Da Da Dump Dump Dump (aka crocodile theme song)

Never been a huge fan of Halloween but oh how I love to dress little kids up. It is SO fun. We did Peter Pan and Captain Hook this year.




















A good picture of Chayce was hard to come by this year...I took a million and only got a few decent ones.




















Peyt was mistaken for Robin Hood quite a few times. That's OK, we are Robin Hood fans too. He needed his sidekick with him more often for people to get it :)




















This costume is so cute...thanks for letting us borrow it Brooke. Too bad Old Navy can't redeem themselves from their darling costumes a couple of years back. They are still cute, but not THIS cute!






























The Erk cousins! I love these children so much!















The wasted pirates :) I truly hope I'll never be able to literally say this :) I had several failed attempts to get a decent picture of these two. Forget trying to get a picture of two toddlers. I am so anxious to see how our family pictures go next week...


































This picture speaks volumes. He truly looked like a little tipsy pirate this whole weekend...it was so much fun to watch!















The gang getting their carving skills on.















Peyt joined in on the fun for a minute.




















We ended up doing a stars and bat design. It turned out cute!















The twins had their turn in the big pumpkin this year. I can't believe how big they are getting, especially from where they came from earlier this year.




















Chayce and Lucy weren't quite as amused this year.




















As mentioned before, I had quite the time getting a good photo of these two. Thanks to Peyton for being a good sport and "cheesing" for quite awhile.




















This one is my favorite :) Says it all.















My favorite trick or treaters. It was cold and rainy, but didn't deter them from free candy. I hate to say it but Peyton probably ate his weight in candy that night.




















Chayce was devastated to have to watch from the sidelines, although Dad and brother picked him up at the end for a few houses. He is a candyaholic just like his brother.


































































Our last costume parade was at Grandma and Grandpa's tonight. I'm done putting them on and taking them off so Halloween must be over. Thanks for the delicious caramel apples tonight Mom and Dad!

We had a great four day Halloween holiday this year!

THE party...

Lisa throws a mean Halloween party...always a huge hit!















Dracula and Peter Pan















Minnie hitting on the pirate...we don't need to tell Mickey :)




















This child of mine was all over the place...and so fitting because he looked like a drunken pirate walking around!















The minute music turns on Peyton is dancing! He got the party started!






























Lisa had a bunch of fun little activities for the kids to do...above is Frankenstein cupcake decorating and below was a guessing game...eyeballs (grapes), hearts (pudding packets), and brains (spaghetti)...so cute!





























And of course the pinata! Always the best part!





























Port, Sam and Peyt...three little buddies! Thanks so much for a great time Lisa...Peyton had a great time!

buck...

Congrats to McKay for his sharp shooting! Poor little deer...I'll never quite understand this sport, but he loves it so we'll go with it...

And...it's now at the butcher being made into jerky...instead of sitting in the freezer. Good job babe!

It's been awhile

I haven't made much time for my blog (and for that matter journal) lately. Maybe its because every other week I have to think of something insightful to say every day. I'm loving the opportunity to share something that I love...it's been a great experience so far.

What I've been up to lately...

McKay...missing him during hunting season (ducks, bucks and anything else I'm missing he has permission to shoot?), waiting to go on a fabulous date sometime in November!
Peyton...preschool Tuesdays and Thursdays (which he loves!), would read books all day every day if I'd do it (I love that about him!), has enjoyed his new movie, How to Train Your Dragon, can't wait to dress up as Peter Pan and trick or treat next week!
Chayce...our walking wonder (he's a speed demon and I can't believe we don't have more bruises to prove it), starting to repeat more words we say, wants to do more and more that his brother does, makes us all so happy!
Family...been working with my Mom on an organizational project which has been pretty rewarding for me as well. I love to organize life..., also have an amazing Mom who has taken my boys on multiple outings during this project, has been fun to spend more time over at their house
Books...Gone With the Wind, The Undaunted, Mockingjay, starting Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks tonight
Health...made it through first month of P90X and realizing my body needs more cardio than it offers...however, it's a pretty great workout system if you're looking
Sports...can't wait for basketball to start (Jazz and BYU), too bad BYU football had to start :) (although nice to see them pull off a win...even if it was a squeaker against Wyoming!!!), sad to see the Yankee's season done.
Church...had a wonderful day at the temple with the YW gals (I love the ladies I get to work with!), find myself busy on Sundays and Tuesdays each week, love the YW so much!

I want to express thanks to Ashley Sullenger. Her sweet little girl Preslee passed away this summer in a tragic accident. Her husband's brother works with McKay and that's how I found out about their story. She has shared her experience on her blog (www.patrickandashley.blogspot.com) and each time I read it I am quickly reminded how extremely precious my children are. How incredibly LUCKY I am to have them alive, healthy and well. And how much I take their strong little bodies for granted. I can be a better mother and example to them...if I'm blessed to have them here, I better take advantage of it. Thanks Ashley for reminding me to give them a little bigger squeeze each day. Your strength is inspiring.

life is good...

