Painting Pumpkins

Nat suggested we paint the pumpkins this year rather than carving them so that 2 crazy boys would be a little safer and they'd also be able to be more involved. It worked out great. They had a terrific time as you can see by B's face! He kept calling them "fire pumpkins." Sweet little S got his pumpkin all painted then got a baby wipe and washed it off! He had to start all over again. He would've washed it a 2nd time if I hadn't stopped him!

Grandpa's visit

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My dad came to visit. It was awesome to have him here. The kids adored the grandpa and had the best time. This video is of the first little bit he was here. He had doughnuts with the boys, we went to a state park where they played on the playground equipment and then we went down to this gorgeous waterfall. I have to admit it scared me to death to have the boys so close to such big, fast running water, but we had a great time!

Play Dough

B went to swimming lessons with his Papa and I asked S what he wanted to do. Without hesitation he said "Play Dough!" and did what we call S's "Woohoo Dance." I wish I could get it video taped. It's so funny he starts singing "Woohoo! Woohoo!" and dancing with his hands over his head. He's so darling. He and I had a great time with the play dough. (Don't miss our family picture post just below!)

I love how he puckers his lips when he's concentrating hard. It's so funny!

Family Pictures

Here is our attempt at family pictures. I couldn't get the boys to look half of the time, but I thought we did pretty well.

I'm not overly fond of having pictures of myself taken while pregnant, but I've tried to ignore my vanity, my swollen nose, and the fact that my make-up always melts off!

Sleepy Heads

Here are our boys watching cartoons. S didn't wake up till 9:45!!! That is very unusual for him and then he came out saying "Tractor. Tractor." He wanted to watch Bob The Builder. S usually has no interest in watching TV at all, it's his big brother that is always wanting to watch cartoons and being told we've had enough. But I thought they looked so cute with their sleepy little faces watching Bob that I had to take a few pictures.

"Good Job" Stars

As you can probably see in the background of these pictures, it rains a lot here. So, I have to figure out activities that we can do inside ALL THE TIME, which means that things get messy pretty fast. Luckily my boys love to help, love stickers and love to be told "good job!" (Who doesn't like a good pat on the back?) So, I made them a "good job" chart where they put little star stickers every time they do something good: help me with something, make something, are quiet for scriptures . . . (You can see the stars behind them on the fridge in the kitchen.) Anyway, they thought it was pretty cool and B keeps telling me "We need another good job project."

I can't believe how big he's getting. He did a really "good job" vacuuming on his own. He didn't really need my help. I was quite impressed.

S was not about to be outdone by his big brother. He had to take his turn too! He did pretty well, but the vacuum was a bit heavy for him.

And here are my little chefs making banana bread!

First Swimming Lesson!

B had his first swimming lesson today! He was sooo cute and so excited! It went about the same as soccer: We had a very, very happy boy who just wanted to play and not necessarily listen to instructions. (As you'll notice in the videos.) He did great though. He kicked his legs, went under water, blew bubbles, and helped the teacher set up the ropes as dividing barriers. He sure didn't want to go home when it was time. S got special Papa time while I had B at lessons. They went out and got a treat together and then unfortunately ended up at the mechanic. The mini-van is having trouble all of the sudden! But both boys were happy to have a little one-on-one time with one their parents and B was absolutely darling about swimming lessons!

Too Cute

I couldn't resist taking S picture as he sat eating breakfast. He's just too darn cute!

Going Away Party

Before leaving Virginia some of my friends from the library threw our family a goodbye party. It was really a lot of fun. I loved working at the library and the people there were awesome. I'll miss everyone a lot! Thanks Amanda for hosting!

Amanda, Michelle, Adam, Anne

Kari & Suzanne

Soccer

I wish I had a few pictures to accompany this post, but I was in such a hurry to get out of the house on time that I forgot my camera. =( B had his first day of soccer today! He was so darn cute. He couldn't have been more excited. He grabbed a ball and yelled "Look at me Mom! I'm scoring a goal!" and he took off as fast as he could, kicking the ball to the goal net, and back again. As far as listening to directions and doing what the other kids were doing, he wasn't really interested. After 30 minutes of running up and down the court "scoring goals" he tried to do what the other kids were doing but was still more interested in scoring goals. Our only really embarrassing moment was when the "coach" told the kids to kick their soccer balls around these little cones and B went running wildly down the line and kicking each cone as hard as he could! Sweet little S wanted to play so bad! I felt sad. I brought a ball for him and thought he'd be okay kicking it around with me, but he followed his brother right out onto the field and said "I play too! Play too!" But it was only for 3 to 5 year olds so I couldn't let him play too. =( But B had so much fun. He's been asking all day to go back and as soon as we got home he devoured his lunch then fell asleep for almost 3 hours!

