Beau's First Halloween!

Halloween was different this year.  It was centered around watching our son take it all in for the very first time.  The glistening orange skin of a pumpkin, crisp autumn air with crunchy leaves under your feet, and all kinds of spooky, funny, and sweet costumes.  I have always loved Halloween.  My mom used to sing this song to us as kids, "Haaa-llo-ween, Haaa-llo-ween, Ghosts and Goblins and..."  I wish I could remember the rest! 

There were a couple of years, growing up, when my family would do a Haunted House for Halloween.  We had a three-car garage, so we would use one of them to section off a little area.  There was fake blood splashed over hanging sheets with a black light going and my brother's ready to scare (with creepy rubber masks on) unsuspecting children who came for candy.  My mom also boiled some macaroni and blind-folded the kids and told them to feel the "brains".  I remember going to every possible house on our block, especially the rich guy's house; he always passed out king-sized candy bars!  When we got home, my sisters and I would dump out all of our candy to compare and trade.  My mom would come to "inspect" for any tainted candy and take a few "almond joys" or "junior mints" for herself :)  We saved the, "Big Hunks" for our dad.  Then, I would stash all my candy in a big orange bowl, under my bed.  It was, coincidentally, the same bowl my mom would put next to us to barf in, when we were sick with the flu.  Oh man, the good old orange bowl.  The butterfingers and reese's were the first to go.  Then came the starburst, skittles, dots.  I think, by the time Christmas rolled around, there may have been a few smarties and those weird peanut butter-flavored taffy, rolled up in orange and black wax paper.  The quest for the candy was worth it!

We actually took Beau Trick-or-Treating with another couple and their son. It was fun to have a little wing-man family to not feel so guilty, knowing that we were going to eat all of Beau's candy, ha! Well, we actually ended up giving away a little portion of it to Trick-or-Treaters who stopped at our door, when we got home. That was also cool, since that was the first time I got to be a passer-outer. Anyway, Beau was a Tiger and Robbie and I were Zookeepers. Well....we were zookeepers for the ward party, but in street clothes for actual Trick-or-Treating. I had Beau all snapped into his BabyBjorn on my chest and he seemed to like it well enough. We had to finish things up around 7 because that's when Beau is about to turn into a Pumpkin! Pun intended. Here are a few pictures of our Halloween festivities and a recent family photo we had taken about a week ago.

The long awaited introduction of the Knowles Family!

I've decided that it is finally time for the inaugural post of the Amanda and Robbie Knowles Family.  I have been meaning to do this for far, far, far too long.  I cannot believe that I failed to document the first year of our marriage.  Well, I am an avid Shutterfly photo book person, so I made books.  Though, I'm sad that I neglected to capture the day to day events that occured during that time of our lives.  Honestly, it was a whirlwind anyway!  I'm not sure I would have been able to do it justice.  So, for your viewing pleasure, here's a little timeline to showcase the progression of the Knowles Family:


July 31, 2009..................Robbie walked up to me in "YoZone" in Provo, Utah and asked for my number.
May 15, 2010.................Robbie proposed marriage to me (with the ring in a sea shell) at Dana Point, California.
August 21, 2010.............Robbie and I were married in the Newport Beach Mormon Temple.  It was such a special ceremony and things were said by the officiator that were so perfect.  He couldn't have known how in tune he was for that moment and both of our families.
September 25, 2010........We moved into Sandpointe Apartments on Delaware and 17th street.  We pay some crazy rent, but we're 2 miles from the beach, really....no really.
December 2010...............We adopted our Orange Tabby cat, Tiggy. He's dumber than a box of rocks, but we love him.
March 2010.....................I got in a gnarly accident on the 55 freeway, doing doughnuts from the slow
lane to the carpool lane.  That was the day I realized I've got a few guardian Angels watching over me.  Also, that I must serve a purpose that the Lord decided to keep me around a little longer in this life!  My car was totalled, but I walked away with only a mild concussion and a strained back.
April 2010.......................I found out I was pregnant!
May 2010........................I started working as a Personal Trainer at Gold's Gym in Huntington Beach. 
June 2010........................Robbie's team, the Concordia Eagles, won the NAIA College Baseball World Series.  He has a gaudy ring to prove it!
July 2010.........................Robbie started working as a Busser at Duke's Restaurant on the Huntington Beach Pier.
August 2010....................Robbie Graduated from College, Haaaaaallleluja!!!!!
January 2012...................Robbie added a second job onto his schedule, working at Sam's Club as a Cashier in Fountain Valley.  It was at this point that we began to see each for only an hour or two at night when Robbie got home.  It was hard to do, but necessary.
January 24, 2012.............Our son, Beau Robert Knowles was born at 8:26 pm, weighing 8'11" at 20 inches long.  He was born with HUGE hands and the sweetest face and dimples.  All the nurses commented on how cute he was and that most newborns were not cute!

Since Beau was born, our lives have changed and Robbie has been working a ton, but it is such a sweet chapter of our lives and marriage.  Beau is a smiley, but feisty little guy, we just LOVE him!