Our Thanksgiving "Turkey"

Aiden's Kindergarten class and the 4 year old preschool class had a Thanksgiving Feast at school today. The kids could dress as Indians or Pilgrims and could each bring a finger food of some sort to share. My husband loves to come up with all of these crazy ideas and usually can make them work. Todd and Aiden decided to make a "turkey" out of rice krispie treats, using cocoa krispies to give it the browned, right out of the oven look. :)

It turned out amazingly well. I just laugh every time I look at those little turkey wings. I think it creeped a few of the kids out though. I'm not sure they really got that it was a giant rice krispie treat. But it was certainly a hit!! I have a feeling he will need to make this every year now.

I had the honor of getting to "carve" it at school today. I think I needed something more than a pie cutter on it though. It was so tasty and Aiden was so proud of the treat that he and his daddy made together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Drew's First Year of Football

One football game left before Drew's football season comes to a close. He's wanted to play for years but never really decided to commit to it. We knew going in what a time commitment it was which is one reason why I was so hesitant to let him do it (that and the risk of my little baby Drewdles getting hurt--sorry Drew). We gave in this year. 5 days per week of practice, even when he started playing games each week, and throw in the homework load of a 7th grader, and let's just say it was a rough start. For the kid who has excelled in every sport he had tried, football the was the first tough challenge for him. I see this as a good and bad thing. Drew is one determined guy--when he wants something, he works his butt off to accomplish it, no matter what it is. To see him feeling so upset and defeated in the beginning about killed Todd and I. Even though our hearts wanted to let him skip practices or give up, we knew he wouldn't learn anything from that. He had to finish the season out for his team and honor his commitment. I can honestly say that I think he is happy he did. He never complains about practice anymore, he is enjoying the games, and is having fun with his teammates. Will he play next year? He is still undecided. :) The time comittment is really hard and I understand that. We'll see when next year comes. But for now, I am so proud of him for sticking with it, working hard, and reaping the benefits of his hard work.

For one, isn't he so handsome in his football uniform?

Two, after each game a kid is given one of these horseshoes for being the Player of the Game. (His team is the Colts) Drew received one after one of his games early in the season for his awesome tackles. We were so proud of him and you could tell he was so proud to have earned it and that the coaches noticed how hard he was working. It now has a special spot in his room.

Drew is #50

I know it's hard picking him out in these next 2 pictures but I swear he's in there. lol

I think this season of football was a learning experience for Drew, Todd and I. I've also learned a lot more about the game itself and thoroughly enjoy watching it. Go Colts!!

An Anniversary & A Birthday Rolled Into One

September 23rd and September 24th are busy days in our house. This year was no exception. The 23rd is Todd and I's anniversary. This year we celebrated the big 16. It's also the day before Aiden's birthday. He got to bring birthday treats to school (chocolate cake balls that he helped his daddy make), got sung Happy Birthday to in front of the school, and got to bring our kitty Chloe in for show and tell. That evening Todd and I got to go out for a nice supper at One (an awesome new restaurant), finished up a little birthday shopping and rented Bridesmaids to watch after the boys went to bed. It was the perfect day. This morning on the 24th a certain little someone was up early ready to start celebrating his birthday. Todd surprised him with with doughnuts for breakfast and his brothers gave him their birthday gift--a frog Webkinz. Now they could all play Webkinz together on the computer. Then we headed off to Aiden's early morning soccer game. Uncle Scott gave him his birthday gift afterwards so he was so excited to come home and play (Ninjago Legos). We played until lunchtime and then Aiden got to pick where we ate for lunch. Burger King was the birthday boys' choice. So exciting huh?? When we got home, we gave him the rest of his gifts and have been playing since. The rest of the day is wide open......what else will the birthday boy want to do? Are you on the edge of your seats?

Next weekend is his joint birthday party with Noah, Ty, and Christopher. Yes, September is always a busy month!

