Yesterday was dress up day at Logan's preschool. While he was gone, Aiden played with the paper and stickers nana and papa sent him for Halloween. He even made a little card for you guys.
We returned to the school around 11 to see the "costume parade". It was sort of strange. The kids came through the lobby, then out the front door, then back into another door, down a hallway, out another door to the back of the school and then through the middle doors. I just sort of stood in the hallway with my double stroller and looked as clueless as I felt. A bunch of the other moms and dads seemed to know exactly what was going on (did I miss a note in Logan's backpack about this parade non-sense?) Anyway - it was adorable except that Logan didn't want to do the parade once he saw us and then got really upset when he missed going outside with his class the first time. He had a major meltdown and didn't feel better until the class paraded by on one of their loops and Mrs. Jenn took his hand for the rest of the journey.

Aiden, at home, playing with stickers. God bless him....this kid can play for up to an hour all by himself with a stack of paper and things that will stick to it or draw on it.
Here is the sticker masterpiece Aiden made at Memaw's the other day. I swiped it for fridge decor :)

Aiden enjoys playing with the magnetic table in the lobby of the park district building while we wait for Logan's costume parade.

Here they come! Aiden ran up to say hi to Logan. He's not wearing his sunglasses and his rocker shirt is covered so he just looks like he's being that kid who is too cool to dress up for Halloween!

Here's the whole class and the parental paparazzi.
Here are Logan and Mrs. Jenn parading around outside. She's so sweet to him!
Back in the classroom, the kids each got a big bucket with their name on it filled with tons of Halloween stuff (a pumpkin straw, goldfish and pretzel snacks, rings, stickers, play doh etc). I'm hoping I didn't miss something about contributing to the buckets!!

Our happy rocker boy...on his way to the car with his bucket of goodies.

We have been so busy this month, that our annual pumpkin farm outing almost didn't happen! Brian and I looked at each other last Sunday and said "we have to go to a pumpkin farm FOR SURE next weekend!!" So therefore, despite the very windy and cold day, we set out for Bengtson's Farm late Saturday morning. We had never been there as a family before, although the older boys went last year with Memaw and Grandpa when I was super preg with Bray. We usually go to a place that has a petting zoo, giant blow-up jumpy things and a few rides. Bengtson's was so much better!! I'm not sure why, but the big draw for Brian was the pig racing. Really? I thought maybe it was a midwest-raised-boy thing. It was pretty funny though! I just had to laugh because, when we arrived, it was 12:30. The pig races were at 1:30 so the entire first hour of our time at the farm was carefully planned to assure that we did not miss the race. It went a little like this
B: What time is it?
Me: 1:00
B: Ok....you take Aiden and Brady to get them some hot dogs. I'll take Logan through the haunted barn then meet you back here. The boys can eat and then I'll get us something to eat.
Me: Got it
B: Ok....we have 20 minutes - GO!

Anyway, we all had a blast (most of the time!). Here are the pictures!

Since we got such a late start (Brady's early nap, Brian's need to read the paper, my compulsion to wander aimlessly through the house picking things up), the boys took their nap on the way to the farm. Sadly, they watched a movie for about 30 minutes and finally dozed off just in time for us to reach our destination....we drove around for a while looking at the corn fields and let them finish a quick snooze.
Logan and Daddy get in line to pay (a completely outrageous amount of money for 2 adults and only 1 child over the age of 2) wearing their matching, brown puffy vests. Too stinkin' cute.

Aiden has become a little bit of a mama's boy lately. Here, he pauses in the line to the little train ride and debates going with daddy and Logan or staying with me.

Logan, on the other hand, rushed to the ride, hopped in the front car and proceeded to ring the train bell over and over.

Here they are, making the first round of the ride....Aiden looks less than thrilled.
This was the coolest thing...a pumpkin totem pole that was at least 8 feet high. I contemplated buying a bunch of small gourds and pumpkins to dress ours up like this at home.

After the train ride, we went to check out one of the many mechanical displays they have around the park. This is "The See-Through Band". The skeletons moved, sang and played instruments. Even the four heads up on top sang along.

After the train ride, Aiden needed a little mommy cuddle time and wouldn't let me put him down for a while.

Brady enjoys the view from the stroller

Here they are, watching more of the fun sights. Logan had to climb in and give his baby brother a cuddle.
After Logan and Daddy went through the haunted barn (and after I scored some hot dogs), Logan returned to tell us all about it. I'm going to do my best to remember what he said:

"and Aiden...there were these monsters that POPPED up out of everywhere, but I wasn't afraid!"
"would you be afraid of monsters Aiden??"

