Halloweens Past

So, is everyone excited about Halloween!? We are! Our crew is going to be the Wizard of Oz. Abby is going to be the most perfect Dorthy, Tyson is going to be the most wonderful Tin Man, and Baby Tyler is going to be the cutest Lion. Tyson was the Lion for his first Halloween. Wasn't he adorable!?

Derek's mom made the costume. I can't wait to see Tyler in it! She made the Tin Man for this year, too. Awesome job Nana! Thank you!

And we made Abby a little indian that year.

Last year, Tyson was Nemo. There is a little tail fin that you can't see in this picture that wiggled back and forth when he walked. He was so cute!

He got cookies at one great grandparents....

and cupcakes at the next! What a lucky boy!

He helped clean the jack-o-lanters out last year.

I made him one with his name. Is that a pumpkin in my shirt?

Too Young For Coffee?

After dinner, I was cleaning up the dishes and Derek was playing with Tyson. Tyler was being too quiet, so I looked around the corner of the couch and this is what I found.
I wish I could say the mug was empty when I sat it on the coffee table. Or that I could say I found a big wet spot on the carpet where Tyler spilled it. But no. Neither of those would be true. I think he drank the rest of my coffee and I think he liked it! It was only a little sip. But the reason I didn't drink it, is because it had coffee grounds in it. Yuck!!! So we'll see how caffeine affects him! 10 months isn't too young, is it? Everyone needs a little pick me up sometimes!
Lip smackin good!
Already jonesin for more!

Opposites Attract

Tyson and Tyler are soooo different! Tyson learned the word no so easily. Tyler knows it, but doesn't care. I could discipline Tyler all day long and he just comes back for more. Tyson never opened any doors, the china cabinet, the kitchen cabinets, the bathroom, etc. Tyler opens all of them. He's into everything and ON everything. He climbs on anything he can get his chubby little leg up on. And then he stands on the very top and when he can't get down himself, he starts crying. They are completely opposite! But they love each other so much! When I get Tyler up in the morning, he doesn't hug me or even look at me. He just cranes his neck around looking for his brother. He gets a big smile on his face when he finds him and sometimes lets out a little squeal. It's so cute! Tyler's not happy when Tyson is down for his nap. He usually ends up whining and crying until he wakes Tyson up. I'm so glad they love each other so much!

Tyler climbing

Tyson and Tyler helping me exercise

Tyson and Tyler playing sandwich with daddy. Tyson is the turkey and Tyler is the cheese. Daddy is the bread. It's an open face sandwich!

Playing in the rain

Sunny Days

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? Come on, sing with me! You all know it!

Mom and I bought Sesame Street Live tickets for Abby's birthday this year. We went to Ruth Eckerd Hall yesterday and took Tyson, too. They loved it! Mom and I did too! Tyson noticed right away that Ernie had the same shoes as him. Red Converse. I don't know if I would have ever noticed. He was so excited! I would recommend these live shows to everyone with a 2 and up! There was a lot of singing and dancing. Great fun! Here's some pics.

Sesame Street's new character: Abby Cadaby

Silent but Deadly!

On Monday's I take my 5 year old cousin to the Y for gymnastics while my dad watches the boys for me. Well, he's out of town so I had to take them with me. Let me just say, NEVER AGAIN! I'm sure many of you know how small the waiting room is that you watch your sweet little one do their best to roll, swing, jump, balance, pay attention, etc. There are never enough chairs for everyone, so many parents are standing or sitting on the floor. Just crammed in like sardines! So, Tyson is standing in front of me and says, "I tooted." I said excuse you and then something hit me like a ton of bricks. His toots smell like something has died up there and sat for days. You really can't even use the word toot for them because they are way worse than a toot. I knew that everyone around me was about to get hit with it too. I saw the lady sitting next to me turn her head and start gasping for breathable air. I was sooo embarrassed! I think he did it 2 more times while we were there. As if that wasn't enough torture, he had to go to the bathroom. Have you ever tried to hold a 10 month old and help a 2 year old go to the bathroom without letting him or yourself touch any of the germ infested things in a yucky public bathroom? I was practically crying. While I was trying to take his pants and underwear down, Tyler was leaning out of my arms eating the toilet paper. I almost lost it. Has anyone come up with a good strategy for this situation? If so, please share it with me. I guess I could have asked one of the many strangers in the room to hold my baby for me while I took my 2 year old to the bathroom. No, too risky. Maybe next time I'll just take him outside and let him pee in the grass.

How Are You Deciding Who To Vote For?

I was driving home last night when Focus On The Family came on the radio. I got home 5 mins into it and just sat in my garage to finish listening to it. Dr. James Dobson was reading his October news letter. It was about the presidential election. It was very interesting. I would urge you to read it before you make a final decision on who you are going to vote for. Go to this website to find the newsletter and election info. http://www.citizenlink.org/ He says at the end of it, "vote with your children and your children’s children in mind." That really hits home for me! What kind of world do you want your kids and grand kids to grow up in? Look at all the issues and each candidates view on them and vote accordingly. I don't vote republican or democrat, I vote christian. Neither party lines up with the bible perfectly, but McCain/Palin is closer by a wide margin! At the end of Dobson's newsletter he quotes Reverend Billy Graham by saying, "To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees." So let's pray! Pray that everyone would educate themselves on the issues and vote according to how those issues line up with what the bible says. That's all I have to say about that.

My Fall Swap Gifts Are Here!

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have been looking out my front door almost every hour for the past few days, waiting for my Fall Swap gift. What is it about waiting for gifts that makes you revert to acting like a child? It's so fun!!! One of the times I looked out this morning, it was there! On my front door step! I brought it in, grabbed my camera, and carefully opened it. I am thrilled with my gifts! Here's a look.

My boys were just as excited as I was!


Beautifully packaged!


F-Family album
She scrap booked it, all I have to do is add the pictures! I'm going to use it for the North Carolina trip we just took last week. Great job Jenny! I love it!


A-Autumn Candy
Such a cute little candy bucket! I love the ribbon handle! And candy corn is one of my favorite things about Halloween! My 2 year old son, Tyson, liked it too.

As he's shoving as many as he can fit into his mouth!

Who, me?


L-Little light
Love the copper pumpkin!


L-Leaf hand towel
This will definitely "fall up" my kitchen!


Thank you so much Jenny! I LOVE all my gifts! Thanks for putting so much time and creativity into it! What a wonderful Fall Swap! Goooooo Winter!