Just For Fun

Around here, any occasion to dress up in a costume is most welcomed! Also, any opportunity for me to take pictures of my kids being cute is welcomed too.

We like to call him, "Ninja Nathan". Because he's so darn tough!

This one reluctantly put on his costume...and then ended up loving it so much he didn't want to take it off. I must say, it looked particularly cute on him.

"I don't want my mask on!" Does it make me a bad mom because I take pictures of my kids crying?

Jay's costume was a very unique request. Don't ask me where he got the idea from. With the mask off, you can tell he's not himself. He ended up having the stomach flu and getting sick later that night. In the middle of the night, that little boy came to my bedside and said "Mom, I don't feel good...bluaaaahhhhhh". Oh the joys of being a mother.

What would trick or treating be without a friend in tow? This is the crew we took out.

Beach Babes

One last trip to the beach before it gets too cold. Although, it's kind of bizarre that we can still go to the beach at the end of October...I'm not complaining though! We have had a few friends in tow that made the day extra special!

First up...the Jorgensen's version of Baywatch.

I call these, "fun in the sun and sand"

And I just love this Daddy moment

Little Pumpkins and One Big Pumpkin

One of the great things about living in a large metropolis is the plethora of choices when it comes to activities.  In the fall, one of our favorite things to do is go to our local pumpkin patch. We have a really great one on the west side of town. It's a whole day event. There are tons of kid friendly activities, animals and food. It's a blast to get to go there. But this year, with our schedule being as full as it is (and my belly being as full as it is), we aren't going to make it out there.

Fortunately, just down the road, there is a local church that displays and sells thousands of pumpkins on their property. Even better, the proceeds go to their missions program. So the boys and I decided to go and pick ourselves some lovely pumpkins for the fall. I always think of my mom when we go "pumpkin-ing", it's one of her favorite things to do this time of year. Love you mom.

My favorite photographer (Jacob) even snapped a shot of my little "pumpkin"

This one, is just for Nathan...

Austin was trying his best to be a helper (even though he was picking up all the pumpkins and throwing them back on the ground. Forcing me to buy more pumpkins than I wanted!)

Happy Fall Y'all!

What I Never Knew...

We live in Texas. We are familiar with pesky mosquito's and their nasty bites. What I wasn't familiar with is their ability to deform your child!

I took this picture of Austin a few weeks ago. Normal Austin.

Now Deformed Austin. This was taken this morning a few days after a mosquito bite to the forehead.

Apparently it's common in children with mosquito bites to the face to have swelling that can last up to 7 days! How did I not know that already? It doesn't bother him. He doesn't even itch it. It just LOOKS really bad.

Hoping my alien baby gets better soon. 

Library Day

Spooky Treats

We're not big fans of Halloween around here. With all the evil looking and scary stuff, my kids are happy when it's over. (even though, they are not opposed to an opportunity for a sugar induced coma once a year.)
And we do enjoy it as an opportunity to meet and greet with neighbors and see more of the people in our community.

Anytime of the year, my boys love crazy and funny looking things. So, when I saw this idea on a decoration kit from Target, I thought it would be fun to try.

Ghost and Goblin Brownie Bites

They were fairly easy to make. I just put together a box mix of brownie's and baked them in a cupcake pan as directed. When they cooled, we put large marshmallows on top of each brownie.

The next step is to mix two bowls of powdered sugar glaze. We made one white for ghosts and the other green for the goblins. Then spooned it on top of the marshmallows. Then we let the fun begin as we decorated their faces and hair.

And even though they looked funky, they tasted quite nice! What other time of year can you get away with making such weird looking treats?

Field Trip Fridays

I have to admit, as much as I love taking my three little boys out for fun adventures, it is not always a priority to plan to attend field trips. When we get busy, as we usually are, the choice between accomplishing tasks and goals for the day are more appealing to me than spending half a day on a field trip.

