Mummy madness

The boys have loved mummies in particular this Halloween season...mummy books, mummy shirts, mummy decorations, mummy snacks and more. Here are my two little mummies (one continuously ripped off his wrap before I could snap a picture, so this is the best shot I could get.)

A shift in priorities

I never thought the day would come where my little boy would pass on food...particularly a treat. Just looking at his cute belly you can see how food has always been a priority for Sawyer! Much to my dismay, he passed up a cupcake at the birthday playgroup we attended this afternoon. The train table captured Sawyer's attention for nearly two hours...his friends played with him, played around him, ate cupcakes and played outside, but Sawyer never parted from his beloved trains.

Click, click, click

Jack recently downloaded over 400 pictures from his camera. Here are a couple shots (one he enhanced) of his leading model.

Away he goes!

Jack has been asking to take his training wheels off of his bike for a couple months. Scott and I have been a little hesitant (primarily one of us...guess who?), but decided to just give it a try this past Friday evening.

Scott started Jack on a gradual slope in our yard (a path recommended by our neighbors) and within minutes, our adventurous 4 year old had mastered that terain and was begging for the open road. 15 minutes later, Jack was able to stop himself with his brakes and get himself started, too. The neighbors were all part of the excitement and cheered Jack on in his success! Our little Lance Armstrong turned to Scott after one of his rides and proudly exclaimed, "Daddy, I'm SOOOOO happy!"

Jack's friend from next door, Adrienne, actually captured the best video of Jack's rides. I had gone in to finish dinner, and Jack rushed in a few minutes later and declared, "So far, so good!" So far, so GREAT, Jack!

EARS!

A month ago we were living it up at Disney World. We're still feeling the magic around here...that is until Sawyer snapped his neck with the strap!

The view

Autumn as seen from our back porch...we eat our breakfast and look out in awe.

These days we are LOVING fall: pumpkin patches, costume play, spider hunts around the house, Halloween crafts, candy corn, yummy soups, vibrant leaves, weekends full of football and songs inspired by autumn. Listen closely and you may hear us belting out a tune that is a favorite of Sawyer's class...

(To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
The leaves are falling down.
The leaves are falling down.
Red, orange, yellow, brown,
The leaves are falling down.

The loves of their lives

I got to go with Jack's class on a field trip on Monday (pics to follow), and it was so much fun to see him with all his friends at school. What a quickly noticed is that I think Jack has a little crush. He constantly surveyed his class and wanted to be near a little girl named Anna Sophia. On the way home from school that day he asked me, "Mommy, what do you think is most beautiful about Anna Sophia?" And so it begins...

My youngest also has a love interest....trains! His school sends home a note each day, and on Monday his teachers documented that he is their "#1 train enthusiast of the year." Speaking of, we're headed down to the train table in the basement. Who am I to stand in the way of love?

Amazing Acres

** Sorry these pictures are so small...I couldn't get them to load any larger for some reason??

Fall is breathtaking in Indiana (although my friends here say it's been unseasonably warm this year!) We took advantage of the beautiful weather and visited Amazing Acres on Sunday afternoon...pumpkins, corn mazes, potato sack slides, giant bins of corn to play in, tractors to ride and more. I love this time of year!



My animals!


Jack and Sawyer (and Scott and I) loved the slides and did them over and over. Sawyer kept asking for "one more time." Scott of course had to first assess the integrity of the structures, but when he gave his safety seal of approval we all had at it. Sawyer loved the slide so much he even repeatedly trudged himself up the hill on his own...he typically prefers his support crew to carry him in these situations.


The long-awaited corn maze. On the way to the farm, Jack continually questioned if the maze would be a maze or a race??? He was thrilled to be in the maze and led the way through the 1.25 mile trail. Both boys loved checking the map with Scott and punching their holes when we reached a designated post. I was VERY thankful that we had Daddy with us! Map or no map, the boys and I would have never gotten out of there on our own.


Big and small, boys love tractors!


Kicking back in a vat of corn....the boys could have stayed in here all day and night. We took a really good bath that night!

Freeze

A series of shots of Jack while he waited in line with Scott for the 3D Toy Story Mania ride at Disney World.

His happy face



His silly face


His serious face. Seriously guys, let me on this ride!


If I could freeze time and keep Jack at this stage, I would. I've felt this same sentiment in the past, and I know I'll feel it again. At four, Jack's imagination is running wild, his curiosity could kill a cat and his thirst for knowledge takes my breath away.

Today after church, Jack excitedly told us about what he learned with the other preschoolers this morning. "There were 10 leopards (lepers) who had a lot of boo-boos and were itching from poison ivy, but Jesus made them all feel better. But only one leopard didn't forget to tell Jesus thank you." This was right after he sang his heart out during the closing hymn (despite not knowing a single word), and telling me that he was so happy to sing for Jesus today. Sweet Jack, I'll sing for you any day!

Between the calendar in his room (where I record fun tidbits) and this blog, I am trying to capture Jack at 4 because I know that I'll blink my eyes and he'll be 14.

These days...