"because they were kinda scary, but I was a big boy and I wasn't afraid! You should go too!!" Here, Aiden is actually looking back at the haunted barn thinking "um....ya...no". I did take him through it later (carried him the whole way) and I found it a bit scary for little kids. I had to make up some silly stuff along the way. Example: three scary figures with crazy hair were sitting around a table in one of the little rooms that you look into as you walk through the barn. There was a crystal ball on the table and taro cards in front of each figure. The table was floating around and the characters were all shaking. I said "oh look - how silly....they are playing 'Go Fish!'"

Here, Brian and the boys axiously await the pig racing.

The little show they put on was pretty funny and the pigs were hysterical...particularly the pot-belly ones that mostly refused to race anywhere. All the pigs had funny names like "Linsey Lo-Ham" and "Britney Spare-Ribs"

This, my friends is the most delicious carmel/kettle corn I've ever had. I'm going to have to remember to get more next year. There was one problem though. We all ate it by the handful as we walked to the car, but how do you share such a treat while driving home??
Solution: make paper hats....
...and serve it up with a little movie for the car ride home.

I usually try not to post any negative thoughts on the blog, but I was laughing tonight while doing laundry (one of my many Sunday chores...and the one I hate the most!) I was sorting little tiny socks...in three sizes....thinking "this stinks". I laughed at my own pun and decided I had to torture others with my thoughts on stinky sock season. I don't like socks because:

1. they add a lot more time to the whole "getting out the door process" and usually accompany shoes that are NOT crocs and which, therefore, require mommy intervention to tie/Velcro/slip on/take off etc.
2. Aiden hates wearing them so, as soon as his shoes come off, the socks are close behind. That means that, if we leave the house more than one time a day, I either have to find the socks he had on (which may be on his changing table or in the middle of the living room floor) or just dirty a second pair (daily sock count now upped from 3 to at least 4).
3. It's so annoying to make BIG socks match up after the wash....try matching up a ton of tiny socks too!
4. I thought I had a clever way to organize every one's stuff...right in the laundry room by the door we use to leave, but Aiden thinks that my neat sock bins are a fun little game. It's called "let's kick them over and spread the socks everywhere". That means that I sat on the floor of the laundry room AGAIN tonight UN-folding perfectly folded socks to read the little "no slip age labels" on the bottoms of them so that I could re-sort everything into its proper place. He hasn't played this game in a while (I took a 2 week break from sorting the socks after re-organizing three times in 2 days)...let's hope they stay put this time.


Here are the little bins on the floor of the laundry room....labeled and in order from smallest to largest :)


This picture is hard to make out, but I also have a "shoe bin" that sits in front of the small sock bins. The boys know to take off their shoes and put them into the shoe bin when we come back into the house. The door on the left of the picture leads into the kitchen.
Here is the trash can in the laundry room....full of little socks that had no mates after I finished unfolding and refolding everything.

I just had to add this picture because it always makes me smile. These are hooks in the laundry room, close to the shoe things, and are for Aiden's and Logan's things (backpacks and coats). Logan's is more useful since he needs to take his backpack to school every day and can actually remove his own jacket, but A needed one too...just like his big brother. They are at kid height and both of the older boys are pretty good about hanging up their coats when we get home. I'll have to find a spot for Bray's hook sometime next year....or the year after :):)

Today is daddy's birthday, but he's far away in NYC. The boys recorded this for you Bri:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2vPRywG5dE

One more video to share:
About a month ago, the boys checked out some books from the library with Memaw and Grandpa. Aiden really liked the one called "Skippyjon Jones - Color Crazy". However, he thought the entire title was the cat's name so he would call the character "Skippyjon Jones Culor Kazy". Which I found totally adorable, but it gets better. We've had MANY discussions with Aiden regarding NOT coloring anywhere except on paper. He's colored the wall, a micro suede chair, himself, the table and the carpeting in 2 of our friends' basements!!! For a while, he was only allowed to use Color Wonder markers around here. They only color on special paper...he JUST recently got the regular markers back. So...at the end of this book, Skippyjon colors on himself and, every time I would read it, Aiden would finish the book saying "I wan tell him 'NO Skippyjon Jones culor kazy...you only culor on paper!'" Here is a video of Aiden reading his favorite book before we took it back (we got another skippyjon jones book today!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1peAq7mfX4

Don't be alarmed...I changed the template today. Not sure if I'll stick with it, but I felt like a little something different. :) I was goofing around trying to enable comments. You SHOULD be able to leave comments from the way everything looks like it's set up. Try again if you tried before and had some problems (sorry mom!)

