Let there be snow...sort of...

We took a ride up North to visit Hubby's brother and wife. We have been trying to get up there more often this year to visit. They always come down here, and we want to even it up a little bit! :) Plus, the kids love going up there. We have had such a mild winter without much snow this year. Luckily, there was just a little on the ground. It was enough for snowballs and snow"women". The kids were happy with what they had...

Trying to remember what this snow stuff is all about!
Me and my girl.....with my boy wanting to get in there too :)

He still is his momma's boy! I will take it as long as I can!

Pumpkin posing with her snowwoman she made. She was very clear about the fact that it is a snow woman though :) Don't you love the rain boots! I love them for her. I figure that we really play in the snow once maybe twice a year...rain boots are more practical. Plus, they kept her feet really dry and she loved them....can't beat that!

She would throw snowballs at Hubby, he would catch them, then throw them back at the kids. It was cute. This is my BIL/SIL's backyard. Perfect for playing and easy to warm up afterwards :)

Running from the snowball she just threw at Daddy and is now being thrown back at her!

He was attempting to run and dodge snowballs....I think this is one of my all time favorite pictures of him! Pure joy and happiness on his face....i just love it!

This is why Hubby could catch the snowballs.....not quite considered small!

It was a great day trip up North. I hope we can continue to head up there more regularly this upcoming year....

Lights...

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is go to the Zoo to see their lights. We have been going since before kids, and I just LOVE it! :) I think we get as much out of it as the kids do. I had won tickets this year, so it made it an even better night! Pumpkin remembered from last year, but Critter did not. They were both enjoying all of it...until the cranky hit for being past bedtime!

His face had a look of awe on it most of the night. It was a chilly night, one of the first of the season. I did not realize how much his head had grown until i put this hat on him! It is supposed to fit a little differently! :)
She finally got happy...it was a rough start to the night, but she figured that being happy was better than leaving! I have similar pictures of her each year, she loves the lights and figuring how they work.

My adorable, crazy, munchkins!

We could not resist the carousal! Luckily I even won rides on this, so it was a perfect night for our wallet :) He got the biggest kick out of it. He could not get the smile off of his face if he tried...

She loves to ride the dragon. We were near the end of the line for this go around and I could not believe she still got on it. It made the night end very nicely!

Me and my girl. Hubby is trying to get more pictures of me with the kids. I have the tendency to just be behind the camera. I would like the kids to look back and know that I was actually at these fun places with them!

A great celebration....

Critter had such a fun birthday party! We decided to split years for the kids. He got a big party this year and Pumpkin a small family one, then we will switch next year. He had quite a few of his friends come and play with him. He was adorable asking for certain friends to be there with him. He asked all week when he was going to his party. Then...he started calling himself the "Party Boy". Very cute!

We were so appreciative of all our friends and family coming out to celebrate out special boy. Thanks for the fun! :)

The fun bouncing slide! Man, the kids and adults love this one :)
The birthday boy getting ready for his cake

I started making their cakes last year. I am still working on the art of decorating and getting the cake out of the pan in one piece. But...at least home made cakes taste good no matter how they look! Also, did not know how hard it is to make RED frosting. Next time, it will be yellow, blue or green! I also realize though, that my audience was a 3 year old boy who could care less about the details as long as their were superheros on the cake!

Getting ready to blow out his candles...

He was the sweetest kid this day. He was having so much fun! He took his time with his cake and presents. He stopped to appreciate every thing.

The end of the day superheros. He has pretty much not taken off his new costumes since he got them. Sister had to join in as well :) It is quite fun having superheros in the house, I feel safe now!

It was such a great day celebrating this awesome boy. He sure is a blessed little boy with so many people who love him!

Three...

Three years old.....I have no idea how three years have passed since this sweet child was born. Yes, his birthday was Wednesday, but I am only a few days late! :)

This "little" man has had my heart since he was born. He was a momma's boy from the start....and I was happy to accept that. He is loving, caring and cautiously adventurous. He follows his sister around wanting to make her happy...unless he is tormenting her! :) He has recently discovered Daddy is pretty cool. He finally let Daddy put him to bed 2 nights in a row while I was home! This was a big accomplishment in our home. It only took 3 years.

