October- Charlotte continued

We took a day and headed out to Hendrik's motor sports headquarters.  They are the team that has Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne.  They are working on the real race cars that they actually use right in front of you. It was cool.  And Justin undoubtedly left a buisness card behind for Mr. Hendrik.  They also sell some of their used Nascar tires that were used in a race, so of course we had to buy one.  

That night was the surprise Halloween party for Julie.  We had schemed and worked out the perfect plan for getting her out of the house and keeping her gone trick or treating so the caterers could set up, but somehow failed.  15 minutes before we were supposed to bring her back, one of her daughters got sick and wanted to go home.  So before we knew it, the whole plot was spoiled, but I think she was still very surprised.  And my boys loved getting tons of candy, and looked super cute.  This was the first time I think they ever got to enjoy fallen leaves.  You know, the kind that crackle under your feet. Not the Portland ones that are all soggy and gross.  Rhys would not stop walking through them. 

Our little Godzilla and Fire man.  So cute. 

The next morning, we had to get up early and head to Atlanta for Justins meetings.  That drive is very flat and covered with trees, not a whole lot of scenery to be had. Once we got there, the kids and I went to the Atlanta Aquarium.  Its the biggest in the US, has its own indoor dolphin show and 3 whale sharks! They were huge! We had a great time there and could have stayed even longer.  

That night, we stayed with our friends, the McGraths, who Justin and I knew from the HB singles ward.  Our boys had fun playing with their cute girls Maya and Sage.  And on Friday morning, Michelle made us a delicious breakfast before we had to head back to Charlotte.

 We switched a lot of hotels, this became Beckhams preferred mode of transportation.

Friday was opening night for the Bobcats, and we got to go with the Cho's.  And since Micheal Jordan is the owner, he was there.   I had high hopes of meeting him, but this picture is as close as we got.  so close, and yet so far.  And somehow Beckham managed to fall asleep, which was nice because when he was awake, he was a bit of a monster. 

We left early the next morning.  It was so nice to have my family all to myself.  I love them to pieces and am grateful that they are mine.

October- Chalotte, NC

At the end of October, we headed to the dirty south to check out Charlotte, NC. [We went for a few reasons.  1. Justin's buddy, who used to be the General Manager for the Portland trail blazers, is now the General Manager for the Charlotte Bobcats.  It was his wifes birthday on Halloween and he had invited us to the surprise party and opening night for the Bobcats basketball team two days later 2. Justins new firm had hired a big sports attorney into the Atlanta office and wanted Justin to go meet with him and 3. there was a Rush concert there that same week, so it all just worked out perfect. And   Neither of us had been to the South, Florida just doesn't count, so we were pretty excited to check it out.

We got in on a Saturday and the boys were such great fliers.  We took a car seat and the switched off who sat in it.  We also had a layover in Dallas which was a great break to stretch out their legs.  We also had an extra seat on each flight since they weren't full.  

Justin had to work the entire trip, so the boys and I got to explore a lot by our selves.  We went to the Childrens museum, which our OMSI pass got us into for free! We spent the very cold morning huddled in here while the boys played with lots of fun exhibits.  The favorite being the water feature of course.

 The giant light bright was a huge hit!

We loved getting to be with dad at night. He pulled a couple of really late nights, working on the west coast time schedule, but it was all fun.  We didn't adjust the kids time clocks, so they went to bed every night at 11.

We had to hit up some fried chicken, which did not disappoint. Im pretty sure we gained several pounds in the week we were there.

 We had to make a stop at the Nascar Hall of Fame, and of course was awesome.

And we ended this day with the Rush concert in tickets we got for free from Rich.  They were the furthest away we have ever been, but we got big comfy seats and good food.  And before the show, we got to tour the Bobcats facility and peek into Micheal Jordans office.

October

We had some more amazingly warm sunny days in October too and took full advantage of it. I love California in the Fall!! 

 perfect bonfires with friends

 rollerblading brigade

 winning the dessert cookoff at church

 twinners...apparently we dress similar quite often

 hats!!

  chillaxin'

October- pumpkin patch

Every October needs a pumpkin.  And since we dont live next to a "pick-your-own" lot anymore, we did the next best thing, a pumpkin patch. Surrounded by all these huge pumpkins, the kids picked a little "baby" one.  I guess no carving this year.  

classic Rhys happy face.

October- Utah

In October we were also blessed with some amazing weather.  We started off the month by driving up to Utah for a long weekend to visit Justins family and going to General Conference.  I had never been to GC before and it was awesome! The littles and I drove up on a Tuesday night and they have never been better.  We sang, they played, and shared.  We stopped in St George around 7pm for them to get their wiggles out, eat dinner and go potty one last time, and then they were both asleep by 8:30 when we started driving again.  We got in around midnight to Grandma Vickies house and the boys went right back to sleep.  Best travel buddies ever.  

The next couple days, we hung around Provo helping Justin's mom get a few things done, saw friends, went shopping, and relaxed from our long drive.  

 finally meeting Phoebe!

 The fall colors were gorgeous.

 Sunday afternoon we headed into SLC for the final session of General Conference.  Unreal.

The drive home was a bit crazy. We left around 6pm and decided to drive straight through.  the boys did great except when we had to stop in Vegas to get gas and Becks woke up pissed at the world, but otherwise it was a great trip.

Preschool

Rhys started a co-op preschool with some of the kids in town.  We trade off teaching with a partner and rotating whos house it is at.  There are 8 darling little 3 year olds in this class and Rhys loves being a big kid with them.  They learn about a new letter each week, make crafts, sing songs, read books, and play. He was so excited to get his backpack and school supplies.  There was not a moment of hesitation when it came time to go.  I may have shed a tear or two as I watched my baby grow up  just a bit. I love him and the sweet boy he is becoming, but part of me is sad to know that he is growing up and life will never be the same.