Eating the Tailgate...

At the party, we only cut the "dirt road" part of the cake. So, Thomas decided he wanted to eat the tailgate on his actual birthday. We had to make sure he had the part that said Ford F150 XLT. Blue icing sure goes a long way, doesn't it?

Thomas is 4, but Still My Little Boy

The morning of his birthday party, Thomas went to Lowe's with Jeremy, Bailey, and Dad for a workshop. They made a semi with a wooden car in the container! What a perfect way to start his big day. He even used a hammer, got an apron, and a patch for completing the task. Such a great free Dad and son event!

Thomas had his 4th birthday party this past weekend. It was a Monster Truck theme party at the park. He shared his party with he friend Jackson that was turning 5. He asked Grandma to make him a blue monster truck cake...a blue Ford F150 XLT, to be exact. And she nailed it! This cake was the talk of the party, for obvious reasons!
As you can tell, if you don't already know, Thomas has two favorite things right now...the color blue and trucks. Notice the blue shirt with the monster truck on it?


Coloring vanity plates....

Pin the License Plate on the Monster Truck (blue, of course)...

Lily wore her Little Sister shirt for her brother's party, but we soon had to cover it up with a sweater because it got so cold.

The party was so great. Perfect weather, lots of friends and family, games, food, and awesome cakes! Thank you for helping make it perfect everyone that came. And, we missed those of you who couldn't come.
Thomas told me he was going to be four soon, but I shouldn't be sad because he would still be my little boy. Isn't it wild that he knows what I need to hear!?

After the party, our family and Jackson's family came to our house to open gifts and have pizza. Look how calm they all are at their indoor pizza picnic! We were amazed and grateful that everyone got along. It was so quiet, the men actually got to watch some football!

Lily Gets to Sleep with a Blanket

Call me crazy/paranoid, but Thomas never had a blanket in his crib. He didn't get one until he moved to his big boy bed. Thankfully, the seasons worked out that way with feet pajamas, then warm weather.

I'm not sure if it is because Lily is the second child, or if it is truly the weather (which is the story I'm sticking to for fairness sake), but we decided it was time to give Lily a blanket in her crib. The first night she cried so hard at one point, because she wanted to sit up but didn't realize the blanket wasn't actually gluing her to the crib! It was pitiful and precious all at once.

Now we ask her if she wants her blanket when we put her down, and she says, "Peas" (please). Then, "Der it is! Tank tou.", snuggles her bear in her arm, and grins a priceless grin.

I know these will be some of my favorite pictures forever!

Halloween!!

Jeremy let Thomas choose the pattern for the pumpkin he carved this year. We thought he would choose a silly face or something. Wrong. Instead, he chose this scary cat/tiger face.

Halloween started with a fall festival at school for Thomas. He played games, decorated cookies (can you tell he is quite the fan of sprinkles?), and ended the day with a costume parade outside of school. He was one handsome Diego...

Lily was a perfect angel (or should I say pumpkin?) while I helped at the carnival. I think she was too mesmerized by her tights to do much else.

This is one of the few pictures of Lily actually wearing the hat that came with her ladybug costume. We later found her in her stroller with an antennae in her mouth. Anything to ease the pain of teething, I guess.

She thought she was the funniest thing with this treat bag...er...hat, to her, on her head while sitting in a laundry basket. I must admit, she did get a few giggles out of us...

Brushing away all the sugar from the night....

They stand on the stool like this together most nights and giggle at each other while they brush. Love it!

Kendall's Halloween Party

What kind of things make a Halloween party great? A pink Barbie Jeep with two riders and another person to run beside it, a decorate your own cupcake table, a tricycle, and trick-or-treating in the driveway. The kids also had so much grass to run around, a great playground, and a ton of snacks! Kendall and her mom were the perfect hosts, and my children had an amazing time.





We couldn't resist taking a picture of Lily when we took her ladybug costume off. She looks like such a cute little beatnik!

Davis is 4, but he's still Davis

Davis had his 4th birthday party at his house. Check out the sweet backyard/sideyard set-up Stan has created for them...


Lily spent most of the party charming people into pulling her around in the wagon.



So, the pinata hitting started with a plastic bat....

After 20 tries by all the kids, including some big ones, Kim brought out the aluminum...

That didn't take too many tries.

Trace was quite proud of all his loot...



I have never seen such a patient, appreciative 4-year-old opening gifts...pointers, please, Kim and Stan...

Before the party, we took all the cousins to Moe's while Kim and Stan set-up. Five boys in one booth....they did amazingly well, too.

Where was Lily during all this? At the other end of the table feeding her new baby from Grandaddy...content in her girly world.

18 Month Check-up

So, Lily started crying the second I turned the stroller into the exam room....she cried on the scale...she cried when they measured her head...she cried when Dr. Davis used the stethoscope...she cried furiously when they attempted to put electrodes on her head for the eye exam....she laughed, read books, and played as soon as they left us alone in the room. I have to admit, we had a great time when we were hanging out waiting for the next "attack", as she saw it.


Most of these of these books were ones she had never seen before from the library...she would open one, say "ooh", grin, and go to the next page...repeat the process.

She thought the finger puppet was wonderful, and apparently felt that it needed a sip of her water.




Of course, she cried during her shots, but was thoughtful enough to say "Tank Tou" to the nurse as she left the room. I can only hope that means that she somehow heard and understood when I said they might hurt, but would keep her strong and healthy.

McLeod Farms Pumpkin Patch

So...we took a trip with our mom's group to the pumpkin patch. Were there a lot of people there from our group? Well....just my family and Paola, Jackson, and Isabel - who we carpooled with! I must admit, it was kind of nice to have such a small group on our hay ride and pumpkin search.

Jackson hopped off the hay ride, chose a pumpkin, and headed back to the tractor. My children, however, took years to find a pumpkin because they were enjoying running up and down the road. Lily tried to run after the boys and Isabel, but gave up and ran back.

Thomas ran...and ran....and ran....


Thomas finally found the perfect ghost pumpkin for himself.


Lily loved feeding herself homemade peach ice cream for the first time.

These are some of my favorite pictures in a while.

Boo at the Zoo - 2008 Edition

The night started with a little tailgate in the zoo parking lot. Jeremy couldn't understand why his coke didn't taste the same as it did in Athens the day before.

It was much colder for Boo at the Zoo this year than it was last year. Diego had to start the evening as Frat Boy Diego with his long-sleeves under his short sleeve t-shirt....

then he finished even more so as Frat Boy Diego with a fleece on. He didn't mind, though, as long as the zoo employees kept putting candy in his jack-o-lantern.

Lily was a ladybug...a fashionable one with jeans, because we thought tights wouldn't be enough to keep her warm.

Choosing Pumpkins at My School

Thomas was so excited that we were going to buy our pumpkins at his school. He loves to go to school, even if it is in the evening to pick pumpkins. Any time we are out, he asks to drive by school so he can see it. I hope he always stays so excited about school! We tried to get a sweet picture of them together with the pumpkins, but both Thomas and Lily were too excited to just run around.





I love the sweet picture of Jeremy and Lily...she loves her daddy! We have decided she will be the one to ice climb with him one day.



Thomas was amazed by the bumpy pumpkins, and to find an "ugly pumpkin" like in his book. If you do not own The Ugly Pumpkin, you should definitely borrow it from the library or buy it! It is a Thanksgiving book - and our house loves it!