Christmas is on it’s way!!

Yeah, the holidays are upon us! And now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time to set up for Christmas! This is something that we look forward to every year! And this year even more so, because we had a 6 year old that was just as, if not more excited then we were to put up Christmas decorations! I think he was more excited for the fact that we agreed that he could get up on the roof with me, to help put up the lights. It was thrilling for him to do something that his brother couldn’t do, and that his friend next door (who is older then him) was amazed that he dared do it at all. Also Phil and I were amazed at how careful and yet comfortable he was up there. Anyway, got the lights up, and then we decided to add a few new decorations to our yard, a penguin and a polar bear. Riley loved them both - yes, he is punching the penguin in this picture, but he gave him a hug right after to make up for it. Wes wouldn’t really get near either one of them on that first night, but he loves them now too.

As we do with most everything, we had to give them names. Phil told Riley he could name whichever one he wanted to, and Wes would get to name the other. The Penguin was Riley’s choice, and his name is “Pang” so Wes very cleverly named the Polar Bear “Feet.” So if you pass our house, make sure to wave at “Pang” and “Feet” as you go by. Naming the Polar Bear was about the sum of what Wesley did to help, he decided there were other things, like laundry baskets, that were slightly more exciting.

Thanksgiving!

What a fun day! With so many kids, babies, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmas, Grandpas, Cousins, 2nd Cousins, Great Aunts, Great Uncles, sisters and I could go on and on! It was a full house, but enjoyable all the same! As I looked around and snapped a few shots - along with most of the rest of the crowd - I noticed that not one of my shots had a parent holding their own child! There were many parents holding children – but not there own! It was fun, and who couldn’t love having all of those 6 children running around, or being passed around - as it was with some of them!! (Oh, and the food was great as well, can’t forget that!)

Fantastically Proud Parents!!

My kids are fantastic - and I know I'm biased - but it's true all the same. And I was so amazingly proud Friday night as I watched my 6 year old get up in front of his teacher and two almost complete strangers and show them that although he was the student at the lowest level at the testing, and was the kid who had been taking Tae kwon Do for the least amount of time out of the kids there, that he knew his stuff! In fact he even shocked his mom and dad! They first brought the kids up to ask them a few questions and make sure they knew a few of the basics, starting with the lowest level belt there, that was Riley - and he was the only green striped belt, so he had to get up all by himself! The first question they asked him was to show them the "relaxed something-or-other stance." (Obviously I'm not sure of the exact wording on this stance.) Phil and I both took a quick panicky look at each other, neither of us having a clue as to what they were asking him to do, and we were sure we had known it all, since we have been quizzing him and practicing with him. So we hurriedly looked back to hopefully give a nice, "It's Okay, don't worry about it," look at Riley, and instead had our mouths drop open as he immediately and very confindently took the stance. How he knew what they had asked him to do, was beyond me! I have prided myself on paying attention in his class, so that I will know the correct ways to help him at home, but apparently I don't pay quite as close attention as my son does!! From that point on, I knew he would do well. And I was right - he did amazing. Yelling his "Yes, sirs" and "Ke-yah's" and doing everything as well as could be imagined! I was beaming almost as much as he was by the time they dismissed him and he came over to us with his brand new very first "ranking belt." A white belt with a yellow stripe!! Like I said at the beginning - My kids are Fantastic!!

Winter or Still Fall??

As I mentioned in a previous blog - we have leaves - lots of leaves. (I'm sure from Kari's blog, she completly understands this dilema.) And piles have been made and jumped into, but never did get cleaned up. So we came up with a fun way for the boys to help me clean them up! And the boys have enjoyed it so much - that we have actually done this now on three seperate occasions - both Riley and Bubba jump at the chance! (Unfortunately there always seems to be enough leaves in the front yard.) Anyway, First we of course make a large pile and jump into it for a half an hour or so!
Sometimes I end up just raking it all up, or the boys help, and once Riley came up with a clever way for him to do it himself! (That didn't turn out as well as I hoped it would.)

Once we are done getting leaves into pants, socks, shoes, and shirts which will later make it all over my carpet and couches, we then attached a cooler (the only thing we could find with a handle and wheels) to the back of Riley's ATV.
Then the boys filled up the cooler with leaves and would ride it around to the back of the house and dump the leaves into the Garbage can.

At one point Wesley decided that he wanted to be a leaf and therefore climbed into the cooler as Riley drove it around to get more actual leaves.

Now I know everyone is thinking - that yes the garbage can does have wheel, and yes it would be faster to just wheel it to the front yard and dump the leaves directly into the garbage can. However, this means that only I would be the one cleaning up the leaves. Therefore the garbage can stays where it is, and we have lots of fun, and pictures in the process.

More Fun Firsts!!

Well, life is full of firsts, and at our house we have had a few new ones this past week! For those of you who don't already know - Riley lost his first tooth! He is thrilled about it, and last night he couldn't stop grinning! That of course lead to a first for me - the tooth fairy! Haven't had her show up in my house for years! And it's a first for me to have her show up for one of my kids, instead of for me!! Then there was yet another first - when Riley woke up to find that the tooth fairy had in fact come, taken his tooth, and left a dollar bill under his pillow! And then there was the first scheming of Riley - to figure out how he could get more of his teeth to fall out!

The Joys of Boys!

Every other Friday we get the pleasure of having Riley’s best friend over for the evening! I pick Ethan up at Lori’s when I go and get Bubba (Wes seems to be known only as Bubba at Lori’s, and it has started catching on at home as well). Ethan then comes and hangs out at our house for most of the night! (We take him home - just before bedtime.) I think it is both Riley and Ethan’s favorite time! This week we had a front yard full of leaves - we still do - and the boys decided that they needed to spend time doing the only thing that leaves are really good for! Making piles and jumping into them! And then of course instead of actually picking up the leaves and throwing them away – they had to throw them at each other! It was quite fun for everyone involved.

Then there is Bubba – he stayed away from the leaf fight – but he has decided that he can do everything that anyone else can do! And that most of all, means that he can put on his own shoes! (However, you have to tell him to get his shoes on, about 15 minutes before you really need to leave.) He is getting faster now – but I got wonderful shots of him doing it for the first time! I got a beautiful “I DID IT!” shout and grin as the back of the first shoe slipped over the heel and he must have been just thrilled inside – because you can see some of that thrill just beaming from his face. As far as the final product – Here is what he ended up with! And we went to the store with the shoes exactly like that! I mean why would I redo them – they are perfect just the way he did it!!

Halloween!

I think the pictures say it all!!