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!

Pumpkins, the Pukeys, and a 'Possum!

First, let's start with the fun stuff. Corey went back to McPherson last weekend for a boys golf weekend. He had a blast hanging with the guys and was super stoked 'cuz he actually golfed fairly decently! However, he was also super happy to be home as he mentioned more than once that his old bones cannot handle as much "fun" as they used to (i.e. late nights and alcohol consumption = D~) Today is Wednesday and I think he might now finally be fully recovered!

While Corey was back in Mac, my parents came up to Lawrence to visit. Riley and Gage were thrilled, they LOVE they're Grandma and PopPop! Saturday was a dream day -- sunny, 70, light breeze -- a perfect day for the Pumpkin Patch! This was our first visit to Schaake's Pumpkin Patch that is just outside of Lawrence and let me tell you, we had a blast! I didn't realize how huge that place was. They have it set up so nice for the little ones complete with piled up haystacks, a hay bale maze, and playsets with slipper slides. A great place for enthusiastic little ones to release some coiled up energy! The boys absolutely loved getting a hayrack ride out to the middle of the patch. Riley was in heaven getting to see so many tractors up close and moving as tractors are one of his current passions. Gage was impressed with the cows, constantly saying "moo" and "cows" and wandering that way every chance he got. There were a couple of frisky bulls that kept trying to mount the heifers, so we just kept telling the boys the cows were "wrestling." I am nowhere near ready for having that talk any time soon! Anyhow, picking pumpkins was a blast -- I had no idea there were so many different types! I guess I've been oblivious all these years and assumed all pumpkins were round and orange and the rest of the different colored and crazy shaped ones were gourds of some sort. Apparently, I was wrong -- believe it or not, that does happen on occasion = ) Here are some pics of the boys enjoying the day ...

As you can see, a good time was had by all! Every day the boys are still asking where Grandma and Pop Pop are. When I tell them they had to go home, but they'll be up again to visit next weekend, Riley sweetly demands that we again go to the "Punkin' Patches!" Too cute = )

Now on to some not so cute stuff. After such a fun weekend, we started off the new week with some major yuckiness. Gage came to the office with me Monday morning because he had his 18 month "well child" check-up scheduled for 9:30. Unfortunately, he was not so well. First thing as I get him out of his carseat, he pukes all over the parking lot. Nice. Luckily, he avoided getting any on himself, save for a little on his shoe. So, I cleaned him up with baby wipes and started into the office. He had eaten a ton of pancakes for breakfast, so I figured maybe his tummy was upset from overeating. But, lo and behold, a few minutes later as he was sitting on my lap at my desk, he started vomiting again. Thankfully it went into the plastic bag lined trash can. But, still -- yuck! So, from here we headed to the doc's office where we made it through the check-in and Nurse Debbie was able to get his height (32 .25" - 52nd percentile) and weight (25.5 lbs - 35th percentile) measurements. Being the pro that she is, she set me up with some tissues and a little vomit dish - "just in case." Well, Gage made sure her efforts were not in vain and put the dish to use in the middle of the check-up with Dr Kimuri. Again - yuck! Other than the pukies, he is pretty healthy = ) So, he got to stay home with mommy on Monday ... then on Tuesday I was sick. Double yuck! This was no surprise, though, as once we were home on Monday, each time Gage needed to upchuck, he would snuggle in really close to me first, then let the fun stuff fly. Needless to say, we both took several baths that day and did numerous loads of laundry. Today we're both feeling much better and I'm praying that Riley and Corey both continue to be lucky and avoid this nasty stomach virus.

And now for the opossum. I was cleaning out our cat's litter boxes this morning after giving them their morning chow. One of the boxes has a hooded lid on it, so you cannot see inside it except for the small entryway. Well, this was at 6am, so I wasn't fully awake, nor did I even think to peak inside before I lifted the lid. When I pulled it up I found quite a surprise inside -- a full-grown opposum staring up at me! This particular opossum has visited our garage before, he likes to snack on our cat's food. Unfortunately, this does not seem to bother our kitties, I think they may have even made friends with the little sucker. So, anyhow, there I was barefooted, in my jammies, with this critter just quietly looking up at me. After letting out a little screech, I calmly put the lid back on and left him be. It's kind of a gross place to hang out, but I guess if he's not causing any trouble, I will let him be for moment.

Well, that's all of the excitement for now, should be interesting to see what the rest of the week brings ...

Prayer Request and Important Reminder ...

A very sweet lady I know has recently lost her 4 year old son to E. Coli. This is such a tragedy, please pray for her and her family. I cannot imagine their pain and grief.

Below is a copy of one of the news articles about his death (and 2 other boys here in Kansas as well.) I know many of you enjoy taking your children swimming and to the petting zoos and farmsteads just as I do. Please read to the bottom of the article for important tips on how to avoid E.Coli. I know most of it is common sense, but I figure it never hurts for a refresher ... better safe than sorry when dealing with our sweet babies lives!

