Sidewalk Paint

I was trying to think of something fun the kids could do while Teddy was napping.  They seemed to be wondering around the barn not knowing what to do, so I finally offered to make some paints for everyone.  There was a loud "yeah" in unison and in I went to make some of our own sidewalk paint.  The part they seem to enjoy the most is making their own colors.  Once we started painting the driveway we realized that the sidewalk would be a better place because it's much light in color.  It turned out to be a great morning activity that lasted all the way until lunch time.  

2nd Annual Jazz and Beer Festival

Once again, the boys entered the homebrew competition at the Jazz Festival.  It turned out to be a beautiful, warm afternoon and Adam and Patrick were having a great time sharing the beer with everyone.  Turns out that a lot of people enjoyed drinking it because their IPA received first place in both the Judge's Choice and People's Choice categories.  Way to go guys!  And our little guys and Momma went to show our support were there to hear their names announced.  The boys sat for a while listening to the jazz while eating their apples.  Then Grammy, Baca, Willa, Bea and Mille came and somehow they ended up playing in the mulch for most of the evening!  Oh well, we had a nice, long bath time! 

Picture Day

 I had no reason to take this picture other than I thought my boys looked so cute and so much older that I felt the need to document their cuteness.  I'm loving Matty's eagerness to go to school Friday mornings.  It makes all the effort worth it and to see his proud face when I pick him up is priceless.  

Apple Picking

We've been figuring out a good time to doing some apple picking and decided this was this day to visit Sycamore Orchard.  Teddy was on his best behavior sleeping through most of the picking!

The weather was a spectacular fall day, low 60's, no humidity, and all sun. 

All the boys were pumped and guessing how many apples they could hold.  Each one was responsible for carrying his bag and picking his own apples.  I'll tell you what, they did a great job finding some beautiful apples and avoiding the ones with bruises. 

As you can see, the bags are practically as big as the boys themselves.

Once I noticed they were having a hard time carrying all the weight, I decided it was time to call it quits.  When the man officially weighed the apples we picked a total of 33 lbs.  And at 60 cents a pound, that's a good deal!  We visited the horses, played on the playground, and then ate apples on the way home.  We left our home around 9:15 and didn't get back until 11:45, just in time to have a quick lunch and be ready for the school bus.  It was a fun morning and one we just might have to replicate again sometime soon!

Heshey Wine and Food Festival

This was such an indulgent Sunday afternoon.  Hanging out with friends, eating some incredible food, and drinking lots of drinks :) while the boys were at Grammy and Baca's house having a great time of their own.

This was such a fun afternoon with the Reagers.  To say the least, we had ourselves a very good time enjoying all the food and all the beer and all the wine!  Good times (even though my body was all confused the next day!) and hopefully something we can attend next year too! 

K Classroom

It was my first day volunteering in Tyler's Kindergarten classroom. They had a button factory and I was able to help with the kiddos. We took them to the second floor and the kids had to "buy" materials for the paper buttons and then assemble the pieces. We arrived at 1:00 and it was supposed to last until 2:25, but we were done by 1:30 and Mrs. Wolfgang said it was the fastest she has ever done the project. And then said to me that this might be her most well-behaved group of students that listen so well. I feel so lucky to be able to volunteer and to see my little buddy in "action" and to get a sense of what a great groups of kids he is with every day. I'm thinking it's going to be a great school year! And very lucky that Grammy is able to babysit so I have the opportunity to do such fun things like this!

First Soccer Game

Matty's first day of Jack and Jill

We have another student in our home!  Mr. Matthew has officially started the "two's" program at Jack and Jill with Mrs. Murphy.  He was so excited in the morning.

Matty ran to the closet and put on his backpack and wanted me to take his picture just like we did with Tyler.  I think it's so sweet that he remembered that and wanted his own moment too.  It's rare that he wants to smile for a picture, but the smile is true and was on his face all morning!

Doesn't he seem so happy!

I love the pic from the back because in a sense he seems so much older but then he puts on a little backpack that seems huge on him and it just makes me smile.  A reminder that he's still my little boy.

We arrived at school a few minutes early for him to get a chance to get used to things and quite frankly I didn't want to feel rushed!  At the exact moment we were walking in his teacher was walking out for something.  I'm pretty sure it made Matty feel extra special.

I was a little nervous because sometimes he can be a wild card and a bit unpredictable.  Well, I had nothing to be nervous about!  He walked in like he owned the place.  It was clear he was familiar with everything and everyone and didn't hesitate at all.

In fact, I said good bye and he hardly flinched.  It was a perfect moment and also quite bittersweet.  He really is getting so much bigger and independent and thrilled to have his own "thing".

When we picked him up, the smile was even bigger than the morning.  He looked so proud of himself and loved showing us his mask that he made during class.  And, I had to keep the tradition going for him too...cupcake decorating and party as soon as we got home (before lunch!).  He was loving every minute of it.  And I was also so proud of Tyler for encouraging him in the morning and was genuinely happy for him when we picked Matty up.  I loved seeing the brotherly love and witnessing Tyler giving Matty the attention he deserved!

It was a great party!

Arrgh, Matey

I never quite know who is going to show up in our living on any given day.  Tyler is borderline obsessed with dressing up like some sort of character and almost alway insists on being someone.  The pirate theme is easily our most popular and the boys even insisted Teddy get in on the action.  He was a tropper about it and just thrilled to be getting some attention from his big brothers!

Rising Star Soccer

Tyler had his first soccer practice.  It was a beautiful evening and he was surprisingly really excited about it.  He asked to do it, but I wasn't so sure how it was going to be.  I figured we'd give it a try and I'm thrilled we did.

If the rest of the season goes anything like today, I think it's going to be a great experience for him and for Adam as his coach (along with Mike). 

He was equally excited for the new cleats because they were silver and said "Mommy I have to try really hard and go really fast when I wear shoes like these".  Love it.

Last Hurrah