Snow in New Mexico

We were driving along, minding our own business, when BAM! Snow storm. Really? It's October, New Mexico.

We were going to drive overnight from Oklahoma City to Farmington, N.M., Friday night when things went awry. Big, fat flakes started falling, and we weren't sure what to do. Three signs that things were going downhill:

* We saw snow plows driving on the interstate.

* We followed a semi for many miles, but then he got off the road.

* All cars disappeared. No one was on the road.

So we called it quits just outside of Albuquerque in a town called Moriarty. We got a hotel, which Mia thought was super fun.

The upside was that we got to drive through Albuquerque in the morning. It was stunning. The clouds drifted through the mesas around town. It was fantastic. So at least we got to enjoy the scenery.

Night, Night

One of Mia's favorite games to play is "Night, Night." She instructs you to lay down on the floor, puts a blanket or napkin or handkerchief or whatever over you and then gentle pats your back. Well, things took a violent twist.

The pumpkin patch

Full disclosure: I might or might not have gotten out of control with the camera.

Leigh, my mom and I took Mia to a pumpkin patch just outside of the city, and it was hilarious. We did all kinds of farm-ish things. These pictures are my favorite:

Mia fed the animals, rode a tricycle (sort of), chased some ducks, played on a mountain of hay and all kinds of other stuff. We went on a hayride and got to pick out our own pumpkins to take home. So fun. So adorable.

One last goodbye

Because we're just saying goodbye to somebody every single day, we got to say goodbye to our friend Jenny one last time. Ian has already gone, but Jenny celebrated with friends for one last time. Leigh and I didn't stay for supper because Mia was having - how should we say this? - a little bit of a rough day. We will miss you, Petersons.

Goodbye, Darla

Awesome people are dropping like flies in Oklahoma City!

Our good friend, Darla Slipke, is heading out of town. She's moving to the great metropolis of Rocky Mount, N.C. She accepted a job at the newspaper there, which is where her boyfriend also works. It's understandable yet horrible. We will miss her so much.

My sock, daddy

Mia's going through the phase where everything is hers. Everything. Even daddy's sock. While he's wearing it.

Trip to Tulsa: fail

Some trips just shouldn't be made.

We were excited to go out to Tulsa for a Southern Africans cookout at our friends' house. Leigh was looking forward to eating. I was looking forward to talking.

But we ended up running really late (even for us), and discussed whether to go at all. (Red Flag No. 1)

We decided to just go ahead and go, even if we were crazy late. Jill was supposed to be with us, but she wasn't feeling well. (Red Flag No. 2) So it was just the three of us.

Mia is pretty much a doll in the car, and this time was no different. She fell asleep right away. Just as we almost gets to Tulsa, she wakes up. (Red Flag No. 3)

This, my friends, is when we should have given up and gone up. But we pressed up.

That's when Mia threw up everywhere.

Well, because we were on a toll road, there were exactly zero exits within a million miles. We pulled over as fast as we could. Luckily, my sheet from Kristen and Kay's toga birthday party was still in the car! We wiped up everything as quickly as possible.

Then we discovered that the only spare clothes we had in the diaper bag was a shirt that was too small. Sorry, Mia.

We debated about whether to go the cookout or go home. We're almost there. We packed up and drove down the road to find a turn-around, where we had to pay the toll again.

Then Mia immediately perks up. She rallies. She sings and shouts and has a big fun time. She kept eating her foot and laughing hysterically. We totally could have gone to the cookout.


That's when we hit the traffic jam. We just sat on the interstate in park for three hours. Three. Hours.

We should have paid attention to all those red flags. Lesson learned.

Goodbye, Petersons

Yet another set of friends - another! - moved out of town. This time, we said goodbye to our pals Ian and Jenny Peterson. It was a sad day. But the goodbye party was pretty darn fun. There was a moon bounce. It was amazing/dangerous. Highlights: our friend getting karate kicked flat and our friend Stacy telling me, "Keep bouncing!" when I was screaming in fear. The night was capped off by Jenny giving a goodbye speech.

Makarapa ... again

The makarapa never gets old.

Ready?

We seriously have no idea where she got this, but we love it.