Best Weekend EVER!

Or longest weekend ever... both describe this Halloween madness perfectly (depending on who you talk to!)

Ryann, the fairy riding a unicorn just loves her unicorn to pieces. However, she isn't allowed to sleep with it anymore because the feet have gotten so dirty. The velcro also gets stuck to her hair and I hate pulling out chunks of hair to get her unstuck.

Cara, or Tinkerbell, has eaten more candy in the past 2 days than she has in her entire life. Most of it ends up on her face, hands, and the ground, but still. This girl consumes chocolate and candy corn like nobody's business.

Did you really think I would get a picture of them both looking at the camera at the same time? Ha. Ha. Ha. Not with so many costumes and decorations to look at.

Happy Halloween!

3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

Rich was working hard on his pumpkin today- and while i blog this he is watching the 3rd game in the World Series (let's go Giants!)

We had our 3rd annual pumpkin carving party this year. It was hot (like always) and we quickly moved the party inside after all the kids were tired of playing on the swing set and the adults had finished their pumpkins.

You see- in Arizona we carve our pumpkins the day before- or on Halloween. Because they shrivel up and get moldy very quickly because of the heat.

We had a fun group this year and you can click on the picture below to make it bigger and see all the finished pumpkins!

18 Months

Happy 18 months sweet Cara Kay!

She officially hit the 20lb mark today!

Even though she didn't get a shot today, she still got a lollipop.

25% for height and 50% for head.

Riding cozy on the 3% for weight. We will keep up the pediasure and the carnation instant breakfast shakes. Ryann is a little bummed she doesn't get chocolate milk every morning like Cara.

But her Daddy will always make it for her if she asks.

Go Giants

This little guy and his daddy might possibly be the reasons that Giants have played so well this year.

Here is for another awesome game tonight!

Cory also got tickets to the world series game in Texas this weekend. He is trying to find out if he can go visit our little brother Zach on his mission there. Hopefully it all works out!

Send our love to Elder Z-Wag and the Giants.

Christmas Anyone?

Miss Mary gave Ryann and Cara an American Girls' Doll Catalog. These girls flipped the pages back and forth for almost an hour!

Yes, Cara is wearing my shoes. She does this on a daily basis.

My Apologies

In place of a formal apology for posting a ridiculously silly dancing video on my blog I figure I would just write a tribute to the 30 year old Karate Kid.

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He is actually 29. So sorry.

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I also want to mention how much this karate kid means to my family. Remember THIS post? My girls adore him. He is Ryann's BEST FRIEND.

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He makes sure we have family night at least once a month.

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He can eat more desserts in a sitting than anyone I know.

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He is such a good example of an interactive father. He loves his girls and it shows.

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He works hard in his church callings. Always there to help someone move and he drags my hubby along with him.

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He has cleaned up my daughter's throw up, pee, poop, and messy faces... multiple times.

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He hosts a mean game of 80's jeopardy. (by the way- Baby's real name is Francis)

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Overall this Karate Kid is an amazing dancer and a wonderful friend. It was a pretty awesome video and now that it has been deleted you will just have to dance it in person more frequently... I promise to never record it again.

Inspired By Finn

This weekend I was at a conference and when walking around the vendor booths I met a wonderful woman who makes and sells Amber Necklaces. Her business is "Inspired By Finn"

Supposedly amber has a lot of healing properties. She mentioned that it also helps with teething. Since Miss Cara Kay only has 6 1/2 teeth (1 molar starting to come through) I figured she has a long time to go to finish her teething.

Plus she really looks cute with that amber necklace on!

Dancing Karate Kid

A few more amazing pictures from the party. Pee Wee Herman and his beautiful wife.

The Karate kid and his prom date

MC Hammer did some dancing for us... but nothing as amazing as the dancing from the Karate Kid

Totally 80s

I know there will be some of these pictures blogged by my girlfriends... But I would hate if they left out the good ones. I will be posting the truly amazing 80's pictures tomorrow.