He has discovered superheros, star wars, and other things I am having to learn about! We are trying to raise him to be a gentleman (yes I know he just turned 3, but it is never too early to start). He already likes to open doors for me, which I think is adorable.

It is hard to explain what this little boy has done to our family and my heart. He has balanced the personalities in our family.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy....we love you!

Can't forget sweet big sister :)

I love that he knew what this birthday was about....he is my sweet 3 year old!

Setting up the season...

I love this time of year....

My goal typically is to have my list and budget for Christmas done by the end of October. That way I can keep my eye on sales and not be tempted to just buy, buy buy. It works well. This year I am not done yet....but almost. This way i can enjoy all the things the season has to offer. The kids are both old enough this year to really get both the commercial part of the season and what it is really all about. Our days are filled with reading our huge stash of Christmas books, decorating, crafting and special activities.

My favorite part of the year is always setting up the tree. I remember when Hubby and I first got this tree it was filled with generic ornaments and just married ones. Now, we can not even fit the generic ones on. It is full of ornaments made by the kids, given to the kids, or kid focused ones. I could not ask for a more beautiful tree! :)

Pumpkin LOVES to put the star on the tree. Luckily Critter does not get it yet, but I have a feeling next year it might be a fight :)
He gets so proud when his sister does things....

This is one of the last pictures I was able to take with my old camera. It decided to start giving me a lovely decoration of a black line on the side or bottom of pictures. At least I was able to capture some of these moments.

My goofy kids! I just love these moments of them being cute. I know pictures like this are the ones I will look back on years from now and just cherish.

Enjoy this season, i know we are!

I'm still here....

We have been a little bit crazy around here.....

7 photo sessions

3 Thirty-One Parties

17 people in our home for Thanksgiving

A broken Camera

and a partridge in a pear tree....

It has been a fun few weeks, but really crazy around here. I feel like I am almost catching my breath now. We got our Christmas decorations up and are starting fun holiday crafts. No matter how crazy it is...I love my crazy kiddos!

My critter on Thanksgiving. You can see the chaos behind him, but he was having fun dressing up and running around before the 17 people came over!
My girl was not into her picture this day. She loved watching the parade and running around outside...

Don't ask me.....the funny thing is that is Pumpkin's bike helmet. It so does not fit him! It is funny to me to see him wear it :)

A pick up game of football in the front yard after dinner. This was the funniest thing of the day. The kids and grown ups running around like crazy. The younger kids really had no idea what was going on except to run around and say "i'm open"...pretty cute!

Yes, that is another bruise on his head. He fell into the garage-home door as i was taking the turkey out of the oven. I thought for sure it was another ER trip, but luckily not. He always hits the same side of his head though! Not sure why....plus the bruise is still there a week later. So...his 3 year pictures will have a little bruise on his head. Fitting for him i guess!

So, even though we have been crazy, we have been enjoying life!

A new tradition...

I have been wanting to take my 2 crazy kids to my Alma Mater's Homecoming since they were born. I was really involved on campus and have such great memories. Since it is in October, it has usually conflicted with Pumpkin's birthday or Halloween. This year, it was on the 30th! :) The kids were old enough for me to handle in the big crowds without Hubby. We stopped for sandwiches on the way, found a spot and settled in. We may have gotten there a little too early, but lesson learned! They changed the parade route this year, so even though we thought we were at the beginning, we were at the end. All that meant was that the floats had given away most of their candy....and the rest was snatched up by some "lovely" children next to us!

Someone saw me taking pictures of the kids and offered to take one. I could not resist....even though I don't like handing my camera over to anyone!

They had a bunch of activities for the kids. We did not even make it over to the main kids zone. I really am not sure what kind of masks these were, but they were really cute. The kids loved coloring them. We spent some of the time at an alumni tent for a group I used to be in. It was fun seeing some old friends.