An unrelated piece of excitement from today.....Drew lost his last baby tooth. Why does this make me a little sad? He was so nonchalant about it. He forgot to even tell us until about an hour after when we were driving to lunch. I guess I should be thankful those last 2 teeth came out on their own, saves me having to pay to have them pulled. It's the little things. :)

2 Teeth, 1 Day, 1 Happy Kid

We started September off with a bang. Aiden had a first on the 1st---he also had a second. We're talking teeth here. When Aiden went to the dentist for his kindergarten checkup, the dentist asked if we knew he had 2 loose teeth. Of course we didn't since I don't spend a lot of time with my fingers in my kids' mouths. Right before we left town for Todd's Ironman, they were really loose and I was so afraid he would lose his first one while we were out of town. Thankfully he waited until we got back. The evening of September 1st, Aiden was sitting on the couch with us watching some TV and he was playing with his tooth. Suddenly he shouted "My tooth came out!". We were all so excited so he said he wondered if the other one would come out. Not even 15 minutes later, tooth #2 made it's exit. It must have been time though, because both of his grown up teeth were already visible in his gums.

He was so excited for the tooth family to come that night for the first time. The tooth fairy is a big chicken. She is always scared that she is going to get caught, but thankfully she pulled this one off. Aiden woke me up in the middle of the night saying he had a bad dream. I went to tuck him in and he asked if the tooth fairy came yet and I said I didn't know, but he could look. He said, "I'll just wait till morning". Before I could say anything he jumped up and looked. He was so excited to see 2 crisp one dollar bills lying there that he wanted to run in and show Noah. I did convince him to save that until morning though.

When I asked to get some pictures of him and his missing teeth, he insisted Miss Chloe be in some of them.

She's such a good cat, she just kind of hung out there on his shoulder while we took pictures.
A close up. Look at those pointy things coming in. They freak me out a little bit. He kind of looks like a vampire.

Why does that make them look so much more grown up? Seeing how great he has been doing in kindergarten tells me he has definitely grown up some. He's becoming my big little guy. Love him.

Little Miss Chloe

Ever since Grayson died in October, the boys have been begging for another cat. I love cats, would have 10 if I could, but after the financial and emotional strain of Grayson's health and then passing, I was scared to do it again. I just wasn't ready. Grayson and Jack were best buds, I was also worried we couldn't find a cat that would have that same relationship with Jack. Plus, things were going so well with Jack, I didn't want to jeopardize anything with him. But you could tell he missed having another cat around.

Then my husband started saying we really needed another cat for Jack. For HIM to say that, well, I wondered if maybe it wasn't time to start. The boys of course, are like their momma. We go to the Humane Society and fall in love with every homeless cat we see. They just want a cat. Me, the committment-phobe, is scared to pick just one. I need to find the one that has the best personality to fit with life with 3 boys and one very large black cat. How do I do that?? I hemmed and hawed for weeks. Then of course I thought the timing was all wrong, I was started a new job, school and sports were starting back up, Todd was going back to school, bringing a new cat in seemed crazy. Well, we are a little crazy and you can never pick that "perfect" time for something like this and sometimes these little furry creatures find you. We were at Petco and the Humane Society always keeps a few cats over there for people to adopt. We actually went to see another one but wasn't sure about his personality. This little girl below was in a cage off to the side, I might have left if Noah hadn't pointed her out. We got to get her out and she loved and snuggled with me, Noah and Aiden. She was a doll. We went back again the next day. Still loved her. We went back to the Humane Society and no one else seemed to "fit" just right even though we gushed over them all. Something was just right about her. Her name was Tova......we went to adopt her. All through this, I'm thinking "this is crazy, this is crazy".

We brought her home and to say Jack was pissed was an understatement. I have never heard such screeches, hisses, and moans to come out of his mouth. But we gave him time and only introduced them for bits and pieces here and there. Within 2 days they could be around each other full time. I was amazed at how quickly it happened. We've had her for a week and a half now and they play, chase each other, sometimes sleep together. She is just the sweetest, loviest little girl and has been good with all of us. Anyone that has been to our house knows how affectionate Jack is. You will get cuddles whether you like it or not. Now we are lucky to have 2 cats that love to snuggle, love the affection of our family, and give it back in return. Now we can only hope and pray that we continue to have 2 healthy cats.

