Happy Halloween!

This year Will came up with the idea of he and Sam being Mario and Luigi. After looking online and realizing how much a manufactured costume costs we decided to make our own! Well, I decided to ask my mom if she'd make them...

Didn't she do a great job?!

I came up with the 'facial hair.' isn't it fabulous?!

And then there's this guy:

You can look at more pictures here.

Pumpkin Carving

Here are my two favorite pictures from pumpkin carving:
You can see more pictures here.

Fall Pictures

The afternoon light was great today, so I thought I'd try to get some pictures of the boys - always a challenge - but I got a few great ones!

oh my, the dimples on this boy!


When I say 'challenge,' I mean stuff like below is going on. Hugs seem like a good idea, but they're really not:


Or someone's got a psychotic smile on their face:

...or a pout...
Or giving pirate faces:
There! Now we're getting somewhere:

What are they thinking about?!

Me and the Birthday Boy

Sam's been home sick yesterday and today. Unless something unforeseen happens between now and then, he'll definitely be going back to school tomorrow. He laid around all day yesterday, seemed on the verge of a fever, and threw up once. Today, he's been running around a bit, playing, and has an appetite. You know when they say their 'bored,' that's a good sign!

Sam's New Bike

Still needs to get a bit of confidence, but he'll be zippin' around before ya know it!

Guitar Tutorial

Favorite parts: "you guys are off...you're way off."
Sam's knocking and tapping on all sides of his guitar.
Max patting and strumming his alarm clock.

These guys crack me up. So serious about the whole thing.

Happy Birthday, Sam!

My sweet Sam is 6 today! Happy Birthday, buddy! We love you so much!
We love you because you are you. Here a just a few of the many things that make you special...
*your enthusiasm
*your sensitivity
*your touchy feely, huggy, kissy-ness
*your good-natured spirit
*your famous word mispronunciations
*your special "treasures" that you take such good care of beside your bed
*your relationships with your brothers
*your wearing of food on your face

I can't believe you're 6!

GAK!

EEEE-YAH!!!

After a Hard, Chilly day at school...

....making silly hats in art class, there's nothing better than coming home to a cup of hot chocolate with a giant marshmallow in it.gulp.
Uh, Sam? You've got a little something on your chin.
Sam?....never mind. Just leave it. It's kinda cute.

Sam Can't Wait for the Snow to Stick....

Iowa Homecoming Parade 2009

Tonight we went to the Homecoming parade. Here are the boys waiting for it to start:
Talkin' about something or other:

This is my niece and her "Daddy, I want a balloon!" pose:
This is my niece and her mom and her "I didn't get a balloon and I don't want my picture taken" face:

Iowa Hawkeye fan sweetness:

Some big kid sweetness:


Some Hawkeye Handsomeness (just avoid looking at the turd in the corner.)

More Hawkeye handsomeness:

Is it Planting Season?

Clue number 1 that something's up:
Will: Can I have a container to grow a plant?
Me: Do you have any seeds?
Will: No
Me: Do you have any dirt?
Will: No
So I gave him a gladware container. It's small...how much trouble could he get into? I'm just glad he's outside.

Clue number 2:
Sam: Mom, can we dig a hole?
Me: Yes, but make sure it's in the backyard. (Did I mention that I'm just glad that they're outside playing and decide it's best to not ask too many questions? Is that sad?)

Clue number 3:
Will: We're done!
Sam: Can we have a plant in our room?!
Me: Show me your plant first.

uh...no boys....that's going out on the deck, considering you can't even get it to stand up without the whole thing tipping over....but good job killing an hour outside!