Mom, More 'dem Hot Chi Peppers, Pweeeeeez!

Huh? What's that you say? Well, I just had to share this cute story real quick before it slips my ever-increasingly forgetful mind ...

This morning on the way to daycare, Riley began having a small meltdown as he decided he wanted his blankie and binkie and they were nowhere in sight. I did my usual explanation about how I know how much he loves those items, but they are for nigh-night and naptime only. Well, I'm sure you can envision how well that response was received!

So, I was growing impatient with his tantrum (as was Gage, he was screaming, "Riley! No No! Knock it off!") My sentiments exactly = )~ It was a little much to listen to at 7:40 in the morning! So, being the wonderful parent that I am, I decided to drown out Riley's pleadings for me to turn around with some music. Yeah, yeah, I know ... I'm a real mother-of-the-year candidate! Anyhow, my favorite station, Jack, was playing a music block, so this worked out nicely.

The next thing I know, both boys are swaying and be-bopping in their seats and having a grand ol' time! When the songs finished, Riley requested, "Mom, more dat, more dat!" I explained to him that the band was called Red Hot Chili Peppers, which brings us to the title of this post ... "Mom, More 'dem Hot Chi Peppers, Pweeeeeez!" Awwwe, I love my boys and I'm so proud they have such good taste in music! I'll have to stock some RHCP cd's in the car for future meltdown relief = )

Spoiled Rotten ... and loving it!

Well, the Christmas season has come and gone and it was nothing short of a success! We enjoyed good food and good company, and the boys got everything they could have ever wanted and definitely more than they had even dreamed of = ) Us adults didn't make out too bad, either!

Here's Riley and Gage in their new Dodge Viper courtesy of Gma & Gpa Soukup. Yes, the kids already have a cooler automobile than their parents!

I am happy to report, though, that the kids were equally as thrilled with the simple presents as they were with the big ones (we've got to enjoy that as long as we can!) Here our little artist, Gage, creates a masterpiece.

Riley enjoying his kaleidoscope.

We entertainingly -- not to be confused with skillfully -- played several rounds of Guitar Hero during our festivities. During this particular round, Riley actually beat the score my mother had posted earlier in the evening. Too funny! But, to good ol' mom's credit, she did redeem herself (albeit ever so slightly) later in the evening by beating her 2.75 year old grandson's score. Love ya mom = )

Riley & Pa Pa catching a football game.

Great-Grandma Galyardt, Gage, & Grandma Soukup letting the big breakfast settle.

Riley and Gage admiring the lighted Christmas wreath that my Grandpa Galyardt made from scratch several years ago. This was our 2nd Christmas without him and he was missed greatly. My Grandma was very happy to see his wreath lit up and the kids enjoying it. I am so thankful to have this decoration, not only for it's simple beauty, but also as a meaningful remembrance of someone who will always be close in my heart.

Well, that just about wraps up a pretty exciting 2008. Looking forward to what blessings 2009 will bring. We wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So Much Fun!

Well, we started off the weekend getting together with my cousin Mitch and his family. It was so good to see him, it's been way too long! The visit would have been a little nicer though if my rowdy children had not been strapped into car seats for 2.5 hours prior. After that, they were in no mood to sit still and be good in a restaurant (and I was in no mood to deal with their shenanigans!) Oh well, we all made the best of it and survived = ) Mitch even brought us back a bottle of spicy Saki from Japan. Can't wait to share it!!!!

The next day we headed to Corey's parents farm to have our Huber family Christmas celebration. We all had so much fun! Marilyn, as usual, went overboard and made more delicious food than any of us could finish ... although, we did give it a heck of a good try!!!! Riley and Gage really enjoyed hanging out with everyone as we do not get to see them as often as we would like. We have been looking at the pics from the weekend every day and the boys love to point out and shout the names of each person in the photo. Too cute! Here are some of our favorites:

Woo Hoo! We got Guitar Hero!!! If my blogs are not current, this ridiculously addictive game may be why! Although, Corey may not play with me much more if I keep whooping up on him so badly = )~

Riley got his very own camera! Way to go Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Jamie! He LOVES it and goes around "pitchering" everyone and everything!

