Pumpkins A Plenty (Part 1)

What is Halloween without a trip to the pumpkin patch, right? We still bought our pumpkins at Vons (who can beat $6 for a pretty darn good size pumpkin?), but we went for the fun and the experience. And it was certainly worth it.

Sarah told us about a pumpkin patch that was up in Temecula, so we decided to go there because it sounded like a lot of fun. When we first pulled up I was a bit skeptical. It was much smaller than I had anticipated it being and was worried about really being able to stay entertained long enough to make it worth the trip. I was completely wrong though.

Lots of pumpkins to look at, a trip to the petting zoo, pony ride, corn maze, pig races and a silly and slow train ride kept us busy for quite awhile. The kids and adults all had a blast. It was a lot of fun and something I certainly plan to do again next year.

This is just a portion of the pictures. My great sis has the rest on her camera and as soon as I get them then you will receive part 2 of this fun filled day :)

Pumpkins really are something special :0)

Isn't this a cute thing that they have?

Boo! Makenna really took her role as ghost seriously!

My favorite pumpkins there!

An old fashioned John Deere tractor....the kids were so happy to take this pic and make their Daddy proud!

There's Kenna, happy as can be on the back of a horse. She would totally be a cowgirl if she could! She was so happy being on the biggest horse too :)

Brooke did better than she had at the fair this summer. She didn't scream her head off this time, but she still seemed pretty unsure to me, as the picture represents...

Kellen boy riding. He was pretty serious the whole time and then was jumping and smiling and asking for more as soon as it was done.

All the kids wanted to be by grammy on the train ride!

I love this look on Kellen's face. He is the funniest kid with the facial expressions he has.

He's so big! Chubby Cheeks! Yes!

Things that keep me from going crazy

I remember when having a newborn/infant seemed like a difficult and stressful thing. However, Conner is by far the easiest one in the family to care for! Give him milk, lots of cuddle time, so bright toys to look at and keep his pants dry and he is golden :) I love my baby boy. Even when life around me seems frustrating or difficult, nothing makes me feel better than holding Conner, snuggling up to him and watching his smiles and hearing his coos. I just LOVE my baby boy!

Sarah always laughs that Conner has a perfect hair line and how strange it is to see on a baby. It really does look like I have cut his hair, and I have not! But it is darn perfect! His hair also shows up quite dark in pictures, but trust me, it is very fair in person.

I love when my children love each other!

My kids may be the very thing that drive me insane at times. But they are also what keeps me grounded and bring more love, smiles and laughter into my days than anything else in this world could offer. And are they not just too cute?

Todd. I just love this man....way more than he probably even knows. I feel blessed beyond belief every day to have a man in my life like him. He loves me and treats me wonderful. He loves our children and is such a wonderful father and knows just how important parenthood is. I love you Toddy!

In a perfect world, on a rainy day I could stay in my pj's, curl up by a fire with a warm blanket, good book and cup of hot cocoa and sip it while listening to the rain fall outside. And in this perfect world I would love these rainy days and await them with anticipation. But it is not a perfect world, and therefor I HATE the rain. It drives me nuts! I don't like to stay in doors. I like to get outside and have fresh air and run around and let my kids do the same thing. Shopping on rainy days is utter torture, especially when you are trying to get yourself, your children and your bags into the care without any of the above getting Too soaked. And unlike most people, I do not like the smell of rain. The smell of wet concrete makes me gag and choke. Ugh! I like the way it looks after rain, all clean and pretty. But then it is muddy for my kids to play in, which makes a mess and work for me. So even that is not fun. So there you go, I do not like rain!

