Boo!

The first storm of the season is upon us. It's been wet and rainy. I really hope it lets up for the boys to go out Trick or Treating. I think Donovan will do great keeping up with his brother. Although I foresee some pushing, shoving and tripping happening too. Boys! Hopefully we'll get some good pictures regardless. Happy Haunting!

Pajama Day should be everyday!

Dominic LOVES to wear his pajamas. He can't wait to get into them and would wear them all day if possible. He'd wear his flannel foot-jammies in the summertime if I'd let him! So today, he wasted no time getting dressed this morning....into his pajamas! I'm sure he'd love for it to be Pajama Day everyday.

So after everyone is buckled in the car this morning, Donovan observes and says, "Mom, Dominic don't have his clothes on". Great point! Boy was he confused.

Happy Birthday Vin-man!

Cousin Vinny (our nephew/godson) turned TWO this weekend. I can't wait to attend his football games when he's older... or wrestling matches, or strong-man competitions. We enjoyed celebrating his special day and look forward to watching him grow!

Happy Birthday Dad!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

This past weekend concluded with celebrating Papa Gertie's Birthday, which is today! Happy Birthday to a Papa that is loved very much!

I had the worst headache (of course, that's what we always say) while celebrating Dad's birthday, that even the thought of food made me want to gag. Luckily, I felt much better after about 2 hours and I devoured the dinner I missed out on. Yum!

Rudy, meanwhile, is game for anything when the nieces and nephews are around:

I'm not sure what sort of style they were trying for,
but it looks like a cross between "Weekend at Bernie's" and "Dr. Doolittle".

A Devilishly Good Time at The Patch

Everytime the weekend comes up, I look forward to catching up on laundry... it never happens! I wish it were easy to just stay put and get it all done, but these boys need to be out of the house as much as possible while the weather is nice.

Saturday, Dominic's winless soccer team remained so. This was the first game after being reseeded and they played with only one sub available. They were missing 3 or 4 players for some reason. They played better defensively, I thought, but still no goals. Donovan, once again, couldn't wait to get out on that field during half-time to make his goal. He thinks that's the coolest thing. Yet, when big brother stands in the way to block his shot - well, he doesn't think that is cool at all!

This is what happens when you're

left alone at Grandma Gertie's house!

We followed up the afternoon with haircuts for the boys. Thank goodness! I wanted to get that done before Picture Day for Dominic at school. They look so much better... and lighter!

Sunday was Pumpkin Patch Day and Kyle's Birthday. We went with the cousins to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm again. We got too busy to go last year. This time we planned it at least a few weeks ahead of time. It's so much fun to see the faces on the kids as they explore their little world. It was surprisingly a warm day. We had a picnic lunch in the apple orchard, played in the 3-story treehouse, romped around the petting zoo, got lost in the corn maze and took a hayride out to the patches of pumpkins. The boys got dirty and worn out. Me too!

Donovan as Ewe B. Wooly, Dominic as Mayor Goatree, Bianca as Father O'Mule, Sydney as Howie Holstein and Peyton as Chief Hog

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Lastly, we went to have dinner with the rest of the family and celebrate Papa Gertie's Birthday. And that, I'll save for another post!

Happy 1/2 Year Baby!

Okay, so he's already passed the 1/2 year mark, but Devin had his well-child visit just this past Monday. Our lil' squirt is doing extremely well (ahem, I think we're on the verge of his first cold for the season). He received 4 immunizations (1 flu shot) and an oral vaccine for RSV. Poor, poor guy. He had a 12 hour delay on a reaction to those immunizations, which lead to a bath at 12:30 AM the next day. He's a slobbery, babbling bunch of fun! Can I get a drum roll please?....

Weight - 18 lbs.

Height - 27 inches

Head Circ. - 44 cm.

Stopping to breathe...

These days seem to blend together lately. Our last weekend was busy with soccer and Apple Hill one day and the Veggie Chase and Kyle Remembrance the next. We ended Sunday with a trip to the store, in which Donovan and I went inside to grocery shop while the others waited in the car. After loading up 3 bags of groceries, Rudy starts the car, only to hear "click.click.click." - dead battery! I thought for sure we'd have to sit there in the parking lot waiting for help, while eating the ice cream we purchased before it melted. But darned if the kind gentleman in the stall next to us ready to leave asked if we needed a jump. Wow! Really? Kind people really DO exist! (Not that I didn't doubt that, but it seems more and more people are rushed these days to be able to take time out for a stranger.) Perhaps it was the "minivan family" look that we possessed which tugged at their kind soul? So, with a jump start later from a kind man from New Hampshire (!), we we're well on our way....HOME. Swell, there's ANOTHER sit-down family dinner plan destroyed. Dominic and Dad worked on the car, went to get a new battery, installed it in the dark, whilst the rest of us got bathed and ready for bed. Did somebody feed the dogs?

Anyhoo... We went to the annual Sharing Parents Memorial during that afternoon. It was beautiful, as always. They ALWAYS play the most tearful songs. Meaningful, but tearful. And to hear poems and messages from those who suffer such painful losses is heartbreaking. Sharing Parents is a wonderful organization that has been formed from a group of people sharing a common thread. We think of Baby Kyle often and evermore so during the month of October. Happy Birthday Buddy!

Chasing Veggies

If you don't eat them, run with them! And if you do eat them, then good for you! The boys were pooped from yesterday's Apple Hill adventure. So pooped that Dominic was the last to get up this morning (even with his alarm ringing!). Daddy got up to go to work (on a Sunday?) for a few hours.

The boys and I geared up to run with veggies at the Veggie Chase 5k and Kids Runs. This was the first time doing this event for us and it was fun. Hopefully next year I won't be by myself and I can run too, instead of escorting my own little pea pod around. Apparently, this event is becoming more popular and each year is a learning experience for them. The turnout was awesome. Lots of kids and their families. I registered Dominic and Donovan, so they each got a T-shirt out of the deal. They ran out of race numbers when we got there, so they went without. We skipped the 5k and headed right to the events that I signed the boys up for. They each got to run in their age group. We all ran with Donovan, and then Dominic got to go by himself. The look of fear took over Dominic once he reached the finish line and saw a sea of people that didn't look familiar. The events were great for the kids. The veggies were hilarious running around in their gear. The kids were so enthusiastic to run pass them, bettering their chances to getting a medal in the end. All participants in the 5k got a medal. The group races got ribbons, however, they ran out right after the Diaper Dash set of kids finished. The kids enjoyed freebies from Jamba Juice and others, and spent even more energy in the bounce houses. It was a lot of fun, but would be more fun if I had that "parent-switch" option like they have at Disneyland, because there were times when I would have liked to have gone out with the kids to chase veggies, instead of pushing a stroller around. Next year maybe!

Baby, it's cold outside!

It's Harvest Time! The fall freshness is in the air and the urge to go to Apple Hill got the best of us today. Naturally it was quite crowded, but we were able to get to our regular stops without too much trouble... just a few extra minutes stuck in traffic. It was quite chilly and made for extra sales of hot chocolate and coffee. Dominic ate a record amount of doughnuts this time so a few more minutes running up and down hills burning off that sugar did him good. Devin was all bundled up most of the time and Donovan loved picking up any pumpkins we came across.

The boys were excited to bring out the "foot-jammies" tonight. I'm wishing I had some myself!

Fun Fellows