Halloween

Our kids loved the chance to trick or treat in Austin this year! We went with the community helper theme (our first year with a theme...usually it's just a random assortment of characters).

Here's policeman Will:

Doctor Ella:
Fireman Cal:
Big Cal was very unsure about the whole costume thing until he realized people were putting candy into his bucket. Once he put those two things together, he was glad to keep his fireman outfit on and mumble out a very cute, but impossible to understand "trick or treat"!

Carnival Day!

We had so much fun at the Mohawk Carnival. The kids had a blast and we came home with tons of junk (including 2 goldfish who barely lived a week) which means our kids had the time of their lives!

The entry photo shot:

Cal's turn:
Will loved kicking the soccer ball:

The family favorite was the cake walk (of course) and we left with three new desserts...YUM!
winding down after dinner!

This super fun carnival was just one more reason why we love our neighborhood elementary school!

Soccer Mom (and Dad)

With two kids playing soccer and many Saturdays out at Breckenridge Park, we figured I'm officially a "soccer mom" (doesn't that make me important to politics...or something like that!)

This fall Will played his first season of soccer. Here he is ready to play. Go Sting!

Me and my boys!
#1 fan:
Love these kiddos (and they love each other)!
Will in action:
His favorite part of the game: the bridge and snacks!
This boy kept us on our toes all season, as he loved to run away. (yes, he really was the out of control 2 year old and his parents had lost control!)
Ella in action! Go pink ponies!

melt my heart!

Who can resist a picture of this sweet sleeping boy?!

Especially this sweet sleeping boy wearing this full leg cast! Melts his Mama's heart!

Meeting Caden and Caroline!!!

On September 26th, our family was blessed with the birth of adorable twin cousins for our kids. Since they arrived a little early, we weren't sure if they'd have to go to the NICU or if there would be any complications, so just Michael went to Austin for their birth. The kids and I had our own "birth"day party for their new cousins which helped with their disappointment of not being there for the big event. Here's our cake:

the excited big cousins:
here's Cal about a millisecond before burning his finger and discovering a fact of life he'll not soon forget: Yes, mom and dad were right, fire is HOT:

the blowing of the candles!
Shortly after we sang and enjoyed our birthday cake, Aunt Amy called and told the kids the names of their new cousins who had just been born. Everyone was THRILLED and could not wait to meet Caroline and Caden!

The next weekend, we ventured down to Austin to meet them. They are precious and amazingly good babies!

The boys:
The girls:
Will and Ella were in love!

and well, Cal, he didn't want much to do with these little guys!
here's another attempt to hide from these little ones who have stolen his aunt and uncle and overtaken their house!
we really wanted a cousin shot, so Michael had to jump in just so Cal would agree to be in it.
Welcome Caden and Caroline. You are well loved and we could not be more thrilled to have you in our family!

Here we go again....

This precious 2 year old boy we call Cal is a bit on the crazy side and his mom is a bit on the laid back side. So you put those two things together and you get a boy who gets to walk around on a fractured fibula for five days before seeing a doctor.

Really, it was the most uneventful injury. He went to jump off a bench and I think he thought I was going to catch him. Since I wasn't looking and was trying converse with fellow mom Christy, I didn't catch him which resulted in a hard landing. He cried for about a minute, limped a bit and went right back to playing. Therefore, we left the mall with a limp and an unworried mom. Now fast forward five days, his mom and dad noticed he still limped at times, took him to the doctor and voila....here he is:

He will wear this full leg cast for 4 weeks (we're halfway there already) and should be good to go come October 13th. As for me, I've learned my lesson...limps are always significant in a child (so says the orthopedist). Point taken!

We love you Cal and are so proud of your adaptability to this big ol' cast. Mommy and Daddy are so sorry we made you walk around on a hurt leg!