Happy: Harvest/Halloween/Reformation Day/ Birthday to Preston, Aunt Carol, and Janel!

Today we continued our third annual tradition of celebrating Halloween by delivering candy to Lucas' classes... what fun! 

Maggie the Pumpkin and Maximus "Cowboy Woody" Roebuck

We played in the leaves at NNU between classes.

Maximus put on quite the "dog and pony" show for Lucas' students. He had quite the act down by the time the third class rolled around. His little presentation included:

1. A moving rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

2. The theme song for Speed Racer, just to lighten things up a bit.

3. An account of his trip to Disneyland the gun that Uncle Jacob bought him at the Buzz ride.

4. A financial presentation in which he informed the students that his daddy came to teach their class everday so that he could get "monies to buy food and toys."

All Maggie had to do was look cute. They were quite a hit.

Hope you all had a fun day today!

Conversations with Maximus

[Maximus is watching his Daddy ride the scooter while we're following him in the car on the way to the Reformation Day party at church last night.]

Maximus: That is my Daddy. That is my SUPER Daddy.
Me: That's right, he is a Super Daddy.
Maximus: No, he is MY Daddy. He is only my Daddy.
Me: What about Maggie Mae? He is her daddy too, right?
Maximus: No. Maggie Mae is your pumpkin. I am my Daddy's and Maggie Mae is Mommy's.

Need a new Twin Stroller?

I don't usually post about giveaways, but I REALLY could use this twin stroller, so I'm going to try to win it! (I had to post on my blog about the giveaway in order to enter) If Anyone else wants to try to win too, just click on the button above and give it a try!

Talkin' Up A Storm

Maggie has suddenly taken off in the talking department. Here are just a few of the words she is saying now:

Momma 

Dadda

Ducky

Doggie

Wa-Wa (water)

Nice

Round and Round (as in The Wheels on the Bus Go...)

Milk

Nana (as in Banana)

Cracker

And the newest word she added last night:

Wall•e (comes out a little more like Wahhhh)

So cute. Of course the average human would not be able to translate her words yet, but Lucas and I can... and even Max likes to run up to me and exclaim, "Maggie is saying 'Doggie, Doggie, Doggie!"  It seems like overnight she has gone from baby to toddler. Walking, talking, hugging, kissing and singing little songs!

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we got to go to a pumpkin carving party with some of our NNU friends. Great fun was had by all. Lucas and I aren't usually big on carving, but tonight Lucas had fun teaming up with Ben to create a masterpiece. They even won trophies for the most original design!

The champions.

Can you tell what it is? I'll give you a hint: McCain and Palin would approve.

Our little buddies Eleanor and Maria. They're pretty great.

Team Elephant schemes about how best to create their work of art.

Lucas does the gross part. 

Happy Pumpkin Carving to All, and to All a Good Night!

The motherload from Old Navy

Or, as Maximus called it today, "Oh, Maybe." Every once in a while, Old Navy has awesome sales on their clearance items. Today was one of those days. They were hosting a halloween party and any kids who showed up in costume got to pick out any t-shirt free. They were also handing out $5 off any purchase coupons, baby and toddler clearance was an additional 50% off clearance prices, and there was a HUGE rack of men's and women's clothes marked $1.99. It was great! Here's what the Roebucks scored today:

Women's clothes:

6 shirts

2 skirts

2 shorts

1 bra

1 pair of shoes

Toddler/ baby clothes:

2 pj sets

1 skirt

3 dresses

8 shirts

1 pair of pants

All of this for the grand total of $45. 32. That's about $1.68 per item! While $45 is a pretty big chunk of cash for us to be plunking down right now, I was so thankful to get some adorable gifts for some special friends' soon-to-be-arriving babies, as well as some needed items for Max, Maggie and myself. Thank you, Lord!

The Pumpkin Patch

Around here, autumn means a trip to a real pumpkin patch! I don't know if Oklahomans don't do pumpkin patches or if I just missed out on them as a kids, but I think this is an awesome fall tradition. 2008 marks our second annual trip to the Berry Ranch Pumpkin Patch with  Gene and Mollie and family. What a blast!

