Happy Halloween!

The spider in this pictures was mine when I was a little girl. I loved to hide it all over my sister's room to scare her. I hung it by a string so it would fall on her head and all did kinds of pranks. I'm sure our boys will have lots of fun terrorizing each other with it too!

We had fun last night playing outside with the boys. The weather has been perfect. I just love this time of year! We are really excited about the Halloween festivities tonight. I can't wait to see my little stinkers all dressed up!

Dusty shoes

Last night I ran for the first time in three weeks. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to run very far, but I did fine and ran two miles. It felt great and I was so happy to run again. My iPod ran out of battery after my warm up and I ran two miles in silence. I then realized just how much I love my iPod and Nike+!


After I accomplished running the 5 mile race, I took a running hiatus. I'm still trying to find balance to fitting running in my schedule. The time change is really going to make it more difficult. I can't run in the dark because I can't see well. My solution is to either get up early and run or get a double jogging stroller and go around 5pm. The morning might work since the sun will be rising earlier and I could go before the boys wake up. I like the idea of going around 5 so I can get it done before Eric gets home and then make dinner. Now we just have to see if the boys will sit in the stroller for 45 minutes!

I'm happy that I dusted off my running shoes!

Austin's 18 month pictures

It only took two sessions to get these shots!

It went pretty well considering and I think they turned out really cute. :)

Pumpkin carving fun

We invited some friends over for dinner and pumpkin carving last night. It was so fun to hang out with great friends while the kids ran around and had lots of fun. Keira, Ethan and Ryan are almost the same age and they loved playing together. Austin kept right up with them. We carved pumpkins "for the kids", but I think it was more fun for the grown ups. I love my goofy little pumpkin.

Best of intentions

We went to church this morning with the best of intentions. Ethan happily went into his room and was excited to play with the other kids. Austin was not so happy about it. We ended up playing outside instead of listening to the service. So much for getting something out of church! At least Ethan had a great time. Hopefully next Sunday will be better!

Austin is such a little stinker. He is smiling so big in this picture because he knows he is not suppose to be carrying this basket of no nos. In the other picture he was throwing blocks and then saying "uh oh!" like it was an accident. He is so funny and always keeps Eric and I laughing. He is such a bright part of our family and we wouldn't trade him for anything.

Grandparents' Day

Last night was the first night Ethan and Austin have spent the night away from us. We dropped them off at my parents' house around 6 pm and picked them up this morning at 10. They had a great time going for walks, playing with rocks and exploring the yard. They did not miss us at all and Ethan only asked where we were once.

We missed them! We had a fun night out though. We went to eat at Clay Pit with Sammy and Chris. Eric loves Indian food since he visited India. Before he went, I couldn't get him to even try it. The Clay Pit has awesome food and a cool atmosphere. It was really nice to eat great food with great friends!

This morning we got to sleep in and weren't awakened with our usual 7 am alarm clock named Austin. Eric brought me my favorite bad indulgence (McGriddle) and I ate it in bed. Talk about a perfect morning.

Then we headed over to pick up the boys. Our next stop was to Eric's grandparents' house in Salado. Eric's parents were there visiting. They live on four acres and the boys love to run around outside. We ate lunch and enjoyed the perfect weather.

The boys are truly blessed to have such loving grandparents and great grandparents on both sides!

Never ending cycle

My living room at 8:15 am

My living room at 7:15 pm

It's quite challenging to have the house stay clean with three toddler boys running around. Most days I attempt to keep the toys picked up throughout the day. Every night we put everything back in it's place and start all over again the next day. It's a never ending cycle. The same cycle happens on my kitchen floor. The kids eat at least 4 times a day in their chairs in the kitchen. They are messy little stinkers and always manage to get gunk on the floor. Thank goodness I do have an automatic vacuum cleaner named Kirby (the dog, not the brand) to take care of the large chunks of food. For the ground in gunk, I have to get on my hands and knees with a Clorox wipe and scrub it. This ritual happens after every meal for the most part. I won't even bother explaining the carpet issues. Sometimes it all gets to me and I boycott the floors for a while until I can't stand it. It's a never ending cycle of sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, wiping slimy fingerprints off windows and furniture and wiping down counters.

Whew, I feel better. Thanks. Now back to cleaning.

Things I love about fall

fall leaves

toboggans

snuggling in with my boys

red noses

fuzzy slippers

soft scarves

pumpkins

getting out winter sweaters

the first cold day

the smell of cologne

camp fires

the way Kirby zooms around the yard in cold weather

sleeping in a warm bed

comfy sweats

hot cocoa

Looks can be deceiving

In pictures, it looked like we had a great morning. Keira and Tye were here to play with the boys and the weather was nice & crisp. Ethan and Keira rode stick horses all around the house while Tye and Austin followed. We ate lunch and played outside for a long time. Keira is so sweet and they all get along really well.

The truth is that this morning was tough! Austin is challenging us to see what he can get away with. He refuses to sit down in his high chair or bathtub, isn't napping well and throws fits often now. Eric and I are doing our best to be consistent and follow through with what we say. I think he is hitting the terrible twos early! I don't see any new teeth coming in, so I'm not sure what is bothering him. He is such a sweet, happy little guy normally, so I hate that he is going through such a rough time!