The other day we were all not enjoying a rainy day and I was on the verge of losing my temper and spending the rest of the day in a very bad mood. I knew I needed to do something to change the energy in the house, and needed to do it fast. I had sent the kids to their rooms because they were driving me nuts and I needed just a few moments of space. So without thinking about it twice I ran into the room, made the kids change their clothes, grabbed their hands and said "Come on, we are going outside to play." They both looked at me like I was nuts, neither one of them believing that I was really going out there with them. So I just took off into the backyard and started splashing in puddles and swinging and sliding in the rain. Within seconds we were all running and laughing and had such a great time playing together in the rain. We stayed out there until our toes and fingers were numb and then came in the house and all took a hot shower together and then cuddled on the couch and watched cartoons. I guess that was as close as I can get to a perfect rainy day with kids :)

Brothers

I can't wait to see what this relationship develops into. I know that brothers have very different ways of bonding than sisters do, or than a sister and brother do. Although I have 4 brothers myself, I only grew up with one brother in the home with me, so it is not something that I have been very exposed to on a daily basis. So seeing two brothers together is a new thing for me. And I love it. I think that my boys are the cutest things in the world. I love them more than I can say and feel like such a lucky woman to have such handsome men and boys around me all the time.

I love the way that Kellen loves his brother. He loves him so much! He is so excited when he wakes up in the morning. He gets thrilled when he gets to hold his brother. I feel bad that so much of the time I am having to watch him closely around Conner and tell him to be careful and be soft and watch out for his eyes and not to smash him. The last thing he would ever want to do would be to hurt his brother, he just loves him so intensely in his 2 year old way. And really, I just think it is the cutest, sweetest thing (I just have to be mindful of Conner's safety as well :) ) And the most adorable part has been the way that Conner is starting to look at Kellen. When he hears Kellen's voice, he turns his head to look for him. When Kellen goes to him and talks to him and plays with him, Conner's face lights up instantly and he just smiles and coo's at him and gets so excited. It really is so fun to see their relationship beginning to develop and grow.

I know that a year or two from now I will be putting up posts about them beating each other up and rough housing and playing swords and crashing trucks and being boys. And though I am sure it will drive me a little nuts, right now I am just anticipating it with joy and excitement. I love my boys and am so happy they have each other.

All Mine

Sometimes I think back to my life before I had my kids. I laugh because I used to think I was busy and had a lot to do. Ha!!! I had all the time in the world...and then some! I remember thinking that I knew so much. That I understood life pretty well. Ha again! What did I know?! I remember thinking I knew how much my mother loved me. I only had the slightest idea. You can't fully understand the love of a mother for her children until you are one yourself. I thought I knew what laughter and happiness in its fullest felt like. Completely Wrong. There is no greater happiness, no joy more pure than that experienced through being a parent.

My kids may keep me ridiculously busy. I may spend a large majority of the day cleaning up after them, playing referee, feeding, clothing, bathing, teaching, playing, etc with them. And at the end of the night when they go to bed and then I start My chores, I may be ridiculously worn out. I may not get pedicures as often as I like. I may not have time to leisurely read novels. But when my children smile, I smile. And when they laugh, I laugh. And the love and the happiness and fulfillment that I feel from them is unlike anything I ever imagined.

And let me tell you, there are a lot of smiles and a lot of laughter in our home. So naturally, I am feeling pretty darn amazing most of the time!!

See what I mean about the smiles and laughter....your explanation here is as good as mine.

Kellen boy, getting comfortable on his new wheels. Good form for a beginner.

When Brooke comes to my house now, all she wants to do is go in our backyard and swing. I think she is using me....

Apparently scooter riding is a serious thing for Makenna

I am so used to seeing rough and tough Kellen cruisin on this, it is strange to watch my cute, girly little niece ride around with a flower in her hair. She loves it though and has figured it out. It startles her a bit every time, but she loves it and looks so cute!

A little Auntie Lovin'

Brookie looking so darn big!

I seem to find Kellen like this fairly frequently these days after his nap. I don't know what he is doing with the chair. My sister suggested he may be trying to make a crib for himself? Could be. All I know is it makes him happy and make me laugh. Silly guy.

