First performance

Today was Bens Halloween party at school. Parents were invited to stay and enjoy the party and we were given a little treat:

Ben the magician:

Sam was NOT happy about dressing up:

Fortunately he learned to love his costume.

Wordless Wednesday: smiles

Look at those faces:

BYOP #6

We headed over to Aaron and Prastis this weekend for the 6th annual BYOP (bring your own pumpkin) party. You bring the pumpkin, they supply the carving utensils and the creativity runs wild. We took the pumpkins the boys got on the pumpkin patch field trip. Ben did not want to scoop out the guts, but he had a good time picking out the face shapes and cutting them out, with dads help of course. Sam was more into playing than carving so dad generously stepped up and carved his pumpkin. As always, Prasti supplied lots of pumpkin goodies, especially some pumpkin and chocolate muffins that were heavenly! I think Gibson really enjoyed them.

Bens is on the left

Cousins

Poor Emma:

aunt Corries pumpkin:

a friends pumpkin:

Thanks for a fun (and yummy) night A and P.

Smart Start

Lakewood Recreation Department offers a series of classes for younger kids called Smart Start. They cover a variety of sports, but Ben picked soccer for the first class. It was 6 weeks of learning the basics of soccer--kicking, dribbling, throw ins etc. It was led by coach Joe. He has been playing soccer for 50+ years and he is absolutely wonderful. He has more patience than anyone I've ever met. He was inspiring, knowledgeable and the kids love him. Ben had a great time with the class and it was a great opportunity to get out some extra energy. It ended last Friday, but a new class will start up in a couple weeks. This one covers a little bit of everything. He'll review soccer and learn about baseball, basketball and one other sport to be determined. We might have a future pro on our hands!

Stubborn

Ben and Sam are different in so many ways, but they are identical in 1 very big way. They are both very stubborn. When Ben doesn't get his way he will start with pouting. When we are home, he will usually throw himself down on the couch or another soft object while making a little whimpering noise. If we aren't near something he can throw himself on, then he will slouch down, with his head as low as it can go and very slowly walk away from you, also whimpering. When that doesn't work, he will usually make a pathetically sad little face then start crying. Since the boys are sharing a room, I think Ben has had plenty of time to teach Sam his methods and Sam is a brilliant student.

We went to the park earlier this week. Its been cold so we told the boys they had to wear hats and gloves if they wanted to play. This wasn't an issue for Ben, but Sam was livid. He did not want to wear either. He threw himself on my leg and slowly slid down waiting for me to cave. He gave the exact same pathetic faces Ben makes at us and when all else failed, he cried---big time. After watching Ben play for a bit, he said he would put his stuff on. As soon as it was on, the tears started again, the gloves were thrown down and the hat was torn off his head. Unfortunately for Sam, he has met his match when it comes to stubborn. Ben spent the evening running and playing and Sam spent the entire night sitting off to the side pouting!

When it was time for play group yesterday (at the same park), he willingly picked out a different hat and set of gloves. He happily wore them the entire morning and had a great time playing!

Pumpkin patch

We took a trip with Bens pre school class to a pumpkin patch today. The kids got cider (which Sam loved) and pretzels while learning about pumpkins and some of the other items on their farm. After some information gathering, we headed outside and took a quick tractor ride to the pumpkins. Each kid (including Sam) got to pick a pumpkin and have it cut right off the vine for them. After picking the perfect pumpkin and another quick tractor ride, we went through an impressive corn maze. It was above my head and was so difficult, we actually got lost in there. Thankfully, we made it out an exit (not the correct one, but we don't need to discuss that). One of Bens friends and a teacher rode with us. It was fun to see him interact with his school friends and hear about how he actually shares toys with kids in school. Now how do I get him to share anything with his brother???

Wordless Wednesday: Applesauce

Yesterday, I made homemade applesauce. Maybe the crock pot did most of the work, but you don't understand, this is big for me. I don't make home made anything!! The best part---it was delicious. I don't think I've ever had warm applesauce before. I don't know if I can ever enjoy it cold again!

Family day

The past few days have been filled with errands, tasks and running around. It was so nice to be able to slow things down a bit yesterday and enjoy each other. We all got to snuggle in bed for a bit before church, we had a quiet lunch together and spent some time down in the Metroparks checking out the changing leaves, skipping (throwing) rocks and enjoying the cool air.

After baths, the boys tried on some new pj's that Momo and Papa got the boys. They were a big hit.

Its a party

We had a small party last night for Sams birthday. We kept this one low key. Family came over for cake, presents and play time. Since Sam is in LOVE with Mickey right now, we had a Mickey theme. Jon found a Mickey cake set that Corrie helped me decorate. I was a bit worried about how it was going to taste, but it turned out significantly better than I thought. We sang to Sam and he blew out the candle and asked to do it again. I didn't think he would understand blowing it out, but he showed me he was a pro! We moved on to presents and Sam got some great stuff. He got some hand made shirts from Aunt Prasti and family, a race car spinner thing that, of course, makes a ton of noise, blocks, a Mickey plane and clothes. I think he made out pretty good.We hope you had a fun time little man. Its ok with us if we slow this next year down just a bit!

Apples

A friend of mine told me about an apple orchard in Medina that they recently went to for some apple picking. I've never done that before, and it sounded like something the kids would enjoy, so we grabbed Aaron, Prasti and kids and headed out to Pick N Save apple orchard this morning. We spent close to an hour walking through the rows of trees searching for the best apples. Many were short enough so all the kids could help with the picking. We ended up with 24lbs of Melrose apples. They are absolutely delicious. We'll have plenty to keep around for snacks, but I also plan to make apple sauce and an apple pie--my first attempt at both.

The orchard also has some chickens and a horse that the kids enjoyed "talking" to (they basically just made a bunch of noises at them).

I think we all had a fun time. The best part is that these apples will last for months. We'll be able to enjoy our trip for a long time.

Stop growing!

My baby is two today. We spent the first half of the day with aunt Corrie. We played, had lunch, shopped and decorated a birthday cake. We spent the second half with Jon. We did more playing, had dinner and some cuddle time. We packed so much in that it hasn't really sunk in yet that we have a big boy. Our little baby that would let us style his hair into a mohawk is now the little man that screams and needs to be restrained when we even think about touching/cutting his hair. Luckily, some things have stayed the same. He still loves airplanes, he still wakes up happy every day, he cuddles with mom daily and he still has the best and most contagious smile. I still get a little sad that he is growing up so fast, but I love the little man he is becoming and can't wait to see where he takes us next! Happy birthday monkey.

October 2008

October 2009

October 2010

I just want to give a HUGE thank you to Corrie for helping me with several projects today. You have no idea how much you are needed, loved and appreciated (by all of us)!