Yes, I had to get her a girly collar. I don't get to buy girly things much so even a cat collar got me excited. Sad, huh?? :) It only took our family 3 full days to agree on a name for her, that was sad. LOL It's hard to tell in the pictures, but she has a lot of brown mixed in with her black, gray and white. She has such beautiful colors and markings. I love her white stomach and paws too. She's a beautiful kitty.

Bus Ride

Many years Aiden spent waving out the front door as his brothers hopped on the bus to ride to school. He met them at the door in the afternoons when they hopped off the bus and came running inside. Preschool started and he was sad that he still couldn't ride that bus. He had to wait until kindergarten. 1st day of school.....no buses. But today, finally, he got to ride the bus. That is all he has talked about since last night. He knew he was going to sit by Noah. He was dressed, backpack on and outside at 7:20. The bus doesn't arrive until 7:45. Such a long wait. Finally he saw it coming and was jumping around and pointing as if his brothers had never seen the bus before.

And off he went with a half a wave to mom, anxious for that long 9 block journey to school. Yes, that was 9 blocks. But, he was on a school bus. He's a big guy now.

1st Day of School 2011

Wow, seems like just yesterday that I thought having all of my boys in school was light years away. I've had kids at home with me for 12 1/2 years, seems so wierd that I'll never go back to that stage again. I had been so emotional about school starting this year and honestly kind of dreading it. I have been so fortunate to be home with them most of the time during the years. I have an amazing job that I love and have the flexibility to only work 1-2 days per week. I wondered what would I do when they went to school? I know what the "plans" always were but sometimes you don't know if that's what is best once the time actually comes. I knew what my ideal situation was but in this day and age its not always possible to have that. I've always had faith that things would work out the way they were supposed to. Luckily for me, the perfect opportunity fell into my lap. Our school had always had a part time Kindergarten aide until about 3 years ago when the numbers started to drop. This year we have 16 Kindergarteners so they were able to hire a part time aide. It is the perfect job for me, I can have fun with the kids for a few hours in the morning, still work my other job, AND have some free time for me a few afternoons a week. How many people are blessed enough to have not one, but two jobs they love and look forward to? Seeing all of my boys at assembly this morning and then at recess, reassurred me that I made the right choice. What a great 1st day it was. The best part was, instead of crying that my baby was starting school, I got to spend the morning with him. I'll only be there from 8-10:30 every day so he'll still have plenty of time independent of me. It's win- win for both of us.

On to the pictures.....I know you don't want me to ramble on and on. :)

Aiden has been ready to go ever since he picked out his bag. He had to have a messenger bag like his big brother Drew.

I knew Todd would take 1st day of school pics of me too, just didn't realize I had to have one by myself. lol

The two "kindergarteners".

My big guys.

Drew--7th Grade. Noah--4th Grade. Aiden--Kindergarten

Drew keeps reminding me--only 2 years until high school! Ack

Me and my boys.

Todd and his boys.

(love how Aiden is standing here--he has a little swagger)

Tried to snap some pics in front of school but Drew was appalled and went inside. My other two were game though! Even Mary posed with us! :)

Aiden and Gabe were excited that they were seated next to each other. Mrs. Wolkitt had a new pack of crayons for each kid to open and color with.

I snapped one last picture of Dad and Aiden before Todd had to leave for his school. Today he had meetings all day and tomorrow is his first day with students. He is starting his 17th year of teaching this year. And as busy has he's been getting ready for the start of the year, he still took the time to make homemade cinnamon rolls for us for breakfast and another batch that he took to our school for our staff. What a guy!

