Searching for the Perfect Pumpkin

A Wildman on the Loose in my Kitchen!

You're Never to Old to Cuddle your Dad

But can you ever be too big???

How a Baby Tosses a Salad

Park Day

It was another beautiful Fall day and Will had a great time playing with his brothers at the park!

Big Day

It was a big day at our house (but kind of sad for mom). Will got his first haircut. It was hard to watch all that long wild and crazy hair come off. It really fit his personality. But one to0 many persons referred to him as a "she". So apparently the time had come. We couldn't believe how good our wild child was. He who climbs out of EVERYTHING, even the straps of his highchair, sat perfectly still while the lady cut his hair. And then he had his first lollipop. Boy was that a hit!! Jake and Sam came home later in the day from their Spanish class with another lollipop and Will was giddy with excitement. Of course Jake gave his lollipop to his baby brother, and he was one happy guy!!

We also went shoe shopping, and when Jake had his feet measured we learned he needed a mens' size. "What!", I said. And when the lady showed me my heart dropped. How could this child I held in my arms yesterday need mens' shoes? I guess I blinked.

Happy Baby!

Brother Time

Go All In

It's not enough anymore just to pull out the pots and pans, Will has to get in the cupboard too! Actually, he and Sam have a great time playing peek a boo!

It May Look Cute and Fuzzy

This little fuzzy caterpillar may look harmless, but beware. Those fuzzy "hairs" sting!! Sam learned the hard way, he got stung all over his fingers and it is very itchy!! Dumb mom thought it would be cool to take a picture of the caterpillar who had just come out of the larvae stage. I encouraged Sam and his friends to play and build a habitat for them. Well, the caterpillar obviously did not appreciate it and he got even. Poor Sam!

Autumn Cookies

We are devoting this week to the study and mostly, the enjoyment, of autumn. Today we made these fall leaf cookies. I use the term we loosely because I have to admit I felt a bit like the Little Red Hen. I had plenty of enthusiastic help for the first 15 minutes, and then the boys let mom finish the job. Which left me wondering, "Why did I make sooo many cookies??" I'm sure you are not surprised to hear I had no shortage of taste testers!

A Campfire in Our Backyard

John built us a really great fire pit. We have had a small metal fireplace in the back yard since we moved in, but this fire pit is huge! We can have a really big fire. The kids are loving learning about the stars, roasting marshmallows, and believe it or not, singing around the fire!! (Notice Jake writing in a new journal. He is writing a journal from the perspective of a WWII soldier. It's great!)

A Perfect Fall Day

Today we went on a couple of hikes to take in all of the fall color we could! We first went to Oak Creek, but there was not as much color there as we would have liked, but we did see a cool spiderweb, and a crazy looking caterpillar. The boys also had a good time skipping rocks in the creek. We then headed to Lockett Meadow, where the gold leaves on the Quaking Aspens have exploded. It was absolutely breathtaking. Even Will loved it!

Will's 1st Birthday

Will's favorite present was this card from Aunt Cheryle, that plays "Old MacDonald" when you open it. He dances every time the music plays!
The birthday boy waves "Hello"!
I am not sure he likes the gift he received from Jessica and Joe. It's ok, because Mommy loves it and it will keep him good and warm this winter!
He loved his balloons too!

Jessica and the birthday boy
Banana pancakes for our little monkey!
Of course, he tried to grab the candle!
Fortunately, since Will is an amateur gift opener, he had the help of his big brothers
Aunt Kim got him a great first birthday outfit, he actually likes this hat and leaves it on.

I think even though he has a cold, Will still had a great first birthday!

Sam and Calob

Sam had a very hard time leaving his friends in Bakersfield. Especially, his best friend, Grant Matejka. Every year at his birthday he has gotten really upset because his friends would not be here to help celebrate. It has taken him a long time to make another really close bond with someone, but luckily, he has found a GREAT friend in our next door neighbor Calob. Calob's family homeschools as well, so it is really nice that he is home throughout the day like Sam.

Thursday night I was sitting next to Sam and I said, "So do you think you have a Flagstaff best friend now?" He said yes, "Calob is 99% my best friend in Flagstaff. " I said, "That's good, how come?" And he said, "Well, the other day I got hurt by a brick and Calob ran up to get me a band aid." I said "Well, that was nice, so how come he is only 99% your best friend?" Sam replied, "Because he hit me with the brick!"

Hilarious!!!

I did ask was anyone 100% his best friend? He said, "Of course, Jake!" Gotta love him!

Jake's Biggest Fan

Sam's Birthday

Here are some pictures of Sam and his new mountain bike. He says it makes him go faster than any other kid on the street because it has 21 gears...as you can tell by the picture he can go pretty fast. Also, if you're wondering why Sam has such a pathetic looking birthday cake, (in the pan, not decorated) let me tell you why. Yesterday, I made him a beautiful layer cake. In fact I think it was the prettiest cake I have ever made. The layers were so high and straight, it was perfect! Well, a friend knocked on the door for the boys and Will woke up from his nap all at the same time. So while the boys went out to play I went downstairs to take care of Will. I heard a noise in the kitchen and when I went upstairs to see what the boys were getting into I couldn't believe my eyes. They had left the front door open when they went out, and a dog from way down the street, came in and ate Sam's ENTIRE cake off the counter!!!!! I would have taken a picture to show you, except there was NOTHING left to photograph!! So I had to start over. I wanted to buy a cake, but Sam wouldn't have it, and then I wanted to order a pizza instead of make the pork chops Sam had requested, but that did not go over well either. So we started over. Dinner was great, and the cake was still yummy...but no time for decorations!!