Cupcakes, candy, cookies... Oh My!!! Well, October has come and nearly gone which means- the Corcoran family has been overwhelmed with treats of all kinds. I'm pretty sure I've gained about 5 lbs over the last thirty days... just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas- hooray! The fall weather is always a welcomed treat and we've taken plenty of opportunities to head outdoors and enjoy the mountains. I know I often complain about Rob's incessant need to "go for a drive" every weekend, but sometimes it really is beautiful! While this is definitely my favorite time of year, it also lends itself to my busiest time of year. Canyon's birthday, followed by my own and then Halloween make for an exhausting few weeks. Throw in a trip to California to see some of our favorite people and a second attempt at potty-training and I'm spent well before the trick-or-treating begins. Tiring as it's been, it's also been a heap of fun!!! Remind me never to attempt making their costumes.

Canyon turned 4!!! I cannot believe 4 years have come and gone- how did it happen?! My chubby little mess maker is now a lean- loud- mess maker! Can wanted a "Pirate" themed birthday party this year and mommy delivered! (Or at least I made a valiant effort.) We celebrated at the clubhouse this year, which is where we were able to celebrate his very first birthday as well. Aunt Kelly sent me an awesome pirate ship that I set on top of a sea of blue frosted cupcakes- complete with whales, dolphins, sea turtles (per Crue's request) and octupi (is that the plural?). I made blue jello cups with Swedish fish and orange wedge pirate ships. We made a wooden plank, painted the words "Walk the Plank" on it and Uncle Wesley jimmy-rigged it to the beams above- I kept my fingers crossed that a lawsuit wasn't headed my way. Perhaps I should have asked the parents to sign a waiver as they entered the festivities. Rob had Chic-Fil-A cater the event to take some of the stress off me- and boy did it ever! Good Job Rob!! Uncle Wayner made balloon swords for the kiddies. We had a dress up bucket for the guests- complete with eye patches, bandannas and sweet mustaches! I painted a pirate cut-out for the kids to put their faces in- it made for some pretty cute pictures and I still can't bring myself to toss it out. We had a big bounce house out back- which I now realize was all I needed. My life would have been a whole lot easier had I just grabbed a box of cheeseburgers and a bounce house... but then I wouldn't have all my cute photos I suppose. We were also lucky enough to get an indestructible treasure chest pinata. We went through all the kids, some twice, before we finally had to have Wes crack the thing open and even then the broom stick ended up bent in two- how that's conducive to a child's birthday party is beyond me! Everyone came and LOVED it all! I think it turned out great- if I do say so myself! Canyon had four friends from preschool come with their families. Trillie, Peyton, Caden and Asia. We also had the Colliers, Sandgrens, Meads, Klemmes, Jolleys and Morales families. Peyton's mom said it was the "best birthday party she had ever been to"... not that I'm bragging- ha ha. All that matters was that Canyon thought it was great. He has already begun the countdown to next year's birthday! We finished the party with a photo of the boys which we took 3 years ago (minus a little Crue baby.) I think its a framer.

The night before Canyon's birthday party we celebrated my birthday. We made plans to head down to Texas Roadhouse in Provo to have Wes serve us. When we got there I was surprised to see Christy and the kids waiting outside for me and even more so to have Wayne (Rob had flown him in) waiting in the booth. It was the best surprise ever! Dinner was great and Rob got me my own fancy new Ipad- which I LOVE! We did Cheesecake Factory with Marty and Katrina (2 of my favorite people in the world) the following night (after Canyon's party)... hmmmm I wonder why I've gained some weight this last month.

I woke up Sunday morning to Rob and his "impulses" saying "Let's go to California!" To which I replied "Okay!" One short hour later the car was packed and we were on our way to surprise Joan (who was heading over seas a little sooner than we had expected) and the Janneys. Rob drove us out and flew back to Utah to work the next day. Crue was smitten with Otzi (Aunt Kelly's dog) from the second we arrived and proceeded to follow him around the house begging for the dog to "lick" him. It was pretty fun to watch. We took the boys to the park, to Disneyland and to the beach. It wasn't until the beach day that Canyon exclaimed "This is the BEST day ever!" He pleaded with me every day to stay in California and never return to Utah- and believe me I was tempted to oblige. We had so much fun in the land of the sun and sea- who would ever want to leave?! But alas, Rob flew out the following Sunday and we loaded up the car and headed back home, much to the dismay of our little rug rats. Interesting sidebar- on our way home as we were heading into St. George there was an electronic traffic sign that said "ROLL ALL WINDOWS UP. BEE SWARM 5 MILES AHEAD." Rob and I just looked at each other in confusion, but he checked all the windows anyhow and locked them so the boys couldn't accidentally roll them down. Sure enough, just 5 miles up the highway, a tractor trailer carrying several crates of bees had overturned and there was a swarm like I couldn't imagine. Rob took a picture as we drove by and a snapped a quick video. It was definitely a sight to be seen. A couple hours later I tried to look up the story on the news and there it was. Rob called and offered his photo and they were thrilled to get it- too funny. He instantly started referring to himself as a celebrity and his name and photo were featured in the article later that evening.

And here's the link if you're dying to see Rob's name in print- like I'm sure you are. http://stgeorge.fox13now.com/news/news/63596-angry-bees-complicating-clearing-semi-crash-near-st-george

Moving on... Halloween is later this evening- hooray! I have two little pirates that can't wait to hit the streets and demand candy from complete strangers. Canyon has chosen to be Jack Sparrow this year and without any ideas from mom Crue has chosen to be Captain Hook. We cannot wait to take them out tonight!

Potty training has begun again with a much better outcome. Crue took right to it once again, but this time he's remained interested -phew! He's done such an amazing job, with just the occasional accident that only seem to occur when Daddy's around... hmmmmm. He got his awesome potty-prize for doing so well his first week! It's a talking garbage truck named Stinky- it's pretty cute.

Though incredibly busy- it's been and incredibly fun month. I'm hoping for a brief lull come November 1st, but I'm certain it'll be short lived. I suppose I should begin preparing myself now!