Day Before Halloween

What a great day we had just before Halloween! First I decided that I would like some nice pictures of the kids in their costumes. So I enlisted Melinda's help and we went out and took some really great pictures in the leaves. Melinda even let me borrow her camera, which is just like the one that I want to get. It is SO awesome.

Melinda is pretty awesome too! She helped me get SO many cute pictues of the boys that I had a hard time just choosing one or two. So here are my favorites. Check out some of these great photos we got of my boys! Isn't Ephraim just the cutest Superbaby ever?

What a happy boy!

Look, Mommy! I'm flying!

Look at the way this little guy just poses himself! Super-cutie!

Of course Ephraim is my easy boy to photograph right now. We actually managed to get some really adorable pictures of Jacob too! I have decided that the next time we do family photos we are going to have Melinda take them for us. The boys are familiar with her, which makes them much more relaxed... especially Jacob.

Isn't Jacob just the cutest King Kong you have ever seen?

And here is my little monkey in a tree.

After taking pictures we went to the library for Wee Read. Of course they talked about Halloween, which Jacob loved. They even gave us a treat at the end of class! This evening I am off to work. I almost wish I could stay home because I have so much to get done. I still need to finish Joe's costume and get everything ready for Halloween. We are going to have so much fun at the trunk-or-treat!

Voting and Playing in the Leaves

The past couple of days have been very busy!

Monday I worked on cleaning up the house and getting some laundry done. Then I went to work in the evening. Then on Tuesday I watched Sara in the morning while Melinda taught ballet lessons. Sara did great at our house! After an hour or so Melinda came and picked her up. Less than a half hour after that I dropped Jacob off at her house so that I could go to lunch with Brenda.

For my birthday Brenda thought it would be nice for the two of us to go to lunch together... without our kids! I ended up bringing Ephraim with me, but he was no trouble at all. Besides, he's mostly quiet anyway... unlike certain toddlers we both have at our houses.

We went to lunch at PF Chang's and it was SO yummy! We had a great time talking about all the things that were going on in our lives. It seems that we had both been so busy with our kids that we hadn't had much time to talk or spend time together. So we had fun at lunch together. (Thanks again Brenda!)

Then that evening we spent some time together as a family. We had FHE (because I work on Monday) and we told Jacob the story of Samuel the Lamanite. He is such a smartie that by the end of the evening he was telling ME the story. We haven't been that consistent with FHE, but we are making an effort to do better.

Today was another fun and busy day. Melinda and I got together and went to UVU to vote. I remember how long the lines were for the last Presidential election, and that was when I didn't have two kids to drag around with me!

Joe had checked at the University for us and said that the lines weren't too long. So we all piled in Melinda's van (I need one!) and went to the school. Jacob loves riding around in the van with Melinda's girls. Today he decided to sport some very lovely sunglasses.

The voting is THIS way!

We got to the University just as they opened, and the line wasn't too bad at all. The kids found some interesting things to look at and play with while we were waiting:

Only cool kids can sit here!

We got in and out of there within a half hour, which is incredible! I am definitely glad that we went and voted today as opposed to waiting until next week. I don't mind waiting by myself, but with kids it's a different story. The kids did SO great though! They were well behaved, and they even got to have an "I Voted" sticker. What a bunch of cuties!

After we finished we went to Krispy Kremes to get donuts. The kids deserved them, and well, so did we! (And the Hot Donuts sign was on... how can you resist?!) The kids had a great time seeing how donuts are made.

And pretty much just goofing off!


Then this evening before dinner we went to the Provo Riverwoods and took some family photos for the Smiths. I have been trying out the camera that my dad let me borrow (Thanks Dad!) in preparation for getting the camera that I REALLY want.

We had a good time taking photos. The leaves on the trees and on the ground were very pretty that evening. Todd and Brenda are very lucky that Alyssa will at least sit still for photos, even if it is a bit tough to get her to smile. Jacob was running around in the leaves like crazy. He loved the way they crunched underfoot.

The kids were having a pretty good time. Check out this photo:

So what do you think, Jacob? Do you think we should sit here for our engagement photos?

What a busy week we are having!

