cousins and pumpkins and games, oh my!

This weekend we went to Nana and Grandpa's house. We hadn't been there in awhile, and it was fun to see them as well as many cousins. Here are some pictures depicting our adventures. (Or, at least, fun!)

"So, do you have teeth in there?" (Sorry, guys, if he gets sick!)



On Sunday Ryan's brother came out with his kiddos (his wife had to work). It's fun because Landon and Caroline are exactly a month apart. (Well, one day less, but close enough!) We have not been able to get great pictures of them together, but this one turned out pretty well. They did not interact too much because Landon just wanted to move and climb over Caroline, who only military crawls. Oh well--maybe next time!

Nana had bought some little pie pumpkins for the cousins to decorate. The three others had done theirs while our boys took their *much needed* naps. After they left Jack and Grant decorated their pumpkins. They had a great time with the google eyes, sparkly mouths, and foam stickers. Thanks for the fun idea, Nana!

Grant's pumpkin--before (with help) and after (when it was attacked by google eyes!)

Jack's pumpkin

Caroline enjoying the decorating fun from the confines of a walker (which she could actually move)!

Nana and Grandpa have the game Hungry Hungry Hippo--definitely a great game to have at someone else's house! The boys loved playing it with Will (and Nana and Grandpa).

Nana and Grandpa had bought this inflatable ball that the kids could roll around in like hamsters on a wheel. Jack and Max figured out how to make it roll by themselves, but Grant needed to be pushed around in it. They loved it and spent time on both Saturday and Sunday enjoying it. What a great toy!

What do pumpkins and a dinosaur have in common?

Waterman's Farm, of course, and its pumpkin-eating dinosaur! (or pun'kin, as Grant calls it--so cute!) Last Saturday we took a trip to Waterman's Farm and had such a great time--awesome weather, fun activities, and, oh yeah, pumpkins. Here are some snapshots of our time there.

the boys watching the "dinosaur" (trust me, it "eats" pumpkins) Grant talked about it all day. When we saw some smashed pumpkins in the field, he said the dinosaur must have eaten them. So cute!

They had some pedal karts, and Jack was big enough to ride on this one. Grant rode on the tricycles pretty well, but he was a bit slower.

We got pictures of the boys as animals, mostly to make sure we recorded where we took all of these pictures!

There was a big sandpit, which was Grant's other favorite part. He just kept filling and dumping the bucket.

They're getting so big! I love this picture because Grant is standing so still--quite atypical, especially for pictures!

Yes, Caroline was there, too, snuggled up in her Ergo carrier--love that thing!

What is sweeter than seeing your kids helping each other and holding hands? So precious!

Caroline enjoyed her first hay ride. In fact, she was enjoying it TOO much (yum-yum, if you know what I mean) that I had to hold her after a couple of minutes of sitting in it. She may be a third child, but I haven't gotten THAT laid back...yet!

This picture just cracks me up! We did not end up getting the pumpkin Jack lugged all the way over to us. It was just a little too big. (Hey, they were $0.35/pound! Who needs one that big when you already have 5 at home!)

Our obligatory shot of the baby with a pumpkin

Happy!

Eight months!

Where does the time go? My baby is eight months old and almost too busy to sit and take pictures, especially in the leaves. I didn't post the pictures of her trying to eat the leaves instead of just sitting and looking pretty in them! Those make me feel like a negligent mother!

Our (almost) no TV week

Last week Ryan and I decided that we had been watching entirely too much TV. I've had a problem with it for awhile, but it struck me as an addiction of sorts that I'd passed on to Jack when he was openly defiant/disobedient when I turned off the television. (I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say, there was discipline involved!)

So...we decided that Ryan and I could each choose one show to watch for the week, and I would let the boys watch one half-hour show on TV or on the computer each day. Ryan chose "The Event," and I chose two half-hour shows: "The Office" and "Modern Family." (Now you know our TV watching habits!)

My conclusion: I liked this! I was able to get some more things done (dishes!) that I normally ignore because "I'm too tired" and would rather sit on the couch and watch TV. The boys seemed to do pretty well with it, too. I may have let them watch slightly more than a half-hour, but in general, that's what they watched. Is TV necessary? No. Is it nice? Yes--especially in those times when the boys are nutso, and I just need a break.

We shall see what we do this week with our TV watching, but I think I plan to continue this with the boys--and maybe even myself!

Just because

I just think these pictures are cute. I tried to get a picture of all three of the kiddos with their matching shirts, but obviously that didn't go quite as I expected. Grant does not cooperate for pictures anymore, so this is as good as it gets! And Caroline is loving this scrunchy face look lately--and I love it, too! (Thanks to Nana and Grandpa for the cute outfit with that hat--she looks adorable in it!)

Doesn't this face just make you smile? (And yes, she is chewing one of the boys' tools, which is probably covered in some toxic substance...that's what happens with the third!)

Cloth diapers and potty training, round 2

The other day I was putting my diapers away and noticed how pretty they looked in their storage container. I've actually maxed out this container, but I'm still in the market for more diapers. Who knew diapers would be so fun?

So, guess what I spent the day doing...yup, potty training! Notice that this entry is entitled "round 2." Let's just say that "round 1" a couple of weeks ago did not go so well. In hindsight I can say there were several strikes against Grant's success, but today we plowed through and were actually smiling and happy at the end of the day. It did not start that way. I think Grant cried for about a half hour straight, and I felt like a terrible mom. Potty training is DEFINITELY NOT for the faint of heart! However, when he started saying, "I have to go potty," and running to the bathroom, my feelings about the day did a complete 180. Yay for persevering! We shall see how tomorrow goes. I know from past experience one day's success does not necessarily predict future success.