Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love that it is silly, carefree, and full of candy!  This year was a bit different for our house, because we were running a little behind.  We realized that we had not carved a Jack-o-Lantern, so we decided to carve on right before we went to the neighborhood party and trick or treating.  

Since it was chilly out, Ridley wore her Halloween themed spider outfit instead of her sleeveless costume.  She still looked adorable!

Here is the small crew that made it all the way around the neighborhood.  We had lots of others give up, but these kiddos were troopers.  Aren't the Special Forces Officer and Captain America precious?

WOW!  Look at all that candy!  

OUES Book Character Parade

Instead of a Halloween party or a fall festival, Ryland's school had a book character parade.  All the kids were told they could dress like a book character and bring the book to share with their classmates.  Ryland chose to be a firefighter out of the Fly Guy's Firehouse book.  

Fall Festival

Ridley was an adorable Itsy Bitsy Spider.  She was a trooper with the pettiskirt and Halloween outfit.  I stayed to watch the costume parade and pumpkin picking.  Ridley loved all the festivities.  

Reed was a handsome Captain America.  He walked the parade with his buddy, Silas, and waved at all the parents.  

Boo!

Reed's friend, Mac, "booed" us a few days ago, and now it was time for pay back.  We parked a few doors down, and the boys quietly snuck up to the door with the goodies.  They dropped the treats, rang the doorbell, and ran to the truck.  BOO!

Chapel Hill Halloween

Reed celebrated Halloween again today at Chapel Hill.  All the kiddos dressed up for school today and had games and prizes.  He loves this time of year.  It is so much fun!

Brown Bear Gets a Bath

Brown Bear has had a wonderful time with Reed, but he has to head back to school.  Before he leaves, he got a fun bath in the washing machine.  Reed was so cute as he loaded him in the washer.  He wanted to make sure he was OK and happy. This is when I realized making a washer sound too fun could cause problems.  Fun for bears, but not for kids.  

Playing in the Crib

These two are the best of buddies.  I found Reed in Ridley's crib after her nap.  She thought this was hilarious, and they both laughed with joy.

9 month well check

Our sweet Ridley continues to grow and learn.  Her 9 month well check went very well.  She is 20lbs 10.5oz which is 77.34%.  She is 29.75in which is 97.38%.  Her head is 18in in diameter which is 89.62%.  She is big and almost identical to her brothers' growth track.  Our pediatrician loves it and is pleased that she is healthy and chunky.  I love it, too!  There is nothing cuter than a thick baby.

It was also an important appointment to discuss our decision about her helmet.  The doctor thinks that it is not necessary to move forward, and he strongly encouraged us to not worry about it.  We discussed studies and examples of different children, and I realized that Ridley is very mild on the measurements in only one of the four areas.  It was definitely a great moment.  Decision made and moving forward.

Ridley's Baptism

Our precious Ridley was baptized at our church on Sunday.  She was very intrigued with our Pastor John, and she looked absolutely adorable in her vintage gown.  It was wonderful to have family and close friends present.

Blastball

Reed loves blastball!  

He has been wanting to get the game ball for weeks, and today was his turn.  He was very proud and eager to show off his prize.  

Dragon Dash

Old Union makes fitness fun!  The annual school fundraiser had an awesome obstacle course to bring the week to an end.  All the participants had bright colored matching shirts and worked together in teams.  Ryland was so pumped!

Brown Bear came along for the fun, too.

The biggest shock to me was the hula hooping station.  I just knew this was going to be an epic fail.  Ryland was ridiculously good.  I have no idea where he picked up this skill, but he was the best hula hooper. 

Outside Fun

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we had to get outside to enjoy.  We played in the yard and acted silly.  The boys were pretty dirty, so they thought a splash in the pool was in order.  The heater wasn't on, so the swim was very quick.  Pool season is over.

Ryland Loses a Tooth

Ryland lost his first tooth tonight, and he pulled it himself.  The Tooth Fairy will be coming tonight for the first time.  Exciting!

