Happy Halloween

More photos will be taken this weekend but I had to post a quick one of the first time the boys were in their costumes!  MilitaryMan and I sewed and stitched and glued and cut until the weeeee hours of the night the night before they had to be worn for their first trick or treating event.  Didn't try the costumes on them until it was time to go-and said a quick prayer that all worked out well! We have 4 more Halloween events this weekend where they will get to dress up again...so needless to say the costumes will get some miles in!

Happy Halloween from my brave Fireman and his little Dalmatian brother :)

Par-Tay

BooderBean celebrated his 4th birthday this month and I have been so behind on my blogging that i completely forgot to post photos!
His party was SO MUCH fun for him and his friends, this was our first friends party and I think it went well.  I didn't get nearly as many photos as i had wanted (doesn't it always end up that way?) but i did have so much fun watching my boy and his buddies play! Maybe next year I'll be hiring our photographer friend, GreyGillFish, to come play and take party photos!

Apparently he loved the icing! and then insisted i take a photo so he could see his face :)

Even BrotherBean had a blast in the toddler area of the Gym

Time for cupcakes and ice-cream! These are his school friends and cousins with him.

Two of his school friends helping him open gifts.

Time to line up for cake! Here he was waiting for his BFF Addyson to come get in line-he even made the whole party wait for cake so she could get in line with them :)

I made his cake (as i do every year), and the theme was camouflage...this was a VERY last minute decision by BooderBean-as he changed his mind daily as to what he wanted the theme to be, finally he decided on camo and I did the cake design idea the night before, didnt' turn out nearly as cute as i wanted but hey--it was eaten right :)

I can't believe how big my little man is! Four years have gone by so fast.  He's gone from my little tiny baby--ok not really, he was born weighing in at 9lbs 8oz--to my big smart, strong, talented, happy, helpful, thoughtful, sensitive, considerate, creative, hilarious, snugly, big man!  I love this boy to pieces and every morning when he wakes up and runs in asking "is it morning yet? can i get up?" I thank God he is mine!

Catchin Up!

I was a NURSING NINJA...or so i dubbed myself :) 

I successfully nursed my two boys until both of them were 10 months old. While my goal both times was 12 months, I didn't quite make it.  Both boys decided they were just done with our little mommy baby time at 10 months so that is that.  I had a really hard time, emotionally, with BooderBean when he quit.  Yet with BrotherBean i am doing much better than i thought.  I am ready to get my body back to my own, and I'm really ready to wear clothing that doesnt' have to have a snap or clasp or easy access for a little one! so Victoria Secret...get ready, this momma is ready to shop again!

The photos that are making me smile so much lately are the ones where they just aren't "perfect".  i used to think we had to all be looking "perfect" to get a good photo...but after time, I am learning that the photos i love the best are the ones where we are caught  just really living in the moment!

These recent photos of my boys are just those kind...the "in the moment" photos!

on BooderBeans birthday we flooded the living room with balloons....the boys loved to dive into them together and this photo is a perfect reflection of the love BooderBean has for his brother, he loves to squeeze on this boy!

We took BooderBean to the Orr Family Farm for his birthday and had a blast! This photo is my boys and I jumping on the giant pillow! It's this photo that i love so much, just my boys and I having fun and not posing one bit.

BooderBean concentrated so hard on his cupcake creations while BrotherBean watched on.

School Lunches

BooderBean had a great birthday week last week! On Friday I surprised him at his school and had lunch with him and his little friends. It was so neat to see him in action in his classroom and see him following the routine along with everyone else.  I arrived early enough to see music time and see how all those little creative minds work! I love this age!  After lunch i stayed for a bit to play with him on the playground before their nap time, sure wish i could have stayed for nap time!  I didn't get very many photos since those little kiddos move so fast! but here are a few!

That evening we had  family game night, which i think we'll continue on every Friday night.  He is getting to be such a grown up boy!  Played by the rules, was a stickler on making sure daddy followed the rules too, he had to be the one to set the games up and tear them down, we of course had to have cups of juice while we played-in case we got thirsty and didn't want to have to get up, he told me!

Sweet Snacks

MilitaryMan and I let BooderBean stay up past his bedtime the other night so he could help make his fun birthday cupcakes to take to his school friends for today's birthday celebration at school.  MilitaryMan thought it would be fun to get the blender out and make some yummy smoothies to sip on while we baked!  I put BrotherBean to bed early so we could get started on our baking fun. BooderBean loves to help out in the kitchen so the evening was a blast.  Long story-short:  we ended up baking 2 1/2 dozen cup cakes that evening from scratch and then weren't able to bring them to school so he gets to serve his friends store bought pie and store bought sherbet today instead.  And i now have a mound of homemade vanilla cupcakes at my house if anyone wants to come grab a snack!

The smoothies turned out yummy-perfect peach smoothies!

Enjoy the fun photos from the night.  We'll be taking him for some birthday fun tomorrow for his 4th birthday, check next week for photos!

The blender is LOUD daddy!

Daddy and BooderBean making peach smoothies!

mmmm perfect peach smoothie!

 

making sure mommy put all the ingredients in!

licking up the leftovers he said

 finished product