It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

but it is still 80 degrees outside!!! That is just crazy! We still managed to get into the Christmas decorating spirit around here... even though we were putting up our lights in shorts! The boys really got into "helping" this year. We broke out the Christmas music, put on the Santa hats (which cause us to break into a sweat), mixed up the hot chocolate (again, sweating...), and decorated the tree, hung the stockings, even put up the lights outside.... what fun!! We topped it off with a trip to IHOP for pancakes for dinner.... cant beat that!? Of coarse, here is the evening in photos...... I only chose a few so that blogger would not kick me off!!

They each got to hang their stockings on our special little hanger. We have no chimney, so we have a special key that hangs on our front door to let Santa in.

Cason loved the 'pretty lights.' He has to say nite nite to the tree before bed every night!

Micah was the ornament natzi.... he made sure that no one hung the breakable ones too low within Bryson's reach... and only one per branch.... and try not to hang the matching ones side by side.... he is so my child!

Maybe too many helpers???

The Jolliest Santa I know!

This is the "silly pose" I saved the good one bc it may be my christmas card... so act surprised when you get it! :-)

Just for fun

We have been cleaning off the hard drive on our old computer so we can get rid of it, and we are loading all our old pictures onto CDS and putting them onto our new computer. The boys have enjoyed looking thry all the old pics. So here is a little "test"

Who do you think this is???? Looks like Lil' Bryson doesnt! It is really Coby at about 10 months old!


Now... here is Bryson!!
Crazy, huh?



















Now for some Best Family Happenings... Clint and I were visiting while the boys were playing in the back yard, we heard a loud bang and looked out into the back yard to see Cason holding a baseball. I poked my head out and told him, "Cason, y'all need to be careful with the baseball. It just hit the window and that's not ok! Baseballs can break windows!" "Yes ma'am!" was his reply. As I turned back around to go back inside and close the door, Cason looked at Coby and said, "We better not throw the ball into the fan anymore... mommy said it might break the window!" They were evidently throwing the ball up into the ceiling fan and watching it fly! Where do they come up with this stuff? Boys, boys, boys!!

twas the night after halloween....

and in the middle of the night (about 4:45am to be exact), Coby was at my bedside... right in my face. (He was using one of those 'holler-whispers' where he knows he is supposed to whisper because it is pitch dark in my room, but he was kinda frustrated that he had been saying my name a few times and I was out cold, so he got closer and louder.) I startled awake and sat up wondering who was going to throw up because that is usually why they wake me up in the middle of the night. Just before I snatched him up to run to the bathroom, he said, "No mom, I dont need to throw up. I just need one more sucker... just one more sucker.... that would make my tummy feel just right... just one more."
"No, Coby, it is dark outside and that means it is nite-nite time." As I carried him back to his bed, I noticed the stickiness of his cheeks and the black cherry small on his breath, so we made a detour to the dining room, where we keep their candy buckets. Lo, and behold, on the living room floor was about 8 candy wrappers.
"Coby, what are you doing up eating candy? It is nite-nite time!"
"Mommy, my tummy needed some more candy, and it was so yummy in the dark. I will share some with you because you are my favorite mommy. Here is some chocolate for you. Or do you wanna pick a piece?" He knows just what to say, doesnt he??


the sweetest spiderman ever
Micah loved passing out the candy!
To Infinity... and BEYOND!!
SUPERBABY!!

More Candy!!

We survived trick-or-treating... AGAIN! We made our trip around the block trick-or-treating... Coby picked up on what others were saying and he started telling everyone that we passed on the sidewalk, "Hello! Happy Halloween!" I was kinda fearful that the boys might be a little shy or afraid (especially at the houses with 'spooky' decorations), but the only thing that freaked them out was a huge dog that looked them in the eye thru a glass front door. They all 3 took off running before the lady even got the door open. I apologized and headed after them! One house we visited handed out handfuls of quarters!! I was impressed! I remember getting pennies as a kid, but quarters would really add up in a hurry!! That is some serious inflation!

Anyways, then we headed back to the house where we passed out candy (which Micah loved!), and then headed to Souper Salads in our costumes (our halloween tradition). Several strangers had to come over and meet the Best superheros. The boys thought it was so cool to go to "a place" in costume. Cason tried to eat with his mask on, but he eventually gave it up and took it off. He did, however, put it back on to visit the bathroom. I am sure you can only imagine being 3 years old and trying to 'aim' with no peripheral vision! Clint brought him back to the table trying so hard not to laugh out loud.... because "spiderman" is a bit sensitive, and he is totally aware when we are laughing at him, and he calls us on it! They did not make it to bed until about 10:00, but it was a fun and eventful evening!!

I can rest easy with these guys around!