"A Chase County boy is one of two young Kansas children who died within the past several days from E. coli infection, according to an announcement from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Funeral arrangements were being made today for Brant Burton, 4, who died Sunday in Wesley Regional Medical Center in Wichita.
Brant was the son of T.W. and Rachelle Burton of Matfield Green.
An 18-month-old from Liberal, Tanner Strickland, reportedly died Wednesday in Wesley. Tanner’s brother remains in Wesley in stable condition with the same illness.
The KDHE announcement said staff was working with local health departments in the two counties to identify possible sources of the infection.
“The deaths are unrelated and were caused by different E. coli serotypes,” said Mike Heideman, communications specialist for KDHE.
E. coli O157:H7 bacteria can produce potent toxins, known as “shiga toxins,” which can cause severe bloody diarrhea.
Approximately 8 percent of people infected with the most-common shiga toxin develop a serious complication, hemolytic uremic syndrome. HUS produces kidney failure and blood-clotting. Children under 5 and elderly people are most susceptible to developing serious and sometimes fatal illnesses from the bacteria.
E. coli, however, is a common bacteria.
“It’s everywhere in our environment,” said Cheryl Jones, administrator of the Chase County Health Department, whose department is assisting KDHE in the investigation.
Meat, fruits, vegetables, and recreational waters are common carriers of E. coli, as are the intestinal systems of animals and humans.
“People are exposed to it constantly and, once in a while, if conditions are right, it can make someone terribly sick,” Jones said.
The incubation period between exposure and symptoms typically ranges from 1 to 10 days, Heideman said.
“It’s usually three to four ... but it can be up to 10. We investigate back 10 days,” Jones said.
Symptoms — which commonly include stomach pain and diarrhea but also may include fever, vomiting and irritability — generally vanish in three or four days, the KDHE news release stated.
“The one ... preventive measure that can help all of those things, with the exception of foods in some cases, it to wash your hands,” Heideman said. “Wash for 20 seconds with soap and warm running water. Wash all parts of the hand and don’t use a common towel to dry. Dry with a clean towel.
“It goes back to what our moms and dads told us growing up. Wash your hands.”
KDHE recommends the following steps to reduce the risk of exposure to E. coli:
* Wash hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food.
* Wash hands after contact with animals or their environments, including petting zoos, farms, fairs, and your own back yard.
*Cook meats thoroughly. Ground beef and meat that has been needle-tenderized should be cooked to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. A meat thermometer, not meat color, is a reliable indicator of “doneness.”
*Avoid raw milk, unpasteurized dairy products and unpasteurized juices, like apple cider.
* Avoid swallowing water when swimming or playing in lakes, ponds, creeks and streams, swim pools, and backyard “kiddie” pools.
* Prevent cross-contamination in food preparation areas by thoroughly washing hands, counters, cutting boards, and utensils after they touch raw meat.
E. coli also can be spread by toddlers who are not toilet trained or by adults who do not wash their hands carefully after changing diapers, Heideman said. Children can pass the bacteria in their stool to another person for two weeks after they have recovered from an E. coli O157:H7 illness."

Shish Bops, Suck Ahs, & Peeez

So, you're reading the title and thinking what the heck? Well, welcome to my world. With 2 toddlers learning to navigate the English language, Corey and I are often left scratching our heads trying to figure out what in the world our boys are trying so hard to communicate to us. Luckily we usually have the benefit of hearing their interesting pronunciations in context with their surroundings with a visual of their actions - otherwise we'd be just as baffled as the rest of you most of the time.

Well, since we were blessed with another glorious and unseasonably warm October day on Sunday, we decided to enjoy some barbecue for supper. We put together some scrumptious Shish Kabobs for ourselves and the boys. So from here, I guess you can probably figure out where the Shish Bops came from. No surprise, getting the boys to say Shish Kabobs was almost as much fun as getting to eat them = ). The boys really enjoyed them, too. I was going to fix something separate for the boys because I wasn't sure if they'd like them, but I am so glad I didn't. They LOVED them! Instead of having just veggies and steak on theirs, we added pineapple and mango to Riley and Gage's. That was definitely the right call, they ate them up like nobody's business! They even ate the steak like champions (as long as they had plenty of ketchup and bbq sauce for dipping = )

Next for the Suck Ahs. I can't quite remember when Gage was first introduced to suckers, but he has been infatuated with them ever since! So, now they are his special treat he gets at bathtime (easy cleanup = )~ However, he still requests them numerous times throughout the day with his cute little Suck Ahs chant with a distinct break between the syllables. Then, if he doesn't get his request, he usually follows up with a drawn-out Peeeez for please, complete with hand clasp and squatting for added emphasis. Man, that little guy sure knows how to play momma, 'cuz that will usually get him at least one more sucker during the course of the day!

