Happy Halloween

We finally finished up our Halloween projects in the nick of time.  I have no idea were the month of October has gone, but it is officially time to have some spooky fun.

The boys drew faces on their pumpkins for carving guides.

 

 

Reed got upset when he couldn't hold the knife and do the cutting.  He was all tears until John Chris pulled the top off the pumpkin and showed him.

 

 

Ryland wasn't interested in cleaning out the pumpkin at first.  After John Chris and I dug in, he warmed up to the idea of getting a little messy.

 

John Chris and I put the finishing touches on the boys' firetruck wagon.  We added working lights, a ladder, and some lettering. 

 

When it got dark out, we headed out to trick or treat.  The boys loved their transportation, and they had an awesome night.  Ryland was all about getting a full bag of candy, and Reed walked every one's ears off when they came to the door.

 

Firemen at the fire station

The boys and I stopped at the Southlake fire station on the way home from school.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a picture of the precious firemen in their uniforms.  It had been a full day for them with their fall festivals and being able to dress up at school.   A quick picture with a firetruck and the dalmation statue, and we headed home to rest.

 

Play group Halloween party

Our Monday play group celebrated Halloween in style.  It was a huge group of moms and dressed up kiddos, so we had a blast. 

 

 

The boys were adorable firemen ready to put out a fire or rescue a cat in a tree.

 

The boys loved playing with this four wheeler, but the ground was a little too wet for the wheels to grip.  They took turns helping each other when they were stuck.  Such sweethearts sometimes.

Fun times with Reed

I am really loving my alone time with Reed while the big boys hunt. Our favorite errand was visiting Toys R Us.  We must have been there for an hour and half, and we spent time playing with the fun toys while picking out a friend's birthday gift. 

The Hulk mask got Reed's attention, and he insisted on trying it on.  When I first put it to my face, he started crying, so I started singing and dancing until he laughed.  He then wanted to take a turn.  He transformed into dancing Hulk. 

I love my little Reedo to pieces!



Ryland's first hunting trip

John Chris took Ryland on his first hunting trip this weekend.  It was an all boys weekend at the camp, and they had an absolutely awesome time. They ended up with two big hogs and lots of memories.

 

 

 

 

Celebrating

My dear friend, Brit, celebrated her birthday in style.  There were about 20 of us that met at Delaney Vineyards for wine, cheese, fruit, and cake.  It was a great party with live music and every one's favorite things.  We all explained our items and then exchanged and stole them from one another.  Fun times with an absolutely delightful group of friends in celebration of a wonderful woman.

Camo

 

I was celebrating my friend's birthday when I received an adorable picture text of Ryland decked out in camo.  John Chris had taken the boys to Academy for a warm jacket for the hunting trip this weekend.  He ended up buying a hat, gloves, pants, and a jacket for Ryland.  He looks so big and proud - such a big boy.

I love Reed's expression in the background.  He is all smiles.  I asked what camo he got, and John Chris didn't buy him anything.  Poor baby needs some camo too.  I will have to take care of that when John Chris and Ryland go hunting.  It will be just Reed and I, so we will have a blast.

 

Toy dreaming

The Toys R Us Christmas catalog arrived in the mail today, and Ryland immediately took possession.  He looked through it hundreds of times and refused to put it down.  I noticed him watching his nightly show while flipping the pages.  He was using Cooper as a pillow and dreaming of all the toys pictured.  He has already marked the special things we need to share with Santa.

New gas cooktop

I am so incredibly excited about our new gas cooktop!  I have been looking forward to replacing the old electric cooktop since we bought the house.  It took a bit longer than we thought, because we were told the new model would have the additional burner.  We waited for the new model and were shocked when the fifth burner added $500.

When the cooktop was installed, I felt like I needed to make a trip to Williams Sonoma to pick up some gourmet trinkits.  I don't feel like I can cook box Mac and Cheese on my fancy cooktop, at least for now.

 

 

The old electric cooktop is gone.  Not one day too soon.  Thank you, hubby, for carefully installing the new one as soon as it arrived.

 

Halloween treats

 

Ryland is my Halloween fanatic.  Everyday when Reed takes a nap, we do something special together.  Today he requested to finish his Halloween treats for his class.  We assembled the goodies and chatted about how we are going to transform his wagon for trick-or-treating.

Ally's 1st birthday party

 

Sweet Ally is already a year old.  She is walking and keeping her parents on their toes.  The family and lots of friends gathered to celebrate her birthday.

 

Everyday should be like this!

When it was time to open gifts, I couldn't get my boys out of the way.  They wanted to see what was in all those packages.

 

Ally had to push Ryland and Tyler out of the way to get a look at her new toys.

 

Reed was all about the balloons.  He sat happily on the floor swatting the balloons and laughing hysterically.



Visiting Uncle Clint

We spent the weekend hanging out with family.  Uncle Clint gave us the tour of his new home and told us about his pending projects.  The boys loved the "construction" site in the yard and were in full boy mode.  Either squeezing through the pipes, throwing dirt chunks, or jumping in the holes and footers for the porches. 

