How cool is this?

He loves the hat, thinks its so cool...but won't wear it unless he's playing in the backyard.

I think it is awesome too! Did I mention I made this myself?? Funny how he hates being in the spotlight. Funny little guy

More fun...

This time of the year is always tough. I find myself wishing more than ever that I could stay home with the boys. I feel homesick when I am at work. :) Of course there are days when going to work saves my sanity, but overall I wish I was home.

Logan had a taste of deer hunting on Saturday night. Cailin tried but she was turned off by just sitting there I think. Logan tells me he and his dad heard a deer nearby when they were leaving the coop. But they never actually saw a deer. Bummer. I can't imagine what would have transpired if they had seen one! He was really excited about going hunting though! Too cute. He is his Grandpa's little buddy for sure!

The end of a season....

The football season is finally over. I had so much fun as Logan's coach and would definitely do it again, but I have to admit I am glad we are done. No more Sunday afternoons monopolized by somewhere we HAVE to be. I treasure our Sundays we spend together as a family just kicking around the house. I sure am going to miss those boys though! Logan has me playing our two man version of flag football in the back yard as often as we can. Hard to do lately now that the sun is going down earlier...that and this week it is just me and the kids. Rob is at my folks house hunting for the week. So far all has gone well, of course it is only Weds! I met with Logan's teacher yesterday and we need to be working on his fine motor skills as he is having a hard time writing. He can do it but it is taking him longer than it should to write things out. Both the boys are at such fun ages. Logan is trying to read every word he sees and wants to read his books while I read mine so he can practice his reading. Zach is discovering new words every day...it is so fun to watch him master different words. He is just starting to recognize colors which I think is AWESOME! Such a smartie!

Halloween 2008

It was great! Logan and Zach both had fun trick or treating. I thought Zach would be scared of the strangers and such but he had a ball. He would let go of my hand and take off across someone's yard as fast as he could to get to the candy! It was so cute! See below for a picture of his treat pail...He barely went down the whole block but he still raked in a good haul!

He went as Zorro this year....Logan quit letting me select his costume at age two so I figure this was my last year to dress Zach up.

Logan was Obi Wan this year. I made/modified both boys costumes....I think they turned out pretty cool if I do say so. And of course Pickle has to get into almost every shot. If she's not careful she will wind up wearing a costume next year! It was a perfect night. We had a bonfire in the drive way (portable fire pit....not a ghetto fire) and the neighbors came over for spiced cider. Perfect weather too!

Campfires!

I admit, when my husband suggested a bonfire last Saturday I was less than enthused. That usually means we all smell like smoke, the kids stay up too late and I am stuck with the clean up afterward. But this time was different. I was so happy, he actually had ideas for things the kids could do (see the apple bobbing pics below) and neat ideas for cooking over the fire too! When the kids were done bobbing for apples he baked them over the fire and filled them with cinnamon & sugar. Then he roasted cornish hens on a spit. The kids had a blast and we finally had some long overdue family time together! It did get a little cold for the kids so eventually the kids & I went back in the house. This worked well, they got into their PJs and we watched a movie (Zach went to bed long before that!)

Sometimes I find myself wishing Rob would get more involved with what the kids are doing and show more interest. Then he goes and does something thoughtful with them. Maybe I am just crazily over involved or too much of a kid myself, or maybe it is just how guys are. I don't know. What I do know is I am one of the luckiest people on earth.

Look out Jack Hanna!

Here Logan edu-tains us with an informative presentation on snakes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvjxABaC5H8

I took this video over the summer. At the time his dream was to be a snake "strangler" someday! (snake wrangler) By now he has moved on to something else I am sure, at last check it was football player and hunterman.

Good Morning?

Mornings at our house are usually difficult. Logan is the grouchiest kid I have ever seen when he wakes up. Zach on the other hand is usually a happy boy in the morning, full of kisses and cuddles for mom.

But not today.

Today Zach spent half the morning screaming at the top of his lungs. Nothing was going the way he wanted it to and he let that be known to the world! Surprisingly Logan, once he finally got out of bed, wasn't too bad. But here is the best part....

The middle & high school kids wait for the bus at the end of my driveway. As we are leaving Zach begins screaming because he doesn't want to get in the van. Logan stands at the end of the van and just stares at the kids (I've no idea why). I get Zach strapped in and he is screaming at the top of his lungs. Logan gets in the van (finally) and I run back in the house for my purse. When I come back out I look up and there are all of the kids waiting for the bus staring at me. I know they are just kids but still, how embarrassing! Maybe we served as some form of birth control this morning! Ha! Anyway, all was well once I gave the kids some mini-pancakes to eat on the way to school, the bus arrived to pick up the kids and off we went.

The rest of the day, so far, has been easy.

Boo!

I don't know who gets more excited for Halloween, me or the kids. Logan and I have been discussing costumes since August. (Well, truth be told we've been discussing it off and on since last Halloween) This year Logan will be a Jedi knight and my little Zachary will be my Zorro. Cailin wants to be Hannah Montana, big surprise! I am having fun making the costumes and hope to have made some more headway by the end of the weekend. Just need the time to sit down and do it! We went to the pumpkin patch last Monday. Lots to be said for a good pumpkin patch. The boys had a blast searching through the patch for the perfect pumpkin. We went with the intention of only buying 3 pumpkins but of course we came home with 5! I can't resist! If it was in the budget we would have them everywhere! Zach calls each one a ball and Logan thought we should have one for each family member. Nevermind that I want to go back in 2 weeks when Cailin comes!

Horn Tootin' Time!

My little Zachary is so smart! Last night he was able to identify all of his body parts; head, cheeks, nose, eyes, arms, legs, fingers, feet, toes, etc! His vocabulary is also expanding by leaps and bounds. Baby, Pickle (name of our dog), Momma, Dad, blanket, Melmo (Elmo), please, thank you, and sissy to name a few! He says Logan but it sounds like GoGo. I am so proud of him! It is bittersweet how fast they grow. On the one hand I am so proud of his acheivements but sad because another phase in his life is left behind. I guess I feel that way for both boys to be honest. Logan turns six today and although there is so much that is exciting and new to come, I am a little sad that he will never again be my little 5 year old boy.

What a blessing they are.

Missing you...

"I'm gonna miss you today mom."
From anyone else I might have been a little suspicious of this statement, but not Logan. That kid is so honest it hurts sometimes! Not sure how much longer this sweetness will last but I am loving every minute of it.

Some days it is so hard to leave the boys and go to work. Zachary still cries when I leave and although I know it is just a phase it still tugs at the heart strings. Logan looks so forlorn at drop off that I find myself wanting to sneak up to the windows and take a peek. I know both boys are happy at the day care center and are fine once I go, but being with them is one of the greatest joys of my life. Going to work fails miserably in comparison.

What a weekend!

This was such a busy weekend. We celebrated Logan's 6th birthday on Saturday. He is such an angel. With Rob at work I spent most of my day on Saturday prepping for the party and caring for the kids. I was putting the finishing touches on something and Logan looks up from his playing and said, "Thank you momma" I asked him "For what?" and then he replied, "For all of this. the party." I was blown away. What a sweet boy. For all I worry about what we are doing wrong, we must at least be doing something right.

Sunday was the first flag football game. I am the assistant coach...never in a million year would I have thought I could do this but here I am! It is so fun! I was so proud of those little guys. Logan was so great! I think he is really starting to understand the game!