Snippets

I have been going back and forth on if I should get the boys' hair cut. Grammy or I have given them their haircuts so far but I have never paid to get it done. Well, for the sake of getting their pictures done on Friday I figured I should do it. So it is at least e-v-e-n. I guess I should say that I got W's hair cut.

His doesn't curl as much as Jack's so it is not as forgiving when I cut it. So I let the hair lady go short. He fussed and struggled (he did what I call the nordic trac-you know skiing your legs really fast with them straight...watch out!) when I tried to put him in the chair, but she handed him a plastic thing that he could hold then he sat perfectly still and quiet the rest of the time. He even giggled when she used the razor blade on his neck.

Meanwhile, J was laughing from the stroller.

I am not sure what he was laughing at...but he was laughing so who cares!?

Then the sweet lady offered to just clean up J's hair-for free! All she did was use the electric razor around his ears and on his neck-it probably took all of about 25 seconds (why I didn't even get a picture)..but I figured it would help Geoff tell them apart more. I will trim J's hair a little more before the pics though so I won't look back on the pictures and wonder why his hair was so long....

Pumpkin Patch Playdate

Our MOPS group had a playdate today at a local pumpkin patch. All the kids got to rotate through sizing pumpkins, storytime, and making their own pumpkin out of toilet paper. Followed by snacktime-of course! And they each got to pick out their own wee pumpkin.

J really enjoyed being the scarecrow.

Here is J with W:

Here is J with his friend Bo:

Here is J with his friend Rylee:

Yes, J was in that scarecrow spot for a loonnng time.
W, me, and J:

The boys picking out a pumpkin:

On our drive home W said "no naptime no naptime." And then I look back and see J already asleep and W has very heavy eyes. It was still 2 hours until naptime. So I tried as hard as I could to wake them up but it just wasn't worth crashing my new van to do it. J woke up immediately when I pulled into our driveway-typical for him. But W stayed asleep even as I carried him in and took off his shoes and laid him on the couch...and that is where he still is asleep...on the couch. No sign of waking up. All those pumpkins most have been exhausting! So I have one taking a nap right now and one running around playing with his tractor. This means mommy will have no free time today. Oh well. I will settle for putting them down for an earlier bedtime.

By the way, before I finished this post, W woke up and both boys are throwing their bouncy balls around the kitchen.

The Halloween Extravaganza has Begun!

"AAARRGGHHH Pirates!"

We went to a children's Halloween party today at Geoff's work. I know I am biased but I LOVED them in their little pirate costumes. And W must have enjoyed being a pirate because he surprised us by wearing the hat the eNtIrE time...including for an hour before the party and for about an hour and a half after the party. Jack didn't have much for it though. He humored us by wearing it for about 5 minutes while we took these outdoor pics and for the parade. I really really like this picture. It makes me smile big:

Still running (at the building before going into the party):

J in a rare moment with the hat on:

The boys had plenty of treats at the party. They started out the sugar-fest first with dum dum lollypops:

and moved on to pretzel rods and newton pops:

Then they filled their homemade paper bag with more goodies including goldfish, teddy grahams, M&Ms, fruit snacks, pumpkin medallions, crayons, play tatoos, and mini play doh containers. Then they did a fishing game in which they scored three matchbox cars each. And they made sure to get a couple of more dum dum lollypops after the pumpkin pinata was busted open. It was a challenging pinata....all the kids at the party had a few whacks at it and it wasn't budging. So one of the dads had to beat it to a pulp.

After all those goodies, the boys kept a close (clutch) grip hold on their treat bags:

Here is W checking out what J got in his gift bag:

J trying to swat at the pinata:

W's turn!

J proudly/smugly marching through the end-of-the-party parade set to Michael Jackson's Thriller jamming in the background:

Tennessee

Alright, my 3rd and final post in this series.  We stayed at my parents house to and from Indiana. The trees were turning there too and it was so pretty.  We enjoyed visiting and the boys loved chasing their two cats around.  They also enjoyed the rooster that lives a few doors down.  The first time they heard it they bolted for the porch.  They have heard roosters before but I guess this one sounded too close for comfort!  

But after a day or so they were saying "bye bye rooster" when they didn't hear it and "night night rooster".  Their vocabulary sky-rocketed in the last two weeks.  They are repeating everything we say and saying lots of new words including "mine" (my least favorite).  They must have picked that up at MDO because I certainly did not teach them that.  The other day W said "mine" and we said "that is not nice" and he said "mine please."

W has become quite the horder as well.  He gathers up as many toys as he can manage and stores them in a truck or something and then spends the rest of the time trying to maintain his toys from J or any other kiddo that might be around.  Poor thing.  He can never rest.  He is always on the lookout for thieves.  

*On a side note* here is a snip-it of a conversation Geoff and I had in front of an Indiana Starbucks.  

Me:  What do you want?  (Geoff is a Starbucks rookie and he doesn't drink coffee)

G:  Just a hot chocolate.

Me:  Do you want a tall then?

G:  No, I don't need anything that big.

Me:  A tall is a small.

G:  OK, yes a tall then...

Me:  Sigh.  Hahaha!  My poor, sweet, patient husband.

But while we were there the nice barista (I had to find a way to get that word into this post) let me have a sample of the salty caramel hot chocolate.  It is good.  It does seem strange watching them sprinkle sea salt onto a hot drink though.  

Ok, back to Tennessee.  Some pics with the family...

Here is J and W with Papap, Uncle PJ and Grandma...

The boys...

The boys enjoying the beautiful view from the back porch....

 

And some pics from a  rest stop (doesn't everyone take pictures at a rest stop???)

 

Indiana

On our Indiana trip we stayed with one of my best friends Claudia (we went to Purdue and high school together) and her family. We celebrated Geoff's birthday, we played Euchre, we jogged (Claudia is the one that got me into running), we went to a great pumpkin patch/apple orchard, we went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum, and we visited my Grandpa. It was full-up fall (at least the week we were there) and I loved wearing jackets and sweaters again.

Here are some pictures from our visit.

Audrey with the birthday candle--she ate the biggest piece of cake I have ever seen.

Putting final touches on Geoff's b-day cake (decorated by Audrey and Geoff):

Liam, Claudia, me and Wyatt at the Children's museum:

At the pumpkin patch...in front of a skyscraper of pumpkins, gords, and corn...you don't get to see that everywhere!

I asked W to stand next to the pumpkin....so he turned around and s.l.o.w.l.y backed up to it.

Up close to a gazillion live bees:

J holding a baby pumpkin:

W posing with his wagon:

W running out of the maze (like his hair is on fire):

J running out of maze (also with his hair on fire):

Claudia, Liam, and Jim (Audrey was at school):

Tasting apples in the orchard store...we didn't get W's apple away fast enough...he already ate a good bit of the core (guess he was hungry):

Eating apples back at the house:

Claudia ran Liam to sleep...

W with Claudia:

Trying to get a group shot...3 out of 4 looking isn't bad-thanks for having us Claudia and Jim-we had so much fun!

Family picture with Grandpa/Great-Grandpa:

Enjoying the view from the porch:

Grandpa and I...we love you!