Unbeleafable Weekend

The boys and I didn't get to see much of Joe in the past couple of days. There was a programming conference at UVU that Joe was providing support for yesterday. In preparing for the contest he worked late a couple of days, and we basically didn't see him on Friday and Saturday.

So Saturday morning after Ephraim's nap I decided to take the boys for a drive after Ephraim's morning nap to go collect some fall leaves to make rubbings with. I dressed the boys in the same clothes that I chose for our family photos in case they were feeling photogenic. We didn't really get any individual photos of them last week when we attempted to do family pictures.

It turns out that bringing my camera was a good idea. Ephraim was fresh from his nap, so he was happy and playful. I got a lot of nice photos of him, but then again he is easy to photograph right now.

Smile for Mommy!

Ephraim had fun crawling around in the leaves. He thought they were very interesting.

He also enjoyed picking up the leaves and crunching them in his hands (having already decided that they didn't taste very good!).

I attempted to get some nice photos of Jacob, but he was running around like a mini tornado. I could not get him to hold still for the life of me. Then when Jacob asked me to help him climb a tree I had a genius idea. I got some nice pictures of him in the tree because he couldn't GO anywhere.

These will have to do for our two-year-old pictures of Jacob. I think they turned out pretty well. At least he is not scowling or giving me his big, cheesy smile.

So what do you think? Not bad, huh?

And here is the smile that I was hoping to get for our family photos. Isn't he a cute boy when he looks happy?

Later that day Jacob was playing in the sand while I hung up a load of laundry. I went and played with him for a while, then I ran inside the house to grab something. When I looked out the window I nearly cracked up! Jacob was out there trying to bury himself in the sand. So of course I grabbed my camera and dashed outside.



What a silly boy!

A Tale of Two Teeth

Guess what?

Ephraim now has teeth! He didn't just grow one tooth, he decided to grow two at once. Isn't that lucky?

Earlier this week I was letting Ephraim gnaw on my finger. It was then that I felt something a bit pokey in there. So I felt around and sure enough, there were some sharp new teeth in there.

So I tipped Ephraim back and got him to let me take a peep. There they were! Two little teeth. Can you see them in this photo? You might have to click on it to get a good look (if you're interested, that is!)

I was pretty impressed that I managed to get Ephraim to hold still long enough for me to get this photo. So now not only is Ephraim crawling all over the place, he is not a toothless wonder anymore!

Boys on the Go

It was yet another busy weekend at the Devereaux House.

First thing Saturday morning Joe mowed the lawn while I got everyone ready for our family pictures. Cari came from Salt Lake and we went out to see if we could get a cute pictures of all of us.

It's a good thing Cari is a pro because otherwise I don't think we would have ended up with any good pictures. Jacob decided he DID NOT want his pictures taken, and that was that. He didn't want to sit by or near us, and it was really frustrating. The final straw was when Joe picked Jacob up to take him away and "chat" with him for a minute, causing Joe to step on his glasses and smush them flat. You can read my funny interpretation of the day and see pictures of the faces Jacob was making here.

We came home and everyone had lunch. Then Cari stuck around for a while and showed me how to do some cool stuff in Photoshop.

Later in the afternoon Joe worked on getting the oil changed in the cars. Of course Jacob wanted to help too. Check out our mechanic in the making!

Could you move that light a little to the left?

This shot is my favorite. Jacob thought it was pretty cool that he could see me through the engine.

Jacob had a great time with Daddy in the garage. I was in the house working on cutting bell peppers up and freezing them for the winter. We have a TON of peppers, which is great because I really enjoy them.

Sunday was Ward Conference and it was a good meeting. After church and Joe's meeting I went visiting teaching. Then we had dinner and spent the evening together.

Yesterday I was working on getting the Anaheim peppers cut up and frozen, as well as doing laundry and working on cleaning up the house (as always!). It was such a nice day that Jacob and I went outside to play in the sandbox. He kept asking me to build castles for him, and then asking if he could "step on them". I guess that's a boy for you!

We kicked the ball around the yard for a while too. He thinks that is a ton of fun. While we were playing outside Ephraim was on the back porch in the walker that the Randalls loaned to us (thanks Randalls!). He has figured it out and was having a great time rolling around in it. Check it out.