One of my girlfriends is turning 30 this week and to celebrate there was a surprise 80's party for her. We had so much fun getting glammed up, playing rock band, 80's jeopardy, and eating a ton of good food.

I hope Ryann and Cara don't get any ideas about my makeup.

Rich had a blast dressing up as well. He was "ted" from bill and ted's excellent adventure

How do you think he did? I was impressed.

Pumpkin Patch

Every year since Ryann was born we have taken an annual trip to a pumpkin patch in Napa Valley. However, we couldn't make it out this year so I made sure that we went to a pumpkin patch in Arizona. We headed over to the Desert Botanical Gardens

How come you have to take 100 pictures in order to get a slightly good one?

The little girls played game after game and they won prizes- Ryann of course was excited about the "little bug". I think they came home with 5 necklaces a piece.

Of course Cara Kay let us take a good picture.

And this was the only group shot we got before the camera battery died. I wore Cara on my back almost the whole day and she was just perfect. It made it so much easier to chase after Ryann.

Hair Dye Time

Not the greatest before picture...

But I dyed my hair the other day! Not being able to afford getting highlights every 6 weeks was kind of starting bug me and my sister Devyn so I just decided to dye all of my hair. (Devyn is a hair stylist!)

It was kind of fun. As you can see I went a little extreme and put a plastic garbage bag over my head to keep dye off of my clothes. I also used gloves and called in a friend for back up assistance.

I am excited and it turned out fun.

We've Been Boo-ed

Well, technically we haven't been boo-ed, but our neighbors have! We decided to start this treat in our neighborhood and it was really fun making the treats!

The treats are from the Family Fun Website and my mom had made these. I was so impressed that I made some too. Not only were they fun to make- but they taste good too!

Fo Shizzle

Seriously... I got stung again by a scorpion in my bed last night. 3 times. Yes. 3 times.

Remember THIS POST??

Maybe I had to make up for not getting stung as many times as Rich (2 weeks ago he was stung 5 times and I only got stung twice.) So now we are even- 5 and 5.

I also bought a black light today at Walgreens. I figure it is time to go on the offensive.

Wish us luck.

Daddy Blunder

We gotta love our daddy... this was not a serious mistake by any means... but funny none the less.

Why is my baby girl wearing her older sister's PJs?

And how did the "big sister" shirt not give it away? I mean, the pants that go 6 inches past her feet... okay, but the shirt??

POST NOTE- This is NOT a pregnancy announcement!

Yo Ho!

Sunday morning I heard "YO HO YO HO A PIRATE FOR ME!"

My cute little nugget found these sunglasses in my purse. I think the lens popped out (or she popped it out on accident) and she was having a blast acting like a pirate.

I like to think she makes a pretty good pirate. Maybe one year we will convince her to be a pirate for Halloween. Not this year though. This year is all about horses.

Tribute to Butter Cream Bakery

We take our donut eating very seriously at our house. Growing up in Napa, California I was very spoiled to have Butter Cream Bakery right down the street. I think I dream about maple bars on a weekly basis. I really think you haven't lived unless you have eaten a giant apple fritter from Butter Cream.

Anyway... we are not in Napa, we are in Phoenix. So donuts from Safeway work just as well when you are little. On Saturday Miss Mary came over and brought the girls some chocolate Halloween donuts and the girls were in heaven.

I watched Cara for a little while until I snuck out and "caught" her being naughty. The deer in headlights look is pretty classic.

She ended up with a bath about 2 minutes later. She threw a fit that we took the donut away as well.

Saturday Chores

Wow. About time I taught my girls how to do some chores!

Rich snapped this awesome picture of me telling/showing the girls how to dust.

Cara lasted about 12 seconds before the sock on her hand wasn't fun anymore.

I would like to say we got that entertainment center pretty dust free. We also did my bedroom furniture but the window shutters were out of the question. Maybe next week.

Are those smiles?

Ryann has finally started smiling for me! It makes me so excited that she will pay attention long enough to the camera to pose for it.

The pictures are a lot more fun when she looks at us!

And a very special Happy 30th Birthday to my sister (in law) Katie! She is amazing. She has a beautiful family and I love her so much. She is one of the most amazing women I know.