Visitors

My brother and his family came up for a visit a few weeks ago. It was so good to see them. I got to meet my cute little nephew, Lucian for the first time. My boys must have really enjoyed the visit because one night after they left B woke me up at about 1:00 in the morning and asked "Where's my friend baby Lucian?" I was really expecting to be asked for something to eat or a drink of water!

Cory & Lucian

Uncle Brett playing with the boys

Brett & Cory actually came up for a Renaissance Fair, so here they are modeling their costumes for us. Cory made them herself. Pretty impressive, huh? I sure can't sew like that!

Ouch!

So, a few weeks ago the boys and I were "fishing" on the back patio when Papa came out with freshly cut cantaloupe for the boys! (I don't like it myself, but the boys LOVE it! What a thoughtful Papa.) After a few minutes they both started crying, then rubbing their eyes, then screaming, "It hurts!!!!" What the heck??? Then both of their sweet little faces started turning all red and swelling up like crazy. Finally we got worried enough that we were getting our shoes on to take them both to the E.R. when B asked for a Popsicle. So, we took them outside and let them have popsicles on the porch and they gradually stopped crying and the swelling stopped. It turned out that Papa had cut hot chile peppers on the same cutting board as the cantaloupe and not rinsed it off before cutting the fruit, so the juice residue from the chiles had gotten onto the cantaloupe and burned the heck out of our babies mouths and faces because the chile juice was also on their little hands! OUCH!

Fishing

When we drove from the airport to our new home B looked out the window at all the mountains and lakes and announced, "I want to fish." He would then ask every day if he could fish and told us his grandpa is coming to take him fishing. I think he got the idea from a Curious George book because he's never been fishing or seen anyone fishing. And I've never told him that his grandpa loves to fish, though he's right he does. So his sweet Aunt Shaunie sent him a little Lightning McQueen fishing pole for his birthday. He and S would sit on the deck for hours every day just taking turns casting. (Unfortunately the release button on the reel is no longer working.) We rigged S a little pole of his own with a stick and yarn. He loved that. One day we took them to a lake to pretend to fish, but when he discovered he had no hook and couldn't really catch any fish B was much more interested in wading. We'll have to learn to fish and take them for real next summer!

Around the House

These are just some pictures I've taken of the boys around the house in the last month or so.

I was unpacking one morning and I guess the boys got bored with it. I went looking for them and found them cuddled on the couch surrounded by unpacked boxes.

S disappeared one day and I found him cuddled up in the hall closet about to fall asleep. I think you may have noticed that he's very fond of his blanket and bottle. =)

They're still my great little helpers. I love the aprons! B said he was Santa Claus. As soon as he got his beard on he got to work!

My sweetie got me a massage table a few years ago and has taken very good care of me. We forgot to take the table down one morning and I came into the living room to find B giving his little brother a massage!

They are such cute brothers!

Happy 3rd Birthday B!

I can't believe he's 3 already. He is the sweetest kid. We're so blessed to have him. He was so excited about his birthday. He wanted to have a ride on the "black train" at the mall. He couldn't have been more thrilled. Unfortunately I didn't do a very good job of getting clear pictures! But I loved watching their happy faces. He loves Thomas the train and told us for his birthday he wanted a chocolate cake, some tracks, a Gordon train, and a train for S. Isn't that sweet that he'd think of his brother? So, we let him pick out which set of tracks he wanted, got him his Gordon train, and a musical caboose for S. He wouldn't let us wrap them. He wanted to open them immediately! They both loved their trains and the chocolate cake. We love having our little B in our family!

Somewhere to Play

I know, I'm over a month behind, but after we left our old home we had a fabulous week in hotels playing in swimming pools and on mini-golph courses, watching movies and just having fun. Then it was time for Nat to start work again so we left the hotel and drove up to the house we had rented. It was a HORRIBLE disappointment. There was NO LIVING ROOM!!!! Whoever heard of such a thing? The bedrooms were so small we'd be lucky to fit a bed in one, the yard was unfinished and dangerous, and only a chain-link fence and 8 feet away from the freeway! To top it off there was a horrible smell that was making me sick every time we came downstairs, but the kitchen was gorgeous. But who can live in a kitchen only? I hated it, the babies hated it. They had nowhere to play. Thankfully the landlord was a very descent soul and said he'd refund our deposit so my sweetie found us an awesome house closer to his work. We went to look at it and B announced he was staying there and he wasn't going back to "the broken house." We had to go back to the other house for a week though and he screamed and cried upon arriving there and S, who had fallen asleep on the drive, woke up and saw where we were and yelled, "No!!!" Both boys had diarrhea all week, which we found out was stress related since they didn't like where we were staying. But we made it to the new house and there is a wonderful deck in the backyard for the kids to play on and we've had no more diarrhea or crying at the thought of going home.