as usual, our adventure ended with a nice long bath. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of his boy adventures to come!
ABC's of ME.
Okay, so my friend Mindy Lou "tagged" me. I've been reading everyone's blogs sporadically because frankly, as you can tell from my lack of blogging, that we've been completely swamped over here. But, I told her I'd do this so here goes... Oh and for the "older" folks - and you know who I'm talking about - a "tag" is like a getting-to-know-you form of some sort that the sender fills out about themselves and then forwards it on to someone else, then that person fills it out about and sends it out and so on and so forth. You follow? Anyhow, here goes:
ABC's "getting to know you"
TAG ABC's of you. Each player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
A- Attached or single: Married. Brighton's the one who's "attached" to Brian.
B- Best Friend: You know who you are! BFF!
C-Cake or Pie: Chocolate.
D-Day: Saturday
E- Essential Item(s): pre-Brighton days: debit card, a fruit smoothie and a mall. Now: diapers. wipes. goldfish. dog kennel.
F- Favorite Color: White (yes, even with Brighton around)
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Da Bears.
H-Home town: Even though we won't be living there - Hawai`i is my home!
I- Indulgences: Shopping. Eating Desserts. Repeat.
J- January or July?: Two great months! I'll pick January for li'l b.
K-Kids: 1 awesome little b. he's like 3 kids in 1! I definitely got my money's worth!
L-Life is incomplete without: Oxygen. Oh, you wanted a sappy answer? Love. Aww...
M- Marriage Date: July 18
N- Number of Siblings: 3 bruddahs
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples. Um hello, my maiden name?
P- Phobias or Fears: Public door handles, bathrooms, buffet utensils (come on people, think about it!), hotel rooms, those nasty indoor play areas, restaurant menus - oh I could go on and on. No really.
Q- Quote: "You're a liar Collette." -Lexi, age 2. This was her response after I told her I didn't know where Shamoo lived (when two minutes earlier I asked her about seeing him at Sea World). Ha! Take that! She is still the "smartest" little girl I know. I love Lexi-isms.
R- Reason To Smile: 1.024 days until we are done with residency, but who's counting?!
S- Season: Summer, of course! Who doesn't like baking in high UV sunlight in the middle of an Arizona Summer when the temps are nearing 118 and your car is so hot you can't even touch the steering wheel (and that's WITH the sun visor on)?!
T- Tag Three: Tandy, Emily, Amy (H&A) - Ooo this is going to be good - can't wait!
U- Unknown fact about me: In school I loved writing reports, making posters, giving presentations and doing stoichiometry. Today, I can't even remember what I did yesterday.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Well, I did just eat ribs the other night, but on the other hand, I do eat a lot of chocolate and since it does come from a bean...
W- Worst Habit: Making sure that the faucets don't have any water spots on them. Thanks Elsa!
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I like the dentist x-rays - especially after the dentist shows you your impacted wisdom teeth and keeps bugging you to pull them out.
Y-Your favorite food: Chocolate Chip Calzones (from CJ), Pazookies (from BJ's), Strawberry Shortcake (from CF), Nielsen's Frozen Custard, etc. We are making our future home plans based around these restaurants. :) You think I'm joking, don't you?!
Z: Zodiac Sign: Are we back in the 60's or what? In today's world, the question seems to be either what's your blog address or if I'm on Facebook yet.
So, there you have it. Some completely random and useless facts about me. Don't you feel enlightened? Well, enough about me - I'll be back soon with some updates and photos!