Some things to say about Katie... She fits in perfect with our (the wagner) family. She knows how to deal with each and every one of us. She somehow knows exactly what we need- even when we don't know(Some of you may or may not know that the Wagner girls are a little moody and sometimes needy). She can put out any fire that is brewing in our household without making it seem like a big deal. She has brought an amazing balance to the dynamics of my family. I really think she was born just for the purpose of being a part of my family. :) I am so glad that my brother and Katie found each other.

It is hard to explain how amazing she is. Let's say there is a family dinner. Katie somehow just knows to bring something extra that makes the meal perfect... without even letting on that the meal was lacking. Or Christmas time. She brings out that one gift that tops the cake. For birthdays she knows exactly what you want when you didn't even ask for it. I really can't explain it- but she is the person who makes everything flow smoothly- and then makes it look like she didn't do anything and it was always going to be perfect.

Maybe that is why she is an event planner?

Katie is also honest and kind. Thoughtful. Organized. She knows what is important and what is not. She always makes others feel like they are important. She is one of the best things that has ever happened to my family, and she has taught us another part about the importance of family.

Katie reminds me how short Earth life is. Her mother passed away a few years ago and I know that she makes it a priority to spend time with each and every family member, as often as she can. Every time I come to town she makes sure that I am the only thing on her list of things to do. She will just sit and hang out with me and the girls all day. And I love her for that.

I also love her for giving me such a sweet nephew. He fills my soul with joy.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Baby Monkey

This cute little girl with the long braid loves to watch YouTube.

This is her favorite video to date. I do have to admit it is pretty entertaining.

Missing Camera

The camera was found. It was underneath some couch cushions at Grandma'mingo's house. Here are some of the fun things we get to do over there.

Play with slinkies

Jump off the table to mommy

Wear pretty jewelry

Watch movies

Play with Nemo toys

Play with flamingos

Hang out on the table.

Eat dinner on the floor.

And have a GREAT time!

We are missing Napa this weekend though. It is my sister-in-law Katie's Birthday. Everyone is there. Except us. Well, Jason too.

We miss baby Dean. he is 4 1/2 months. He has 2 teeth. He is almost bigger than Miss Cara Kay. I think next time they see each other (Christmas) he will body slam her and give her a giant hug. I will make sure I get a picture.

Unicorn Costume

This is the Unicorn costume I found for Ryann today. For the past few days she has been asking to be a horse for Halloween. I sure hopes this fits the bill.

Sorry for no pictures of the girls- I left my camera at Rich's mom's house this weekend.

I might start posting flashback pictures!

Happy Beginnings

I feel like this today. And not just because I want to get a cat who will protect me against scorpions.

I feel happy today because the Giants won.

I had a great day at work.

I have the day off tomorrow and I am going to the dentist.

I have two sweet girls and a wonderful husband.

I was privileged to watch and help a beautiful baby boy (Christopher- on Columbus Day!) be born into the world. I held this baby as his parents and grandparents cried with joy. This mom worked long and hard and he is very well loved.

I love happy beginnings.

The End of Camping

Okay- my last post on the camping trip of last weekend. Before we headed home we took a final hike up the little hill. (nothing compared to the 2 hour hike I did this morning!)

I was carrying Cara in the ergo carrier and I was not about to put her down for a photo op.

These girls are pretty cute though.

Notice Ryann's "silky Cape?" I think her wedding dress will have to be made out of silky material.

I then discovered this little beauty of a picture. Don't be fooled. Ryann is not holding her daddy's hand. She is holding her "BEST FRIEND"- Rex's hand.

Seriously- ask her, "Ryann, who is your best friend?"

"Rex is my best friend EVER!"

I am pretty thankful for such a fun friendship with the H* family. They are so sweet to my girls.

I think I might have to make some pumpkin cookies to bring over to their house. <~~~~ I am leaving that on the blog so it will force me to actually go through with it. As in- I will for sure make the cookies but I can't eat them all myself.

