Picking out the perfect Pumpkin

They start by checking the place out before diving into the pumpkins. Soon Andrew was running up and down the isles.
Daddy helped them find some little pumpkins. These proved to be much more fun than the big ones.

They worked together to stack pumpkins into towers. Nathan loves to make towers out of everything.
Checking out his amazing work.

The boys found a little dog, which of course was a lot more fun to play with than pumpkins. They could not get enough of the dog, and we thought we were never going to be able to pry them away from it. Some how we convinced them to say bye-bye and they went back to the pumpkins.


This kid lights up my life.

Andrew tried to take on the big pumpkins but quickly threw/drooped it down.

Ha Ha Haaaahahah! This kid always makes me laugh.

The wagon was the highlight of the day. They loved being able to work/play together as they pushed and pulled it around.

Getting tired out.
Time to pick out pumpkins. Brad and I helped them out a little. Since they couldn't pick them up it was hard to motivate them to choose one.

It was a fun day. The boys did not want to leave. But the fun is not over. Next step... Painting the Pumpkins.

Aunt Erin Came to Visit

This weekend my life long friend, Erin brought her family for a visit. I say life-long, because while she and I did not meet until college, I can't fathom ever not having her in my life. With four kids running around and two more on the way we can't sit and chat for hours at a time. But I love simply being able to live life together, even if it only for a few short days. She is an amazing mom and I love taking all the tips I can from her.

Sunday morning we took the kids to the park and let the men watched the Michigan game.

Ooooo Ahhhh Water!


Water and sand make mud. YUCK!! I tried to show Andrew how to wipe his hands on his pants, he wiped them on mine instead.

Nathan and his friend Jack getting sprayed.

Monkey #1
My little observer.
Climbing is hard work.




We know water comes out, but Mommy won't show us how to do it. (They found the button but did not have enough finger strength to get water to come out.)

Dear Great Grandma

Great Grandma,

We miss you already. We told Mommy we wanted to send you some hugs and kisses so she posted these pictures for you. We thought you might miss us already. We hope these help a little. We know they are not as good as our real hugs and kisses but they will have to do for now. We can't wait to see you in November.

Tons of Hugs and Kisses,

Nathan and Andrew

Go Michigan!!!

It's Game Day!!!



Running for a touchdown.

Got my Game Face on!


Playing with Daddy's phone

Running down the field.

Proud Mama

Tonight I had the amazing privilege of hearing Nathan read his first story. No, we are not doing the Teach Your Baby To Read program. No, he is not a genius of outstanding literary skills. He is just my precious little boy, normal in every way, but in my eyes he's amazing.
While Andrew and Daddy were busy tackling each other Nathan and I were reading stories. After Mommy finished reading Where is Baby's Mama Nathan decided he wanted to read it. He turned each page and flipped open the object to see where baby's mama was hiding. Each time he said "No No" because baby's mama was not there.
To everyone else this is normal toddler behavior. As a teacher I know that these small developments are nothing big, but play a role in kids learning to read. As a mom, I get to enjoy each little moment and treasure it as a huge milestone.

Bed Time

"Bed Time" has become my favorite part of the day. Because we have twins our house has a lot of routines, it has definitely helped me stay sane. Now that the boys are older and we are becoming relaxed in our routines, the boys are creating them all on their own. Simple things that I have done on accident have become rituals in our house.

I will get to the bed time routine in a second I have a story to tell you first. The other day Nathan got very upset when I kept shutting the shower door on him because I was taking a shower. This happens all the time but has never upset him. I quickly realized that I was messing with one of his "routines". When the boys finish their snacks they hand me their bowls. I don't really know how this routine came into existence, probably when I started asking them to hand me their bowls and cups because I was to lazy to pick them up. So back to the shower incident, Nathan had finished his snack and was handing me his bowl. He didn't care if I was in the middle of rinsing my hair. He was done with his snack, mommy needs to take my bowl. When I kept shutting the door on him he got upset. The next morning his little arm reached into the shower, bowl in hand. This time I knew what to do.

Back to Bed Time. Our routine is no different from any other family. The boys take a bath, brush their teeth, get P.J.'s on, and read stories with mommy. The last couple of weeks we have added a small element but it is everyone's favorite. The boys sit on my lap and we call Dada in to come tuck them in. After a couple of days of me calling "Dada" Andrew took his paci out of his mouth and called "Dada". The next night Nathan joined him. I don't know what is more fun for me to watch, the boys call Dada or Brad waiting in the hall to hear them call his name and come in the room all excited praising the boys for talking. As soon as he enters the room is full of excitement, giggles, and praise. We end the night by putting the boys in their cribs and take turns getting kisses and listening to them say Dada and Mama. They are starting to say Mama when asked but have not "called" to me yet. That is ok, I still love it and I love listening to them call Dada. The Bed Time routine gets a little crazy when we have family over. The boys want everyone in their room to tuck them in and give them kisses good night. I am going to miss this stage when they grow up. I am going to miss watching their little mouths move as they try and say their first words.

Pregnancy Then and Now

We are at 20 weeks. Half way to meeting our third little kiddo. Baby C is doing good and better be growing because I am definitely growing. This pregnancy is different from the twins pregnancy. Most people would think that pregnancy should be easier and that I should be smaller. But it is exactly the opposite. Well some things are opposite. Medically it is an easier pregnancy, that is what my Dr. keeps saying. We have not had any complications or scares this time, which has been a huge blessing. But, it has been more painful, at least up till this point. I have had more tendon and stretching pain, which I was told is normal for the second pregnancy. I am also bigger this time, another side effect of having a second pregnancy. I guess since my body is all stretched out and my muscles have been ripped apart already things get bigger faster. I am just hoping I will not get as big or gain as much weight as I did with the boys. Being pregnant is not all bad. We had a fun ultrasound and we took Great Grandma so she could get a sneak peek of her third great grandchild. We were able to avoid "temptation" and did not find out the gender. At 20 weeks I am also feeling a lot of movement. I have been able to feel this one move for weeks, but kicking and pushing is becoming stronger and a little more consistent. That is my favorite part of being pregnant. The part I miss once the baby is born. I am trying to enjoy the next 20ish weeks. This will probably be the last pregnancy we go through.


20 weeks with Baby C


20 weeks with twins