Halloween Part 2

Friday was the day for school parties. Caleb had a preschool party in the morning. He was so excited to wear his ninja costume. It was fun to go and watch his little class do their Halloween parade in their costumes and sing some songs for us.

Matthew thought it was great to join the preschool kids, but for some reason when they started playing the music for the kids to march around to, both Caleb & Matthew ended up getting scared about something and neither of them wanted to walk around. They came and stood behind me looking like this. (Maybe it was the 'Monster Mash' :) I was really surprised, that’s not like them at all!

Good thing they got over it quickly. It was still fun, and Caleb ended up having a good time. He couldn't wait to tell me about all the fun things they did.

During the classes, it was fun to have a little time to hang out with Matthew. He’s a busy, but fun little buddy.

Later on that afternoon, it was time to go watch Jacob’s parade and class party. They bring out all of the kids from kindergarten to 4^th grade and they march around the school yard while the band plays. It was definitely loud, but a lot of fun to see all the kids in their costumes.
Jacob had a big smile the whole time and was excited to wave at us. The trick was keeping Caleb & Matthew right by me, they would rather run off and play with all the kids. Fortunately, they found some friends to stand with.

After the parade we went to see Jacob’s class party for a little while, and then we all headed home a little early. It was definitely an excitement packed day!

I tried to get a picture of the boys together when we were leaving and this is what I got. It cracks me up. Matthew is looking off who knows where, and the 'bright' sun is just too much for Jacob and Caleb to handle. Apparently even an overcast day is too bright.

Halloween Part 1

There are always enough activities going on around Halloween that it's easier to write about it in parts. Thursday night we had the annual ward Halloween party. It's fun to get together with ward members and see all the creative costume ideas. It's also nice to have a lighted, warm, indoor part of the holiday too!

I wondered how Matthew would do that evening considering he was completely out on the couch just a short while before it was time to put costumes on, plus he's never been a fan of wearing a costume, especially ones that involve hats on his head. He threw a pretty impressive fit when I put the cute little lion outfit on him, even fruit snacks didn't distract him from his mission of pulling off the mane. Eventually he gave in, he probably just realized that it wasn't coming off, but he was actually really good the rest of the evening. Hopefully he'll tolerate it again for Halloween.
This year, Jeff and I went as bugs. I was a ladybug and Jeff was a bee. The costumes were pretty simple and easy to put together which is always nice. I thought it would be fun for the boys to bugs as well, but they were pretty happy with the costumes they already had. Maybe next year...

The full effect with the cardboard wings & stinger.

Caleb as a ninja, Matthew as a lion, their friend Colin as Wolverine, and Jacob as Spiderman. Not much of a theme for the kids, but it works!

There were some fun activities for everyone at the church. Jacob and Caleb enjoyed doing the cakewalk and collecting the yummy rice crispy treats afterwards.

Matthew had a good time at the coloring table, we weren't too surprised.

After the activities, the kids enjoyed walking around doing the trunk-or-treat through the church. It's always fun to see everyone going through those tiny hallways together. It was a fun evening, and the boys all had a great time. I even got to bring home this cute little jar of treats. Somehow I managed to win the "Guess the Candy Corn" game guessing 263 candy corns compared to the actual number of 258. Not too bad!

Halloween festivities to be continued...

Regrets

Hi Mrs Stevens,

We know you called on October 1st to schedule your 20-week ultrasound appointment, and the next available date we could give you was October 30th. We know you were a little disappointed you'd have to wait so long, especially since that was already past your 20-week mark but you agreed to it. Unfortunately, someone didn't know how to work the scheduling and double scheduled appointments, so even though you've already waited almost a month, we're going to have to push your ultrasound date back until Tuesday, November 2nd. We're sorry that it means your husband won't be able to be there with you since it doesn't work with his schedule. There's not much we can do, unless you want to push it back even further until the end of November. Too bad, so sad.

Regrets,

The Radiology Department

(Looking at the positives...at least I'll get to see Jacob's school Halloween parade. :)

Random October Photos

Just a quick shot of the boys before we left for school in the morning.

I hosted a girl's night this month with a friend. The theme was 'Fall' and as part of it, we enjoyed making caramel apples. It was fun to spend an evening with friends. We had a great turnout- almost 30 women, and it was fun to see all the various creations of apples. I was also happy that the homemade caramel I made for the first time ended up working great for caramel apples.
The girl's night also gave me an excuse to make a little decoration banner. I put it up at the house for the girl's night and then got to hang it up at home in our little 'Halloween' corner.

Of course the month of October wouldn't be complete without a little football & baseball. We don't have television or cable, but fortunately some friends have passed on some great online sites where you can watch a bunch of the games. We've enjoyed watching BYU, BSU, and of course the Phillies! Jeff & the boys enjoying a game together.
Matthew admiring some of his latest artwork, this time a colored pencil AND a crayon on the wall. Why do I always seem to catch him right after he's done the deed? He loves to color on the walls, lamps, floor, and just about anything else. I love Magic Erasers!

Yesterday we were walking out to the car on our way to run some errands. It was pouring rain so I was trying to get the boys to hurry. Jacob and Caleb were great and ran right to the car, with me right behind them. I thought Matthew was right behind me, but of course as I look over my shoulder I see him clear back down the sidewalk, on his hands & knees, trying to drink out of a puddle. This boy...what can I say?

A couple weeks ago we were clearing out our trailer getting it ready to sell. We brought a bunch of things into the house and Caleb managed to find these roller blades & helmet. He thought it was pretty cool to put them on and try his skills around the house. It was pretty funny to watch since the roller blades were huge & came up to his knees. Still, I was impressed by his determination, he did pretty well. And I think I know something he would like for Christmas.