Today was just a half day for everyone. Tomorrow everyone will be all day except Aiden. He goes a half a day tomorrow and then starts all day on Monday. He is so excited to get to eat at school and ride the bus. I loved my first day. The kids were so cute, we had a lot of fun, and I felt right at home there. I guess having already spent 7 years volunteering there helped with that!

We are all looking forward to a great year!!!

Water Fun

We've definitely had a lot of fun in the water this summer. Here are just a few of our water adventures!

Out at my Dad's cabin, someone had put a rope swing down by the lake. The boys were dying to try it. I was a little nervous about it, but once again, Todd and the boys talked me into it. (God thought He was being funny when he sent this little ole chicken 3 fearless boys!)

I needn't have worried, the boys had a blast and no one fell off and tumbled down the hill like I thought they would. (If you could only imagine the scary thoughts that run through my brain)

Aiden flying off on his first turn.

Noah going in for the landing.
Drew flying through the air.

Todd actually went first to show the boys how its done. I just stood on the landing and took pictures---I was worried my upper arm strength wouldn't be enough to make it to the water. lol

Another day we headed out to the ole Mississippi River with Todd's parents and their boat. The boys love getting out on the skis and tube. Are you noticing a theme with daredevil stunts??

Drew popped right out of the water like he's been skiing for ages, even though he hadn't done it since last summer.

Then Drew and Todd decided to ski together. This picture just warmed my heart. I know they both really enjoyed this moment.

Aiden stood on the front of Todd's skis so he could feel what it would be like to ski. We didnt have skis small enough for Noah and Aiden's feet but since then Todd's parents borrowed some kids skis so when we head up on the river this Friday, Noah can give it a try!

I love this look on Aiden's face--what an adrenaline junkie.

Then we broke out the tube.

I just love the sweet smile on Noah's face. He was loving it and kept asking to go faster.

Drew always asks for waves, he likes it fast and bumpy. How he can hang on is beyond me.

Aiden usually rides with Todd but his arms were getting tired, so big brother Drew offered to take Aiden in the tube. They looked so cute out there together.

One of our favorite places is Bob Mays Park. The playground is nice but my boys like the running/biking trail and the creek. One hot day the 5 of us took a creek walk from our usual spot all the way down to where the trail ends.

We found a lot of "treasures" along the way.

We saw frogs, fish, bugs, minnows and quite a few crawdads. We even found these two baby crawdads. I think all babies are cute but really, these didn't do anything for me. :)

The best thing we found on our walk that day was a $5 bill floating in the creek. No lie. The boys argued over who got it but since Todd found it, he tucked it in his pocket. He planned on using it for treats at the St Anthony picnic that night.

We've done so many things involving water this summer. It's been a hot one so that's about the only way we can stand being outside. Hoping for a few more pool days this week and one more day on the river before school starts. Summer flew by way too quickly once again!

Noah & Baseball

Sometimes I laugh at how clever I am with blog post titles. Ha!

Another season of baseball has come to a close. I've never been a baseball fan, it bores me silly. I'm also thankful that only one of my boys plays. I will have to say, though, that this has been the most fun season for me to watch.

This year is the first year they are old enough to start pitching on their own instead of the coaches doing it. Midway through the season they were also able to start stealing bases. It has been fun seeing them grow from little t-ball players to real baseball players. Of course seeing them in their official baseball uniforms was pretty darn cute. First year of wearing a cup=lots of laughs. Just sayin'. I have a strange sense of humor.

Cutest little baseball player. This kid has a smile that melts my heart.

Noah says one of his favorite things about playing baseball is having his dad as his coach. To say that made Todd's day is an understatement.

Here is a picture of that coach and his son. Priceless!

Our Vacation

I'm finally catching my breath from returning from vacation and having to get caught up once again with everything--laundry, groceries, work, baseball, scouts, VBS, volleyball......whew, I just may need another vacation. Unfortunately, school starts 3 weeks from today. Say wha???? Yes, we like to start school in the middle of August when it's hot and miserable and the kids would rather be at the pool.

