The Pumpkin Patch

Neither of the kids has preschool on Mondays, so we are always looking for a fun way to spend the day. Today we decided to hit the pumpkin patch and try to get a few pics of the kids. Little did I know they would be so enamored with running through the pumpkins. It was almost impossible to get them to sit still, but at least they had fun and burned off some energy.

The last time we went, 2 years ago, this was out best shot. Nice comb-over Henry. And look at Aubrey's baby face! Wow. What I think is almost more amazing is that Aubrey is still wearing the same glasses. They are not as pink as they once were, but they have held up amazingly well.

Trunk or Treat

Sunday night we loaded up the kids and costumes and headed to our church for the annual Truck or Treat event. This was our first year to attend, and we will definitely be back. The kids had a blast and listened very well to the bible stories at each car before getting a little treat. I was so impressed with how creative the trunks were and how each treat was tied to the bible story. Swedish Fish for Jonah, grape juice for the last supper, black and white junior mints to represent the light and darkness of creation. Very cool.

Spidey and Snow White. I did not expect Henry to actually wear a costume, but at the last minute, he got really excited about our hand-me-down "mide-man"

Amy and her pumpkin, Charlotte

A rare shot of all of us!

Pumpkin Painting

A little snack to prep for the big event.

And of course, water balloons to end the event.

I love...

this girl. Dirty face and all.

Even the silliness.
And don't even get me started on this one.

Happy 40th Tate!

My brother turned 40 this past weekend and we had an amazing time celebrating with my parents and Tate's family at the Hyatt Lost Pines. The cousins played non stop and even the adults joined in on the fun. Who says you have to be a kid to go down a waterside? The weather could not have been more perfect. Cool mornings and nights, and warm afternoons that allowed for swimming and floating down the Lazy River. The younger kids got to go on a pony ride and my brother, sister-in-law, my oldest niece and I went on a trail ride too. We had great food, roasted smores and watched Finding Nemo outside under the stars. Henry had a ball riding his "gee gee" (aka scooter) around the property and playing chase. It was so great to have all of us together in the same place. It had been almost 2 years! Thanks to everyone for a wonderful weekend.

My dad and I took a ton of photos. Here are some of our highlights...

The cousins, minus Henry (who wouldn't go near it), posing on a longhorn.

What's not to love about the lazy river, other than being photographed in your swimsuit?

Grandad and Aubrey had quite a time on the waterside.

The Birthday Boy

That's a lot of fire.

Aubrey's first real pony ride. Apparently she was quite the cowgirl. I'm told her pony spooked on the ride and spun around in circles. She held on tight and smiled. They gave her a special prize (a purple horse keychain) afterwards for being brave.

1. this photo, it's because he probably was.

Sickness.

It is safe to say that someone has been sick with something or another since the end of August. We've had two sinus infections, a double ear infection, a fever virus and multiple rounds of the stomach bug. Blah. This should explain why I have been somewhat absent from this blog. I cannot believe we started off the school year this way. Let's hope we got it all out of our system!

First day of Pre-school!!!!! (finally)

Can you tell it's been a long hot summer with restless kids? We were all so anxious for school to start this week.

Actually, Aubrey's first day would have been yesterday, but we didn't get back from MN until late last night. It was a short day anyway (only 1.5 hrs) so she didn't miss much. After not getting to sleep until 10:30pm, she was still up and ready to go at 7:30am. She has been looking forward to this day for a LONG time. Her last first day of preschool! Aubrey is in Pre-K this year and is so ready to learn new things. She will go four morning a week. I can hardly believe it. I love to see her enthusiasm. I hope it lasts all year!

Henry is in the Two's this year and will go two mornings a week. His first day was today, but it was a really short day. Only 45 mins and I had to stay with him! He walked right in and headed straight for the play dough. I think it was about 5 mins before he realized I was still there.

I am so excited about both of their teachers and look forward to a great year.

End of summer trip

We took advantage of some last minute airfare prices and made a quick trip up to Minnesota and Wisconsin to visit Brian's family this past weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't have room to haul my camera up there, so I only have a few pictures to share from Grandpa's camera. I am kicking myself that we didn't get a photo of the kids with all their cousins or one of them with grandma and grandpa. We all enjoyed the MUCH cooler weather. The kids loved getting to play with their older cousins and it was great to catch up with everyone. We just wish we could do it more often.

Henry's first tractor ride... in his jammies of course.

Still in jammies, watching the big kids play while wearing sister's gold shoes.

Aubrey and Tommy "relaxing" on the hammock. It's amazing no one ended up in the lake.

Bye Bye summer!

Nothing

For those of you who actually read this blog regularly, you have probably noticed a gradual decline in the number of posts. So, one of two things is happening. I have either been so busy I don't have time to write, or, I have nothing to write about. Believe it or not, I think both of those reasons are accurate. With the kids home all day, every day, this summer, I don't have a lot of free time to sit and rehash the day's events. And while our days are packed with "life", we haven't been doing much that requires me to whip out the camera. Busy, yes. Exciting, not so much. So here is a post to tell you that I really have nothing to post.

Oh wait, I lied. Henry knows one color, yellow or "yeayo." There. Something worth remembering!

Cabin fever

It's been HOT this August, so we spend a lot of time inside. Here's how we've been passing the time.

Dress up. A lot of dress up.

And then there is this. T.R.O.U.B.L.E. Henry seems to be getting into a lot of trouble. He will be happily playing and then suddenly take off like a bolt of lightening. Before I can get up and find him, he is into something. Lipstick, markers, and baby powder. It's like he just suddenly remembers "OH, I need to go make a mess now."

We still have over two weeks until preschool starts. I better get more creative before they figure out how to catch the house on fire.