Happy Halloween!!!

We had a Disney-themed Halloween this year. We got their costumes last year ON Halloween in Hawaii. Austin was $8 and Colten's was $12. They were PERFECT...especially since we are on our way to Disney World soon!

I am so happy that I got a few good pictures of the two of them together! I can't say it enough...Colten is just REALLY hard to photograph right now!

To Infinity and Beyond!!!

Our cute little Mickey Mouse!

The boys' first house...our sweet neighbor. Of course, Colten didn't want to wear his ears...and people thought he was a ladybug. Oh well!

Checking out his loot and asking for a piece of candy.

They learn very early what they are supposed to do with this stuff! :-)

Austin REALLY enjoys handing out candy to the other trick-or-treaters. He was so funny; the doorbell would ring and he'd go running to the door (forgetting the candy bowl) while saying, "Another customer!!!" He was really good and said Happy Halloween, pick what you want, and even commenting on costumes. He told one group, "Don't eat too much candy!" after hearing Yaya tell that to the group before them! It was really hard to get him to go to bed because he didn't want to miss a "customer."

I hope you enjoyed your sweet Halloween. We sure did!

New Family Picture

I just love family pictures...don't you?

I don't normally get family pictures since I'm usually the one behind the camera and it can't be a family picture without the Mommy! Since Bobo and Yaya were up visiting for Halloween, we were able to get someone else to push the shutter button so that I can be included! :-) I just love this picture and am so happy with how it turned out! Thanks so much Bobo and Yaya!

Teeth...

Don't forget to brush those teeth this weekend! I think I can almost SEE the sugary buildup on Austin teeth tonight!!!

Carving Pumpkins

Our family tradition is to carve our pumpkins the night before Halloween. Austin has been begging to carve them since we picked them up from the pumpkin patch.

Last night, he finally got to help! We ate dinner, then laid out the newspaper, carving tools and pumpkins. We had 3 pumpkins, but decided to only carve 2. I think Austin was fine with that since the novelty had worn off by the second one. :-)

Austin helped Daddy pull the top off....it was pretty hard to get off of there!

He loved seeing the seeds come out...he has also been begging for more pumpkin seeds lately. He was really excited to eat the roasted seeds later that night before bed.

A little grossed out...at least he is using his hand to dig it all out. He used to be really particular and only use a spoon or the scoop that came with the kit.

Even Colten got to try his hand at it! He didn't seemed grossed out by it at all...

In fact, I think he liked it a little too much...it's almost as if he's telling Brian, "Don't even THINK about taking this away from me!"

The finished product.

All lit up and ready for Halloween!

Austin First School Party

Austin's school has a few holiday parties. The first one is Halloween and I signed up as one of the moms to help organize it. We planned on having 2 crafts, 2 games, snacks and goodies bags for the kids. Should be pretty fun, right? It was a blast!

We started the kids in a group while we waited for one more to come out of the bathroom. I blurred faces of the other kids for their privacy. I just thought this picture was too cute with Colten in the middle of them all!

After we got all the kids together, we broke them up into groups and had them rotate through each activity. This helped them get more one on one time. This craft was so simple and I think the kids really liked making their own Jack-O-Latern magnet.

Colten loved just hanging out while the kids played.

Here's the finished product.

After all activities were played (some TWICE!), they kids sat down for snack and prayed before getting their food.

And THIS is what they were praying for! Soooo good! Aren't they adorable?!?

Poor Colten just got some puffs, but didn't seem to mind!

The kids had a blast and Austin really enjoyed being dressed up at school. He has been looking forward to this party for a week or more!

The Idea...

Was to have Colten get his 9 month pictures taken with this cute pumpkin. I tried for 2 days. You should see my outtakes. I might just post them if I ever get caught up on some other things! Since that doesn't look like it's going to happen, you'll just have to take my word for it that....

THIS picture is the best one you're gonna see!

