Halloween!

Halloween has got to be one of our favorite holidays. The boys LOVE dressing up and being a whole new person! Well, except for Carter. We got him dressed in the same cute lion costume that both Ben and Kade wore at two. SO cute! But, Carter freaked out, and instantly resisted. As the wonderful parents we are, Joe and I stuffed his flailing self into the outfit. Haha. We figured he calm down once he saw what it was all about, in a mirror, but he didn't. We quickly offered him a bribe -the sucker, but he still cried about the costume for another 5 minutes.

By the time we drove down the street to the church trunk or treat, he was perfectly content and no longer a roaring little lion. I love my little one!

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Kade had a preschool party and was more comfortable with his Batman mask off. But, here he is as Batman. He couldn't wait for his turn to wear this costume! He looked very handsome and very cool in it. I think he looks SO big. I can't believe how grown up he is.

 

 

 

 Ben has wanted to be a vampire since just after Halloween last year. He was SO excited to get to dress up for school and for actual Halloween night. I think his favorite part was having his hair painted. He looks like an entirely different kid! He's not scary, but is a very handsome vampire. He looks great!

The best picture we could get of all three boys together. Joe took the boys trick or treating as always (thank you Joe!), and I manned the candy bowl at our house. It was a fun night! I love these three boys!

No More Meds!

This past week, Carter and I traveled up to Salt Lake City for a follow up neurology appointment. He needed an EEG to see if his brain was having any seizures. It was a great trip, just me and my littlest guy. We shared a treat, drank milk (Carter's favorite thing) and played in the waiting room.

When they hooked him up, he did great. I was not surprised. He's a great kid. They gave him more milk, and turned out the light. My job was to keep him still for 30mins, so the scan would read just brain waves and not body movements.

We snuggled together up on the bed and, within minutes, my sweet boy had fallen asleep. Did I say he's a great kid? Haha. The test was smooth and we were out the door. We drove back home to Joe and the boys.

Well, we got the great news today, that his test came back perfect, so we don't have to deal with the seizure medication we've been giving every night for almost the last two years! I love that he's no longer on anything! I love that there's no doubt that he is recovered and fully healthy and just a typical little guy. I am grateful he's here and doing so well. Always a miracle to me.

First Flag Football Games!

Ben was excited to play flag football this year. It's his first time playing sports like this. He's loving it so far and even saw a little action in the first game. One kid will hand off the ball to the "quarterback", then the quarterback will hand off the ball to the kid behind him. That kid will then run and try to get a touchdown. Ben got to be that kid, so he got to run!  The coach told him to run to the side and then head up toward the other end, that way he'd be out of the way of the big group of on coming kids.

 

Ben got the ball and ran to the side......and kept running to the side, forgetting to turn up and head towards the goal.  Hahaha. It was cute. He did great and still felt proud that he was one of few who got to run with the ball that day. Success for our first game. He already says he wants to do it again next year. OKAY!

This was the second game. Go Ben! Lots of running and a little learning, but all fun.

Batman Live!

Months and months ago, grandma learned that Batman Live was coming to Las Vegas. She immediately asked if she could take Ben and Kade. Of course!! It'd be a dream. She bought the tickets and forever have the boys been excited to go! We just returned for SLC for a family event, as well as our Heber Creeper mini vacation and this just kept the good times rolling.

Joe had stayed up North to visit with family longer, and I drove the boys to Las Vegas. We brought grandma a Batman shirt and the boys wore theirs too. Carter got to keep the hat that came along with grandma's shirt. He liked that. Although I didn't go with the boys, only stayed home with Carter, I heard all about it. The boys were thrilled and had the best time ever! Thanks Grandma!

The Heber Creeper!

I had been dying to DO something and GO somewhere, and do some sort of mini family vacation. Ever since I was little, I've always wanted ride on the Heber Creeper. So, when plans were made to be in SLC for a family event, I started to think of how I could squeeze a little bit of a family vacation in as well. I planned to go up the day and a half before we had too, spend the night in Provo. Then we could eat out, and play in the hotel pool. The next morning we'd wake up, head to Heber and ride the train. That's what we did. It worked out perfectly and it was a memorable trip.

The boys were excited for our first time on a real train. (A bonus was, that my best friend's parents live in Heber, and got us discount tickets. It was basically half the cost. Whoohoo!)

 

 

 It was gorgeous scenery. I'll spare all the photos, but it was an amazing ride. The weather was brisk but comfortable. The boys had popcorn, drinks and other treats during the two hour (or so) trip.The best part, to them, was the Hold Up! A "real live" cowboy bandit and cowgirl bandit stopped the train with gun firing and all. They told the kids "not to smile" but gave them chocolate coins as they passed them. The bandits demanded the trains gold....

 "Keep your hands up!" The boys were back and forth on whether or not the whole thing was real or not. It was cute to see their innocent confusion.

 After trying to find gold and failing, the cowgirl robber was captured. Ben and Kade were picked to "watch over her and not let her go." They LOVED that, and idealized the Conductor.

 At the half way point, we stopped at a park and played for 20 minutes. It was great to stretch our legs and let the boys run around. Again, in the beautiful Heber outdoors.

 Getting a little sleepy on the way back to the station. We let the games come out too.

Carter was smitten by the cowgirl's beautiful singing voice and stood watching her sing for quite awhile. It was darling. I am glad there was a way for us to have family trip. We never get to. This was perfect. I enjoyed myself and am glad the boys were able to have this a new experience. So much fun.
 