Sawyer makes each and every day fun, memorable, entertaining, challenging and a learning experience. Here's what our little guy is up to these days:

-Relishing his preschool class where his teachers report he's "playful" everyday. They have yet to see any red-headed tendencies in class. Thank you, God.
-Singing, singing and singing (ABCs, the weather song, Where is Thumbkin, the Dora theme song, Happy Birthday (still), and Move it! (from Madagascar....loves dancing to this tune, too).
-Belting out a shrill scream when his big brother invades his space or does anything to annoy him.
-Worshiping his train table, his toy choo-choo trains, train themed books, the train at the zoo, the train at the mall, the train close to our house, etc. You get the drift!
-Cracking his brother up...he really is funny and understands that he has the power to make people laugh.
-Running independently all over the playground. I could almost bring a book and just let them have at it...almost.
-Eating "poppy-pop" cereal (Rick Krispies)
-Counting from 1-20, but varies the order depending on the day
-Choosing to not make a choice when I try to let him select his shirt to wear to school, what snack he wants, etc. This trick always worked with Jack...Sawyer just smirks at me and doesn't respond!
-Curling up with a "nack" and watching Dora, Diego or Super Why
-Starting to ride his tricycle...slowly but surely.
-Still loving his "Raffi" and his thumb, but now leaves them in the car when we go on our adventures. He gives him a kiss, puts him down and says "See ya later Raffi."
-Shooting lasers with his brother in a fun game of Buzz Lightyear. I always end up being Zurg.
-Putting on puppet shows for Jack and I. His dialogue typically consists of "Hello. How are you?"
-Still snuggling up to us at night when we sing him his lullaby (he often chimes in, too)...I hope this never ends.

Sawyer, there is no one else like you in the whole world. We love you!

A magical week!

Our week at Disneyworld was spectacular! I apologize now for the LONG entry, but I plan to print my blog for the boys this XMAS, and I want it to contain a lot of Disney pics. Jack has already asked to go back for 20 days next time, and even Scott (who is not quite as excited about the Disney thing as I am) gave the trip a 9 out of 10 rating. We loved having Grandma and Grandpa with us, too...they have so much energy and the boys can't get enough of them! Here are a lot of pics and a few notable moments from our trip.


The parks were beautifully decorated for Halloween/fall.



Jack and Mommy LOVE the teacups! My favorite part is watching him laugh hysterically as he spins. Sawyer enjoyed spinning Grandma on this ride, too....he likes to be independent (unless he wants you to carry him!). Daddy and teacups don't mix!


Both boys loved the ride, "Goofy's Barnstormer" (a little roller coaster), but Sawyer in particular was smitten with this "fast choo choo train." He begged for it all week long and probably rode it 50 times. His other favorites were the two Buzz rides, the big train, the Peter Pan ride, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Finding Nemo Ride.



We all enjoyed the Buzz Ride at the Magic Kingdom. Grandpa really got into shooting the lasers at Zurg. Jack asked for this ride a million times, and we obliged! This was one of his favorites along with Toy Story Mania, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Soarin' and the Test Track. His least favorite ride was Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios...big mistake by Scott and I...he's still worried about the ghosts!


My boys and Donald Duck. Both boys enjoyed the Chef Mickey dinner where they got to meet many of the characters.


Grandma and Jack had fun exploring the Animal Kingdom. The Safari ride was amazing, and we saw giraffes, elephants, hippos, rhinos, lions, nile crocodiles and gorillas roaming in the "wild."


The boys enjoyed a little down time at the Animal Kingdom in the Boneyard (dinosaur themed playground and gravel pit for digging).


A family shot after dinner at Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom Villas. Notice Buzz Lightyear is a part of our family now.


Who can resist these waffles?


We were all so excited to meet Mary Poppins (one of our favorites)! Jack was shy because "she was so beautiful."


Men and their cars! Posing with Lightening McQueen and Tow Mater.


We had great weather during our stay and were actually excited when it rained so the boys could sport their Buzz Light Year raincoats (on clearance at Target!)


Grandma and Grandpa let us have a date day, and Scott chose to head back to Animal Kingdom. We enjoyed some "alone time" (is that possible at Disney World?), and rode some of the bigger rides including two spins on the Everest roller coaster...Scott wished we had stuck with only one ride!


Towards the end of our stay, the Borns arrived, and we all attended Micky's Not So Scary Halloween Party. All the kids (and adults) had a blast! Check out Buzz x 3!



Sawyer loved watching all the marine life at the end of the Finding Nemo ride at Epcot, and we all cracked up at the Turtle Talk with Crush show.


Snack time for Cameron, Jack and Sawyer


Captain Hook can't scare these boys!


Sawyer was quite a trooper! He has his 2 year old meltdowns, and wanted Daddy to carry him quite a bit, but he really did a great job. Here he's made it until about 10:30 p.m. on the night of Mickey's Halloween party (that is VERY late for my kids!). Decked out as a tiger, clutching his Raffi and Buzz, I guarantee he was still asking for the "fast choo choo train."

Our next family trip will be somewhere else, but I promise that we'll be heading back to Orlando for more fun in the future. As Mickey Mouse would say, "See ya' real soon!"