Grandma Huber and Gage (with his "Dear Santa, I really TRIED this year, honest!" shirt on)

Riley opening his remote control car. I need to get video of this. The scenario goes something like this ... Riley starts playing with the car and drives it all over the house. Gage sees the car moving and chases it -- falling and tripping many times over -- until he catches it and giggles triumphantly. Riley rips the car away from him and it starts all over again = )

Gage and Paige, best of buddies. Gage really loves his big cousin, she does such a good job looking after him!

Gage and his laser gun. As if the gun doesn't make enough noise on it's own, he adds his own "shoot, shoot" sound effects to boot!

Cousin Hunter shooting Riley while he double shoots into the distance!

Then, not long after we arrived back in Lawrence, our awesome neighbors, The Scotts, brought over an amazing bounty of homemade cookies and candies. Delicious! We have, however, had to hide these yummies as Gage has turned into the Cookie Monster. Moving chairs and scaling drawer handles trying to reach the cookies after mom and dad have told him he has had enough. Really, a 1.5 year old does not need to eat 4+ cookies in one setting! That boy sure has a major sweet tooth! His brother Riley, on the other hand, cannot get enough cheese popcorn. We bought a large tin with a variety of cheddar cheese popcorn from Hunter to help support his boy scout troop. Well, the container is more than half gone already! If Riley spies it, he goes crazy until he is elbow deep in the stuff!!! It has been his snack of choice every night = )

Well, that's all for now. We're looking forward to celebrating Christmas Day with just the 4 of us, then the weekend with my family. Happy Holidays. Peace, Love, and Joy to you all!

2008 Photo Review - Merry Christmas!

A lot has happened over the past year -- the boys have grown and learned so much! Please enjoy our photo montage. Merry Christmas and Best Wishes from the Hubers!!!

Ups and downs and all-arounds ...

Ok, maybe that title doesn't make a whole lot of sense if taken strictly literally, but it is really a fitting description to our week and weekend. First off, my boys are like farm animals, however this time I'm not referring to them being little piggys or being born in a barn. I liken them to farm animals as I swear, they can foretell the changing of weather patterns days in advance. They have been absolutely insane the past few days. They have been constantly wanting to go outside and basically bouncing off of the walls (or furniture, or cabinets, or parents, or each other ... you get the idea.) I suppose it didn't help that there was also a full moon involved as well. Anyhow, they have sure kept life interesting.

Riley seriously seems to be learning a new word every other minute and he is doing so well with putting sentences together. I am so proud of him! Of course, the English language geek that I am, it is all I can do to not jump in and correct each little grammatical mistake. I just need to remember that the important thing is that he is talking and learning constantly and the rest will come. The big thing right now is confusing the pronouns I and my. For example, "Mommy, my do it." Do you think it's too much for me to be giving my 2.5 year old grammar lessons already? I mean, he has to learn sometime, why not get a jump start on it? Well, I'm doing my best and so is he ... so I guess, that's just going to have to do -- for now = )

Gage is also learning new words on a consistent basis, but mostly he is following the monkey see, monkey do pattern. He loves to repeat 2-3 word phrases ... unless, of course, you ask him to. Then you get his patented answer for most any scenario, "No." However, he has recently added, "I don't want to" to his arsenal of favorites. The funny thing is, he will usually go ahead and say what you want him to or do whatever task you request almost immediately after uttering this. He is a funny fellow.

