HALLOWEEN

Ben the scary Snake!

Alec the green Turtle.

Ty the cute Chicken.

The kids were so excited for Halloween this year. Ben unfortunately really wanted to be a King Cobra Snake. I convinced him that a black snake would be just as cool, and he was my good helper stuffing the tights. They loved trick-or-treating, and even Ty got into it. He would not let anyone carry his pumpkin of treats. After about of week of endless candy and begging for treats. We found a Wii game on Craigslist for cheap and had them trade in all their candy for the game. It was the best thing!! Next year I'll attempt that sooner after Halloween.

Pumpkin Picking

The Berry Ranch Pumpkin Picking and Hay Ride

Last night for family night, our little family went to a farm to pick our pumpkins for the season. The pumpkins in our garden failed miserably this year, so we had to go elsewhere. It was nice to be in the country though with a fun farm atmosphere. The pumpkin patch was huge, and had the biggest pumpkins I've seen in along time. Ty really loved the little petting zoo with the sheep, cows, chickens, pigs, and sheep. However the animals were so dirty it was more of a looking zoo then a petting zoo. The smell brought back quick memories of growing up on a farm. There are somethings not missed, and other things I hate living without.

Here is Ben in one of the old tractors they had displayed.

The kids had to be able to carry the pumpkin they picked. It was difficult though to find one small enough for Alec to carry. We finally resorted to just being able to pick it up for a short time.

Ty spent more time climbing on pumpkins or laying on the ground from tripping on the vines, then he did standing. He loved the farm!! From animals to throwing hay, it was his perfect little place.

We just got back from a fun family vacation to Seattle. Two of Luke's good friends, Kevin & Shaun, live there and were kind enough to show us the sights. The children loved the ocean and anything to do with it. We now have a lovely bowl of sea shells. We spent some time at Pt. Defiance Zoo where the hight lights consisted of the amazing aquarium and the huge walruses. The Pike Place Market was a lot of fun. I loved the beautiful flower shops and the big city. The boys loved watching the sales men throw fish for customers. We then shared figs and a pomegranate from the market under the Space Needle. Riding the Ferry to Vashon Island was a fun new thing for the boys. While we were there we had a picnic, hunted for sea shells, and viewed the light house. The Seattle Temple was beautiful! Krissy gave us a fun scavenger hunt to do with the boys while we were there, and minus the rain it was worth the trip in itself. One of my favorite things about the trip was dining at the restaurant "Anthony's" on my birthday. There was babysitter for all the kids and the adults enjoyed a seafood meal overlooking the ocean. Thanks Shaun and Kevin or a great weekend. It was so fun hanging out with good friends. We now know that an 8 hour drive is very long, but due-able with the kids. Alec's funny line during the drive, "Ben you make me sad on the inside and angry on my face."

First day of

PRESCHOOL

Play Group

Alec started his first day of a play group Preschool today. It consists of 7 children all 2 years away from Kindergarten. Each Mom takes a turn teaching a day, and my first day will be next week. We'll see how it goes. Alec is so excited he could hardly stand waiting. He had his back pack on way in advance so I had to get his picture.

Ty of course would not be left out. As soon as he saw Alec with a backpack, he then proceeded to pull the small kid coat rack on himself trying to get a backpack. I found a little bag that could fit on his shoulders and he was so excited. As soon as Alec's picture was over, Ty then took his spot and said "cheese." I couldn't resist taking the picture. The bag had to stay on during the drive to drop Alec off at preschool. Poor Ty really thought he was going to, and he cried the entire way home. His little whimpers didn't stop until he finally fell asleep for his nap. For a kid who is short on words, he sure knows what is going on.

KINDERGARTEN

The First Day of School!!

I can hardly believe Ben is already old enough to go to school, but he was definitely ready!! His favorite word to describe it is "Awesome." The morning before it started was so long for him. He loves his teacher Mrs. T, and is excited about the kids on the bus. I hope liking school never changes for him for a long time.

Idaho State Fair

I decided it was time I started blogging again. I have been a slacker all summer and figured it was time I started again.

The kids each got to pick one ride, so here is Alec in a green plane. He spent the entire ride ducked in the plane because the man running the ride was squirting some of the kids with water guns. He was not willing to chance a little water I guess.

Our three crazies acting the part of cheesy vegetables.

The petting zoo was by far the favorite part of the fair for Ty. He wanted so badly to climb right in with the animals. He loves animals!!

That's my Boy

I don't get on to blog much (ok ever) but I have to share an experience I had with Alec yesterday at my sister's house. They take care of a goat that belongs to one of their friends. This friend comes over every night to milk the goat because her son is lactose intolerant. Well, my little city boys just happened to be outside to watch the festivities and as she tied the goat up Alec made quit the observation: "Wow! Look, that horse (pointing at the goat) has two penises!" and as she started to milk into the bucket he continued: "And now it is peeing in the bucket." Needless to say, I couldn't stop laughing when I heard what happened and I had to have a little heart to heart chat to clear things up.