I thought this one was sweet the way Coby was trying to 'include' Bryson in the picture by patting his head!

I love Pumpkins!!

Maybe it is because with them, they bring the Fall, the crisp air, the awesome days when it is not too hot to play outside, but not too cold to leave the windows open. Maybe it is because they remind me of family... pumpkin carving parties with my brother and his family.... Of working all day long with my momma to prepare thanksgiving dinner, for it to all be eaten in only 30 minutes... sitting around a table having thanksgiving dinner... and my dad making us all cry over our plates of warm yummy food as he says, "well folks, I said it last year, and I will say it again... I just dont think life gets much better than this!" Pumpkins remind me of getting together for Halloween festivities with friends and family... the excitement of dressing up as your favorite superhero, and the sugar high from all of the trick-or-treating. They remind me of my kids because when they were babies, I always sang them a song that said, "Bryson is my pumpkin pie, my pumpkin pie, my, oh, my...." (I inserted all of the others names there, too). The boys still call Bryson "mommy's punkin"

I do love the fall and the excitement that it brings that the weather is getting cooler and the holidays are upon us! Thank you, Lord, for all I have to be so thankful for... and thank you for the simple things... the little pumpkins along the way to remind us to count our blessings.
The pumpkin patch was the high light of our day... they each picked out a pumpkin to take home. And they picked out one for mommy, one for daddy, and a tiny one for Bry. It was so fun to watch them run from one to the next trying to make the decision between hundreds... which one is the perfect one? It was great how they were so sure when they found 'the one' Like it was really any different than the one next to it.... but they were so proud!

Who needs a maid.....

When you have one of these little helpers!!

Spoons are my favorite... all nice and shiny!
Not only am I a good helper, but how cute am I?
Who says chores are no fun?!

Those chores are hard work!

My favorite Superheroes

So Clint gave me hard time saying that I was not really a "blogger." He says I am more of a "picture-poster" And I must admit, he is right! I dont give out any deep thoughts on my blog... mostly pictures of some pretty cute little boys and the funny stories to go along with them. I dont have time to write down deep thoughts... I dont really even have time to think much at all... so it is just easier to post a picture every now and then! So here we go...
We had a marathon weekend. We did not participate in an official marathon, just the "Best Family Saturday Celebration!"
9 am - baseball pictures
10:00 - micah's baseball game
11:30 - coby's tball game
12:45 - stuff faces with luke-warm pb&j sandwiches in the car on the way to BCS fall festival
1:15 - arrive at fall fest, already worn out from the morning at the ballfields, unload half of the car into the stroller and prepare for the total choas that is called fall fest
1:30 - I had to man the kindergarten booth, which happeded to be the bouncy slide thing from the RR express, so the Best Boys slid for free for 30 minutes of the day while daddy fed bryson lunch.
2:00 - hayride, bowling, candy, ring toss, cotton candy, balloon pop, more candy, fishing pond, dart throwing, cake walk, & frito pie for mommy bc the luke-warm pb&j had completely worn off.
3:00 - fall fest is over, so we headed home for resttime.
4:30 - we had to wake everyone up to get ready for our halloween party with some friends from church. There was a bit of drama over who would be which superhero, or which superhero was cooler or faster or stronger, but we worked it all out, and got them to all smile for a quick picture before we left (see below)
5:00 - the party was such fun! A blast was had by all.... more candy, more chili, more hayrides, more games, all in costume!
10:00 - we arrived back home to bathe them and put the grouchy boys in bed!
CRAZY DAY, but oh, so much fun! And we had to wake them all up for church bright and early this morning! Needless to say, all 6 of us napped today! I am glad that we had fun, but I am thankful that all of our weekends are not this busy!

Micah (batman), Bryson (superbaby), Coby (Buzz Lightyear), and Cason (who does not respond to 'Cason' when he is in costume. You must call him 'spiderman' or he completely ignores you... I think it was fun for him to justify ignoring me... not so fun for me! And he wore that mask for hours!)

good ol' blogger...

... it always cuts me off before I am done... so here are a few more pics that it would not let me put on the previous post!

Sweet little Bry... My favorite baby in the world!

My 2 little blue-eyed look-alikes!

New PJs

So maybe getting new jammies is just a good excuse to post some cute new pics of the boys, so be it! Thank you, GiGi for the new PJs... the boys were so excited to put them on! We decided it would be fun to load everyone up onto Micah's top bunk for a photo shoot, but Bryson kept trying to escape!

Good Catch, Daddy!
Silly boys!