However, a wise homeschool friend once encouraged me to enjoy the eagerness of the younger years and take advantage of field trips. "When you feel you're too busy and you have a choice to go on a field trip, do it while they are young and enjoy it" she said. It's hard to look into the future and know what to anticipate with the older years of school so I am thankful for any shared tips from experienced moms.

So we took her advice and joined up with a planned field trip with some friends from church. And, I'm so glad we did. It was nice to have a full week of school behind us and then, get to enjoy and learn about God's creation at the Wildlife Park.

At the Wildlife Park, the animals are essentially roaming free (in their designated areas).

You board a tram that takes you around a trail through the park. Of course, the big boys like to sit up front, in hopes of getting the most action. Then, the mom's crowd into the inside, hoping they don't get swarmed by the animals.

Austin was very unsure about these "free" animals that could just come up to him. So he spent the beginning of the ride like this...

If I don't see them, they don't exist!

Jacob and Nathan were super excited though.

The park guide gives you a bucket of food to feed the animals and the ride begins. Once Austin figured out he could throw pieces of food, he enjoyed the rest of the ride...

Camels, emus and ostrich...oh my! We got to feed/see/pet all kinds of animals but here are few...

We even fed a deer...the guide did not provide the pb&j!

And last but certainly least (this part was not my favorite), the petting zoo. 

Thanks to the wonderful ladies who coordinated this field trip! It's my goal to utilize more of these opportunities and enjoy the precious moments with my boys.

Dear Old Friend

We knew this day would eventually come. We were just hoping it would be later, much, much later.

September 20th, 2011 was the last day we spent with the greatest dog ever. Our girl, Glory, was as faithful a friend as they come. She'd been with us from practically the beginning. We got her while living in Germany in 2001. She was just a few months old and full of spunk and energy. She went everywhere with us in Europe. She rode the train to Paris, traveled to Normandy, Switzerland and more. 

She was there when we brought each of the boys home from the hospital. Wagging her tail and eagerly sniffing them as if she was welcoming them in.  Even when we just had baby Jacob, she got a lot of our attention with lots of walks in the Buffalo Forrest and playing with Ian. As the kids grew, so did she.

We'll never forget that her most favorite thing to do was to go to the beach. She loved to run free and swim after us as we got in the water. Chasing birds away never got old.

She was the best family pet EVER! She was so kind and gentle to all the babies. She always loved them and protected each one of them.

 She loved to go on hikes and long walks. Even a run with Ian would barely exhaust her.

I never thought it would be so hard to say goodbye to a pet. But she was more than that to us, she was part of our family. At ten years old, her body was suffering and mercy became more important than our feelings. The hardest part was knowing we had the appointment and knowing our time with her was numbered. It was sad to imagine family life without her around. 

We were all there with her when she went down. The vet came to our house and we all sat with her and told her what a good girl she was and how much we loved her. And just like that, she was gone.

The boys handled it much better than I thought they would. I think they knew she was not the same dog, not enjoying her life. They had pity on her and because of that, were willing to let her go.

They still say goodnight and good morning to her, where she was buried. And throughout the day they'll say "I miss Glory". To which I can only say, "I miss Glory too".

My first haircut!

A couple of weekends ago, our family went out to eat. Austin was snuggling with me when the waitress came to take our order. As we went around the table, she came to me and Austin and said "what would SHE like to eat?" She? She? I have three BOYS! That's when I realized...she was confusing Austin for a girl.

How could I blame her? I took this picture in May (3 months ago) and even then, his curly ques had turned almost ponytail length. But I delayed cutting his hair for the first time because I knew once I cut those curls, they'd be gone forever. 

So thank you random waitress for the incentive cut my baby's hair!

Before

So far so good...

Okay, I'm not so sure about this...

It's not that bad...

I love my mom...

All Done! Much better, I'd say.

I'd like to thank one of my favorite photographers, Jacob Jorgensen, for taking these cute pictures!

Third Trimester