It has come fast, but Conner is at Bumbo age. He does great sitting in this and looks so silly and grown up in it!

He he :)

He is so big! And such a handsome devil if I may say so myself!

No lack of love in this home!

Kellen is a potty stud! He and the John have definitely developed a very honest, natural and friendly relationship. Kellen is now telling us when he has to use the potty and it has been Days since an accident (knock on wood). He is napping in undies and is dry about 75% of the time in the morning. He is doing great! And he looks so cute on the potty. The cuteness in this doesn't last forever, so I like to capture it while it's still there :)

Zoned out, staring at his crib mobile. Babies are funny!

The pic above is of Conner just a few days old in his swing. The one bellow was just taken the other day. Holy Cow, this kid has grown. Maybe I am just used to having giants now, because when I look at and hold Conner he doesn't feel that big to me. And then I see a pic like this and think dang, I've got a big boy! All the more to love and cuddle!

Not Quite So Little Anymore

What started out as this....

Is suddenly This!

It's incredible to think that it has happened so fast, but our little guy is 2 years old! Happy Birthday Kellen boy! We started off our morning by going and getting a smoothie and some oatmeal from Jamba Juice!

We then went to the bookstore. Kellen just wanted to hang out in the stroller and he was so happy to have me sit Conner with him. He helped hold him and take care of him the whole time we were in the store.

Next I took him over to party city to get some balloons to celebrate with!

That night we had a party for him at Chuck E Cheese with family and a few close friends.

Kellen was Soooo happy to have it Finally be his birthday! You could tell he was really appreciate the attention and love he was getting all day.

Playing some games with Daddy

Right when we were getting ready so sing Chuck E Cheese (the big mouse) came out and started coming over to sing to him with us. Kellen enjoys Chuck E Cheese, but can do without the mouse. He only likes to observe him from a distance. I got worried that this giant mouse was about to ruin the whole thing, but Kellen worked through it and got distracted by the singing.

Blowing out his candles! He did great. I was a bit worried that he was going to try and grab the candles (due to his recent candle obsession) so I tried holding him back a bit, but he did great!

He did a pretty good job opening his presents. About as good as a distracted 2 year old will do.

His present from Mom and Dad was a Scooter for him. He needs something to help him keep up better with his big Sis.

It really is just amazing to think that 2 years has gone by. In some ways Kellen has felt like he was 2 for awhile now. Having Conner here and comparing him to someone so small has made him feel much bigger and more grown up. Plus, having him in the toddler bed and fully potty trained has made him feel much older to. But for some reason it still feels weird to have him officially be 2 years old! He's growing up so fast. And though turning 2 has brought with it some very 2 year old behaviors, Kellen continues to be our sweet, loving, kind hearted little boy. He is a goofy, light hearted little guy that loves to please others. He's got his wild, crazy side. He can certainly run around like a maniac and keep up with his crazy sis without a problem. But he is also such a gentle kid with such a soft disposition. He has been a great big brother and he is an adorable cousin to little Brooke.
Kellen recently had his doc apt and he continue to grow like a weed! His 2 year old stats are 36 inches tall (90%) and 30lbs 40z. (75%). He has certainly gotten tall and thin! I think we have all been surprised how much he has lost his baby fat and become this lean little thing! Our best prediction is that he should be about 6' or 6' 1" at full height. Dad is just adamant that he hits the 6' mark, though I tell him he will still love him if he is 5' 11" :) Kellen is a smart little guy. He knows his colors and some of his shapes and can count to 3. He is a total chatter box. We have been having conversations with him for months now. He loves his Elmo backpack and loads it with his toys and brings it all over the place. He loves to pretend to cook food (our mini Emeril or Gordon Ramsey) and loves cars, blocks and spiderman and batman. He is such a good boy. Our family is very blessed to have him in our lives. He certainly makes our home a happier place.

We love you Kellen! Happy Birthday!