We went on a little hike at Camel Back Park that overlooks the Boise Valley.  The boys did awesome with it being the hottest part of the day.  Ty enjoyed the ride and surprisingly kept the glasses on most of the time, but the hat did not last long.

We spent a day at Aunt Suzanne's house, and the kids loved seeing all the animals she has collected.  They fed horses, sheep, goats, dogs, and cats.  It made me realize that I'm raising city boys, yikes.  It looks like we'll be taking more trips to visit our cousins.  After our visit, I left Ty there and took the other boys to Aunt Andrea's.  A big thanks to my two of my sister-in-laws who were sweet enough to take my children for a couple of days, so Luke and I could celebrate our 6th Anniversary.  It was a well needed break.

Ben's new favorite thing to do is swing.  He can now pump himself and get really high on his own.  He loves it, but unfortunately he also loves jumping off in full swing.  It makes me nervous every time, and one of these days he is really going to get hurt.  Until then, what is a mother to do??  Watch, smile, say, "Wow, good job, but PLEASE be careful.

We are really taking advantage of the warm weather and parks this month.  Alec loves the playground, and is our little monkey on the jungle gym.

We have used our little pool already a lot so far this year.  It is so nice to have a yard this year for the kids to play in.  Ty has a blast in the water!!  He is even a pretty good sport when his brother dump water over his head.  He is our happy little boy.  The only time he really cries is when meal time is over and I make him stop eating.  The kid would eat all day if I let him.  He knows where the snacks our kept, and he is frequently pointing and whining for food.  He interacts so cutely with his big brothers, and he has learned to be quite the little tease.  We love our little Tiger.

Aunt Kara and Uncle Chris came to visit, which was the highlight of our month.  We wore them out after hiking, fishing, and playing.  It's exhausting being around a family of boys, and I'm pretty sure Uncle Chris got his feel of wrestling for some time.

Ben graduated from Preschool yesterday!!  It was fun to watch him perform their little program and to hear the good things his teacher had to say.  He can hardly wait to go to Kindergarten, and I'm hoping the summer goes by slow.

Poor Ty!

You know your a good mother, and watching your kids closely when your one year old burns both palms of his hands.  Or should I say you know you have too many kids when something like this happens.  Poor Ty touched our charcoal grill when we were cooking at the park.  It didn't even cross my mind when I set him down to play.  He now gets both hands wrapped daily and we started covering his hand with socks when he eats so we can keep things clean.  

Poor baby!!

Easter

Luke's brother and family came to visit for the Easter weekend.  We enjoyed their tradition of following a string that led to your easter basket.  Easter morning the house was covered in string, and the the kids enjoyed the maze of fun with a fun basket at the end.

Ty was instantly a fan of Easter when he tasted the yummy treats!!

We had a family Easter egg hunt at the park, which the kids enjoyed.  Of course it was windy enough, and we got to fly kites as well.  We had a great picnic party.  It so fun to have family close enough to visit.

Alec at the Easter Egg Hunt!!

Easter Sunday!!  

Can you believe we got a picture with all eyes looking at the camera.  Ya, neither can we.

Ben's Birthday

   Ben had a fun Birthday Party with his friends.  It was a wild, crazy bunch, but they had a really fun time.  Of course Ben is still really into cars, so we had a hot wheel party with a race track cake.  I can't believe he is already five and that he will soon be going to Kindergarten.  He has grown up a lot the past year, and is really a good little boy and a great big brother.
 We were glad when Ben's birthday finally arrived so we could stop counting down everyday.  (We've been counting since 43 days left).  He was truly so excited!!  Just a quick story: the Leapster was purchased on a great morning buster the day after Thanksgiving, since Ben already had planned out what he wanted for Christmas and his Birthday.  I have stored it away not thinking much about it.  When we opened it on Ben's birthday, it didn't work--Yikes.  We had the receipt, but it had been over 90 days.  Walmart no long carries the Leapster, only Leapster 2.  Luckily the manager was available and pretended like she hadn't seen the receipt and made the exchange.  Next time I'll open my purchases and make sure they work before  I store them for months.

Fix It Crew!!

These are my sweet boys all working together.  A true kodak moment!!  It's amazing how fixing things that aren't broken is really fun to do.

Birthday Week

Ty loves presents and enjoyed the wrapping paper more then it's contents.

My baby is officially 1 years old!!  I can hardly believe it.  He is suppose to stay baby just a little bit longer, but we are enjoying every second.  He is such a sweet baby.  He is getting really good at making animal noises, and thanks to Alec he is especially good at dinosaur sounds.  He is walking from person to person, but refuses to make any long distances.  He is my little shadow and is always trying to be where I am, which is good and bad.  He has 

Alec is now the big 3 years old going on 6, or so he thinks.  He is constantly trying to keep up with the older boys, and for the most part does a pretty good job of it.  His big thing this year is dinosaurs and the color green (yes that is suppose to be a green dinosaur cake).  Alec is a smart, energetic little boy that attempts to talk his way out of anything.  He is always keeping me on my toes, and makes things interesting.  We love his fun personality and enjoy being around him.