Ephraim at Seven Months

I looked at the calendar this week and thought, "Oh my goodness! Ephraim is seven months old already!" Time sure flies when you are having fun! And who wouldn't be having fun with a boy this cute?

I guess you could say that in the past month Ephraim has become a lot more mobile. I had a VERY hard time taking these photos because he just wanted to get back on his hands and knees and get moving.

He is really starting to figure out this crawling thing. He still belly-flops quite often, but he's getting better. Now I never know where I will find this little guy. He seems to be enjoying his new found freedom. If I set him down in the kitchen he can come find me in the living room. If I set him down in the living room he can head down the hall to come and find me.

I actually had to snap these photos quickly because Jacob does not want me to take photos of Ephraim by himself. He always steps in front of the camera, which drives me crazy. Jacob wants me to take pictures of him instead, but then he always makes funny faces.

After I took these pictures of Ephraim, Jacob wanted me to take his picture too. I was working on getting the boys baths, so here is Jacob in the tub.

Don't let this photo fool you... he's not bashful at all.

Here is another blackmail photo for later. Don't you think his girlfriends will need to see this one? What a cute little nudie-patootie!

Snow much fun!

The Breast Cancer Awareness ride we did on Saturday was just the beginning of my busy weekend! After I picked up the boys from the Smith's house (thanks Smiths!) and came home and showered, I had to run to the church to practice the song I was singing in Sacrament meeting on Sunday.

After practicing for a half hour, I ran and had Julie cut my hair. It looks super-cute... I'll have to take a picture this week. When I got home from getting my haircut, Joe and I ran back to the bicycle shop. They gave us a $10 off coupon for riding that morning, and we wanted to make sure my bike saddle was the right size.

We picked up a couple of things at the shop, and got the right size seat. They actually upgraded me to a more expensive seat! I ended up with a seat worth $100. It is going to look great on my bike!

When we got home we all went out to eat together at Rib City Grill since we had $20 worth of gift certificates there. Then we came home and got busy! Joe cleaned up our bikes and Shannon helped me work on Jacob's quilt. We pressed and ironed and got all the turtles done. Isn't it cute?

Now I just have to do the edging and the background. I hope to have it done soon!

Shannon, Jalene and I also had a little time to hang out and just play with the boys. Ephraim has started to babble and I like to think he is saying "Mama". What do you think?



Sunday morning we woke up to find snow on the ground with more coming down! The first thing Jacob said when he saw it was snowing was, "Mommy, I want to build a snowman!" That made me laugh! I told him there wasn't enough snow to build a snowman, but he could go watch the snow fall.

He had a great time playing outside and watching the snow fall. Can you imagine how excited he's going to be when the snow actually stays on the grass? It's a good thing one of us will be excited about that?

Jacob had so much fun picking up handfuls of snow and watching it come down that he didn't want to come back inside for breakfast!

At church my song went pretty well, even though Joe had to take Jacob out because he wanted to go up to the front of the chapel with me. So Joe didn't get to hear much of my song. I sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". I guess I'll have to give Joe a private concert later. Now if only I knew how to play the piano!

Brrr! Breast Cancer Awareness Ride

As you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Joe, my sisters Shannon and Jalene and I signed up to participate in a breast cancer awareness ride today that was sponsored by our local Trek Bikes store.

The weather forecasters had been calling for a nasty weather day.... rain and a chance of snow. It turns out that they were actually right. When we got up this morning it was COLD outside. As we were getting ready to leave I checked out the thermometer-clock that is on our wall. The temperature was about 36 degrees outside with a bit of a breeze. Nice huh? It probably only warmed up about 5 more degrees as the day progressed.

I looked out the window and what did I see? Snow on the mountains! Wahoo.

I guess we are a bit die-hard, because we didn't even consider staying home. We signed up for the ride, and we were going to do it! We grabbed our gear and bundled up.

We got to the bike store and signed in. They had a nice goody bag for all the participants, as well as snacks and water. We even got to put numbers on the front of our bikes. Here is a picture of us waiting to get going. You'll notice we are wearing our rain suits because it was a bit drizzly.

In this picture Shannon and Jalene are riding around the parking lot. If you click on the picture and enlarge it you'll notice that Shannon is sticking her tongue out at me. How rude!
I was pleasantly surprised by the number of cyclists participating in the ride, especially considering the weather. There were probably around 40 cyclists participating in the ride. Here is a picture that I took at the first stop light we came to.

