Halloween Cruise

Two weeks ago we went as a family for a Halloween cruise up the Provo River. I've never done it before and was able to get discount tickets, so I thought it'd be a great October activity for the three of us.

While we waited for the boat a random cat found Sean and decided to make herself comfortable on his lap. This is why I frequently refer to my husband as Dr. Doolittle. Animals just love him!

The boat ride itself was so much fun and perfect for young kids because it was short (only about 25 minutes) and not too scary. There were lots of Halloween lights and pumpkins to see along the way, and the driver was dressed as a pirate and told spooky stories. We had a blast! Sorry I don't have a lot of pictures; as soon as it got dark it was impossible to take decent photos.

After the cruise we took Taylor to Trafalga to get Dippin' Dots and play some arcade games. It was Taylor's first time eating Dippin' Dots and he thought they were amazing. To our amusement and embarrassment he kept yelling at the top of his lungs, "This ice cream is BALLS!"


After ice cream he had fun playing shooting games with Daddy. It was hilarious to watch him try to hold the huge guns.



We had such a fun night together. I love this time of year!

October Adventures

We've done a lot of fun things as a family this month, partly because October is one of our favorite months of the year, and partly because in another month we'll be stuck at home with a newborn for the winter.

At the beginning of the month we took Tay to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. We go every couple of months because he's so obsessed with dinosaurs right now. We had fun looking at all the fossils and playing in the sand. Taylor was completely traumatized when he fell in love with this baby Triceratops and then had to leave it. He bawled and bawled and insisted that he needed to stay and take care of the baby dinosaur. I love that he's so sweet and sensitive, but sometimes it's a little ridiculous.


Sean and I went for a hike up Dry Canyon a couple of weeks ago to see all the pretty fall colors. It was so gorgeous up there and the weather was perfect. I wish I could have hiked farther but my preggo body wouldn't let me. It was still lots of fun though!



Speaking of my preggo body, I'm now about 33 weeks pregnant and my doctor has officially set my c-section date for December 3rd, which means I've only got six weeks left! I'm so excited and petrified at the same time. Next month will be spent preparing for Oliver's arrival and also getting everything ready for Christmas. I can't wait to meet my little man!

Gearing Up...

The Nichols household is once again buzzing with excitement in anticipation of this year's Doba Day at Sean's work. If you'll recall (as evidenced by this entry and this entry), Doba Day is the day in October that everyone dresses up, decorates, and goes completely crazy to celebrate the company's birthday. We weren't sure we'd do much this year, but once again we've changed our minds with only two weeks to prepare. We've got a lot to do, but here's a little sneak peek into what I've been up to:


Yep, that's a 2-foot by 3-foot Wonka bar. Stay tuned for updates!

Registry

Since I'm having another boy I won't be having a baby shower this time around, but there are a few odds and ends we need that I thought I'd put in a Babies 'R' Us registry for friends and family who are interested.

Click HERE to go to the main registry page, then search for my name and you should find it without any problem.

I can't believe I'll have a newborn in less than nine weeks!

Three Simple Steps

I'm an avid follower of Stephanie Nielsen (a.k.a. "NieNie") on the 'ole blogosphere, and she made this blog post today that I absolutely love. I think the advice she gives can be applicable in any mom's life. I'm going to try to implement these three simple steps so I don't feel so burned out all the time:

1. Make a "Quiet Time" sign and put it on my front door when I need a nap, or down time with the kiddo.

2. Make home a priority. Nothing ever comes before family time. Nothing.

3. Leave at least one day a week of nothing. No house-work, yard work, errands, shopping, computer, and cooking (among other things). Life just comes as it comes.


Sounds super simple, but I know that if I really try to focus on these things I'll feel so much happier and more content; not to mention I'll have more time to spend with this little munchkin.


What other things would you add to this list in order to stay happy, energetic, and avoid getting burned out as a mom?

Tay's Bedroom Makeover

One of the things on our long list of projects to accomplish before Oliver comes was to get Taylor into a twin-size bed. This was for two reasons: 1) His feet were sticking off the end of his toddler bed, and 2) we needed his mattress for the crib.

What started out as simply buying Taylor a new bed frame and mattress turned into a full-fledged bedroom makeover. Here are some of the projects I worked on to finish his room.

The first thing I tackled were the drapes. We had a set of sun-blocking panels that worked really well for keeping his room dark during naps and bedtime, but they were a boring beige that I just couldn't live with anymore. As I went through the box I had packed from my cousin's baby shower last month I found the tablecloth and table runner I used and thought they would work great for drapes. I ended up sewing the fabric over the existing panels so that light from outside would still be blocked when they were closed.


The colors of the drapes ended up being my jumping-off point for the other things I made for his room. My mom bought Taylor a Fjellse bed frame from Ikea a while back and I wanted to paint it red. Red is Tay's favorite color and I thought it would go well with the drapes. It took me about three days to finish the bed frame and I love the way it turned out. I made the quilt on his bed from a cute duvet cover (also from Ikea) and some batting. I seam-ripped the duvet and sewed it back together with a layer of batting in the middle, then tied the quilt with coordinating yarn.


I had an idea for an inexpensive art project using card stock and leftover fabric from the drapes. I cut 15 squares from the cardboard box the bed frame came in and wrapped each one in either fabric or a piece of card stock. Once all the squares were done I attached them to the wall with poster putty in a grid. It was a great solution for filling a big blank wall without spending a ton of money.



I really liked the "It's a Boy" banner I made last month at Aimee's baby shower and thought it would be cute to reuse some of the materials to make a banner for Tay's room. I had most of the letters already and only had to make an "L" and an "R." I attached the flags to red bias tape and hung the banner over his bed.


I love the way Taylor's room turned out and think it looks so cute (aside from that cardboard box rocket ship in the corner, but I don't think he'll part with that any time soon). Taylor looks so tiny in his big boy bed, but he sure loves it.



Now that Tay's room is done, I'll be working on our bedroom to get ready for the baby. I already have most everything set up, but there are a few more projects I'm working on before it's finished. As soon as it's done I'll post some pictures.

Banana Ice Cream

Looks like a bowl of baby food, doesn't it?

Well what if I told you it was amazingly delicious homemade banana ice cream made with only one ingredient and a blender?

I saw this recipe on another blog a couple of months ago and finally decided to try it. I was so surprised at how yummy it is and how easy it was to make! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
Ripe bananas
Peanut butter (optional)

Directions:
Peel bananas, slice into coins, and place on a plate.
Put plate in freezer for 1-2 hours.
Blend bananas in a food processor or blender until the consistency of soft serve.
Add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, if desired.

This is such a yummy, healthy treat. You can eat it right after blending it, or put it in an air-tight container in the freezer to make it more the consistency of ice cream.

Try it. You'll love it. I promise.