One of the highlights for Critter was seeing this Spiderman pumpkin. He even asked to have his picture taken with it! It was really cute. He has discovered the world of superheros and can not get enough. Not sure how he discovered them since we don't watch the shows....it is still cute :)

I have a tendency to want to spoil the kids. How could I resist the Sparky Horns! They are so cute in them. But...after no nap and being exhausted, Critter kept getting frustrated that they would not stay on his head well. Since he has gotten a haircut they fit much better though! :)

They were promoting this live show, and the kids wanted a picture with the backdrop. Critter almost knocked it over trying to sit with them though!

It was a really fun time. I am so glad I got to take the kids. I really hope we can do it again next year. This is part of the thing I love about motherhood, the great experiences I can give my children. The simple act of taking them to a parade can help create a lifelong memory. I love that my kids love to be active like me. Some days I feel like we just don't stop, but I look back on the pictures and realize all the amazing things we have done. I just love this stuff! :)

A fun sugar filled day...

It was such a fun Halloween this year! Critter really got into it for the first time. It was quite a process to get him to pick a costume. For about a month he changed his mind every time you asked him. Once Pumpkin made up her mind, it was a little easier for him. So...I present Tinker-belle and Captain-Hook!

We met up with friends at one of their homes for a pot luck dinner and then going around their neighborhood. It was quite a crowd....8 kids and even more adults!

Yes....it is a family picture! :) We have so few of these, even if Critter is more interested in the juice it doesn't matter to me. It is all 4 of us! :)

We had such a fun time. We are one of those families who let the kids have a few pieces that night and then 1 or 2 pieces a day after that. We did feel really bad for Pumpkin though, when we went through her bag at the end of the night there must have been 7 or 8 houses who gave her empty wrappers ;) I loved seeing the pure joy on the kids faces this year. They got to be with some dear friends, get candy, and have fun. Hubby and i got to do the same! It was the best Halloween we have had in a long time...

Struggling with Six!

My baby is six. The little girl who made me a momma came into this world six years ago (and a week). For some reason, this year more than most I am struggling with her getting older. That is the reason these pictures have been sitting here on this computer for a week now and i have not posted on her birthday. She is getting older....she can do so many things on her own....she is coming more into her own personality....she is my Pumpkin.

My Dearest Daughter,

You are now six years old. You have grown up into a beautiful, amazing, smart girl. You have a fierce determination in this world. Once you let someone into your heart, you love them to the core. You care so much for the friends and family you have. You want to protect them from any harm or insult. This year you started Kindergarten. You have had some struggles with kids not being nice to you and those around you. Daddy and I have tried to shield you from that for your life, but can not anymore. You are excelling in all you are doing in school. You LOVE science and music, but you don't realize you love science you just know the stuff you like. You finally got your wish of getting your ears pierced. I have been telling you that you needed to stop sucking your thumb in order to get that done, but we caved for your birthday. Not too sure what the next bribe will be to get you to stop the thumb sucking....

I am so proud of who you are my dear daughter. We have had a lot of moments lately where we butt heads, but that will continue for our lives together. I hope you grow up knowing that I love you. I may not agree with you or do as you wish, but I love you. If I am wrong about something, I will admit it. If I do something to offend you, I will say I am sorry. You will not always like me, but that means I am doing my job. I love you my dear daughter...Happy Birthday...

Pumpkin got to spend her actual birthday morning at the baptism of one of her favorite little boys! :) Our dear friends made sure there was a cupcake there for her so she could blow out candles. It was a really sweet morning. Then....we get home to this! The house was covered in balloons for her :) She loved it. The balloons lasted over a week and were lovely in her room after we took them inside. It was a very special thing for her.
What is better on a birthday than a birthday donut! We stopped at a donut place on the way home and had donuts at night for her bday!

I look at these pictures of her, and I wonder where my baby went. She has grown into such a beautiful person. It was so much fun taking her pictures this year. She picked out her outfit, how she wanted her hair, and where her pictures would be. It was a lot of fun.

Our girl at her bday party. We are flipping bday parties starting this year. Pumpkin had a small family only party and Critter will get a big one. Next year, they will flip that. It was really nice to plan for just the grandparents. She picked everything for the day. She wanted sausage, peppers, pasta for lunch and lemon cake for dessert. Let's just say the grandfather's were quite happy with the dinner menu! :) It was a really nice day and she had a great time.

I can't wait to see what excitement and adventure this next year holds! ;)