It's not exactly how I envisioned it...but it will do. It has the important part...a cute 9 month old Colten with his pumpkin. That's all that matters, right?

Catching...

Up...on some baseball photos from earlier in the month.

While we were in Missouri, Brian looked up some baseball tickets for one of the last couple of games before the playoffs. He ended up splurging on some pretty expensive tickets on the Scoreboard Patio for himself and Austin. It ended up being perfect for someone with a kid because they had a buffet, unlimited drinks, and seats at a table.

Brian hadn't been to a game in about 7 years and was excited to see the new stadium. Austin was excited that he was going to get "whatever he wanted" since they had the buffet! :-)

Austin with his new Cardinals helmet.

Austin with his other new Cardinals item...the Ozzie Smith Bobblehead they gave out to a specific number of people as they came into the game.

I think they ended up having a blast...and Brian said the seats were definitely worth the extra money. We want to take the whole family next Spring...but aren't sure if we'll get these awesome seats since we'll be buying for twice as many people! :-)

9 Months

Where, oh where, do I start? He's just getting too big! 9 months ago he was this little, bitty baby and now he's huge...and only growing more and more everyday!

His actual 9 month pictures will be posted another day, but I wanted to add in this picture taken on Sunday when he was outside playing in the leaves.

Colten continues to do more and more things everyday. Here's a few things about him:

*The boy is walking...not everywhere YET, but about 5 steps at a time. He started out walking to me or Brian or Austin and is now pulling up on stuff and just taking off after something. He hasn't stood up without pulling up on something yet, but that's ok!

*He LOVES food. We have mostly moved on from baby food. Table foods are so much more fun and tasty! Tonight, for instance, he fully enjoyed spaghetti. In fact, I had to wait until he was done before I could eat. He just didn't want to wait for the next bite! Oh, and he is a MESSY eater. A meal isn't complete unless he's rubbed some food into his hair. :-)

*Colten is saying Dadda. He's really just making sounds, but sometimes he looks at Brian as he's saying it or when Brian comes in the room. I think he's starting to "get it."

*He started clapping on Saturday. He started only doing it when he was eating (figures, right?) and today he did it in the living room.

*Colten completely HATES to be dressed or have his diaper changed. He throws a fit almost everytime. Sometimes I can distract him with a toy he hasn't seen in a while, but usually it's a fight to get him changed or dressed. Austin did this same thing, but much later than this. We are going to have our hands full with this boy!

I leave you with the comparison picture for this month:

A Package for YOU!

A package came in the mail yesterday!

Ok, there really was something else in the box, but Colten really enjoyed being in there as well! He kept trying to climb in himself, but just couldn't quite do it, so I helped him a bit.

Of course, then Austin had to join in on the fun! He went searching for his own box and plopped it right next to Colten.

Nana, they had a lot of fun in the box you sent...and LOVED the items you sent to them as well! :-)

Kids and Leaves

We've been deprived the last few years. I'm sure some of you could disagree...palm trees, year-round warm weather, sun, sand and waves. Sounds like paradise, huh. Well, in Hawaii, we NEVER got to see the changing colors of Fall. I, for one, missed it immensely. We never got to visit the mainland during Fall and when we moved back, the leaves had already changed and the leaves were pretty much all brown or on the ground. We literally missed it by a week or two.

Austin especially missed the opportunity to jump into piles of leaves. By the time we moved into our house and got settled, the leaves were all yucky. Brian and I, however, got the wonderful job of raking them all up anyway. All work and no play...bummer!

This year, it was different. We got to see and experience it all.

Austin all ready to rake up the leaves.

Finishing up the job.

Now...for the fun part! The first jump.

Colten woke up from his nap and I brought him outside. He didn't know what to think!

Brotherly love...so cute! It's a little fuzzy, but I love it anyway!

Definitely loves the leaves...it's so fun!

SO much fun!

Did I mention how hard it is to get this boy to look at me? He KNOWS I have that camera and is out to make it very hard to get pictures.