A Note from a Thoughtful Boy

First thing this morning, Ben, who's eye hadn't even adjusted to the light of day yet, came into my room and asked, "Mom can I have a recipe paper?" (The "recipe paper" are little index cards I use in my recipe box.) I told him "Sure." and he left. I didn't wonder what it was for, because he is always drawing on something. And, I have been leaving him notes and pictures in his lunch box drawn on those index cards, so it wouldn't be an unusual thing for him to want one.

When I came out of my room, to get the morning under way, Ben handed me an index card and announced, "I wrote a note to my bus driver. And, drew him a picture." 

What an incredibly thoughtful boy.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the note, but I didn't. It read something like this, Dear Bus driver, thanks for dropping me off at Walmart. I like when it is quiet in the bus. Thanks for picking me up at Ace. (And, I know I'm missing the last line here - compliment I think.)   From: Your Bus Rider Ben Harris 

On the other side he drew a picture of a bus driving down a road to the bus stop.
I love that Ben thinks this way. I love that he ACTS on thoughts he has to serve or compliment or thank others.

I saw Ben give the bus driver the note, and I drove past the open door to secretly watch the driver's reaction. I couldn't see much due to the glare of the sun coming through the window. All I know is that he was reading it.

I am one proud and grateful mama. This is what I dreamed of my boys being - thankful, thoughtful, and openly and sincerely complimentary. Way to go Ben.

Boxing with Dad

As part of our new family chore system, the boys can earn points, each day, when they spend time doing their "Personal Goal". The boys pick a goal and they must stick with that one goal for a month. This month both boys chose to practice boxing with dad. This is not just fun; Joe has them doing actual drills and they must give him their attention, listen and work hard. It's different than just horsing around with dad. There's no doubt Joe, Ben and Kade really enjoy this.

 Kade is a natural! He's always moving. And when he boxes, he naturally bounces lightly on his toes, which is prefect for a boxer. His instincts are awesome, and he picks up the drills really quickly. He keeps his hands up, ducks out of the way of an oncoming pad, and hits with power behind the punch.

 Ben enjoys the boxing, and he loves learning how to fight -the right way. I think he loves the way Joe teaches and gives awesome feed back and cheers them on. He is a little more stiff when punching, but he's getting better.

Carter wanted to be right in the thick of things, but of course, these are not meant to be "play" time, so I try to distract Carter or take him away.

And, as a little side note, Joe is a great dad, not to mention SO attractive! He just looks so hottie when he's doing anything like martial arts or boxing. I love watching him do anything like this. I know he wishes he could use his martial arts skills more often, and hopefully the boys are getting to an age that they'll listen, and he can actually start teaching them. I hope the boys will choose this as their goal for next month too. They are just fun to watch.

Just Pictures of Funny Boys

Okay -so this one isn't so funny. But, it's still cute. the only reason it is a little funny is...he was THIS mad and crying because I wanted to take his picture in the Iron Man suit. As soon as the camera came out, he got so mad. He is normally a ham.

Here's my little one with the big band aid on his head. Underneath he had a small gash glued together. Thank goodness for no stitches!

Ben got out blankets to wrap himself in to pretend he was Voldemort. Carter wanted to join the fun. 

Surprisingly, when Ben asked him, "Are you Voldemort?" Carter got all serious and didn't smile. He has no clue who Voldemort is at all. funny kid.

Kade found this mustache and put it on Carter. When the camera came out, Carter quickly took it off. I luckily got a picture. Kade was happy to pick it up and pose for a picture. Cute boys!

Great Books Shared and Memories Made

Last week, I ordered two of my favorite books to read aloud with the boys: The BFG and James and the Giant Peach. I told them a lot about each book, and some of my favorite parts. We were all anxiously waiting for them to arrive. Once they came, we got to reading The BFG. I was SO excited to share these books with the boys, and I know that their seeing my excitement over the books arriving, and my excitement in reading it aloud added to their own enjoyment.They LOVED listening to this new adventure full of silly words and things they've never imagined. Everyday, for a little under a week, we've read and finally finished the book tonight. We all cheered when we finished. We couldn't contain the thrill we had at finishing a  great book and having that awesome closure you have when you know the whole story. Ben said he wants to read the book over and over again. :) YAY!

After we finished it I wondered if there had ever been made a movie of The BFG. I Googled it. :) They had a movie on youtube, so I let them watch it. Both boys kept pointing out, "That's not like the book." They didn't like the changes. Haha. It's funny to hear a kid say, "The book was better." I loved sharing this book with the boys and being the sole reader of it. I loved that they begged me to read every spare moment we had. We have done this before, but not with ALL of us having this much excitement and enjoyment with reading one book. Tomorrow we will start James and the Giant Peach. (We all were disappointed that we ran out of time tonight and couldn't read the first chapter.) And, without a doubt, we'll share another week of fun and adventure together. Then on to more......

Back to Preschool

Seriously this boy is too cute! He has gotten so big.

Back to Business for Kade.

Kade is back at preschool and, as always, was calm and cool about starting back. I bought him a new shirt for school -the boy has a ton of clothes, all of which still fit perfectly, but ya gotta have a First Day of School shirt. ;) He was thrilled to wear it.
He headed back to his same familiar preschool that he's attended now for a couple years. (He got to go right at three, for just four months, before starting his real first year.) The only new thing is his teacher -who he was a little familiar with already. The first day was just "back to business" for Kade. He walked in like he owned the place, he kissed me goodbye, and said "See ya." That was that. He was thrilled to do gymnastics again -that was his favorite part of the whole day. I'm so glad he has a schedule again and fun physical things he gets to do daily -like the gymnastics, karate, and swim days. Yay for being back to school. Kade is back in his element!