Halloween: Utah's other Christmas

People go nuts over Halloween in Utah. I like carving pumpkins especially when they are the ones that we grew in out little garden. Oliver helped a little bit but was distracted by the bowl of candy corns on the counter.

Nicole claims that this is the first year she didn't dress up and that it is my fault since I didn't dress up. I only dress up on days that are not designated for dressing up. And she knew that before she married me, so I don't feel bad.

This is the final product of our pumpkins.

Sam watched from a distance. Nicole says she's not allowed to play with knives yet.

Oliver is silly. This is his idea of "saying cheese." I love this picture.

Oliver was a Star War.

Sam was the goat from Monty Python, though she was meant to be Princess Leia.

The "Trick-o-treat" crew.

Another silly face.

Chillin'

Oliver doesn't show much interest in Sam yet. But It's cute when he does.

James and Gee Wed

James and Gee got married a week ago. It was a fantastic weekend. We are glad to add Gee to the LeSueur/Preston clan.

We tried to take a quick family picture. This was the most acceptable. We had to keep promising Oliver candy and toys to sit still long enough to take a few shots. He didn't do very well. He also didn't get any candy or toys.

I love this picture of Juliet. Her and Oliver usually have a hard time getting along. But they had a good time at the Temple together.

Sam likes Casey.

Blessed.

We started off the day with a marathon sleep fest the night before. A 6 hour stretch and a 5 hour stretch. She was happy all morning, smiling a ton and even laughing.

Everyone came out to celebrate with us.

Nicole's mom and grandma (4 generations in this picture)

Oliver had a good time.

My mom.

Nicole's dad. He drove all the way up from California to be here.

D's and P's. My dad was home from work in Hawaii for 2 days to make it. We are really happy to all of those who came (even those who are not pictured).

Oliver had a fun time on the playground outside of the clubhouse where we had the luncheon.

Sliding...

...and horsing around with Dotty. There are more pictures posted on my Facebook page and on our Picassa site (link to the right).

Sam's First Bath

She didn't really like it.

She cried the entire time...

...until we got the towel around her. She liked that.

She has graduated to baby baths now, instead of the sponge bath. But she still doesn't like it all too much.

The Fruit of Our Looms

This is almost ALL that we got out of our garden last year.

This is our garden around July 15th this year.

We grew some bell peppers...

...some jalapeños...

...some tomatoes...

...some onions and more.

Oliver's favorite are the strawberries.

See.

This was the first handful of things we picked this year. We grilled the squash and onions and ate them with Cory and Mary at their house. They were super good. I had the bell pepper on my turkey sandwich the other day.

I took all of these...

...and turned them into salsa with the help of a lime and some garlic. The onions are a bit strong, but it wasn't the worst salsa ever.

We are looking forward to carving the pumpkins we have growing right now into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. Nicole has also made a few jars of fresh pesto sauce with the basil we have grown. We have more squash than we know what to do with. Any suggestions? They get so big, they don't taste good.

Hawaii Scmawaii

Hey family. Thanks for posting pictures. Here is what I've been doing. I went swimming with Andy's underwater camera. It was fun but my eyes sting from so much salt water.

This is a picture of Andy just before he got clobbered by a wave. You can see it coming. I saw it coming, but I was more interested in taking the picture than warning him.

The tide was super high because a storm had passed by the day before. The surf was going off for the Big Island. We went to a local beach and watched a few dudes catch the waves of their life.

We went exploring a few waterfall locations. We found a tunnel of trees that was dark and scary. We thought that a monkey might be in there, but there wasn't.

This is us at Akaka falls. it sounds like "a caca." The named it that because it "dumps" thousands of gallons of water a minute.

While I was here, I looked all over for proof that President Obama was really born in Hawaii and not in some "other" country like Stenborgia or Grenyarnia. I found no "birth certificate" but I did find a "certificate of live birth" (who knows what that is) and the New Testament written in Pidgin.

At work after it rained for a few minutes, we found a GIANT snail. It was at least 4 inches long. Tried to bite off my face when I poke it with a stick.

I miss you guys. Hawaii is fun and all, but not as fun as you are. Can't wait to come home...for a few days.

More photos for Dusty

Here are a few more photos for you Dusten. It is too late for me to think of anything clever or funny to say. We love you and can't wait for you to come home!

Oliver really needs a hair cut when you get home. Its looking awesome!

Samantha looks like a totally different baby with a hat on. She is so dang cute!