favorite hoodies.

Veggies.

If more veggies came on a "cob", Holden and Pax might be better veggie consumers. They loved eating this corn on the cob last night.

2011 Pumpkin Carving

Last night the boys got to watch Jeremy carve a pumpkin. I thought I had picked out something that would be simple, fairly quick and most importantly, put a smile on the faces of my little boys. It did accomplish the smiles. But my detailed husband decided my simple idea needed way more details than what I had originally planned in my head. So he took his precious time and made a fantastic pumpkin creation for the boys. I mentioned it last year, but Jeremy really does have mad carving skills. I nearly chop off a finger anytime I cut something thicker than a summer squash, so you see why I admire this skill. ;) And now you also understand why he's the pumpkin carver in this house.
We started this little event after the boys normal bedtime. We just decided we would keep them up later, let them eat s'mores and have some quality family time. Here are my little guys in the scariest PJs they own, posing with their perfect pumpkin.
At first they were very into observing Jeremy's every move.
But within 15 minutes, he was still working and their short attention spans had kicked in. So I did what any good mother would do. I turned on Mickey Mouse. Let's just say it fit in well with our theme.
Pretty good, huh? Posing with the completed masterpiece. Despite their sleepy faces in the picture above, they were pretty proud of their daddy.

Paci-less around here.

Well, today we took the last 2 pacifiers from our home and they went into the trash at Target. We did this same exact thing with Holden shortly after he turned 2 and it wasn't the least bit emotional for me. This time it brought a little emotion. Don't get me wrong, I felt like Pax was ready. Of course, he loves his pacis for nap and nighttime. They have just always been there for him during his sleep times. But we had been talking it up for the past week. Through those conversations, he acted like it was no big deal and he was ready to be a big boy. So it definitely seemed like he was ready, but I wasn't sure about myself. Last time we did this we had another baby in the house. So we still had pacis and bottles and all that baby jazz. So it just felt a little different this time. But I'm not going to be one to hold my kiddos back from accomplishments. So despite the little pull on my heart to keep him a baby, we pushed forward. After church, we headed to Target. Holden and Jeremy went one direction to grab some things we needed for home while Pax and I headed for the toys. After strolling down each aisle, he found a "choo-choo" that looked like fun. So we headed to the check-out with our prize. He had his 2 pacis in a ziplock bag and he tried to take one last suck through the plastic, which made me laugh a little. Then he handed his baggie to the cashier to "pay" for his new toy. And off we went. As we left he told me, "pacis gone-gone". And that they are! There will be no turning back. Jeremy has been dreading this day, telling me how much harder it will be for Pax. I've disagreed, telling him that he's just forgotten how addicted Holden was at age 2. I'm hoping to be right on this one. For now, he is sleeping soundly for his afternoon nap. He went down without any tears. A very similar reaction to Holden. We'll see if it continues to go this smoothly. Either way, I'm proud of my little boy who, without hesitation, took a big step in growing up today. And here he is showing off his prize.
Now, if only we could rid ourselves of the diapers around here. :)

Pumpkins!

Yesterday, I met a friend at the Dallas Arboretum. Between the 2 of us, we came armed with 3 energetic little boys, a sweet baby girl, a wagon, a double stroller, packed lunches and 2 cameras. It was my first time to the Arboretum. It's normally pretty costly which is probably why I've never gone. But Wednesdays this fall they have a BOGO deal. It took us about an hour to get there, which is probably another reason I haven't gone before now. But once I saw the 4billion pumpkins, I knew it was totally worth the drive. Basically, we just let the boys run around and we snapped lots of photos. It was the perfect weather to be outside. It finally feels like fall after a dreadful summer, and we are soaking it up!
I adore this little guy and his cute smile.
Goodness, that handsome fella! He is so photogenic when he wants to be. And pictures like this nearly take my breath way. Not to mention that he looks so OLD!Buddies.Look at that setting! Too bad, the boys were just about done with my picture taking. You like their fake, painted on smiles? I bribed with suckers. :)
It was another fun day with my little boys and some friends!

Fair Fun!

I recently landed 2 free tickets to the state fair of Texas. When I casually mentioned it to Jeremy, he quickly decided that it should be a family event. You see I was thinking about giving them away to someone that wanted them. But my dear husband really wanted them. I remember going to our last state fair (and my ONLY up until Friday!!), in OKC, during our pre-kid era. On that day, we both decided that we weren't "fair people". That's right. Just like I'm not a "zoo person". But this time taking the boys ended up being a treat for us all. Unfortunately, I pretty sure we spent a small fortune. I thought the boys would ride a couple of rides, eat some lunch, pet some animals, people watch and we'd leave. But after riding 2 rides, Holden was hooked. And apparently Jeremy wasn't going to be the one to disappointment. So he just kept returning money stealer and getting more tickets so they could ride more. Sadly we forgot our camera, so we took pictures with Jeremy's phone all day. Warning: the quality is pretty terrible.
This one might be the worst one, but we had to get a picture with Big Tex. Later when we were on the other side of the park, Holden asked "where is that big boy?" It just made us laugh that he called him a "big boy".
It was alot of fun watching them participate together, side by side, like little buddies. I'm witnessing a friendship blossom more and more as Pax catches up to his big brother in his communication and other develpoments. And it's a really cool thing.
My little farm boys! This was one of the coolest little areas for little ones. I was so glad that we did this. They "worked" on the farm. Fed the animals, drove the tractor, milked the cown, and at the end, earned a dollar and then purchased a snack from their store. They loved it!

