Festivals

The last two weekends we've gone to two very important festivals.

First, Train Fest!

O loved Train Fest. We drove to Jackson, LA, about 45 minutes away, and spent the morning checking out all the neat model train layouts the Baton Rouge Model Train Society had on display.

They had every size you could think of. From Z scale, where the whole layout fit inside a suitcase, to O scale outside. We even got to see them refill the steam engine outside so O could see how it works.

We met one of O's friends there that also loves trains and had a great time!

I think this garden layout was O's favorite. It had a trolley running up above and he loved it!

That night we tried on his ghost costume to see how it fit and he wanted to wear it all night.

The next weekend we had our Ward Fall Festival.

Mike was sick and I had spent the day helping set up, so we were a little tired by the time we got there, but we all had a great time!

O was such a cute ghost! He loved going around to each of the carnival games and then thought the trunk-or-treat was awesome. He's so cute when he says, "Trunk-or-treat!" He's also getting better at putting his hands up and saying "Boo!"

I made this bean bag toss and I think it turned out alright! :)

O and I have also been feeling a little crafty.

We decided we needed some Halloween decorations, so we made some...

The third eye was O's idea and I think it was perfect!

I've been wanting to make a wreath and we had a crafting Relief Society activity the other night, so I took advantage of the time and whipped this up. I like how simple it is. :)

Now we're just getting ready to go meet our sweet new niece and see everyone over the holidays!

O's First Pet

While we were outside playing this week O found a new friend.

He was suctioned to the side of our shed in the back, so we pulled him off and brought him in.

I got a plate and put some water on it and our friend very slowly emerged.

O loved it!

He watched him a talked to him all day!

Here he is:

He's a tiny little guy and O named him "Snail."
He would say, "Let me take your picture, Snail." "Are you scared, Snail?" "Do you like having your picture taken, Snail?" It was so cute!
We got him a couple leaves to eat and the next time I turned around O had covered him with the leaves. "He's sleepy," he said. What a sweetie.
After we showed Dad that night, he and O went out and set him free. Now we visit him by the shed sometimes.

A couple weeks ago Mom wanted me to pick out a new dress as an early birthday present. I was so excited! We found a new company that we love called Lindy Bop, you should check them out!
The only drawback was that they're in Europe, so shipping took awhile, and then conference came so I had to wait another week. I finally got to wear it to church this week and I love it! Thanks Mom, you're the best! O said, "Mama looks pretty!" He was looking pretty handsome himself! :)

Little Boy Blue and Miss Crafty

For about a month now we've been meaning to get O a real bed. He's been sleeping on a twin size air mattress in his room, which has actually worked out perfect since he can't really fall off of it. Last week we got pretty serious about it though. Mike was mentioning this to his horn student's mom and she said they had just gotten her son a bigger bed and his old bed was in great condition still and we could have it if we wanted it. They even brought it to us! Such a blessing! They are such kind people!

Here's O's new bed.

 He climbed right in it when we got it set up and told us he loved it.

Being the quintessential first-time parents that we are, we of course decided that he would probably fall out and get a concussion on the tile floor within the first few nights or fall into the space next to the wall and get stuck in the middle of the night. So, we stuffed his little air mattress down the space by the wall and put our queen size air mattress on the floor. It looked kind of like a bounce house in his room for about a week. After he made it that long without even almost falling out of bed we put the big air mattress away and just put blankets there now, so he'll only get a mild concussion if falls out of bed, right?

Wednesday I put him down for a nap and then heard some noises coming from his room. I waited a little while and then it went silent, so I quietly checked in on him and found an empty bed...

Where's Little Boy Blue?

On the air mattress by his toys, fast asleep. :)

Meanwhile, I've still been feeling pretty crafty, so I pulled out my necklace bag.

Back story: When I was a senior our family went on a California Trip for my senior year. We started in San Francisco and then headed up the coast and ended at Aunt Tauna and Uncle Steve's house in Palo Cedro. It was such a great trip, one of my favorites!

On the way up the coast we stopped in Trinidad and went into some shops. At one of the shops I bought some shells to make a necklace out of. They came in this bag, which has traveled everywhere with me since then. I never got around to making the necklace. A couple years ago I decided I was going to do it before we moved, so I bought some string and clasps and added them to the bag.

I finally pulled this bag out and sat down to make the necklace.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I wore it to church on Sunday, but forgot to take a picture while I was wearing it, but here's the picture from just after I finished it...

I love Fall Break at LSU, it's so nice to have Mike home for a couple days!

Thursday we mostly hung out and Mike did some homework.

Friday we went on a family day trip to a model train store in Ponchatoula, then over the causeway across Lake Ponchartrain, and had dinner in New Orleans. It was so fun to spend a day just sight-seeing as a family. O and Mike were in heaven with all the trains in the shop and I had fun wandering through the antique shops and learning about the history of the town. Then we all met Ole Hardhide, the town mascot.(Only in Louisiana would it be totally ok for you to build a little enclosure in the middle of town to house your city alligator in) The causeway is the longest in the world, which is pretty neat! Lake Ponchartrain is interesting, too, you'll have to look up some info on it! Dinner in New Orleans was great and then we headed home just in time to watch our new train movie and head to bed.

Now we're finishing up our fantastic weekend by enjoying hearing from our Prophet and leaders during General Conference!

We hope you've had a fantastic weekend, too! :)