Snow!!

When we were getting ready to leave KC last Saturday the kids got an unexpected treat-Snow!!!

Thanksgiving in KC

My family & my parents flew to Kansas City to be with my little sister and her family this Thanksgiving. They moved from Boston about a year ago from a townhome to a HUGE beautiful house that my sister had decorated so well, I am was so envious of the 4000 sq feet, wonderful interior decorations, multi levels...etc....I can't say enough, when you come from a home of 5 people and one large dog in 1700 sq feet, it's pretty hard not to feel a bit green. She has done such a great job, I feel so proud of my little sis!!

Miss, Jono & 'Big E'. (We had to get the boys out of the habit of calling him 'Baby Ethan' so 'Big E' worked great and Ethan loved to say it too

A boy after my own heart, Luke licking the whip cream thingy.
The kitchen, yes-I am a green monster.

Ty and Miss & Jono's niece Amelia, fast friends. (We found out the next day Ty had given her his number, I'll chalk him up to being very friendly.)

Luke supervising Jono carve the bird.

A very tough Big E

Eight months and you can finally see the bump, pretty darn cute.

Miss & the P's with the bird.

Ethan and his cousins. I was actually impressed at how well this picture turned out.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends & loved one & remembered to be thankful for what really matters.

The Vegas!

In preparation for our Thanksgiving trip to my sister's in Kansas, we made a stop in Las Vegas! My parents came with us and we stayed at the Monte Carlo, had a great dinner & the kids got to see the pirate show at Treasure Island and the water show at Bellagio, they loved every bit of Vegas, chips off the blocks!!

Ty at New York New York. He has been to Vegas quite a few times on his roadtrips with daddy so he was telling his brothers all about the hot spots.
After a 6:45am flight the next morning we arrived in Kansas City with relative ease.
And the big guy we came to see-Ethan!! I cannot believe how much he has grown since July!! Such a cool little guy, after a brief warming period, he loved having his cousins around.

JT Bday

For Ty's 6th birthday some of his friends & their parents joined us camping in Joshua Tree. A few went up Friday, a few on Saturday and then the girls & the little kids went up for dinner Saturday. Ty had such a great time with his buddies, he loves the outdoors, camping, hiking, bugs....such a boy. Thanks to everyone who came up and made this such a special birthday for him. I love that it wasn't about the gifts or games, just hanging out with his friends & daddy.

The campsite was located at Jumbo Rock, we all decided we're going to have to do this again. Ours was the one with the pop-up trailer on it.

Eric and the boys by the appropriately named 'skull rock'.

On Friday my little super star came home with an award and could not have been any prouder of himself. What a good boy!!!

We're off with my parents to visit my sister & her family in Kansas City. We would like to wish everyone a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!! We all have so much to be thankful for!!

Weeds

I have been feeling in the weeds, as in totallly swamped, anxiety, not enough time in the day....is it the holidays, the market, 3 busy boys? I don't know but I sure have not been feeling like myself. I finally called my mom in a panic the other day asking for help....and it did, I feel better. So I'm back, a little. Eric, Ty and a bunch of friends went camping out in the ChuckWalla mountains two weeks ago for some jeeping, hiking & shooting. They had a blast as usual.
Ty, Sydney & a trantula, one of the reasons Mason, Luke & I stay home...

My little kitchen helpers. They love to help, especially if Ty does first.

Last weekend Eric & I went to Vegas for two whole days while my wonderful parents took care of the boys. (I realized halfway there that I forgot my camera!!) We were supposed to meet my girlfriend Jill & her boyfriend and they couldn't make it last minute, which totally bummed me out because besides loving her to pieces & missing her, she is also my very best shopping buddy. Lucky for me my husband loves people watching so I got to do a bit of shopping and we had a great time together, just us for 50 hours. It was so fun to be with him, laugh, talk, eat without being inturuped. It reminded me how much I enjoy my husband & how wonderful he is.

On Sunday Eric & Ty went to Redlands to see Augsburg college play soccer, which happens to be Eric's alma mater and is coached by his good friend, Johnny. Ty loved it and Eric had a great time seeing the game & hanging out with John. Today we're off to Joshua Tree to celebrate Ty's birthday. I think it's pretty cool that he wants to go camping with his family & buddies for his 6th birthday, so his daddy's boy. I won't forget my camera this time!!

Chilly & Soggy Big Bear Fun

On Saturday we headed up to the Posa's cabin in Big Bear to prolong the weekend Halloween festivities and freeze our bums off. It was COLD, as in about 50 when these pictures were taken at the park. Unfortunately the adults feel it faster than the kids so it make for a very short park trip.

Buddies at the park.

Mace in action.

It started raining around 5 and we were egging the kids on 'come on-catch some rain drops' only to have it start pouring buckets seconds later, made for some wet cloths, muddy floor and stinky dog, but all in all a great time considering our lack of rain in the desert.

The guys got in some serious games of horseshoes before the downpour.

Our friends Mindy & Troy own the cabin right behind the Posa's so it makes for a fun weekend with lots of friends around.

Mindy & Troy's daughter Cassiday and Lukey out by the treehouse.

My girls.

Halloween-o-rama

My pictures of Halloween are very out of order so I'll start with the end of the night...7 tired, amped up on candy, happy boys. We went trick or treating (a first for my boys) at the Sickenberger's along with some neighbors. The boys had a great time and really enjoyed going from house to house getting candy (except the spooky houses).

Vern the flapper and Drew the ladybug looking for treats...or maybe tricks.

Mark cracked us all up dressed as a shower, a nice nod to the Karate Kid from our teenage years. Vern kept trying to sneak in there to 'clean up'.

As you can see from my very creative costume, I was a bad witch.

Ty 'Ironman' with Destiny from his class, she claimed to be his girlfriend, but later, so did Jamie so we'll see where that goes. Ty denied them both. Smartly, he doesn't want to be tied down at such a young age.

My 3 halloweeners on their way to school.

After school we took the kids to Tash & Zolt's nursing home to see the residents.

Lukey 'Hulk' singing during the parade.

Mace during the parade. He got shy during the singing and ran to me, it was super cute. They all had such a long, wonderful day and can't wait to dress up again.