Saturday we headed out to have new family pictures taken. I figured maybe all of you who read this blog might like a different set of mugs to greet you at the top of the page = )~ The morning was a breeze. Everyone ate well, took care of their digestive matters, and didn't put up any fights about getting dressed in the clothes mom picked out or getting their hair brushed out. I should've known that things were going too easy. As we arrived 10 minutes early for our appointment, we were informed they were running about 45 minutes behind schedule. Excuse me? That is like an eternity for a 1.5 & 2.5 year old. Luckily, this was at Sears, so instead of hanging out in the waiting room, we decided to peruse the store. Riley and Gage (well, and Corey, too to be honest) fell in love with a couple of $3000 riding mowers. Keep dreaming boys! Anyhow, "driving" all of the different mowers kept all my boys occupied for the majority of the wait time. I'm sure none of the salesmen in that department were sad to see us go, though. So, as we finally were able to start our session, 1 full hour and 15 minutes after we arrived, the kids had just about had enough and were ready to get the heck out of Dodge. The girl that was taking our pics was nice enough, but she was very young and you could definitely tell that she did not have kids. Corey and I were feeling pretty frustrated when we left, not to mention the kids were about to have a meltdown as it was now past lunchtime and pretty much naptime. We grabbed some fast food and the kids ate chicken nuggets and fries on the way home. Yeah, yeah, real healthy, I know. Gage was asleep in his seat by the time we pulled into the drive and Riley not much after. Then, our sweet neighbor girl, Sara, came over to watch the kids so Corey and I could finish up our shopping. Well, you know how much we loved that! But, thankfully, that chore is now complete.

Oh, so back to the pictures. Well, we obviously didn't have time to view the portraits before we left on Saturday, so I set an appointment up for Sunday afternoon to take care of that. I was really dreading it, because I was worried that none of them would be any good. Thankfully, I was wrong. There were several of the boys that turned out super cute and a couple of Corey and I together that we really liked. However, in each of the family pics, there's always a little something that is just too off for me to really be proud of them. However, there are a couple that Corey and I had some fairly hearty chuckles over! Here's a couple that have been cropped that should make you smile. I'll post the good ones later. I'm using some of them for our Christmas card, so I don't want to spoil the surprise!

Nice gums - you can see the light reflecting off of them! Oh and the lovely half-open eyes - I look like I'm half lit! What a wiener =)

The lovely one-eyed stare. The half-smirk with curled lip. That is hot! What's not to love? = )~

Ok, on to something truely cute. Sunday afternoon, Riley, Gage, and I prepared some holiday treats for family and friends. Here are a couple of our Rice Krispie masterpieces. It was all Gage could do to not stick his finger in the yummy confection - just look at that ornery smile = )

Well, I know there's a lot more I wanted to say, but that's about as much fun as I can recollect for now. Have a great week!

Twinkling Lights and Twinkling Stars

'Tis the season for holiday shopping. I know for most people this is a great source of enjoyment, but those who know me well, know that I am not much of a shopper. I like the idea of it and I love to give things to others, I just don't have the patience for all of the non-sense and rudeness that seems to come along this time of year from, I'm sure, otherwise reasonable people. Now, if I had the clout to have an entire store shut down for a couple hours like a famous rock star or movie star, then I could probably really get into the whole shopping experience. However, that is obviously not going to happen, so Saturday I decided to suck it up and brave the crowds for a little while. After hopping around a couple of places we ended up at Sam's Club in Topeka for a few necessities -- namely diapers and wipes. You can get 176 Huggies diapers for around $35.00. I know this probably sounds like a lot, but with our super-poopers that amount won't even last a month between our house and daycare. Anyhow, we can't stop in that store without Corey getting his enormous vat of nacho cheese, a jumbo-sized jar of jalapeno peppers, and a humongous box of tortilla chips. It is ridiculous. The only thing more ridiculous than purchasing these items is the fact that he will consume every last bit of it in less than a month and not gain an ounce. The man has a serious hankering for nachos. Uggh! I love Corey, but I am seriously, insanely jealous of his metabolism and a bit flustered by his ambivalence to how just one little serving of his beloved snack would immediately add 2 inches and a couple of dimples to my derriere. I mention this, because as he is devouring his nacho mountains, he never fails to inquire if I would like some. What? Remember me, honey? I'm dieting!!!! Oh well, he loves me regardless of my flaws, so I should just be happy with that and quit whining, right? Ok, done ... for now.