 

 

Ally got in on the tour too, and she told Grandpa all about her plans for a pool and a miniature pony arena.

Jewelry with Julie

It was time for my Third Thursday with MOPS.  This month we had a wonderful lesson on jewelry making.  The very talented Julie had a private class for us on dangle earrings.  Once again we had an awesome night visiting and laughing together. My earrings are beautiful too.

Hall's Pumpkin Patch

My MOPS group planned a play date at Hall's Pumpkin Patch, and I was excited to take the boys.  It was a sunny, warm afternoon, so the fall outfits wouldn't work.  I snapped a few photos that I absolutely love - red faced and nappy hair.

The kiddos loved to climb in and out of the antique truck and took turns driving and riding.

 

One of the favorite highlights of the pumpkin patch is the miniature tractors.  

Even though the tractors were a little big for Reed, he didn't give up.  He pushed the tractor around circle.

As we were getting ready to leave, some of the kids were all sitting on the hay bails with the pumpkins.  It was a picturesque moment, so us moms grabbed our cameras.  The kids immediately got up and got back to playing.  We should have known.

No side rail

 

We removed the side rail on Ryland's bed, so he is officially a big boy.  He sleeps like a mad man and is usually all over the place.  We hear him hit the wall every now and then, so we left the bed pushed against the wall.  He was really excited!  Cross your fingers.

Trees

 

We are in the middle of another house project run again, but this time they are all pretty minor.  One of them being the trees in the backyard.  The previous owner planted a trio of crepe myrtles, and we would like to have the extra space to play ball or run.  We have a master plan for the backyard, and it is without 2 of the crepe myrtles.  We plan to add trees on the right side of the yard to make a more secluded courtyard feel.  John Chris was on a roll this afternoon, so he cut them down.  I have to admit I do feel a little exposed, but I know it will look great in the long run.

 

 

The boys loved to help, and they were right in the middle of all the cut branches.  Ryland had his little men climbing all around, and Reed loved helping me clean up. 

 

Benton's party

It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since Benton was born!  He is such an adorable little man that is growing up too darn fast.  We enjoyed celebrating his first birthday with his family and friends.

 

Happy Birthday Benton!

Flirting

 

While the big boys played flag football, Reed practiced his flirting skills.  He picked roses for his buddy, Reagan.  They are so sweet and cute!

 

Playing kitchen

 

The boys were on a terror roll this afternoon.  In hopes of distracting them from the constant bickering, we all headed upstairs to the play room.  I was thinking there are tons of toys, so surely they will find something fun to play with.  Of course they both wanted to play kitchen!

After pushing the kitchen from one side of the room to the other and back, the kitchen found a spot in the middle of the room.  They then argued about who would sit in what chair and what side of the kitchen they would play with.  I tried to let them work it out, but I had to intervene when they started getting physical.  I asked what was going on, and Ryland had to tell me all about it.  He was so worked up, and he was moving his hands explaining how Reed wasn't playing kitchen right.  Ah, now I get it.

MOPPETS craft

 

While I enjoyed my meeting this morning, Ryland worked on a fall craft in MOPPETS.  He stuffed a bag, painted it orange, and attached a leaf tag.  The leaves were pre-printed with the words "I am thankful for..."  The kids' answer were added to the tag.  I was so pleased to see Mommy on Ryland's pumpkin leaf.  What a wonderful surprise!

Museum

 

Ryland's school was closed for Columbus Day, so we decided to visit the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History.  I have heard wonderful things about the museum, but I had never dared to take both boys.  This was the perfect day, and it would give me time with Ryland since Reed went to school.  We met some friends for a play date and spent the morning wondering and exploring a cool new place.

 

Ryland was all grins the whole day.  I think we could spend an entire day in just the dino area.  He loved seeing the "bones" and playing in the large footprint on display. 

 

The Cattle Raisers exhibit is upstairs and had an interactive horse to round up and drive the cattle into the pin. 

 

The children's museum was an awesome place to play.  Ryland loved watching the snakes, and he had lots of questions.

 

A kid sized grocery store was the biggest attraction for our group.  They could have played there for days.

 

We had lunch in the cafeteria and checked out the Energy exhibit/movie and the other children's rooms.  We learned how to create an awesome paper airplane and coffee filter fliers.  It was a full day of fun that we are already excited about returning to very soon.  Ryland loved it!

Finding pumpkins

 

We have been a little slow in getting all the fall fun in this month.  It seems that October is off to a very fast start.  After we left the gym, we headed to Market Street's pumpkin patch to select a few pumpkins for the front porch.

 

We decided that each of us would select a pumpkin to carve, and Ryland was quick to find the perfect one.

 

Reed picked out the biggest pumpkin he could find.  He climbed up on the pallet to pick up the huge pumpkin, and he realized it was a little too heavy. 

 

Ryland as Frankenstein.

 

Before heading home, the boys had to give the small maize a shot.  Ryland led the way with no problem, and Reed followed the leader.

Jack-O-Lantern pictures to come.