Here is how my day really was!

Austin's day was much brighter after his nap. He woke up happy and ready to play. Erica, Grace and Carter came over to cheer him up and they all had a great time playing outside. Erica also brought over some ice cream. They were all jumping up and down with excitement.

Later we headed outside and the boys jumped in Tye's bouncy. Nothing else can cheer up boys like ice cream and jumping!

Like father, like sons

Eric finished the deck yesterday! He did an awesome job! He added it on to our existing deck and it looks like it has always been there. He added a planter box, rails and lights. We still need to stain it, but the wood has to be slightly weathered first. We got in the hot tub last night and it was so nice. It feels really good when it's cold outside. Thanks so much to Samantha and Trent for passing it on to us!

Ethan loves to build things too. He loves to sort and stack and do everything his daddy does. Here are some pictures of his creations. I think Eric enjoys building with Legos just as much as Ethan.

Austin likes to build too, but he thinks it is more fun to destroy things. He loves tearing down all the things Ethan builds.

Eric's mom saved all of Eric's little Lego pieces from when he was young.

As soon as they are old enough, I will have tiny Legos scattered all over my house. Oh what fun I have to look forward to! I love my little builders!

Happy 40th Birthday Sherry

Today is my sister Sherry's 40th birthday.
Here are just some of the things that make my sister a great sister:

- She took me on dates with Russell when she was 18 and I was 9.
- She played dolls with me.
- She let me sleep with her in her waterbed.
- She let me stay with her for the weekend when she was in college and I was in elementary school.
- She came to my high school and college graduations.
- She drove from out of town to see me when I was in the hospital with scarlet fever, but couldn't come in the room because Taylor was just a baby.
- She took me on a tour of SWT with her best friend who was an alumni so I would know my way around town.
- She was my matron of honor in our wedding.
- She was in the room with me when both of my babies were born.

Sherry is a great big sister and I love her very much! Happy Birthday!

Pansies & Pumpkins

We spent the afternoon with my parents today. We went to a local nursery and picked out some pansies to plant.The boys had fun chasing the resident kitten around and pulling the wagon. The boys helped Grandpa plant the pansies too. Ethan helped Grandpa dig the hole while Austin collected rocks.

We also went to a pumpkin patch in Georgetown off 29. It was a great patch and they had lots of spots to take pictures. There were no ants either! The boys had a great time crawling all over the pumpkins. I can't wait to go back when the weather cools down!

Toddler fun

We came across the cutest toddler markers the other day at Target called Crayola TaDoodles First Marks. The boys loved them! They are shaped like cute animals and they don't need a cap. They sell them in markers and paint. Austin had the frog and kept saying "ribbit, ribbit, hop, hop" as he made it jump around.

My mom sang the boys a really fun song and they had so much fun acting it out. Here are the words to Come on and join in the Game:

Let everyone laugh like me (ha, ha)

Let everyone laugh like me (ha, ha)
Come on and join in on the game,

You'll find that it's always the same (ha, ha)

You just act out the different actions and the kids really get a kick out of it. The other choruses are:

Let everyone clap like me (clap, clap)

Let everyone sleep like me (snore)

Let everyone cry like me (boo hoo)

The boys have really enjoyed learning new songs and making art work. They are at a really fun age! Here is the video of the boys singing with their grandma. Notice Ethan is wearing his favorite rubber boots. Sorry the video is sideways! I'm a rookie blogger!

Babies, babies everywhere!

Last night was girl's night at Sammy's house. It was really fun. We had a great smorgasbord of food and lots of fun conversation. Most talk these days is about babies. Four of the eight girls there are pregnant! We will have a total of 12 kids between us. :)

In the past week, I have held two newborn girls and been around my pregnant friends. While the baby girls did make my heart melt, I am not quite ready for another one. I am enjoying tight jeans, bikinis, running, drinking and being free to do whatever I want! I was pregnant or nursing for three years straight!

Why I blog

I started this blog because I wanted to share stories, ideas and pictures of our family with friends and family. I think of my blog as my online journal. It's a way for me to be creative and write. I love staying home with my boys, but I also like having something to do all of my own. No, I do not have too much time on my hands! I just have the boys trained to nap at the same time! :) The blog helps me to stay focused on the important things in life and reflect on how much God has blessed us.

The thing I am most excited about is you can have your blog archived into a book to keep forever. I love the idea of reading a book years from now about my life when the kids were babies. I'm a big scrapbooker, so it's the perfect daily scrapbook. For more info on how to have your blog made into a book, visit http://www.blurb.com/.

It's really easy to start a blog and super easy to add new entries. You should make one too!

My big boy

Ethan is really growing up! I can't believe he will be three in January. He is speaking in sentences and really communicating well. Sometimes I have to translate, but you can understand him for the most part. He knows about a hundred signs too. If I forget one, I'll ask him and he knows it! He can be a stinker, but for the most part he is very sweet and lots of fun. He is a really good big brother and only terrorizes Austin a little. :)

Ethan's favorite things are:

Blue Rat and blankie

popcorn

swinging really high

helping Daddy

popsicles

Signing Time

dinosaurs

Curious George

Bubba

My dad and Eric's mom

books

Cars