So anyhow, after shopping we stopped by Red Lobster for a bite to eat (so much for that diet,) then headed out to the Winter Wonderland light display at Lake Shawnee just outside of Topeka. It was really pretty cool. It's a drive-thru park with hundreds of lighted Christmas displays in varying themes. I tried to take a couple of pictures, but they are a little blurred and really don't do the place justice. The boys were in awe! I wish I could have tape recorded all of their shouted and excited phrases. There were tons of "oooooh's" and "aaaaaaah's" and "looks" but my personal favorite was, "Look, those deer, they're, they're, they're ... kicking!" (Riley's utterance upon viewing a light display of Santa's reindeer in flight pulling his sleigh) " Upon leaving, however, poor Riley's little heart got broken. He did NOT want to leave. He cried and cried wanting to go back and see more. We might have obliged him if the line to get in didn't have about a 30 minute wait. Luckily time did heal his distressed little soul about the time we arrived at Lawrence's city limits. Yes, it was a long drive, I will definitely have to give him earlier reminders next time so he can transition more easily for all of our sakes! = )

Finally, we'll leave you with a couple of videos. It is amazing to think that at this time last year, Riley could hardly talk and basically had to re-learn all the words he thought he knew because he had not been hearing correctly for most of his first year and a half. Now he sings and counts and says abc's and oftentimes just jibber jabbers and tells stories. Thank goodness for Jessica and all of her co-workers at Tiny-K for helping and guiding us! Anyhow, here is a video of him singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Of course, he sings it normal and perfect 20 times a day, but the minute I put a camera on him he gets all squirrely. Oh well, that's my boy! And, of course, anything big brother does, little bro needs to do, too. So you are also getting treated to crazy, can't sit still, monkey-boy Gage's rendition as well ... not bad for a 1 1/2 year old, though = )

Much to be Thankful for ...

I'm thankful our kids get to spend time with their grandparents on both sides of the family ...

I'm thankful our kids are blessed to know their great-grandmothers ...

I'm thankful we are blessed enough to have too much to eat at the holidays and family to share it with ...

I'm thankful we have wonderful friends to celebrate the holidays with (and to help us along after we've had a cocktail [or 2 or 3] too many = D) ...

I'm thankful that we have family that doesn't hold it against us that we sometimes celebrate a little too heartily with said friends = ) ...

I'm thankful that we have friends and family we think fondly of at the holidays even if we don't get to see them in person ...

I'm thankful to be safe and sound in the comfort of my home with our sweet babies sound asleep and a crackling fire to relax by ...

I'm thankful.

Monkey Bizness

We started off the weekend heading to Riley and Gage's friend, Taryn's birthday party in Olathe. It was held at a super fun place called Monkey Bizness. Oh my goodness, it was sheer craziness! Taryn's mom and dad, Carrie and Alex, rented a party room that was filled with massive blow-up bouncy rooms, climbing apparatus's and 2-3 story slides. We have never been to such an extravaganza before! I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or the parents (especially Corey!) Daddy had to go along and climb up several of the items and slide down the big slides to make sure the boys knew how to do it. Yeah, right = ) Anyhow, the boys had a total blast and we can't wait to take them back there again. It is actually quite an affordable place that might be just the ticket to burn off some excessive toddler energy this winter when we're all having cabin fever! I'll have to remember to bring the camera next time!

