Happy Halloween!

This is all you need to a night of Halloween fun!
Jason was super excited about carving the pumpkin. It was the first time we have carved with the boys. The last two years they have just painted a pumpkin, but this was the year to begin carving!
Jacob and Rylan were both very captivated by the pumpkin and the big knife!
Rylan was not too sure about the "slimys" inside the pumpkin.
But he quickly discovered that it was fun!!!
Now it is Jacob's turn...
Then Jason drew on the face...
After about 30 seconds of each boy with the little tiny carving knife, they were done. The novelity did not last long. Jason did a great job though! And Rylan and Jacob were proud too! :)
Ta-da!
Costume photos to come...

R is for...

rocket!!! I got this idea from my new favorite website. Rylan was super excited to do "his letter." This was also the first time for us to do watercolors. They were a big hit!


Ta-da! R is for rocket...and Rylan...and rhino...and river...

Heather told me about my new favorite website and now I am COMPLETELY hooked!!! If you have a toddler or pre-schooler, stop everything and go there right this minute. It is educationally sound, completely developmentally appropriate and FUN! The activities are cheap and you probably already have 90% of the materials. It is very user-friendly and easy to search for specific letters or themes. This website has been a HUGE hit with Rylan andJacob and I am slightly obsessed with doing the activities!!!

2 ouches

OUCH!!!!! This is my toe. It hurts. REALLY bad!!! This is what happens when you are not looking where you are going while holding a 3 year old who is in TOTAL meltdown at 9:00pm. According to the doctor it is officially called contused edetous third phalynx. For non-medical people, that means really bad bruised third toe.

OUCH #2 came from my camera...she fell off the bar and crashed onto the tile. She got a huge crack across the screen. She is now gone. I am really sad... that camera has been through a lot with us! We got her when I was in antepartum three years ago. She's been in the OR, NICU, to 5 states with us, captured the first steps of Rylan and Jacob, 3 BD parties and everything we have done for 3 years! She documented our life in about 25.000 photos. She was a good camera and will be missed!

I immediately when to BestBuy and got her replacement. Her name is Pinky. She is a PINK Sony CyberShot very similar to the old one. And I love Pinky! She will be a good camera too.

First Stage Play

You may remember that the boys 3rd birthday party was based off of the books by Dor*een Cro*nin and Bet*sy Lew*in. So you can imagine the squeal from my computer seat when I saw that Clic*k, Cl*ack, M*oo was coming to town!!! The first weekend in October, we took Rylan to see CCM Live!



The show was wonderful!!! The adaptors did a great job making a 20 page book into a 90 minute play. They sang about 6 songs, which were all catchy and fun. The actors were FANTASTIC!!! They were so perfect and captured the essence of those animals! The boys sat still in a trance for the whole show!!!

After the show, all of the actors were in the lobby signing autographs and posing for photos. Rylan was a bit shy, but Jacob marched right up to each animal! Here is one cow and Duck.
Jacob and the other cow
Jacob and Hen
It was a success! You should see if the show is coming to a city near you. We were very impressed and are already looking forward to our next stage play! :)

More kitchen fun!

Today we spent more time in the kitchen! There's just something about fall that makes me want to bake! :)

Today we made Jason's favorite fall treat - Haystacks! The first time I made these was in the dorm with Katie. We were experimenting so that we could make them for our class we were student teaching in. It was fun to pass this treat on to Rylan and Jacob, and Jason was THRILLED!!! :)

First you melt one bag of butterscotch chips in the microwave. Then you add a canister of chow mein noodles. Stir until completely coated. Then drop globs on wax paper and let them set for a while. Enjoy!

Here is one of the 4 sticky hands in my kitchen today!

Look at that mess!
Ta da!
And the best part...licking the bowl...and your hands...and your arms... :)

J is for...

Now that the boys are three, I have been inspired to start some official academics with them. We've been doing "sneaky learning" - you know, where you are teaching them and they don't even realize it - for three years, but I decided it was time to pull out my teacher hat and start some learning fun. We call it project time!

To start we began with the letter J ( R to be posted soon!). We read 5 Little Pumpkins. Then we used my jack-o-lantern punch to punch out about 15 black and 15 orange jack-o-lanterns. Then I put one black jack in a bowl and one orange jack in a bowl. The boys worked together to sort the big pile into the bowls.
Then I cut out a big letter J. Here is Rylan as he glued the big J on the paper and then glued on several jacks.
Jacob is hard at work!
And the finished product! I'm so proud of my boys!
My goal is to do one project a day...so more photos will be coming! :)

Lacie's Famous Fall Mix

First you take all of these yummy ingredients...
Then you add two adorable helpers...
And what do you get??? Lacie's Famous Fall Mix, of course!
While growing up, my dear friend Lacie made this with her family every first day of fall. She shared the treat with us several years back and now it has become one of our favorite fall traditions and treats. Thanks for sharing Lacie!