So, I've been busy enjoying my summer and have been a bad bloggy girl. I have a list of posts to post, so that is my goal for the upcoming week. Hold me to it, will ya? But before going too far back in time, I've been anxious to get my vacation pictures up. I got a little picture crazy but then still think of things and places that I wished I had photographed.

We headed up to Sheboygan, WI to stay at Blue Harbor Resort on Lake Michigan. We had wanted to go to a beach this summer but didn't have the time or desire to drive to an ocean or the gulf. My friend Kathryn, from Seeking Sanity, posts such beautiful pictures of the Lake so I asked her where she lived and she suggested this place to us. This girl deserves some compensation or something because it was perfect!


This is where we checked in at the resort......they had me at "turret". Seriously, would love to build one on my house.

Our view of the resort from the beach.

I got to meet Kathryn and her 4 adorable kiddos! I started reading her blog long, long ago. We both had hubbies named Todd, 3 boys, our kids went to Catholic schools, and I found that she had a lot of the same thoughts and feelings as I did. If we lived closer, I could totally hang with her. I was so excited, and a little nervous. I was afraid my shyness would get the best of me or that one of my boys would do something really embarrassing. (they are good for that you know!) But from the second I called her on the phone, she was so easy to talk to and so adorable!

We managed to capture all 7, (yes, 7!) of our kids in a picture. They had a blast digging for treasure, playing on the boogie boards, playing in the sand, catching fish with their buckets, and burying dead fish. (don't ask, lol, it must be a boy thing)

After extensive research, we have come to find that this is the only way to keep Aiden still.

The waves weren't as big as they would have liked that day but they still gave those boogie boards a workout.

Our resort had an indoor waterpark too--7 waterslides, lazy river, and other water fun. We had a blast. The two slides that you rode down on a tube on were so fast and fun. The double tubes were the best, I got to ride down with my boys, my hubby, and even got my mother in law to go down with me!

These lily pads were a hit with ALL of my boys. You had to get across using the ropes above it but my boys like to do things the hard way, and would try to get across hopping from one to the other, they move around a lot so it was tricky, but it didn't stop them.

Go Daddy, Go Daddy

There was a putt putt course within walking distance so we took a stroll over and played and stopped in an ice cream place close by on the way back for a late night snack. Peanut butter cup, my love, I miss you.

This little turkey was the only one to get a hole in one that night!!

We had lunch outside of Brisco County Wood Grill our last day there. It was such a gorgeous day, the temperature was perfect, and what a view!

We were at a strip mall in Kohler, WI and there must have been a sand sculpture competition. I took a couple of shots of the winners, both guys were from IL. This is a scene from Pinnochio! Amazing isn't it?

We were so excited that they had a Target! Yes, our small town roots are showing. While us girls hit Pier 1 and Michaels nearby, the boys had a little fun. Or should I say, they had a "ball" at Target!

One of Aiden's guilty pleasures on the trip. Only took 2 days to eat.

At night, they have a bonfire on the beach at the resort and you can come down to make s'mores and play. Drew was feeling sick that night so I stayed back with him and the rest went down. They ate s'mores, hula hooped, and played some other games. This was the view from the walkway between the lake and the resort at night. Gorgeous huh?

Our last day we headed to the beach again. It was really crowded that day despite all of the heavy fog. It was so funny watching it fade and come back and literally seeing whisps of it go right by you. The water was a bit warmer that day which was good because it was a cooler day.

We rented a long board and paddle for everyone to try. Todd, Scott, Drew, and Noah all did it and had a lot of fun.

Drew was a natural on it. He hopped on like he'd been doing it forever while we got some good laughable video of Todd and Scott falling off. :)

One of the many gorgeous views from the beach on the other side of the resort. It was beautiful here, with parks and playgrounds. We had so much fun.
We took a family picture on the beach. (and unfortunately our only)

I managed to snap a quick picture of the boys on the playground with the lake in the background.

It was a very relaxing trip, but it went by very quickly. I'd love to head up there again someday.