ACU Homecoming

We had a blast seeing old frienda at ACU Homecoming this weekend. I literally cried as I walked (ok, maybe I was so excited that I ran) into GATA breakfast and saw all my old college roomies! I know, I am an old softee! It was so fun to reminisce and think about the good ol' days, and to think about how life has changed! As much fun as it would be to go back to college, I would not trade what I have now! I only wished I would have stayed for the reunion dinner because I heard thru the grapevine that Clint and I would have won not one, but TWO door prizes... one for the oldest child, and one for the most children! he, he! Funny that the many children that we have was the reason that we decided not to stay for the dinner! :-)

Here are all the girls that were there from our pledge class. It was so fun to visit with each other. We laughed kinda loud a few times and actually got a "look" from the current GATA president! Some things never change!

Christina, Melanie, Me, and Allison

I love these girls! And I always will! No matter how long we go with out seeing eachother, there will always be a special place in my heart for them. I can't help but smile when I see their picture or hear their voice... think about them or read their stories about their lives now.... It was so awesome to see each of you... And, Elisa Jane... we love you, and you were dearly missed!

Abilene Zoo

I love the Abilene Zoo... iti s super cheap (it was the same price for our whole family as it is for one adult at the FW zoo!), and it is small, but thorough. There are all the major animals: giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, elephants, monkeys, reptiles, fish, birds, etc... but it does not take much walking to see it all. We stopped in on our way home, and the boys had a hay day! Here are a few of my favorite pics:

The giraffes were a definate crowd favorite!

The boys got a big kick out of this one!

Cason almost fell into the "pond" with his turtle friends!

This one is "so cute" according to Cason. It was his favorite because he said it was smiling at him!
Zoo Hugs!

You cannot really see them, but they are in the letters... I thought this was a cool sign!

Gotta Love my Coby

Today was Tuesday... the day Coby had been looking forward to for a very long time. We have school every tuesday, but this one was special. He was having his first official "play date" with his buddy, Sam. It was a "play date" in the since that Sam was coming home with us from school, not for me to babysit, but for the sole purpose of playing specifically with Coby. Both Coby and Sam were beside themselves all day with excitement. And it has rained all day, so I knew the back yard and the trampoline were out as far as "play dating" was concerned, so we stopped in at Toys R Us to play on their big indoor playscape for a while before we headed home. The play date was a great success, and Sam did not want to leave when his mom came to pick him up. But here is one of the conversations that I just had to share... This was at Toys R Us when Coby was on the 4th story of the open playscape... open to the entire store:

Coby (sweaty, excited, and hollering quite loudly):Hey, Mom!!
Me: Yes, Coby?
Coby: I LOVE YOU!
Me: I love you, too, Coby!
Coby: I know you love me... that is why you spank me all the time... cuz you love me a whole lot.
Me (kinda embarrassed that the entire population of the toy store probably thinks I beat my child):I dont spank you ALL the time, Coby, but yes, that is why I do spank you... because I love you, and I want you to show God that you love him by obeying me.
Coby: And, MOM?!
Me (kinda scared of what was to come next): Yes, Coby?
Coby: I just tooted!
and off he ran.....

What were you doing at 7:45 AM?

Surely you werent having as much fun as I was! This should give all of you a good laugh!

They even got mommy in on the fun... no comments about the morning hair... it was seriously 7:45am!

Coby was determined to get Bryson in on the fun... but he would rather eat the glasses than wear them!

Almost!

Got him... it took a little restraint, but we got him! (really... there was no harm done to Bryson in the taking of these pictures!)

Turkey N Veggies... what a bore!

So Bryson tried something new for dinner.... Turkey n Vegetables.... he is not a fan! And I can't say I blame him by the aroma as I opened the jar. He was already kinda fussy because he has a double ear infection, and he did not get a good nap in this afternoon. So I went ahead and gave him his juice to drink for a minute while I got plates made for the other boys. A few minutes later, I looked back over, and there he was, turkey n veggies still smeared all over his face, drinkin himslef to sleep:

I took the bottle away to see if I could wake him up to finish his dinner, but no such luck!

He just could not get comfy! His head kept flopping back and forth.....

AAHHHHHH... that is better!

Fry's Fun Farm

Fry's Fun Farm came to our preschool today to celebrate our study of the letter F. I think we should have done it in conjunction with the letter P because I have never seen so much poop in my life! It was pretty icky! There were bunnies, goats, piggies, a colt, and a calf. My boys were most fond of the bunnies because they were small, soft, and cute... and they would let the kids pick them up. Every time Cason got one, I would try to get a picture and it would start to jump around, so he would drop it... and giggle! So I had to settle for a picture of him beside the bunnies with his newest fake smile! He was so funny. At one point, he was kinda holding the bunny up to his shirt, and he used his "baby-talk" voice that he uses with Bryson (really high pitched), and he said, "You like my new shirt, don't ya! Yah, it is new. We got it cause it's gonna be halloween, and it glows in the dark!" Kids crack me up!