And there were people behind me too! We made quite a sight I am sure.

The ride went pretty well considering the weather. I signed up for the 20 mile ride, which Joe and I both completed. Shannon and Jalene did the 12 mile ride. It was a bit windy and we got a little wet, but we all made it!

I stayed pretty warm, which is no surprise considering what I was wearing! I had on a sports bra, a tank top, a cycling jersey, a long-sleeved warm jersey, and my jacket. My bottom half got a little colder because I was only wearing cycling pants and my rain pants. Hopefully next year the weather will be a bit warmer!

After the ride they had a drawing for prizes, and we made out like bandits. They had around 12 prizes and each of us won something! Joe won a T-shirt, which I am currently wearing. It is super-cute! It's brown with pink lettering and I love it! Jalene and I won gift certificates to a local eatery (so you can guess where we went for dinner) and Shannon won a bike saddle (that's a seat for you non-cyclists). It was a NICE racing saddle, which she gave to me! Isn't she awesome? It is going to be SO nice on my bike!

My Grandma Heiner died from breast cancer in October of 1981. I was very young and never really got to know her. This was my way of remembering her and supporting breast cancer research and awareness. This month, don't forget to do your part to help us find a way to cure this devastating disease.

Fall photo tour

Today as I was getting the kids dressed I happened to search around in Jacob's closet. I saw a shirt that Joe's mom had given us that I thought would fit Jacob, even though it said it was 3T. So we tried it on.


Can you believe that once upon a time this was actually Joe's shirt? Now you can picture just what Joe looked like when he was a little boy!

I decided to take the boys out to run an errand or two before we went to the library for Wee Read. Unfortunately it was about then that Ephraim decided that he could use a nap.

I think the blankets won this time!

Ephraim woke up just in time for us to make it to Wee Read. Jacob loves listening to the stories and reading books with me when they are finished. Ephraim just hangs out in his car seat. He is a really good boy.

After the library we decided to take out the camera that I borrowed from my dad and take some pictures. Our first stop was by the temple.

I thought this photo turned out pretty well! We are going to have to come back next week and get our family pictures taken here. Won't that be nice?

While we were walking around I managed to get a good photo of Jacob. That is not an easy task these days. Every time I ask him to look at me he makes a funny face. It's even worse if I ask him to say "cheese"... then it looks like he is making a fearsome grimace. So I thought this picture was quite an accomplishment!

Not too far from the temple is a greenhouse that is selling pumpkins out front. I thought their display was so cute that I decided to stop and take a couple of pictures of the boys. I managed to get some absolutely adorable pictures of Ephraim. What do you think?

Check out those dimples!

Ephraim thought the straw was pretty interesting. He kept touching it and picking it up. So this was the best I could do with him on the ground!

Most of the pictures I took of Jacob had some interesting faces. The kids were getting tired and were ready to go home. So here is the best photo that I got of Jacob.


We may have to go back again sometime. We had fun walking around and looking at the pumpkins. Jacob was sad that we weren't going to take any of them home with us. We will definitely have to carve a pumpkin this year and show him what's in there. It should be fun!

How does your garden grow?

The weather has turned colder here in the past week. Now it gets down to the low 40s at night and only gets up to the 60s during the day. Before the end of the month we will probably have frost on the ground in the morning!

So we figure our little garden does not have much time left. This morning Jacob and I went outside to pick some tomatoes, peppers and zucchini while Ephraim was sleeping. Jacob was so cute I couldn't help running for the camera so I could take some photos.

Check out the size of that tomato! Isn't it gorgeous?

I hadn't checked on the zucchini in a while!
This one will probably end up as bread.

This next photo makes me laugh. I helped Jacob pick one of the bell peppers and he wanted to eat it right away. This kid loves salad a vegetables. Good thing I had my camera out!


It looks like I will be busy this weekend... probably making spaghetti sauce, freezing some peppers, and grating up zucchini. (Not to mention the 20 mile bike ride for breast cancer research that we are participating in!) Good thing the harvesting season is almost over!

Finally, here is another picture of Ephraim that I took about a week ago. He is such a cutie when he is sleeping.