So...Logan has been in preschool now for over 7 weeks. I was surprised that we haven't seen much come home in the way of art projects and school work. Especially since I know moms who had their 4 year olds in this same pre-school program last year. One of my friends, for example, has a 3-inch binder BUSTING at the seams full of her son's art work (again....this is the SAME program). My suspicion is that the implementation of a new "portfolio" program this year is the difference. I believe that each child will be bringing home a portfolio of his or her work several times during the academic year. However, I witnessed the kids making these cool bat candles last week when I was the picture mom and I thought "surely they will be bringing those home so we can have them for Halloween". Happily, Logan brought home his project today - yeah!! We had to light it for him the minute we walked in the door. I blew it out after about a minute and promised him that we'll light it and take it outside tonight when it gets dark.
Here is Logan and his first, official preschool art work (that I've seen come home anyway)

Last week, Den and new baby Ryan were here for a visit. We were booked solid most of the week so we had them on the run a lot. We had: a bday party/playgroup Monday, then Denay's friend visited that afternoon, preschool Tuesday (I was the picture mom), we went to a friend's house Tuesday night to hang out with my girlfriends (yeah!), another bday party/playgroup Wednesday, another friend visit Wednesday night, then preschool & Aiden's little "pre-preschool" class Thursday morning before I drove them to the airport Thursday afternoon. I'm excited to announce that I personally made the picture montage from this week (next week...it's back behind the camera for me!)

Once upon a time, I liked to make lots of cards/tags/baby announcements and other assorted crafts. About 2 years ago, Brian bought me this AWESOME machine that cuts all kinds of fun shapes. Inspired by 3 consecutive birthday parties (for 4 children), I dusted off my "Cricut" last Saturday and made a few present tags.
Too bad kids never pause to admire the hand-made artwork on their gifts :) It looks like my actual wrapping could use some work!
So...here we are at birthday bash #2, Tommy & Jack's pirate party. Their mom did an amazing job with this one. She had pirate costume stuff for each kid when they arrived (eye patches, bandannas, sashes etc), pirate decorations everywhere, a really fun "picture" treasure hunt and the coolest goody bags I've ever seen....black cloth bags full of "treasure" decorated with a white skull and cross-bones she did herself with a stensil. The kids had a blast! I want to note that I dressed Logan in his pirate tee shirt that morning so he was fully committed to the theme :) I didn't get any good pics of Aiden at this party...he only let me put the pirate stuff on him for about 5 minutes.
Den's friend stopped by with her little girl. Baby Alyssa and baby Ryan are about a month apart and this is the first time they met.
True to form, Den bought them coordinating outfits (I think D would coordinate the world if she could...it would be a prettier place if she were in charge for sure!) Awwww!! All hail the adorable king and queen of the boppy pillow.
Logan at preschool!!! We moms can sign up to help for various tasks and party planning committees. The teachers are making each child a portfolio detailing the things they have been working on in school. Included in this portfolio are pictures of your child "doing his or her thing" at school. I was assigned the task of picture mom last week and snuck in a few shots of my own. Here, Logan invites me in for a personal tour of "the green room" (how handy that green is his super most favorite color!)
This is Logan's favorite toy at school. We actually discovered it together during preview day. He talks about it a LOT!
There were two art projects going on while I was there: draw your self-portrait and "baby-food-jar bat candles". I saw quite a few of the portraits and I have to say that I was seriously impressed with Logan's! I hate to be a braggy mom, but L doesn't usually go for the art projects so I didn't even know he could draw a face! He actually gave himself a little neck, a collar, hair, eyes etc.
It was so cute...he drew circles for his eyes and then scribbled in a little green and then a little brown. I've always been surprised by how observant he is about his own eye color.
Back at home, I hung out with auntie Denna and our little boys. There I am!! I need a hair cut!!! Me and Brady play on the floor.
My little sweetie! Aiden was reading on the couch for a while. He arranged all these pillows and told Den "I need to be comfy"
Aiden comes to play with us too! He really enjoys being around Brady (sometimes he's a bit rough, but mostly it just scares me to see that Brady laughs at the rough-housing!)
It was hard to keep Bray away from Ryan. He always wanted to play with him, but it looked mostly like eye-poking. Ryan wasn't in our house for 10 minutes before Brady found him swinging in the living room. He pulled himself up, examined his cousin, looked around the swing, spotted a paci and popped it into his own mouth! Paci thief! Here, Brady crawls around Ryan during "tummy time".
Later, the babies enjoyed a bottle together.
On our final morning with Ryan, Aiden and Logan played with their cousin for a while before breakfast. Here they are, both holding one of his tiny hands.
Then I told them to give him a kiss....which they did all too willingly! Welcome to our crazy family baby Ryan! We hope you get to come live near us REALLY soon!!!