BOO!!!!!!

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Hope we didn’t frighten you too much!!!!

Albeit a little late, we decided to tackle a little pumpkin carving.  The boys have been wanting to do this.  I got the pumpkins about a week ago, and there isn’t much time left before Halloween.  It is now or never, at least never this year.  Why not?  Might have been a  bit stressful, but overall we had a great time.  The looks on their faces as they each held their finished masterpiece was well worth the mess of pumpkin goo all over the kitchen. 

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Boys waited patiently, very interested in what the inside of a pumpkin looks like.

(You see…  We have not done this since Riley was just a wee little tike about TanMan’s age.  Time just slips away oh so darn fast!)IMG_3453

Digging into the first one.  Everyone was intrigued by what the insides looked like.  IMG_3458

Riley was the only one eager to dig in with his bare hands to tackle the cleaning out mess.  He was a huge help getting the slimy goo off of all the seeds, although he couldn’t believe that it is really o.k. to eat the seeds.  We will have to roast some and let him try them out for himself.

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This takes soooo much time!  Everyone diligently stuck with the task at hand.   IMG_3462 All was well until Braden got some goo on his sleeve!  Oh he did not like that!  After we assured him that the shirt would come perfectly clean when washed, he was good to go again.  =)

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TanMan wasn’t having anything to do with touching that stuff though!  He armed himself with the long handled spoon and gingerly dug in.  He was fine as long as we didn’t need to use the spoon.

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Oooooh!  Look at the stringiness.  Time to clean out pumpkin number two!

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Riley and Ross take on the job.  Other boys just sit aside and wait.

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Finally!!!!  Time to carve ‘em up!

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Riley picked out a ghost pattern that I found.  He wanted a little bit of a spooky pumpkin.

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Tanner thought it was fun to watch Riley punch his design into the pumpkin.  Riley did a great job of getting the pattern outlined and ready to cut out while I helped Braden carve his.

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TanMan remained in his perch for the entire duration of the carving process.  Even though he was not carving, he DID NOT want to miss out on one second of the excitement.

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Braden and I used teamwork to cut out his BOO!  He was very patient about it and let me help him with all of it.  Whew!  Might have had a funny looking boo otherwise. 

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Riley did an awesome job helping me cut out his ghost.  He is so patient, and loves the detail.  I have a feeling his pumpkins will get more elaborate in years to come.

 

Once the carving was done, each boy proudly showed off his pumpkin.  I think they look super!  TanMan had to have a pumpkin too.  Maybe next year he will get to carve one, but for now he is sporting the little accent pumpkin.

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Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!

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Waiting…

As 3:30 rolls around each day, there is anticipation and excitement in the air.  TanMan and Braden get anxious.  Waiting…  “Is snack ready?  What are we having today?  I want to take my fire truck water bottle today.  Does Tanner need his drink?  Did you get something for Riley?”  Braden’s verbal checklist.  Every day we take the same steps at the same times.  Every day, the same scenario.  Getting ready to go wait.  Yet the waiting is always eagerly anticipated.  So far it hasn’t gotten old.  And I hope that it never does.

At 3:30 we get snacks gathered up, shoes on, and head out the door.

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Trek down the drive.  Some days they walk, and some days they RUN!

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Look at the horses.  Look at the chickens, turkeys and ducks. 

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Get to the end of the drive and sit under the ash tree.

Enjoy snack, have a couple of drinks, and watch the road.

Waiting…

There it is!  Here it comes! 

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Riley is home! 

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Running to greet his brothers.  Home from a busy day at school.

  Awe, so sweet.

(The snack they bring might be great motivation too.)

IMG_3282“ See?”  Riley is home! 

It makes their day.  The waiting is worth it. 

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“How was your day ‘Iley?”

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No matter how much they fuss at one another, their closeness runs deep.  They have a friendship that we hope lasts a lifetime.

Mechanics 101…

How to Change a Flat Tire

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1.  Employ three strapping young men to help out.

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2.   Ask the chief mechanic to assist when needed.

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3.  Check out the spare.  Be certain it is aired up correctly.  This is determined by the bounce factor when jumped upon.

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4.  Use the buddy system to safely remove the flat tire and place the spare tire back on the vehicle.

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5.  Replace all lug nuts.  Sometimes it takes two hands to get them started.

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6.  Be ready for a quality control check.  “Hmmmmmm…”

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7.  “I think this one needs tightened a little bit more.”

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8.  Finish tightening all lug nuts.  Clean up tools.  All Done!

Stealing Our Hearts

Nova-September 2010 Nova is now almost 8 months old!  She has grown into a beautiful chocolate lab.  (Although, I might be a little partial and all…) 

Back in March when we decided to add her to the family, we talked a lot about the pro’s and con’s.  Were we ready to add a puppy to the mix again?  TanMan was just learning to walk.  It takes soooooo much time and effort.  Housebreaking, chewing, crate training, lots of crazy puppy moments.  I was the eager one for sure.  Ross took a little coaxing to convince that this was right.  I just didn’t feel that our household was complete without a furry critter around.  I wasn’t ready to NOT have a dog again.  It was time.  Ross was easily convinced once he held this furry little butterball in his lap when we went to “Just see” the puppies.  We brought her home that night.

6 1/2 months later… 

Nova has been a wonderful addition to the family.  She is awesome with the boys.  She loves to run with Riley, even though that aggravates him sometimes.  She follows Braden around the yard looking for sticks.  She lets TanMan crawl all over her, even when she might have just been sound asleep.  They are all buddies in one way or another.  The boys love having her around.  They all keep an eye out for her, and I am sure as time goes on she will be the one to keep an eye on them. 

I knew that it would all be good.  Having critters just makes our world right…