Some Halloween Pictures!

So N is a natural and knew exactly what to do with the candy pail! He did not get to walk around that night, but got some practice putting stuff into his bucket anyway.















My little Star Wars guys in front of our house...and yes they are shoeless. It was 80 on the 31st and I think M wore his flip flops and J wore crocs.











Another quick photo in front of our house. N was pretty excited about hanging onto the pumpkin. N was yoda, J was Obi Wan Kenobi and M was a Storm Trooper.













Little Yoda got to cruise in the stroller all night. The stroller also served as a candy drop for when the boys' buckets got full. I think we are going to be in a candy coma for a long time around here!

M and J with their good little buddy.

Our good friends invited us to their church for Trunk or Treating...a really cool concept where you decorate the back of your vehicle and the kids can walk from each station trick or treating.

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween. We will be nice a warm here in CA with temps in the mid 70's. This is a far cry from MN, I remember the great Halloween storm when it snowed and we were without power for three days.


So earlier this week I got to go with M, J and N to a cub scouts activity at a pumpkin patch. Unfortunately it was after school at night and I forgot my camera so no pictures. However, J and I got to go to the same place the next day for his field trip. J enjoyed the wagon ride through the pumpkins.







He also had to sit on the straw pony.















A quick shot of his K class and teacher. There are a lot of girls in his class! He is in the second row on the end with the hoodie up.















A quick photo with a scarecrow farmer.

He was a little freaked out by this one. The scarecrow would move and talk when you stood next to the growth chart.

N's First Pumpkins

So while the older boys were walking the corn maze I took the time to do a photo shoot with N. He LOVED getting out and seeing all the pumpkins and the activities going on around him.

Checking out the stem of the pumpkin. I absolutely love the way he looks at things for the first time. He is such a happy little boy that has no fear and is very inquisitive about everything. I think I am going to have my hands full for the next couple of years with him.

He loved all the little gourds they had that he could pick up and feel all the little bumps, seams and look closer at all the colors.

Who can resist this little boy with pumpkins as big as he is.

I love how all the colors pop in all these photos.

Fall Fun...and some pictures!

So before J left on his "trip" we went to the Cool Patch Pumpkin Farm, which has the "World's Largest Corn Maze" (it is in the Guinness World Records) with his office. The older two and him led the way through the 40 acre maze and made it out in one hour and 5 minutes. While they were in there N and I walked around the pumpkin patch and some of the other attractions.






The boys were even good sports about taking some fall pictures.

J really liked this scarecrow.

The boys rode around in a wagon for a little bit.

They had Tee Pees and little cabins and other neat things to go and see too.

Moving Fun....and even some pictures!

The boys had a blast helping us unpack and claiming the boxes as their own. Really who needs all the books, crafts and toys that were in those boxes when all they wanted the boxes themselves. Boy we could have saved ourselves a ton of heavy lifting, money and time if we would have known how much fun they could have in a box. The boys had fun pretending that their boxes were castles, ships, airplanes, spaceships....and on and on.

So these are almost two months old, but better late then never. As you can tell N enjoyed the whole moving in process; boxes and paper oh my!



















N also found the pan drawer and thought it would be fun to sit in it. If anyone has a better idea then putting a chair in front of the oven to keep him from unloading pans, or opening up the oven door and climbing in let me know...for now the chair seems to be doing the job.

J sporting his big boy kindergarten bookbag. CA allows kids to start Kindergarten as long as they are 5 by December...J is truly the baby in the class just getting in with a couple days to spare. He had a hard time with writing at first, but his teacher is impressed with how fast he has caught up. He also started about a month after the rest of the kids did, so he had extra ground to make up. He is really enjoying it now ans looks forward to going everyday.

Changes!

