We planted some seeds in our little garden again this year, and we actually got some produce! We have gotten about 7 or 8 zucchini and one very large pumpkin (which is almost all the way orange now). The kids have loved going out to look for zucchini and watching the pumpkin grow and turn orange!
I mentioned the “spider bros” in the September post, but below is a picture of one of their favorites, Webster. He even brought this one to preschool to show his friends on Spider Day this month:
Hyrum has kind of exploded in things he has learned to do and how to behave this month. He is full-on reading now, thanks to a combination of Preschool Prep DVDs, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons, and preschool. He tries to read everything he sees, and he can usually do it with only a little help from us. He is even reading his own scripture at night (again, with a little help). He is such a smart boy! He has also started putting his own laundry away, sweeping the kitchen for me, and has even helped Cora get on the potty when she wants to.
We had been having a lot of frustration and problems with little temper tantrums from him for a few months, and Ryan and I were at out wits end what to do about it, because time-outs only seemed to make the problem last longer and be worse. So, after much prayer, we decided to institute a behavior chart in connection with a sticker chart. Every day the kids start on “Good Job” and move up or down depending on their behavior. If they end the day in the ‘green zone’ (one of the top 3 slots), they get a sticker for the day on their chart. After their sticker chart is full, I will take them to a fun place. The first time they earned a trip to the zoo, then they earned a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese last week. Each time the amount of stickers needed for the trip gets higher. It has worked amazingly!! Hyrum has become so much more helpful, and it stops a tantrum pretty quickly when he is told he will get moved down on the chart if he continues. There is just so much more happiness in our home! He has hardly ever moved down, and really wants to be on the top spot all the time. I know it probably won’t work forever, but I am hoping this better behavior gets so ingrained that they won’t need a chart anymore. I also feel so grateful to Heavenly Father for answering our prayers about the best way to parent Hyrum at this time.
We got Hyrum’s five year-old pictures taken, and I think they turned out awesome! I am so glad they did:
When we were watching General Conference at the beginning of this month, Hyrum saw a picture of one of the statues on Temple Square and said, “Look! A statue made of chocolate! And it’s melting!” (Because they are brownish and had the sun shining on it). Ryan and I really laughed about that one.
Cora has started to add an “s” to the end of mine, so she’ll say something like, “Those mines?”
Cora has also started saying her own personal prayer at bedtime, which she does in a very high-pitched quiet voice, saying “bless the missionaries and the prophet” over and over until she ends it with “name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Adorable!
We got a good rain storm this month, and the kids thought they needed their heavy jackets:
Cora loves to take some of the books off one of our bookshelves in the office, which do not hold kid books. Her favorite book to take down is “Writing the Doctoral Dissertation,” which she then opens up to a random page and asks me to read it. I guess she’s starting young…
Water bucket fun outside!
Hyrum has started basketball, and he does great at the games! He has gotten quite a few rebounds and has been able to slowly dribble it down the court and try for a few baskets. I am so proud of him! He doesn’t like practice very much though. I think they are pretty long for him, and he is a bit behind in his running while dribbling and actually making a basket skills. But I do think this is his best sport yet!
Here I am at 35 weeks- hopefully there’s only one more belly picture before our little guy comes!
As I said in a previous post, Cora loves to pick her outfits every day. Sometimes I try to convince her to pick a more matching ensemble. One day we were going through her shirts to pick one, and she grabbed a pink shirt to wear (that definitely didn’t match her skirt). I tried to get her to pick something else, but she told me, “It’s pink! That makes me happy.” Alright then, Cora. Wear what makes you happy 
We went to the Phoenix Temple Open House this month, and I think it was a great experience. I got to talk to Hyrum a little more about the temple, and I just love the beauty and the Spirit you can feel there and I love sharing that with my children. The kids enjoyed it, and they like when we went to Cracker Barrel after as well:
My parents came for Halloween this year (and to fix some things on the house), and they are always so good about spending time with the kids. My dad shot his air gun with them and let Hyrum help fix the garage door, and my mom played Bingo with them and flew a kite with them:
It was a very packed and fun month! Next up (hopefully), a new baby in our family!
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