Lacie's Famous Fall Mix
1/2 pound pretzels
big bag candy corn
jar dry roasted peanuts
large bag M&Ms
bag of raisins

Letters

One of my friends was talking about the last art of letter writing. And it got me thinking... I love to stamp cards, but how often do it do it? I think of someone, but how often do I sit down and take 3 minutes to jot out a note to them. I fall into the trap of being busy and not encouraging others, but everyone is busy. And I should make it a priority to encourage others. In the world of computers and internet, it is so quick to send an email, but isn't it better to pick up the phone and call? And how happy do you get when you open your mailbox and there is a letter with a real stamp on it? It still makes me smile to get "real" mail and not just bills! I want my friends and loved ones to know that they are important enough to me that I stopped and spent 3 minutes using a pen to tell them hello. So I am challenging myself to write notes and call someone when I am thinking about them. I want to stop relying on email and (impersonal) facebook to stay connected. Where these are both good tools, I do not want the art of letter writing to die. Will you join me?

Part Three...

The U2 concert was AWESOME!!! Some of our favorite songs...Beautiful Day, Get on Your Boots. Elevation, With or Without You, New Year's Day, Mysterious Ways, Where the Streets Have No Name


In the words of Beth... we witnessed a concert legend!!!!!Why in the world would our fabulous trip to Boston end with port-a-potties? Because after the concert we looked at them for 2 FULL HOURS!!!!! The $40 parking at Foxborogh was HORRIBLE!!! We did not move and actually turned off the car for TWO FULL HOURS! So we did not MOVE until 1:30 AM. We got out of the parking lot at 1:53 AM and made it to the freeway at 2:30AM. Back to hotel at 3:10 AM. In bed at 3:30AM. Woke up for flight home at 6:00AM.

Part Two...

Our day started at Boston's best kept secret...John Adams and John Quincy Adams birthplace and mansion. In all the Internet planning and travel book reading we did not stumble across this gem. Friday night we were thinking about going to Cape Cod on Saturday, but then decided it was too far for this trip. While surfing for that thought, I stumbled across the Adams National Historic Park. It was one of the top highlights of our trip!!!!!

There is a trolley tour with 3 stops, but we just did the mansion. The mansion is where John lived after his presidency and where 5-6 more generations of Adams lived until they gave it to America as a National Historic Park. It was AWESOME!!! 99% of the artifacts were original to the home. There were very small, carpeted walkways and absolutely NO photos! This the a view of the garden (that John Quincy started) and the mansion. If you ever go to Boston, this is a MUST SEE!!!
Then we went to Harvard...that's right, Harvard! (Channel your inner Elle Woods!) Beth and I spotted a children's bookstore on Harvard Square. It was very "You've Got Mail." Of course, I was in children's book-lover heaven! I bought the boys 2 Curious George books since it was named Curious George Books and their selection was HUGE!
Then we strolled through Harvard Yard. It was slightly surreal to think of all the presidents and dignitaries who strolled the same paths we did. But we actually had that feeling the whole weekend! :)

This is a famous statue...the 3 Lies. I can't remember all the lies...it's not really John Harvard, the date is wrong and something else. But you are supposed to rub the left foot for good luck. So we did!
Then we went to a place where everybody knows your name! We just walked around the gift shop, but it was still fun.
One of my must dos was to ride the famous swan boats! They have been run by the same family for several generations. They are featured in "Make Way for Ducklings." And it is only $2.75 per person! (Which is a stark contrast to the parking...at least $30 every where we parked!!!) Here are all of our feet waiting patiently!
Another boat...aren't they cute!?!?!? A guy (or girl) sits on a bike seat and peddles the boat around the large pond in the Public Garden. It was SO relaxing! After all the walking on Friday,. it was nice to sit on Saturday and take in all the pretty sights of the Garden. We saw at least 5 wedding parties posing and at least 3 engagement photo sessions.
On Friday we missed touring the Old State House, so we went back today. It was one of the better, more informative museums. There were stories you could listen to on the phones, MANY artifacts and an really cool part for kids.

Jason and Scott learning!
After this museum we went back to the North End for amazing Italian food and you guessed it...more canollis!!!

Sunday we had a devo in the hotel and took the Lord's Supper together. That was a highlight of the trip. I am overwhelmed every time I think about the church and how God works in all our lives. Remembering Jesus and his sacrifice is touching whether in an auditorium or a Westin hotel room. When Lacie moved, the girls and I started taking a cup from the center of the tray to remember not only Jesus, but the bond we have through Him and studying His Word. Then today we took Jesus body and blood with dear friends who we only see once or twice a year, but the bond we share through Christ is strong, humbling and incredible. It was a blessing!

Then we were off to Lexington and Concord. We took a trolley tour and LOVED it! The tour guide was dressed in colonial garb and told an excellent tour! I did not remember much about Lexington and Concord, but now feel very well versed in those events.

The North Bridge...when the first shot was fired. Apparently there is some jealously between the two towns. The first shot of the Revolution was fired in Lexington... But the first time the American Militia was commanded by an officer to fire was in Concord. Longfellow's (I think it was him...) poem gives credit to Concord as the shot heard round the world.

Anyway, we walked across the bridge - which is a reconstruction. The original was torched by the redcoats. It really was a pretty creek. We also saw where the first British causalities were buried.
And the famous Minute Man statue!
We ate lunch in Concord at the Colonial Inn. In Concord was the only fall leaves that we saw. However, Beth and I thought they were beautiful and picked up a handful to bring home! Next time we'll go a few weeks later and see all the pretty colors!
We had a very important date Sunday night, so we only got to stop briefly at The Orchard House, home of Louisa May Alcott. I have never read Little Women (gasp!), but now I own a beautiful library edition purchased here! I've started reading it and love it so far. On our next trip to Boston, we will definitely tour this house!

One more post coming about our very important date Sunday night! :)