We were blessed with another gorgeous day on Sunday, so we took full advantage of the warmth and spent a great deal of time outside. Gage played with his favorite mower like he hadn't seen it in months and Riley rode his trusty tractor like there was no tomorrow! They also helped dad move some wood for the fireplace and completely delighted in the wheel barrow rides between hauls! They also found a couple of great leaf piles to jump and play in. All in all, a perfect fall day = )

We also put up Christmas decorations this weekend as I'm not sure when we would actually have time to do it any other weekend before Christmas. I don't have any pictures yet, but let me tell you, the boys were thrilled! I did most of it during their nap, so it was a big fun surprise when they woke up. Gage literally would not stop running around and saying "lights" "balls" "santa" over and over again ... too cute! Unfortunately, one santa already had a mishap and lost a hand, but it's nothing a little super glue can't fix. We're still working on the "no touch" thing, with all of the excitement, our little redhead couldn't control himself = )

Well, that's all for now. I probably won't post again until after the holiday weekend, so I hope you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Bless you sweet babies ...

May God bless you sweet little Molly Rose and Jay Francis. Although I cannot fathom how this tragic situation has come to take place again, I do hope that you can grow and play with your brothers Max and Ian in Heaven. Please help God look over your mommy and daddy and ease their pain. Amen.

Tanks, Choppers & Babies + Ketchup makes everything better ...

Corey has a wooden model airplane that the boys constantly want to play with, but are only actually allowed to on occasion, under very strict supervision. They, of course, have several airplanes and helicopters of their own to play with, but they like daddy's because it is so life-like (as well as mostly off limits.) Anyhow, this week, they have been begging pretty much non-stop to see dad's plane, so Corey and I decided to get each of them a new plane so as to distract their attention. After looking at numerous options, the boys decided on a war combo pack that included a tank, a helicopter, a humvee and various military men. Oh my goodness, Riley fell IN LOVE with the " 'copter" as he calls it and has yet to leave it out of his sight! Here's a few pics of him with it. He even took it to bed with him at nap time and at bed time! In the bottom picture, Gage is pointing to an actual helicopter flying in the sky while Riley looks on -- his own trusty 'copter still in hand. The boys definitely take after their daddy in their love of flight! The tank brought about some confusion for Gage and several giggles from me. Each time Corey or I would try to show the boys what the tank could do, Gage would look around all confused and say "my tank" while wandering around the house. It took me a few minutes, but I finally figured out what was going on. He was looking for Tank. At the boys' daycare, Gloria has a black lab that she has aptly named Tank. Gage has dubbed him "my Tank." Thus his initial confusion. Poor kid thought we were hiding a dog somewhere from him! I think he finally understood we were talking about the toy, but the confused look never quite went away when we uttered the word tank = )

We also had a nice visit with Shawn, Kari, and their sweet baby Patrick. What a cutie! He has changed so much since we saw him last. He has the plumpest little cheeks and softest hair. I love babies! It is almost surreal thinking that our big guys were that little only a short time ago. It is so different hanging out with Shawn and Kari now that we have kids. There are so many things that I wanted to catch up on and chat about, but many conversations were stopped short as either Corey or I were off chasing one of our rascals. It is such a huge contrast the difference between a 3 month old vs 1 1/2 & 2 1/2 year olds! Patrick was such a good boy during our visit, just chilling and taking in the new sights and sounds. I wish I could say the same for ours! Actually, they were pretty well-behaved for the most part, just very into checking out EVERYTHING in sight. Poor Patrick was given a display of Riley's other current passion -- dinosaurs. Unfortunately, Riley's dinosaur roar was a little more than he could take. The poor little guy got scared out of his wits! I felt so bad!!! Luckily, his mommy was able to calm him down pretty quickly. Oh, and Shawn and Kari's tall staircase was a huge hit, the boys' loved climbing up and down and up and down -- and of course, Gage eventually had to try to jump down part of it. Three whole stairs at once even! Riley was so thrilled with it, he even took a picture of it!