So it has been several months since I have last posted...but we have been super busy and have gone through a lot of change. We no longer live in NJ, and now reside in CA. The boys have started school, M in 1st and J in K (which CA's cutoff is 5 by Dec 1st, so it is like J skipped a grade). J has started at his new job and also has already left for a "trip"...which Amazing Race featured the area he is in. M is also a Tiger Cub this year, which until J returns means that I will be quite busy! Little N is a quite active little boy and will soon be walking, and has taken a few little steps on his own but still prefers to speed crawl all over.
We did have some adventures driving from the east coast to the west, but unfortunately we packed the cameras into a tote and couldn't locate them for the trip and relied on a disposable. We have taken a ton of photos since in CA, but my card reader isn't working correctly. I know excuses, excuses! I hope to remedy this problem after the 22nd...as the new windows comes out and I am due for a new laptop that isn't so quirky ;)

Up, Up and Away!

So when we went back to MN J was able to schedule a treat for the the boys and himself. He called up his original flight instructor took the boys on a thirty minute plane ride. The J's sat in the back and M sat in front and actually flew a little bit.
Towards the end lil' J I guess was feeling sick to his stomach, but M had a blast and has been talking about being like daddy when he grew up and has a long list of Airplanes that he wants to fly!

Look...No Training Wheels!

So one of goals this summer was to get M to ride on just on two wheels...CHECK! He was very nervous at first, but with a little extra gear...notice the knee pads, elbow pads, gloves and helmet...he was all set.
















We had to take him down to the end of the street where it was flat and no cars would be bothering us...he was able to get it right away.














So now M and J can go out for short bike rides together, as long as there aren't too big of hills in the way anyway!

More Recent Happenings

M and J are playing T-Ball this year. M is on the Athletics team and it comes pretty natural to him. We have had a lot of rain this summer so they aren't getting as many games in as scheduled, but they are having fun none-the-less.











The little low crawling guy, pre-haircut and as always with a HUGE smile!











Look ma, no hands! I am a big sitting up boy! He has grown up so much in a weeks time. He sits by himself, low crawls, got a haircut, says da-da-da, and now has a bump were his first tooth is coming in.









Nothing is safe with this little guy either. He can low crawl all over the house and we will be putting up the baby gates up this weekend to keep him off those steps. I am teaching the boys to keep their toys upstairs and to remember to close all the doors on the lower level. I suppose I need to invest in some plug covers and cupboard locks pretty soon too. He is a devious guy and likes to be were the action happens.





J is such a clown and makes N laugh all the time. Take a look at Evidence A.

April Trip back to MN part 2

So the second part of the trip we went up to the Detloff farm and spent some time getting to know our new little niece Jillian and having fun with cousin Makarian as well. Jillian is 3 months older then N, but N out weighed her.










The boys got to ride around in the arena on a one eyed horse named Charlie.














M was much more comfortable up there this time compared to the other chances he had when he was younger.










M being silly climbing up on a huge rock.












The three amigos up on that rock. They had a great time riding around on the six wheeler, 3 wheeler, riding "pony", and flying the huge kite in the pasture.

April Trip back to MN part 1

So back in April we ended up going back to MN to see family and to have lil' N baptized. We were also able to celebrate a belated Birthday for M. Gma Ellen was creative and got M Spiderman cupcakes that were a big hit with the kiddos.












Blue frosting isn't a good idea though it kind of stains your skin and just doesn't wash off like it should.










The "Godfathers" my nephews Mike and Derek with lil' N. Too bad neither one of them have seen the "Godfather" movies...guess I know that they need for Christmas this year!














Pastor Meg with the special little man. N was too big to wear the baptismal gown that the other boys wore and I wore as a baby so we just went with a nice little Easter outfit I had picked up.

















Another shot of the "Godfathers" with N. They got lots of practice holding a baby that night and got more comfortable as the night went on. Good thing N is a good sport about it and isn't a fussy baby at all.

So yes we have moved....

We have moved to your new diggs....however, we will be moving in August once again. This time we won't be just moving across town, but to California...talk about a LOOOONG drive! We are unpacking and packing at the same time if that makes sense. With the news of moving we decided to purchase a trailer to move some of our own stuff across country. So we have been filling it up with unneccesary items that can be boxed up and stored in the trailer. It is amazing at how much stuff you accumulate through the years.

In other news...the older 2 boys are keeping busy and we hope they enjoy the T-ball they are signed up for. We have had a lot of rain lately so hopefully they will get to enjoy some more of the great outdoors. N is growing up fast and is such a good little boy! He sleeps good through the night and loving rice cereal. I think in a couple of weeks we may even have a crawling little boy.