Oh to be Ryann

I am sure Ryann is similar to any other 3 1/2 year old, but I just can't image what it would be like to be her. I also can't imagine MY life without her.

So here is the run-down of Ryann's day today:

Wake up in the morning. Excited to go to the doctors. Begging for another Halloween shirt (thankfully we have a couple to choose from!).

Eat a bagel on the couch. Make your bed. Eat half a banana on the way to the doctors.

Thank the medical assistant for the flu shot.

Firmly declare to your mother that she is not allowed to help you put on your pants. You will do it "all yourself."

Proceed to put your pants on backwards.

Get a lollipop.

Get a second lollipop for putting your pants on "all yourself."

Get a Thomas the train sticker (Which you think is the name of the LDS Prophet- Thomas S Monson according to Ryann)

Get home. Try to avoid your mother who is trying to take a picture of you.

Your mother is ALWAYS taking pictures of you.

Continue to play throughout the day.

Never caring that your pants are on backwards.

Happy with your silky and flip flops.

Enjoy a little cuddle time with your daddy as he watches the San Francisco Giants play some amazing baseball.

Take a bath before bed...

To wash off the "pretty make up" that was carefully applied in the morning.

Yup- that is brown eye shadow/liner.

Okay- so maybe Ryann is a normal 3 1/2 year old, but she is sure unique and I hope she always knows that her mom loves her.

It has begun

The weather is cooler.

(but the A/C is still on)

It gets darker earlier.

The windows are open.

The decorations are starting to come out.

My favorite time of year has begun!

I love this time. You are constantly trading out decorations for the next holiday. It is wonderful. I love making my house look festive and telling my girls about the next holiday that they can look forward to.

The girls were thrilled when I pulled out their witches hats!

They have been playing with them all day.

My next task is to make sure that the scorpions are out of the house.

I want to get a cat. To protect me from scorpions of course.

Does anyone know if this is true? That cats kill scorpions?

Move like a butterfly, Sting like a scorpion

I wanted to title this post, "Never Spoon a Scorpion" but Rich voted for the other title... and he said since he got stung more than me, he had 5 votes to my 2.

What does this title mean, you ask? Well, this morning, around 2am Rich woke up dreaming of his leg hurting. So he got up and went to the bathroom. A minute later he yells at me to wake up. I pulled myself out of bed and he told me he saw a scorpion on the bathroom floor. I ran to get the duct tape (our method of choice for killing scorpions). After killing the scorpion Rich started telling me how much his leg hurt. I thought that was weird but all of the sudden I realized my knee was hurting as well.

I took a look at the back of Rich's leg and I counted 5 welts- or what I thought was bites. It wasn't until about 2 or 3 minutes later when we connected to two and realized that they were scorpion stings! The scorpion had been in bed with us. It was in the middle of us and it got my left leg and Rich's right leg. I guess I should mention it also stung my butt- but you only get a picture of my knee.

The little red dot in the middle is where my bite was. Almost 18 hours later and it still hurts something bad!

Immediately after we figured out that these were scorpion stings I was on the phone with poison control. They were excellent and told me everything I could expect. And guess what? I basically got every symptoms. By the time I was finished talking with them my tongue was completely numb. I laid in bed and felt the neurotoxins move all over my body. I felt like Bella from twilight when she was turned into a vampire. :)

I could tell when the neurotoxins reached my feet, my hands, my lips, my nose, and even my ears. I felt really weird pressure and numbness and tingling and PAIN! I also woke up around 5:30 from my alarm and my vision was really blurry. By the time I got to work at 8:30 my vision was normal, I was just having a lot of random numbness and tingling all throughout the day. (*still am! the poison control people said this could last for hours, days, or weeks!)

Fortunately for Rich his neurotoxins were contained in his leg. He limped all day and is in a lot of pain on his leg, but he isn't having all the other weird stuff going on. This picture above is the redness from the stings. It looks worse in person.

But guess what? There is always a silver lining... and this one is the fabulous dinner that was brought to my house from a wonderful friend!

We found out that Cara really likes Jell-o.