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More fun with the music on "Zach's" ipod… don't mess with the Top Guns aboard this plane.  

With Emma, it is never too late to get out the pool – and this 74* October day was no exception.  (For the record, Zach would have nothing of it…)  She and Carter filled the backyard pool up with freezing hose water, and jumped in (well, Carter flopped in head-first) over and over and over.  And although they were freezing, they weren't getting out 'till dinnertime.  Crazy kids!

So in primary today they talked about what President Monson said at conference, and mentioned that he told us to prepare for missions… so Zach and Emma came home ready to get started.  They got name-tags, a world map for the classic MTC photo (of course they are going to Brazil), and spent the afternoon reading "Preach My Gospel" and making lists of our neighbors that they wanted to walk around giving pass-along cards to.  (None of this, I might add, was suggested by Nate and I, who took a lovely Sunday nap with Carter…)  In the end, we compromised their missionary zeal with our desire to remain on good terms with said neighbors (some of whom want nothing to do with the church) and went for a family walk, "talking to everyone" as it says to do in the missionary manual.  Still on fire, Zach gave away 2 pass along cards the next day at school, and he and Emma spent a few days on the bus reading "Preach My Gospel" and waiting for someone to ask them about it.  Oh, that I was so diligent about following the prophet…

And for the record, Carter's most cooperative haircut yet.  

Carter was more than excited to be invited to his first birthday party for a friend… everything except the part about giving the gift away.  (imagine that from a 2 year old!)  Somehow this milestone makes them seem so old to me…

And this is how I found Carter when I went to get him up in the morning.  He had already been abandoned by two other firefighters… but at least they helped him get his gear on (and let me sleep 10 more minutes!)

We spent the evening…

building star wars/hockey legos (a post-game dogpile, to be exact…)

making my grandma's "pretzel treats"

and a little treat for me.

Sometimes Emma and Carter really have a good time together… the good times in close quarters always surprise me.   

I had to do take care of something after getting Carter's diaper on after his bath, and found him a few minutes later holed up in the corner with one of his favorite books, "reading" out loud to himself.   Love this kid.

 Emma loves to lose teeth.  She wiggles and wiggles and pulls and pushes and says for days and days, "when do you think it will fall out?"  She was as excited as ever to lose this one during lunch – and of course, we made the trip to the dollar store the next day for a pretty yellow flower balloon, for the girl whose money burns a hole in her pocket.  Doesn't she look so much older without that tooth?!