Hate to post and run, but it seems like my time is up!

Update on Move...

Because of all the good weather apparently they are able to get the new houses done sooner then they thought. We will be signing our lease on the 9th of March...like a whole month sooner then what the first notice informed us. We plan on moving the bulk of our household goods ourselves and leave the backbreaking items for the professionals...good thing J is scheduled to be back on the 7th! So March is turning into a very busy month around here.

The older 2 boys spent the afternoon at J's "school" (the CDC) for "Give Parents a Break"...so I got to do a little shopping with only lil' N in tow. It is a great program and I wish I would have used it when J was on his other "trips". The best part is they like it and think it is a special treat for them...so the only complaint is when it is time to go home.

That is all for now and hopefully I can post some pictures of the boys next time.

Pending Move...

So we got notice that we will be soon moving into a brand new duplex...not so excited about downgrading to a duplex since we have a single family house right now, but we really have no choice in the matter since our house is being torn down. We knew it was coming and we were just waiting to be notified of when and where we would be placed. It is new...so I guess that is nice. I feel like I have to be productive so I am starting to pack up the things we don't use on a daily basis and throwing/donating things we no longer need. Since we have to be moved out before our trip back home in early April and won't get the keys till the end of March I feel like I need to get as much done as possible. Luckily J will be back from his trip for the actual move so I won't have to go it alone, hopefully he can manage his office job, his flying, writing papers for his masters class and moving all at the same time. I will send out our new address to everyone once we get all the details and sign the lease so watch your mailboxes at the end of March or so.
So once again we are a family on the move...we're just not moving that far this time.

Winter Olympics

On Friday M participated in his section of K5 Winter Olympics. He participated in Carpet Square Hockey, Bobsled Scooter Racing and the Faux Ice Dancing. He did well in all of the events, came close in the Hockey heat, and even got to the finals in the Boys Ice Dancing. He enjoyed the day cheering on his friends and classmates and I was glad to see some of the activities they have been working on. I think this week I will head into the Youth Center and sign him up for Tee ball for the spring and see if there are any other activities that the boys can participate in.

Are you ready for some Football!

So with J gone we are doing a low key Super Bowl Sunday, especially since we really don't have any stake in either team. The main reason for watching this year are the commercials, this may be the only time I use the DVR to rewind to rewatch the commercials and actually fast forward the main show. So the boys are enjoying their favorite type of day...Pajama Day. The boys are still in the Pjs and we are ordering pizza for super and staying in...it is still mighty chilly here and the older two boys seemed to have caught a good cough this past week.
We also do a lot of running around during the week with M leaving for school on the bus at 730 and returning at 245 everyday and J needing to be dropped off at his preschool no sooner then 9 and picked up no later then 12 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They complain they don't end up having much time at home together just to play...which some days is a good thing! I also spend much of my time out of the house with almost all Tuesdays having a MOPS function and almost every Thursday having a special Bible Study ("Loving Your Military Man"), so that leaves Wednesdays from 9-12 that I am down to only one kid to do any major household or grocery shopping without dragging screaming kids through the aisles. Hopefully N stays a good shopper and when the time comes that he is too big for the infant carrier he doesn't fuss too much about staying in the shopping cart.
I have also added to the routine going to the gym, which finally added a family workout area. One of the things I miss from our life back in Ohio was the wonderful family workout area that a good friend and her kids and my little tribe would meet up at. This one isn't as large or equipped as the other one, but it does have a TV/DVD player to pop a movie in for the older two and I haven't had to really wait for any of the equipment I wanted to use. Along with that and the Wii Fit I was able to snag at Target I hope to drop the last of the baby weight.
Super Bowl Sunday does remind me of when M was 9 months old and walked for the very first time, we were in a TLF in San Antonio and just moved out of Del Rio and starting our almost 3 months of being homeless and living in Hotels and a Condo. It was the year of the infamous "Wardrobe Malfunction" with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Half-time show, hard to believe that was 5 years ago.
I hope to have some more pictures here shortly, our life is always busy it seems.