Ethan Lost his first Tooth!

He was so excited! Finally, his first tooth came out....He took it to school and showed everybody. The next few weeks we went to Uncle Bryan to get a check up at and discovered four CAVITIES! Can you believe it? I was shocked! I do make him brush everyday? Justin came out with one. So they both had to have re-appointments to fill them...good thing we have a dentist in the family. Thanks Uncle Bryan...we love you!

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween Party

OH THE PUMPKIN PATCH! We have to go every year, and yes this year I got suckered into buying 3 large pumpkins and 4 tiny pumpkins. It was pricey but so worth it. We had so much fun. Hayrides and merry-go-rounds and jump houses....running through hundreds of pumpkins and taking lots of cute pictures. I LOVE THIS SEASON! Its so beautiful with all the colors and festivities. I love spending time with you boys and having you home for the holidays doing projects and baking...my favorite time of the year! You guys are so cute!

We had our first Halloween party...kids were everywhere. I had sprained my foot the day before so I was hobbling around trying to get everything together. It was fun having everyone over and I know you boys had a blast. I don't think I even saw Owen for the entire time...I was so busy with crafts and food that I even forgot I had an 18 month old....oops! He had fun just walking around all the craziness. I was out of town with MoMo so I wasn't here for the actual day of Halloween. Aunt Lisa hosted the trick-or-treat fest at her house with chili. Aunt Kelli came down with Zac, Kyle, Brayden and Bryce so you boys had a blast. Brents not a picture taker so I wasn't able to get those pictures, but Aunt Lisa took one...thanks Aunt Lisa.

Uncle Fester and Wednesday are too cute!!!! Happy Halloween!

The Run In The Dark Fun Run

I have ran in this event several times, last time I actually placed second! I was so excited because they listed me under the 20-25 category and I was pregnant, so I was pretty proud of myself. This year I wanted the boys to run the mile. We got there just as the gun went off, so I told Jake and Ethan to RUN!!!! They did so good. I was pleased to see that they stuck together. After their mile run, it was my turn to run the 5K. Jake kept begging me to run it too, so I let him, but told him to stay with the crowd, because he wasn't going to be able to keep up with me. Every time I turned a corner, there he was! I was so impressed. I ran one of my best 5K ever, 24:12, Jake came in right after me at 26:"something" we didn't get the exact time. I couldn't believe it!!! He had just ran the mile. Man, that kid can run! I was so proud of him. Ethan wants to do the 5K with us next time too. We didn't get chips to get the official time recorded, but next year we will make sure that we do, I actually came in second in my age group! We had a lot of fun! I love Fun Runs! I am so glad my kids enjoy them too!

ETHAN TURNS 7!!!

Ethan turned 7!

We had so much fun this year. He wanted an Indiana Jones birthday party so we invited around fourteen of his friends to come over and drive me crazy! Seriously, what was I thinking! We did have a lot of fun, making mummy casts out of barbie dolls, making an Indiana Jones satchel, digging for buried treasure, and doing a few games. We had, alligator eyes (grapes), butterfly wings (pretzels), magic potion (punch), poison antidotes (M&M's), worms (gummies) and cake! It was a hit. He had a lot of fun and got a ton of great gifts from all of his friends. He is one lucky boy! We woke him up that morning with our traditional birthday breakfast in bed and presents. Then we had a family birthday party that Sunday. He was very spoiled. He is such a great kid. Always smiling, and making everyone else smile. He always has something to say and is usually trying to make you laugh. He can recite just about any kid movie out there, and he is an amazing dancer! Really, just ask his Uncle Brian and Aunt Anna, he was a hit at their wedding reception. I love you so much Ethan, I love all those freckles on your sweet little face! You light up my world! I love being your Mom! These seven years have gone by so fast, but have been the best seven years of my life. Daddy and I look forward to your next birthday...the big 8! We love you so much kiddo!