Now, on to the ketchup. We're very lucky that our kids will eat almost anything you put in front of them and eat it heartily. In the off chance there is something they are not too sure about, if you give them some ketchup to dip it in, they'll usually go ahead and slug it down. Many things they like just fine by themselves, they'll still request a ketchup dipper, just because they really like ketchup - especially Gage. For dinner the other evening, the kids were having chicken, potatoes, and green beans. All 3 items were dipped in ketchup by both boys. Then, since they were being so good, I gave them some M&M's while I was cleaning up. Lo and behold, I look over and they are both giggling and dipping their M&M's in ketchup! What? I can understand most of the other stuff, but desecrating chocolate like that ... that's just wrong in my opinion. But, no matter how many times I tried to tell them that what they were doing was gross, they would just giggle harder and keep on dipping. Boys!

Thank You

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have presented me with so much positivity after my last post. The blog comments, emails, and phone calls have sincerely meant a lot to me and really helped lift my spirits. I truly appreciate all of your support. Aaaaand, I'm very happy to post that I have lost 2 whole pounds since my grumpy little rant! Yay! = ) Progress is a great motivator!!!

Also, thank you for your prayers for my cousin, Laura and my friend, Clay. I believe the power of prayer is helping. Each of them are still in their respective hospitals and they both still have long roads ahead of them, so please, keep the prayers coming. They need all of our strength!

Thanks again and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Plateaus Suck.

Okay, fair warning -- if you are looking for a positive anecdote or cute pics of the kids, it is in your best interest to click elsewhere as I am feeling very frustrated. As you may or may not know, I started a health overhaul the first part of October and I have been experiencing very positive, goal-reinforcing success. As of a week and a half ago I had lost 14.5 pounds and a whole pants/dress size and was feeling really good about myself. Then I hurt my back ... again. I haven't been able to work out for a week and a half and I can totally tell it is very negatively affecting how I feel both physically and mentally. Plus, I have only lost 1/2 pound during this time period while still adhering to my fairly strict diet. Ugggh! I am hurting and frustrated and it is all I can do to not go dive into my kids reward M&M's or my hubby's pizza and ice cream for a good ol' comfort food binge. I won't, because I know how incredibly guilty I would feel afterward, but it still sounds good. Well, that's it. That's my rant. I do actually feel a little better putting it down in writing. Thanks for listening = )

Wow - What a Week!

Well, the week started out pretty crummy as it was Riley's turn to have the pukeys. Yuck! Luckily, since he is a year older than Gage, it is a little easier to deal with as he at least gives us warning and can usually make his ickiness into the puke pan. But, it is still awful, nonetheless. Thankfully, it only lasted about a day -- or more correctly, a night and a morning -- and then he was past the upheavals and feeling better for the most part. As I think I mentioned before with Gage, when the kiddos have the flu, I line the living room floor with towels for cover and this is pretty much where I camp out with the sicko until he is past the vomiting. Well, with Riley being sick during the night, I had to put my best ninja-like skills to the test. With every slight stirring, I would fly to my baby's side, puke pan in hand, and help him hover over it so as to provide him comfort, while also avoiding as much clean-up as possible. Unfortunately, these old bones aren't what they used to be, so during one of these numerous missions I managed to tweak my back pretty badly. The next day I went to pick up Gage and I heard a loud pop. Yep, there went my herniated disc again. Ugh! So, I spent the remainder of the week on muscle relaxers and painkillers just to make it bearable to sit at my desk all day at work. Fortunately, I have a husband who is very understanding and a great hands-on dad, so in the evenings Corey picked up most of the slack so I could rest my back. I was finally able to walk upright by Saturday.

This I was most grateful for as we had made plans to hang out with our dear friend, Steph, whom we don't see nearly enough. We had a really great time hanging out and catching up. After chilling at her house, we all headed down to the Replay around 10:00 (which is usually our bedtime if everything goes well) to meet up with Steph's boyfriend and watch his band, the Marmots, play. However, they were the late show and by midnight we could not hang with the rock stars anymore. Wow, how things have changed since we became parents! Actually, believe it or not, I could've probably hung on another hour, but my dear hubby may have been hampered by imbibing a Jager Bomb or two (or three -- or four) too many. So, homeward bound we went without even getting to hear the band. Bummer. We'll definitely be better prepared next time!