All the kids pose for about 1.3 seconds for a photo.

Sweet siblings.

Max has always loved pumpkins. "Pumpkin" was one of his first words!

Our kids look thrilled to be taking this photo, huh?

Gene, Mollie, Monroe and Mairin- we love these guys!

Back at Gene and Mollie's, the "bitty girls" play.

Max enjoys a little table for two with his best buddy, Monroe, who by the way, has the most adorable self-administered hair cut EVER. She looks so cute!

Final California Adventure Post: Visiting Grandpa and Abuelita

I know it's taken me forever to get these posts up about our California trip- Sorry! Here's the final installment: our visit to Chaney and Maria, a.k.a Dad and Mari, a.k.a Grandpa and Abuelita. After Lucas had to fly back to Idaho to get back to work, the kids and I trekked down to San Diego county to spend a week with his Dad and Mari. We had a great visit, and they were so nice to keep the kids while I partied at Pismo Beach with the girls! Here are a few snaps from our visit:

Abuelita got a kick out of Maggie stuffing entire bananas in her mouth all at once.

Chata is Grandpa and Abuelita's dog, and the kids LOVE her!

Max and Maggie with their Grandpa.

Snuggling in bed together.

I was SO happy to see the kids when I got back from Pismo Beach!

Grandpa shows Max and Maggie the birds

Abuelita teaches Maggie the basics on how to cook the BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN THE WORLD. "The most important thing, Maggie," says Abuelita, "Is to never, NEVER, put a metal spoon in the beans."

Max helps Maggie practice her walking at Grandpa's house.

Mommy's Little Helper

Quick Take

[Lucas is leaning over the iPhone, scrolling down to see Amy's post about our wives weekend. Max walks up to him and peeks over his shoulder.]

Maximus: What are you doing, Daddy? Are you sending e-mail?

Lucas: No. I'm looking at pictures of Daddy's friends that Mommy stole. Now they're her friends.

If you want to see some more cute pictures and hear what Amy had to say about our weekend, check here!

California Adventures: Pismo Beach and Wives' Weekend 2008

At the end of our trip to California, I got a really special treat of being able to spend a few days on the coast of Pismo Beach with Amy, Anna, and Laura, three very special friends in my life. Amy and Anna went to college with Jacob and Lucas, and I have been so thankful that that friendship has translated into a really priceless friendship between the four of us gals as well. 

Only God knew how much we all needed this weekend with dear friends! Here's a little glimpse of our time together:

We shopped and ate at the "House of Bread." Thankfully, none of us have carb issues.

We sat and talked. Then we moved locations and sat and talked some more.

We tried to avoid getting drenched when the tide came in strong. Some of us did better than others.

We walked along the beach and under the pier. Oh, and we talked some more.

We took self portraits.

We took more self portraits.

We swang. We laughed. We discussed the various merits and risks of the McRib, McLobster, and McFish.

We had a Trader Joe's picnic at our hotel.

We watched the sunset. And then we talked until it was so cold and dark that we had to move inside to our hotel room to continue talking by the fireplace.

Did I mention that we talked. A lot. And it was good for my soul. Thank you, dear friends, for such a sweet and unforgettable weekend!

You Complete Me....

All six brothers with their brides!

When we were taking this picture, someone in the "audience" yelled: "How long have you been waiting for this moment!?" To which Laura very quickly replied: "Some of us longer than others!!"

Me and my sweet sisters-in-law. I really like this crew!

California Adventures: Joe and Tammy's Wedding Part 2

Joe's mom and dad decide what to write on their white board message to to Joe and Tammy.

Me and my sweetie

Joe and his sweetie dancing their first dance!

One of the coolest parts of the wedding was that the entire ceremony and reception were translated in sign language. Tammy's parents are both deaf and there were also many others from the deaf community at the wedding.

Susan took this picture of Brandy and me. Didn't she do great?

Three generations of Roebucks

I really like this picture of Maggie with her Uncle Erick.

All the guys wore these cool Converse tennies. It was fun.

Max, Jackson and Grandma tear it up on the dance floor. Max and Jackson had so much fun playing together at the wedding.

Twins and wives.