Goblins in the Park

Tonight, my Mom's Club met for Trunk-or-Treating at the Sandersons' house.

As soon as we pulled up, Quinn and Holden were not quite sure what to think of the party. There were lots of boys (our club is full of boys!) running around, dressed up, chasing each other with swords, etc.

I thought that this picture was so funny. It shows them just standing back and taking all of the festivities in and figuring out what to do first. . .



An attempt at a group photo . . .



Trunk-or-treating . . .









After trunk-or-treating, we all walked over to the park for our town's annual "Goblins in the Park". They had hayrides, music, candy, games, and costume contests.






We took the boys on the "Haunted Trail" through the woods. We were able to request a "not very scary" tour. There were still the haunted scenes and scary people, but no one jumped out and tried to scare us. They just stood there (which was a little creepy!). Quinn was very brave, as long as he could stay VERY close to Brant! He spent the entire time on his shoulders or in his arms!






Holden LOVES a glow stick (or 2)!



Quinn, Aiden & Ewan

You Just Never Know . . .

what is going to fascinate your child!

Holden was given a balloon at our church's Fall Festival (last Sunday night), and he fell in love. He played with/carried around that balloon for 2 days!

The balloon has since "magically disappeared" (brought on by a few temper tantrums because mean Mommy would not let him nap/sleep with it!). But, here are a few pictures of Holden and his balloon, back in the "good 'ole days".


Carrying around that lovely black balloon on Monday morning . . .



As soon as Holden saw the camera in my hand, he decided to sit and pose . . . "CHEESE"!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

At our house, it's really more like . . .
Holden See (what Quinn is doing), Holden Do (what Quinn is doing)!

Yes, sometimes it's really cute. However, other times (when Quinn is doing something that he's not supposed to be doing) it drives me a little crazy!

Well, one of those cute times (I don't often take pictures of the trouble-making times, but they certainly happen . . . daily!):

The other night during video time, Quinn got his chair and Big Teddy and settled in for the show. Just a few minutes later, Holden got his chair and Brownie and settled in beside his big brother.










Holden shows such admiration for Quinn. He thinks that his big brother is the coolest person on the planet. Yes, I love it. However, I have a sneaky suspicion that their teenage years are going to be a little scary!

My Penguin and My T-Rex

I am happy to report that Brant is feeling MUCH better; thanks to all of the medicine, fluids, and rest, he is feeling human again! He is planning to work from home tomorrow (and possibly Tuesday).

The boys and I are still symptom-free. I pray that we remain that way! Many thanks to Mama Carol for watching the boys Friday night and Saturday. We missed them terribly, but keeping them healthy was our primary concern!

Tonight, the boys put on their costumes, and I took them to our church's Fall Festival. It was a lot of fun!

Pre-festival pictures at home:












Just a silly shot . . . I have NO IDEA what Quinn was doing! ;-)







Fall Festival pictures (only got a few b/c I was flying solo!):

I must say that Quinn has perfected his "ROAR"!!!






Trunk-or-Treat:

Oink!

Well, I am SO VERY SAD to report that Brant has a confirmed case of the flu. The doctor told us that we can assume that it's H1N1 . . . the swine flu! He feels completely TERRIBLE! And, he is someone who rarely gets sick. He would tell you that this is the sickest that he's ever been. Poor guy! :-( I did just pick up $100+ worth of prescription drugs! So, hopefully, he'll be feeling better soon.

Thankfully, the boys and I are feeling fine and not showing any symptoms. They are spending the night (and possibly the weekend) at Mama Carol's house. I am going to spend time caring for my patient and thoroughly sanitizing our home. Please say a prayer for Brant's speedy recovery and for the rest of us to stay healthy!!!




And . . .

Everyone, except poor Brant, got flu shots (the seasonal ones) this week. I rewarded Quinn's bravery (and Holden's too, of course!) by a quick trip to the choo-choo park.




Hope that all of you are healthy! :-)

A Typical Question With a Twist!

Quinn seems to be in the phase of asking TONS of questions about EVERYTHING! He also seems to be learning/paying attention to the process of buying things. So, his questions sometimes revolve around his possessions (clothes, toys, etc.) and how he got them.

"Mommy . . .
who bought me this car?"
where did you buy this airplane?"
where did this shirt come from?"

This line of questioning has been going on for a little while, so I'm used to it. These are all typical questions from Quinn. But, this morning, he decided to throw me a curve ball, by asking one of these typical questions with a little twist!

While playing in the bonus room, he asked, "Mommy, where did you buy me?"

Oh, yes . . . he did! So, I did what I often do when I need a little more time to ponder my answer . . . I asked him to repeat the question (as panic engulfed me!).

And, then the rest of the conversation went kind of like this:
Quinn: "Where did you buy me?"
Me: "Sweetie, I didn't buy you. Um, um, um . . . God gave you to Mommy and Daddy."
Quinn: "He just gave me to you?"
Me: "Yes, Mommy and Daddy love each other very much. And, God gave you to us to love and take care of." (All while frantically thinking to myself: please don't ask for any details! Please don't ask for any details!)
Quinn: "Okay. Let's play trucks."
Me: *Breathing a sigh of relief and making a mental note to myself to be prepared for any future lines of questioning regarding this topic!

Now, I knew that these sorts of questions would come. I just didn't know that they would come so soon. But, that appears to be a recurring theme of motherhood for me! I think that I should try to become comfortable with feeling a little uncomfortable and unprepared! Maybe, I'll adopt a strategy that I used with my high schoolers . . . "I'm not sure, but I'll get back with you!".


Just a cute picture (at the indoor race track a few months ago, which I just found on Brant's phone) of that little miracle that God gave to me and Brant to love and take care of . . .

PJ Mornings

A new priority at our house? At least one pajama (PJ) morning a week!

A month ago or so, I started to notice that the boys and I were always on the go. I had just started a fantastic Bible study . . .

one morning a week. **This study is unlike anything that I have ever done. It is incredibly challenging, a little scary, and immensely fulfilling! If you ever get a chance to take it, do! You won't regret it!


Quinn has preschool two mornings a week. And, Holden and I spend one morning every 2 weeks at another really great place . . .



Also, there are playdates with friends, parks and rec classes, doctor appointments, errands to run, etc. So, needless to say, our calendar was getting pretty full. I felt like I was always rushing us up and out of the house!

So, after much thought, I decided to make a new addition to our calendar . . . at least one PJ morning a week (I managed 2 last week!). One morning to sleep in, stay in our PJ's as long as we like, watch videos, and just hang out around the house. I must stay that I am enjoying the lazy mornings as much (if not more) than the boys!


One of last week's PJ mornings . . .


And, I'm very excited because we have another one coming up tomorrow! ;-)

Hill Ridge

This morning, we took the boys to Hill Ridge Farms for their Fall Festival. This place is one of Quinn's favorites; Holden really loved it this year, too!







The Giant Slide:






The Hay Jump:



The Maze:






The Choo-choo:






The Hayride:









The Pumpkin Patch:








Happy Fall Y'all!