I'm so glad Jeremy pushed me to give the fair another chance. I mean, how did I even live in Texas for 22 years and NOT go to the State Fair? I have no idea. But the boys loved it and it made for a great family day.

requesting a photo shoot

Recently, and randomly, Holden has been requesting that I take he and Pax's picture together. It's normally if I draw attention to what they are wearing on a particular day. This week, they sported their Halloween tees and camo pants. Now I really wanted them to have the opposite shirts, but size-wise, we had to go with this.
You see, Pax is a momma's boy, so I wanted him in the grey shirt. And well, honestly, Holden can be a terror, so I wanted him in the orange one. But it didn't work. At least Pax can wear the grey one in a couple of years. I'm hopeful he'll still be a momma's boy. :)

This morning on the way out of the house to head to school, Holden thought they needed another picture taken together. I dressed them matching today. When we first brought home Pax as a newborn, I thought I would do this often. A year later, Jeremy vetoed that idea. Which was fine. I was over it. But they both received these shirts for their birthdays, from 2 different people. And even though we may not love to dress them as twinkies, I'm pretty sure they love matching one another. Because when they are dressed alike, Holden starts running around the house like the Tazmanian Devil. Is it weird that my 3 year old LOVES clothes?! I may have rubbed off on him there. So today, they were twinkies. Until they got home and Pax dumped yogurt all over his shirt.
And this picture was not requested, but just thought I would share it anyways. Could this boy get anymore relaxed! He's just a pretty laid back fella. He was watching a little Dora on our bed, while Holden continued to nap. And yes, that's a tattoo on his leg. The boys wanted one right where daddy has one of his. :) Oh to be like daddy is the goal!

So far in October

On the first day of October, I witnessed a beautiful friend's beautiful wedding. Our sitter came to the house and Jeremy and I headed to the other side of the metro for a night out. And more importantly to celebrate the special couple. I sat misty-eyed as I watched her marry her prince. There is just something about weddings . . .
I even got to kick off my heels and do a little half-step action with my own prince. I vaguely remember Amarillo by Morning playing, but for a brief 10 minutes, I felt 20 again. And following his lead felt just the same as it did 10+ years ago. So that was fun. :)

With the cooler weather, we've been spending lots of time outside, especially in the mornings. The boys love riding in the jogging stroller, so I've been taking them for 3-4mile walks on most days that we are home. They will sit for an hour (or more if I would continue) while I push the 60 plus pounds. They people watch, bird watch, and tree and plant watch. We chat about the weather, the ABCs, the airplanes, jets and helicopters overhead, and sing some of their favorite songs. It's one of the best parts of my day. It doesn't hurt that I'm getting a little exercise in.
And we are continuing with our school stuff at home, which has been amazing. I'm not claiming that they have learned anything or are becoming smarter. But the focussed time on intentional activties delight my 2 little boys. So of course that delight rubs off on me as well. I know I've mentioned this all before. Today we talked about the letter F, which included Frogs, Fish, Finger painting and Funny Faces. These boys found finger painting to be a blast. Pax learned that it doesn't taste all that good. ;) But I guess to him, it was worth a try. And now I have 2 masterpieces to frame for our playroom. Which is about to get a facelift of it's own.

I'm loving the season. Loving the weather. Loving October.

my growing boy.

This boy's personality is really starting to shine at age 2. That's right SHINE. Not scare the bejeezus out of me. The picture above reminds me of how much he's grown in the recent months. I just happen to catch him in the air. He's our brave and adventurous one. He's becoming more and more independent and demanding to do things "myself". But on the same token, he gives me at least a million cuddles, hugs and kisses a day. He's affectionate. He's learning to stand his own with his much bigger brother that can tend to boss. He's learned to hold on to toys with a death grip while screaming "mine" at the top of his lungs. I'm pretty sure the purpose of the screaming is just to call me in for reinforcements. But don't judge him. He has to do this or that older brother will rip the toy from his hands. We're working on that. This baby boy we brought home at almost 3 weeks. I worried about him bonding to us because we missed those first moments of his life and he was in the care of 2 others before he came to us. Well, let's just say he's bonded to me like super glue. The older he gets, the sweeter he becomes. He has compassion and concern for others. He's quick to say "sorry", even if he's not the one to blame. Yesterday, I mentioned that I didn't feel well. He told me "saw-wee mommy". He plays well with others. He's patient. He's most often happy and content with his circumstances. He loves to run and play chase. He's clumsy. And after every fall (which is several a day) he lets everyone know that he is ok, by looking around and saying "K." He's getting so big! And the more of his personality I see developing, the more I can see myself in him. (Including the clumsy part.)

My Memories WINNER!!!

Well, a little helper chose our winner today. And Holden was SO excited about this new software our winner will be receiving. :)
I'm not sure if you can even read that. But it reads "Kristie"! Congratulations to Kristie from The Lentz Family Blog! Email me at melodie1980 at gmail dot com and I will respond with instructions to download your free software.

To the rest of you that are interested, take advantage of our coupon code! The code listed below will provide you with a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and/or a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value total! Just use the coupon code STMMMS77819 to redeem these discounts. Thanks for playing.