Here's a little video of Riley demonstrating some more of his artistic tendencies. One evening this week Corey had to work late, so with my back being in such bad shape I wasn't up for much cooking, obviously, so I stopped off and grabbed some fries for the boys to have with their grilled cheeses for supper. Riley decided that his french fries made a perfect "paintbrush" to dip in his ketchup "paint" and used his sandwich as the canvas. He cracks me up. I don't know why, but the imaginative things he and his brother come up with always seem to surprise and astound me. There's also a little snippet of Gage doing his patented "dip, dip, dip" chant with his fries. I know you'll enjoy this one Grandma and Pop Pop = )

Prayer Requests ...

Ok, my heart has been very heavy this week as we have friends and family that are both experiencing extremely delicate and stressful medical conditions.

First, is my beautiful cousin, Laura. She is a sweetheart and currently in her 20th week of pregnancy with twins. One of the twin's sacs has begun to leak quite a bit of amniotic fluid. She is now on strict bed rest at the Hays Medical Center so they can monitor her and the babies conditions. For those of you who don't know Laura, she also went through this precarious situation a couple of years ago and lost both babies. So, as you can imagine this is a nightmare for her and her family. So please, pray hard for her and her babies.

Second, is my good friend Savannah's little brother, Clay. He has been in the ICU in Great Bend all week due to complications with his MD. His condition has worsened and he is now being transported to Wichita via Life Watch. Please pray for Clay and his family that he is able to recover.

Thank you for your prayers. They are so needed and appreciated.

Good Times and a Lesson Learned ...

Halloween was a blast! We got all dressed up and took the boys trick or treating to a whole whopping 1 house = ) With the boys still being so little, we decided that would be enough excitement for them as far as candy gathering goes. Riley and Gage, of course, enjoyed getting fawned over by their favorite neighbors, the Scotts. While there, Gage was introduced to his 2nd favorite candy after suckers -- Reece's Pieces. Oh my goodness, that's his fave thing to say now ... Reecey, Reecey, Reecey ... too cute!

After our big trick or treating adventure, we headed to a family friendly Halloween party thrown by Corey's boss Lloyd and his wife Jeannie. They had everything decorated really funky and spooky complete with gravestones and skeletons. The kids weren't too sure about the whole thing at first, with all of these people dressed up all crazy. However, after they enjoyed a hearty snack and the DJ started spinning some fun tunes, they were all about it! Their favorite part was, of course, getting out on the dance floor and shaking their groove things = ) Here's a few pics of all of us in our costumes: Corey's a Ghostbuster, I'm Kat Von D from Miami/LA Ink, Riley is a Ninja, and Gage is a Pirate ...

After the party fun, we headed home to watch Monster House. Gage couldn't take it and immediately went to bed - it was after all, almost 9:00 by that time - a full hour after his bedtime. Riley was a trooper and wanted to stay up to watch the whole thing. I finally put him to bet a little after 10:00. As much as he enjoyed staying up on Friday, the rest of us paid for it on Saturday. I usually run a pretty tight ship when it comes to nap times and bed times, because I know how any deviation can result in some very cranky toddlers. Well, this time around was no exception. Riley was a bear most of Saturday. I'm sure everyone in the neighborhood was wondering what kind of torture I was putting him through, because every little thing that didn't go his way became a major screaming fit drama. Geez, we won't make that mistake again!

Sunday we started out with a lot of relaxing, which we all needed. Then, Corey was off to gather up some more wood out at Gloria's farm. We should definitely be set for awhile! The boys also enjoyed some good times in the back yard. They both have a fascination with jumping off of stuff instead of using it for it's intended use: couches - super launching pads, beds - the best springboards around, slides - just another place to practice leaps and bounds. Here's a video of the last one ... as you can imagine, this causes me to have multiple heart attacks a day! Just look at the smiles on their faces ... boys!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Our Budding Photographer ...