Justin

Justin started a new preschool this year. We were really sad to leave Ms. Becki! We loved her so much...Ethan had her for two years and Justin had her last year, so I was nervous about changing schools, but he loves it! For some reason the pictures turned out a little fuzzy. He started a couple of weeks after Jake and Ethan did, so I had a lot of fun with him just being at home. His first day was really hard on me. I do not do well with change, and not really knowing this school and what he was doing all day long drove me crazy. I cried all day! Can you believe it!! I am pathetic! You would think I would get over the anxiety of leaving my children...he is my third one. I went to pick him up and he thought he was going to sleep over because I had him pack an extra set of clothes...just in case. He told me, "Mom that wasn't that long!" I was relieved to hear that because one of my concerns was that it was too long! He loves his new preschool! It really helped having his good friend Gaven there. They have become in separable. They are really cute together and it's nice seeing him finally have a "bud".







When he's not a preschool we like to hang out at home and play games....This is what it looks like most of the time when they are at home chilling...they are so cute


They are either playing the x-box or the wii. Owen is amazing with this stuff. He loves the computer too. He's only 18 months old and he's already hooked!!





So we got a zoo membership to detox from the video games. Owen loves animals. He goes crazy when he sees one. Its been fun having them together. They have been growing closer and its wonderful to see the relationship grow. I love having you guys!

First Day of School..Look how excited they are!

At least Ethan was....ok Jake was too, he just wasn't excited about Mom taking his picture. I guess he's gotten to old for that, but I BEGGED him...PLEASE, just one more year! I know, I know, next year I will not embarrass him. He was still mad at me, walking down the hall to his class, so I told him bye as I walked Ethan to his class. My wonderful son, came running back to me about two minutes later realizing that I really needed a hug. I love him so much. He hugged me and let me kiss the top of his head and headed back down the hall. He's gotten so big! 4th Grade...WOW! Ethan was excited to start 1st Grade. I was a little nervous about the whole lunch thing...he talks non stop at dinner. I have to tell him to stop talking and eat! I reminded him that morning that he needed to eat first because he was on a time schedule. I got Ethan settle in his class and I snuck into Jake's for a few more pictures. This time he didn't throw as much of a fit!

I know this is going to be a good year for you boys! I miss you when your gone! I really do look forward to 3:00 in the afternoon. I love you guys!!

Destin, Florida Here We Come!!!

This was our last hurrah before school started. So much fun!!! I love the ocean now. My previous experience wasn't as nice. The boys had so much fun. The first night we just went down to look at the waves. We got there Saturday night and woke up early to go to church the next morning. The talks were on....taking time to make great memories with your families. Very fitting for us since that was exactly what we were doing! We hit the beach right afterwards. I love to snorkel!!! I love the feeling of being weightless and just floating. The boys saw lots of white fish and got a glimpse of some jelly fish. We only got stung by a couple through out the week, didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. Jake, Ethan and Justin loved going in and catching the waves. We dug holes and just loved being out there. The best part was that we went with some friends of ours. It made it that much more fun!





Our condo was right on the beach. Just a short walk away and we were there! Did I say...it was so fun! One of the days it rained and the beach was closed so we went to the National Naval Aviation Museum. The boys loved it! They were able to get in a lot of cockpits and play and they also did a

simulator air force movie!
For the week that we were there, the beach was closed for only two of the days. The next day we were right back out there. This was the day we all got a little too much sun! We also did some crab hunting at night!
I think buggy boarding was every one's favorite thing to do. We also saw some really good sand sculptures. The boys has a blast in the sand. It was really beautiful there.
I was able to live out a dream of mine....I have always wanted to run barefoot on the beach. Soo...Becky and I did! Now that I have experienced it, I don't think that I will be longing for that moment again. After a while the sand feels like sand paper and we had the blisters to prove it!! My feet are still trying to recover!


On the way back we stopped off at a couple of sites...This is in Mobile Alabama and its a battle ship. It was pretty neat to see it up close.


Then we went to Mississippi where they had a Civil War Museum (Vicksburg National Civil War Museum). This was a pivotal victory for the North. It allowed them to stop supplies up the Mississippi. The boys really learned a lot of history about the South and the North. Ethan eats that kind of stuff up. He's like a sponge. Its fun to watch them learn! We also stopped to get some boiled peanuts. Brent was begging for these. Definitely an acquired taste, but something we had to experience. This was a blast! We will
definitely be up for another visit next year!