Chayce Boy

At 17 months Chayce is finally walking!




















The only thing we need to work on now is getting back up when we fall. The older Chayce gets the more he looks like McKay. He is really a sweet little boy. He is our singer...even if its a little off tune. McKay swears he's going to be the person in the meetings singing loud and off-key. He loves to chase Peyton around the house and can't wait to see the dog everyday. Love you Chayce!

Do It Yourself Duo

Hello friends and family!

My friend Lisa and I have been "encouraged" for months by our husbands to start something online. We both have a passion for interior design and anything to make home life more enjoyable. With that, we've created a place to share daily tips to beautify your home and life at www.doityourselfduo.blogspot.com. We hope this will be a way for us to share something that we love and give you inspiration for your own home as well. Make sure you become a follower which enters you into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to Taipan Trading.

Thanks for your support!

Lindsay Ercanbrack

My marathon experience

Although I don't know if I can say I'll ever run a marathon again, I'm sure glad I did it! It was an incredible experience for me that I'd like to quickly document...

***I have to thank McKay for supporting me in this goal. He has been so wonderful to let me go on long Wednesday runs, complain about sore muscles and he and the boys were there cheering at the finish line. I couldn't have done this without your help and I love you!

I was up at 4:20 a.m. to get ready and catch the shuttle that would take us up the canyon. It's amazing how adrenaline can erase tiredness! I ate my half a banana, few bites of yogurt and sports beans as light fuel for the race. I had a few friends running the race who I was hoping to meet up with at some point. On our first hotel stop on the shuttle my friends Meredith and Jena jumped on! I was so excited to see them and be able to catch up for the two hours we had to kill until race time! I also ended up seeing my friend Heather and ran with her for awhile. We ran a 20 miler together in training and it was so great to catch up and spend some time with her!

I would say the first 13 miles were a breeze. I think from now on I'll be a half marathon girl :)

I think my favorite part of the race came about halfway through. I was starting to hurt a little bit and wanted to throw myself a pity party. I saw a few people up ahead pushing what looked like a baby stroller. I thought to myself how crazy those people were to push their kids during a marathon! As I got closer, I realized three people were taking turns pushing a handicapped man through the race. It made me forget about my pain for a bit and be so thankful that I have a strong body that can run! What an inspiration those people were to give him that opportunity!

As we hit miles 16+, I was always excited to see what??? Port o potties! They were stationed at each mile which meant one more down! So dumb I know and I don't think I'll ever be excited to see port o potties again in my life!

As I passed mile 20, I kept telling myself to just make it to the next drink station...if I could do that I would be done in no time. I'd let myself speed walk through them to make sure I got a good drink each time. I think that's what gave me motivation to finish!

Miles 24-26 were definitely the hardest. It's all a mind game at that point. But what an amazing feeling it was to turn the corner and see the finish line! I felt so accomplished and very proud that my training and work had paid off...and minus any serious injuries!

I will continue to enjoy running and hope its something I can do for a long time. A life event I will never forget...

26.2

These...














This...














...and I have a date in Logan tomorrow.

twenty.eight

I had an incredible birthday yesterday thanks to many people! I appreciate all the kind words, gifts and yummy treats! McKay surprised me and came home early yesterday to take me shopping and to Tucanos for dinner. Then it was off to the Gary Allan concert, accompanied by some of our favorite people, the McArthurs.





























This was our fourth time seeing Gary in concert and it didn't disappoint! Thanks for a wonderful evening out babe!

Each year of my life gets better and better! I'm one lucky girl!

Family Day at the Zoo

We had a great Labor Day holiday at the Zoo! The weather was perfect and aside from the crowds, it was a great day to go!















All packed up and ready to explore!














It was fun to have the elephant right next to the fence. They were having their lunch when we stopped by.















This is the new baby elephant Zuri. So cute!















I was really hoping the Tigers would be out roaming around when we saw them. Guess it was too hot because they just wanted to sleep in the shade. We've been 0-2 so far seeing them up and around. Maybe next time!















My favorite animals to visit are the gorillas and monkeys. They are so entertaining. This one was swinging through the trees and very enthralled with the people watching him.















Peyt HAD to ride the bear and luckily we were near the front of the line so we could race to it. For some reason he says his favorite animal is a bear. I think McKay has told him so many bear stories that he thinks if he's nice to them they won't get him! I hope he never has the chance to meet one unless its fake and plastic (or if we are safe in a car)!















The train ride...one of the highlights for the boys!






























We finished up at the Discovery play land. Peyt could have stayed another hour going down the big snake slide.

We're so glad McKay had the day off so we could spend time together! We also finished off the day with dinner at the Pie. So yummy! Can't wait for our next fun adventure as a family!