A Chicken & An Egg

Today has been one of those days. Yesterday I found out that I'll be hosting a Paull family thanksgiving dinner on Friday, so my shopping and house cleaning to-do list just got much longer. On top of that Emmett has been fussy, clingy, and refusing naps while baby girl kicks non-stop like it's her job. Oh, and I've been sick. I feel like I can't catch a break :,) And when I finally do? I blog. Or write thank you cards. Or clean some more. Or sit in the bathroom way longer than needed scrolling instagram. Mom life, amirite? Anyways, I don't want to fall too far behind on here, so let's holiday hop back to Halloween and other fall festivities. This year we dressed Emmett up as the cutest lil' chicken and baby sis made the perfect egg.

Emmett still loves to wear this thing around the house with the hood on his head and the rest of the costume dragging behind him hahaha. Since our street is basically a construction zone, we went trick-or-treating with aunt Karlie and uncle Ryan in their neighborhood. It was FREEZING that night, but Emmett didn't mind one bit. He was just happy to be outside strolling around with all the other neighborhood kids.

The week prior we attended our ward's trunk-or-treat. Jason threw on a white shirt and we called him an egg too lol. We're so festive!! The church was packed. Not enough seats for bums. So we contributed our food, said some hellos, quickly ate, chased Emmett around the building, and headed home. I'm sure those will be more fun when Emmett can participate in the games and sit in a seat for more than two minutes.

We couldn't let fall pass us by without attending some sort of pumpkin patch or family farm. We ended up going to a place called Tate Farms with Ryan, Karlie, and our friends Carly, Tim, and their little girl Sydney. I had a feeling that a petting zoo, big slides, corn pits, and tractor rides would be Emmett's dream come true.. and I was right! That boy was in heaven.

He wanted to pet, rub, and hug alllll of the animals. Ick. Boy has no fear!

I was a little nervous that Alabama wouldn't live up to my expectations for things like Halloween and trick-or-treating and pumpkin patches. The past couple of years we've celebrated this season with my Utah siblings and closest friends. I was worried we would feel like we were missing out or that we wouldn't end up doing some of those things that I love being far away in a place so different. But.... I had nothing to be worried about. We have made some great friends here that keep our holidays and weekends busy. I'm really grateful for that. Alabama, you're growing on me more and more!

Flying Solo

Last month me, myself, and I took a flight out to Colorado. I brought along with me the squirmiest toddler ever, a 27 week pregnant belly, a suitcase, diaper bag, stroller, and carseat. As I'm sure you can imagine, that trip was ROUGH. Those squishy airplane seats and tiny bathrooms are not meant for three people at once!! After the longest and most uncomfortable flight of my life, we made it.

We spent the remainder of that day in Colorado and drove to Utah with my fam the next morning. What would typically be an eight hour drive turned into a twelve hour drive. Toddlers, carpooling, chick-fil-a lunch rush, and two pregnant women can do that I guess.

Emmett did much better on the twelve hour drive than he did on the three hour flight. Not complaining 'bout that! The main reason for our travels was to attend my grandpa Goldsberry's 80th birthday party. The entire extended family was going to be there and we didn't want to be the only ones missing out. I so, so wish Jason was able to get enough time off work to come with us. If he did try to make the trip it would have been more expensive, only a few short days, and majority of it would have been spent traveling. Boo. He was obviously super missed, but I'm happy that we got to extend our stay and have more quality time with family and friends.

My mom and sister Britta decided to throw me a baby sprinkle while I was visiting. It was so sweet of them and I absolutely loved having some of my favorite ladies + grandpa g all in one place.

LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH. They definitely spoiled our baby girl!

Next up, grandpa's party! I only managed to get one picture of the actual event which I'm really bummed about because it was pinterest worthy in every way. I'm honestly so impressed with the talent in this family! My dad put together a video of grandpa's life which included snippets of each of us wishing him a happy birthday {scroll a little more to see just how many people that is}. Britta made a book full of everyone's photos and memories of grandpa. My mom had her hand in basically everything - food, decor, set up, italian sodas, popcorn bar, and probably more. My aunts, uncles, and cousins all contributed as well. It was the perfect evening and grandpa was SO happy. I loved seeing that.

It's pretty rare for all of the extended family to be together like this so family pictures were in order. The plan was to take them outside, but it was a cold and rainy day of course! We ended up taking them at a nearby art exhibit instead.

^^ The cutest great grandbabies. Now just picture all the parents and grandparents acting like crazy people behind the camera trying to get them to look and smile hahaha.

We had a few days in Utah to soak up before heading back to Colorado. I sooooo loved the time I got to spend with my sisters and my bestie Hails. I miss living close to them!! Emmett enjoyed being around his cousins and really enjoyed all of their fun toys. Now santa knows exactly what to get him for christmas this year haha.

His expressions lol.

The drive back to Colorado was pretty uneventful. Emmett started freaking out riiiight towards the end, but overall did good. We spent a couple of days in Colorado before flying back home. I'm glad we got to spend some additional time with Mar and my parents. We realized this may possibly be the last time we see Mauri before she leaves for her mission :,( That's so crazy! I'm crossing my fingers she can come out to Alabama once baby girl arrives. My mom took Emmett and I to the airport and helped us get to security. So thankful for that! I gave Emmett a little benedryl before the flight and prayed he'd be more mellow this time around. I'm happy to report that it did the job! Six hours of flying and twenty hours of driving ain't easy for a toddler and pregnant mama, but honestly, it was worth the trip.