Brown Bear Comes Home

Reed was thrilled to bring Brown Bear home from Chapel Hill.  He is supposed to go on our family adventures over the weekend, and we document the fun in his adventure book.  First bit of fun was our "homework" time while Reed works on his numbers. 

Ally Turns 3

We celebrated Ally with family and friends this weekend, and it was great to visit and play out in the country.  It is hard to believe Ally is 3!  After hours of bounce house, four wheeling, and constant eating, the boys were worn out.  

Lunch Buddy

I couldn't wait for lunch today.  It was finally my turn to be a lunch buddy at Ryland's school.  I spent the lunch period opening bags, milk, and ketchup and taking care of every little bit of assistance a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds need.  Ryland was excited to see me, and I enjoyed meeting his friends.  He told me that the cafeteria gets loud, and he was right.  My goodness!

Rainforest Cafe

I scheduled our annual family photos earlier this year in hopes of having them in plenty of time for Christmas.  John Chris and I promised the boys we would do something cool if they behaved and smiled for the pictures.  Of course, the bribery continued, and we promised lunch at Rainforest Cafe.  

The boys and I have been to Rainforest Cafe a few times, but I didn't realize John Chris had never been.  I could tell he was excited, and he played along very well.  Ryland and John Chris showed off their awesome head wear.

      Our table was right by the gorilla, and Reed acted like one.  Look at that face.

       

Ryland and Reed had a sweet moment.  I just love her expression!  Love!

        

Ridley and I say "cheese".

       

Modeling

Ridley will be baptized soon, and my mom gave us the dress and bonnet that I was baptized in as a baby.  I thought we should try it on to make sure it would work in case we had to make other arrangements.  The dress fit perfectly, but the bonnet was a bit too small.  It was obvious that Ridley was not a fan and wanted it off.  As soon as the bonnet was removed, she was OK.  I realized that I need something else, because we don't want this sort of meltdown.  It also just looked a bit Jewish to me.  On to find the perfect headband.

Resting Fort Building

So what do you do when you have your tonsils removed and you are still feeling no pain after a rough night?  If you guessed build a fort.  You are right!

I woke up with tonsillitis, so I am trying to keep everyone happy while feeling like death.  Ryland wanted to rest in the living room and watch cartoons while I rested.  When I woke up, I found Ryland playing in his "resting fort".  I swear this kid is all over the place.  One minute he is in pain and the next minute he is feeling like a million bucks.

Rough Recovery

I think all the anesthesia and pain medicine is out of Ryland's system, and he finally crashed.  He was running a fever and in pain.  We had a big fiasco with his pain medicine, and since the law has changed on narcotics a few days ago, none of the electronic refills will be honored.  

After a call to the doctor on call, we finally gave him enough Tylenol and Motrin to give him some comfortable sleep.  He was out before the thermometer could read his temperature.  Sleep well, my baby.

Play Buddies

Since we are taking it easy this week as Ryland heals, we are finding new things to play with at home.  This afternoon Reed and Ridley played on a "ship" in my bedroom.  It was cute how they were playing so sweetly.  I did notice that Reed started putting pillows on Ridley, and I quickly figured out that it was to keep her stationary.  That boy!

Goodbye Tonsils

After several rounds with tonsillitis, Ryland had surgery to remove them.  We are hoping that this eliminates the ongoing pattern of tonsillitis every 6 weeks.  Ryland was looking forward to being out of school for a week and eating ice cream.

The surgery went well, and after the anesthesia wore off, he was ready for the first of many popsicles.  He was a total trooper and was very relaxed about the whole surgery.  The one problem.  He did NOT want to wear the hospital gown.

We are happy everything went well, and he can start the heeling process.  

Bath Time

Our children love bath time!  They are loving the big tub in the master bathroom, and the boys always bring Ridley a toy to play with while in the tub.  I love all the giggles.

Precious Art

I love this painting Ridley made.  Her fat little hands will only be this small for a short time.

Girl Time

Ridley and I spent some time at the salon today getting my hair highlighted and cut.  She was a happy girl and enjoyed checking everything out in the new place.  I am loving this girl time!