Thanksgiving 2015

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year.  We actually stayed in St. Louis and had amazing weather to boot.  It felt more like a San Antonio Thanksgiving with the sun shining and it being in the high 60s!  We took advantage of that.  We headed down to Scott's parents house to celebrate this year and have an early meal. 

We arrived with coffee in hand and happy and well children.  Gabe was anxious to play outside and we didn't put up much of a fight.  In the backyard is open area and some woods.  Bennett and I hung out while Scott and Gabe explored the wooded area. 



 After dinner Gabe decided that he was still a baby and needed to play in toys that he outgrew a couple years ago. Of course that didn't stop him from trying. 

The look of confusion and need for help are all over his face.  I think we all had a great laugh at this one.  He was a stuck turkey.  After lunch/dinner the boys took naps while we watched football and enjoyed pies and pumpkin bars. 

 

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving and now we are ready for Christmas and a trip to San Antonio.

 



November Sick Days

We spent a lot of time dealing with illnesses in November.  Some days, I thought it would never end.  I would get a call from daycare about an hour after I had dropped them off and it was one boy, then the next boy the next day.  We couldn't win.  So it made for a lot of trips to the doctor.

 

 

And a few trips to Daddy's work to visit and say hi before grocery shopping.  Because it seemed that every day I had said yes to a house showing - someone was sick.  We needed some out of the house, but low key activities.

 

This is our picnic in the car at Daddy's work

 

 Let's not forget Bennett - he was sick just as often as Gabe. 



Leaves

What fun is fall if you can't play in the leaves?  We have 2 large trees in the front yard and we tend to wait till after a good rain or late fall before we start raking.  It's a lot of leaves!  Last year Gabe helped Scott rake them up and this year was no different.  Gabe got his mower out and Bennett wandered up and down the street. 

Trying to cut the grass



Talking a walk

 We had a great time playing.  I walked away feeling rather itchy. 



Bennett's Birthday Party

For Bennett's birthday we decided that we didn't want the formal birthday party.  Let's face it, the 1st birthday party is more for the parents.  So we sent out a few invites and had an open house for people to stop by whenever and watch football, eat chili and cake. 

It was the perfect day.  Decent games were on and the Huskers(not ranked) were playing Michigan State (ranked #7) on prime time TV.  Gabe helped Bennett open his presents and play with some new toys, where were all greatly appreciated. 

Bennett was ready for his cake

He wasn't too sure about the singing

Gabe enjoyed the cake

Don't Take my Cake!

We loved seeing friends and family join us to celebrate Bennett.  It was a great day and the Huskers beat the undefeated
Michigan State in the last seconds of the game. 

Side Note:  We did not stay awake for this, B had me up early and he and I saw the replay at 5am.  GBR!

12 months!

It's official, we have a 1 year old in the house.  I still can't believe B is 1.  Really, where did the time go and how is it that he is only 1?  I mean, it feels like he has always been with us, we've always been a family of 4, no? 

 

Bennett is so much fun for us.  He is communicating with Gabe on a whole new level.  They seem to have their own language.  But when you ask Gabe what B is saying, I get an "I don't know." 

Bennett is a walker now - has been since about 10 1/2 months.  This means that the house is back to being baby-proofed.  Bennett is saying Mama, Dada, and no.  He has 4 teeth, top and bottom front teeth.  We are slowly starting solid food with him.  He isn't too picky, but he does let you know when he has had too much.  He is still very snugly and I don't want that to end.  He is in bed most nights by 7 - some nights we have to really try to keep him awake till 7. 

His official stats are:
Height:  31 inches - 96% - whoa we have a tall kid!
Weight - 22lbs - 67%
Head - 4.1cm - 22.85%

Happy Birthday Bennett!

Halloween 2015

We had a pretty good Halloween this year.  All day on Halloween and for about a week before we kept tasking Gabe if he wanted to try on his costume.  We always got a "No!"  On Halloween night we loaded up the boys and headed down to the Birch's.  We arrived early and Gabe was able to get some indoor hockey in before getting dressed.  He still wanted nothing to do with the costume.

Once Mathew went to get his costume on, Gabe just had to follow suit.  I had to get a few shots of him getting dressed because I didn't know how long the costume would actually be on. 

 Bennett on the other hand was a champ getting in his costume and staying in it all night long.  He just wanted to keep up with the big guys!

Hockey stick and all - what a pumpkin!

Mathew and Bennett discuss strategy



And they are off!

Soon it was time to head out to experience Trick or Treating - this was Gabe's first year really going door to door and he nailed it.  It took 2 doors before he realized they were giving him something and he loved it!  He would walk up and wait, say "Trick or Treat" followed by Thank You and walked to the next house with Mathew. 

 It was hard to get pictures that were all that great with the kids moving so fast.  It was the perfect night, low 60s - no need to bundle and the rain had stopped.  I could not have been more proud to watch my boys go to the exact same houses that I went to growing up.  I'm so happy to continue this tradition. 

Have you seen a cuter pumpkin, dinosaur or penguin?