Below is a little video of Riley and Gage saying Shish Bops and Suck Ahs. Of course, I don't think it does them justice at all of how cute they are in reality when they are being spontaneous, but it's close ...

Shenanigans and Weekend Fun ...

Whew! Last week the boys were full of it - and still are! I don't know if they can sense the changing of the season or if something else is up, but they have been extra rascally. For those of you who know my boys, you understand that is really saying something! Maybe it is because they are both finally healthy (hope I didn't just jinx that) and they feel well enough to just let themselves go be boys to the fullest extent. Whatever the reason, it sure is fun to watch them explore and conjure up all sorts of mayhem. Sometimes I swear I can actually see the little wheels and gears turning inside their minds as they plot their next deed -- or misdeed would probably be a more accurate description = )

Riley once again decided to exhibit his Picassoesque mural creation abilities the other day. In the short time it took me to change Gage's diaper, Riley managed to break into the "no-no" drawer that has a child lock on it and wrangled out a red crayon. He then proceeded to draw huge swooping circles and wavy criss-cross lines across a section of wall about 2 ft tall and 4 ft wide. Aaaaarrggghhhh! Of course, when I asked him what in tarnation he thought he was doing, he proudly boasted "Look! Circles go 'round, 'round, 'round and whoooooooosh! I draw!" He was so pleased with himself and his art! I somehow found it within myself to not scream out loud what I was screaming inside my head and politely, yet tersely, told him that while his self-expression was lovely, it is not ok to draw on mommy's walls -- ever -- we only draw on the paper mommy or daddy gives you. Riley then looked at me sweetly and said with a sigh, " 'kay mom" and bounced off to his room where I told him to stay for a little while. Thank goodness for Mr Clean Magic Erasers, they really do clean up almost anything! I am also thankful that it was a red crayon on burnt orange walls as I may not be able to look back on this moment as fondly if this had occurred in another with non-complementary colors!

Gage has almost completed his transformation into a full-fledged monkey. He hasn't met an object that he hasn't attempted to climb and conquer. He has now mastered climbing up the side of his crib (from the floor) to make his way up to the changing table. From there he loves to turn the light and ceiling fan on and off 1,729 times per day. Okay, maybe that's a bit much of an exaggeration, but you get my point - he does this a lot. He's also taken to climbing up on the recliner and while it's in the reclined position, trying to tip it over. Other fun climbing adventures include up on our glass kitchen table (very dangerous - we'll be replacing that soon with something more stable) or scaling the kitchen drawers using the handles as footholds. Boys are definitely a different breed. I'm still trying to find the best way to stop these unauthorized adventures. So far, timeouts don't phase him nor does spanking or redirection. This boy has a one track mind! But, we will continue to be persistent in letting him know that these things are not okay and hopefully the idea will stick with him. Wish us luck! Also, any ideas or suggestions are welcome = )

Friday evening we decorated for Halloween and had so much fun! We put little ghosts in the landscaping out front so that they're peeking out over the bushes and trees. They are just the cheap little plastic baggy ghosts on a stick, but they are cute nonetheless. Riley was such a big helper using the mallet and a long screwdriver to help make guideholes for the stakes to go into. That boy sure loves his tools. Gage was his ornery little jokester self and enjoyed going around and pulling the ghosts off of their posts almost as quick as we could put them on. Needless to say, we had to finish the project after Gage had gone inside for his bath because we were losing the battle. He is so quick! We also put up various decals on the windows throughout the house. It is so cute how excited they get every time they look at them = ) Their favorite part is finding the black kitties that are peeking out of jack-o-lanters. My favorite part is trying to get them to say Frankenstein = ) It doesn't seem like too hard of a word, but it sure seems to stump them. The variations that come out of their mouths are hilarious!

We rounded out the weekend with another trip to Deanna Rose Farmstead. We met Aunt Tracy there, as well as our friend Carrie and her daughter Taryn. The kids all had a great time with the animals as usual. We had a really nice visit with my sis. The boys were so happy to see her Sunday morning. They cuddled and loved on her for a good long time = )

Sunday afternoon we headed out to Gloria's for a BBQ. She has the farm decorated really cute for Halloween with lots of hay bales, pumpkins, and scarecrows. The boys had so much fun being out there on a weekend without all of the other daycare kids around. They ran all over the place and totally wore themselves out. This, of course, pleased Corey and I because they went to bed early without any arguements whatsoever = )

Here's a little shout-out to Grandma & PopPop Soukup. Corey had the TV on the outdoor channel this morning and a deer hunting show was on. The boys were totally engrossed watching the deer. When I went to change the channel to their normal cartoons they watch while eating breakfast I was pelted with numerous "NOOOOOO's" from both boys. They wanted to watch the deer instead of cartoons! There's your future outdoorsmen in the making = ) Corey was pretty proud of his boys, too!