Ok, so Riley is so very much into the stage of doing whatever Corey or I (or most any other adult for that matter) are doing. He wants to be a big person. And, of course, he wants to do everything himself -- with no direct help and as little guidance as possible. He is very independent, I have no idea where he gets that -- ha! Anyhow, I was snapping pictures of him and his brother playing around on the woodpile again and Riley wanted to see the pictures I had taken by looking at them on the viewfinder screen on the camera. After reviewing these pictures he declared, "Mom, I take 'pitchers' now." I tried to distract him for awhile because I really didn't want him messing around with my camera because he has a tendency to break things - sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. But, he was persistent in his requests, so I figured that I would trust him and let him have his shot --- he's never going to learn the right way to do things if I don't give him a chance. So, I bravely, yet hesitantly handed over my trusty Kodak and let him go to town. I wish I would've had another camera to take pictures of him taking "pitchers." He was so into it: framing his subjects, bossing people around, and then having an excited giggle after each click of the shutter - - adorable! = ) I know I have a tendency to probably be a little much of a doting mother, but I must say, he really took some good photos! Some maybe are a little avant garde or "pop" art, but still, who knows, maybe he has a future in it = ) Here's a few examples of his work, judge for yourself ...

Corey and I are still trying to figure out how he got the close-ups so clear. They are better than many of the pictures each of us have tried to take at that distance!

Well, that's all for now. We are all looking forward to Halloween. There will more pics to follow from that I'm sure. Who knows, maybe I'll even let Riley take a few then, too!

We LOVE Autumn!

This is such a great time of year! The cool breeze, changing colors, holidays ... what's not to love?

Corey could wait no longer and had to fire up the fireplace Friday evening. He is so cute, just like a kid in a candy store when he gets to play with fire = ). I wasn't too hip with starting it up just yet, but I have to admit, once he had it going, it was soooo nice. There is just something so enjoyable about feeling the warmth of a fire and listening to crackle of the logs. Riley and Gage were in awe. I wish I would've gotten some pictures, they looked so sweet in the amber glow of the flames! But, I'm sure there's no need to fret ... it's early in the year, there will be several more opportunites.

Saturday we had a wonderful time visiting with family at my cousin Rose's wedding. I do wish I'd had a little more time to actually sit and enjoy conversation with everyone, but my little rascals were full of energy -- actually that's quite an understatement! Thankfully it was another gorgeous October day, so when they really needed to get their ya-ya's out (or their mommy needed to) we were able to go outside and take a little walk around the block. I only wish I had worn flats instead of heels! Anyhow, the wedding was lovely and the reception was very nice. Rose was an absolutely beautiful bride and Josh a handsome groom. I wish them a lifetime of happiness!

On Sunday, Corey went to work with his chainsaw cutting up some more wood for his woodpile. After Friday night's fire, he decided he didn't have nearly enough cut to make it through the winter - - did I mention he's a bit of a firebug? Anyhow, he cut up a ton and the boys were so cute watching him. Riley even had to run inside and grab his chainsaw and emulate his daddy. Love it = ) And of course, one of the boys' favorite parts about daddy cutting wood is getting to play on the woodpile before it gets officially stacked. Here's a few pics of the boys having fun ...

After all of that excitement, we headed over to our friends and neighbors, Vicki & Windell's, for supper and pumpkin carving. We had so much fun! Surprisingly, Riley and Gage weren't too hip on gutting out the goopy insides of the pumpkins. I thought for sure this would be right up Gage's alley as he is typically all about the gross factor of any situation -- but this was beyond his job description as far as he was concerned! Sara did get him to hold some seeds and strings in his hand for a few moments before he made a sour face and dropped the ooey-gooey stuff ASAP = ) However, once that part was over -- and the excitement of Corey and Windell playing Wii golf wore off -- they decided to join in the pumpkin carving festivities. Although it was a little frightening allowing them to handle the carving tools, they did pretty well and we all left with our fingers in tact = ) Below are a couple of pics of the festivities. Thank you for a fun evening Scott Family!