Take a Guess

I think the question you get more than anything during a pregnancy is, "Do you know what you're having?" With my big ultrasound about a week & a half away, we might be able to give an answer to that question pretty soon. It's always fun to see what other people think too, I've had a lot of guesses from different people on whether we'll have a girl or a boy. If you want to add your guess, I've put up a little 'Poll' on the side. It'll be fun to see if the 'ask the audience' lifeline ends up being right...

Happy Birthday Matthew

It's amazing to me that this is where we were at just 2 years ago today. Matthew is now my big 2-year old, and no longer a baby. Matthew’s birthday happened to fall on a Monday, which meant that he and I got to enjoy some one-on-one time together in the morning while the other boys were at school. I figured we’d take advantage of the time and do some things that he'd enjoy. First of all we went to the pet store so he could play with all the puppies that he absolutely adores!
He was so excited and loved running back and forth in front of all the little puppies in their pens. They were excited to see him too and would play with him through the glass. It was fun to watch. After a little while, I asked the store clerk if we could get one out. I thought I had made a good choice, but as soon as they put the puppy down it went crazy! Matthew thought it was fun for a little while, but after the puppy kept jumping on him and nipping at his clothes, he’d had enough. So we had them put the puppy back and just enjoyed them from behind the glass again. Matthew thought it was great, and I was reminded again how glad I am that we don’t have a pet!

He thought the birds, ferrets and fish were pretty fun to see as well.

Our last stop of the morning was to Baskin Robbins to pick out an ice cream cone. They have a great little birthday club, so Matthew was excited to pick out an ice cream cone, and I was happy that it was free! It was fun to have some time to spend with just him that morning. I love doing things with him that make him happy.

The Cake

I made his birthday cake later on, and the boys helped me decide that a race car birthday would be the best for Matthew. I did a basic sheet cake with a race track & some cars on it. The boys thought it was awesome! Now every single one of our boys had had a race car birthday cake for their 2nd or 3rd birthdays.

The birthday boy excited for his presents.

He definitely has some eager 'helpers' to help him with all those presents! They went through the pile pretty quick!

He is definitely a boy, his very favorite presents were the cars & car toys. Once he'd opened a couple of them he was ready to be done & just play with them.

I think all three of them were excited about the cars. Jacob and Caleb helped Matthew get right into those toys!

Trying to take all 11 cars with him. It's so funny to watch him try and carry all of them together.

He kept loosing a couple whenever he'd try to walk.

The prized toys of the evening. All of the boys spent the night playing together. I felt pretty good about the popularity of the toys since we'd been able to get all of Matthew's presents for $30.

Happy Birthday to You! **

A few things about Matthew on his 2nd birthday. (Don't feel obligated to read...just keeping track for myself:)

- Matthew loves to share his treats, with brothers, family, and friends. Often times if I give him a treat, (m&m’s) he’ll sit and give them all away without eating hardly any of them. I love how he says, “Here go!”

- He loves to sing. He’ll sing in the car while we’re driving, or even just around the house. Usually it’s his own lyrics without much meaning, but he’s got the sweetest little voice. My favorite is when he sings and walks around to his singing.

- Matthew doesn’t like layers. Extra jackets, hoodies, hats, etc. He fights wearing his suit coat at church and finally will let me put a jacket on him before school because it’s freezing! Halloween might be rough…

- He loves puppies & dogs! He gets so excited when he sees them & loves to point them out and try to pet them if he’s close. He also loves to ‘be’ a puppy and crawls on hands and knees & say “fuf”. I think it’s cute.

- Matthew loves to look at books. Sometimes he won’t take a nap, but usually he’ll be okay in his crib (after the first 5 minutes) with some cars, or a stack of books to look at.

- He’s very competitive. He loves to race his brothers to the car every time we leave the house or come back from the car. He gets upset when they pass him. He always loves to be right in the middle of whatever they’re doing.

- He really does think he’s one of the big kids and likes to be right with them. It makes him upset when they don’t acknowledge or include him. J

- Matthew loves babies. When he sees one, he loves to yell out “baby” and go see them. He likes to rock them in their carseats, and see their little hands and feet. Hopefully this means he’ll be a good and helpful older brother in a few months!

- He likes to give kisses to the family, especially if Jacob or Caleb gets hurt. He’ll go over, give them a hug & kiss and say, “sorry.”

- He also loves it when his brothers kiss his hurts to make them better. If he falls down while running, I can give him a hug and kiss & he’ll keep whining, but as soon as Jacob or Caleb gives him a hug & kiss, he’ll stop immediately.

- He loves to run…especially away…and he’s fast! He really does love to have space where he can just run around as much as he wants. One reason I’m excited for life beyond city living.

- Matthew loves milk & would drink it all day long if I’d let him.

- He loves cars, busses, trucks, trains, etc. Pretty much anything that most little boys love. He always has to point out all the trucks & busses we pass while driving.

- Loves to try and get up and play on the computer, or climb stools to the top of the entertainment center, and the table, and the counter tops.

- I love how he tells us, “I wuv u!” He’s a sweet little boy and we all sure love him!

Mission: Freedom

He's got the right idea, but hopefully it will be a while before he figures out how to get this one open!

Oh Matthew, is it really that bad to be inside the house?

4 1/2 Month Baby Bump

I was planning to wait until I hit the official 20-week halfway mark before I put up the belly shot, but oh well, here you go Mom & Sis, two weeks early.

The baby bump at 18 weeks.

Baby #4 definitely pokes out earlier than the first, but I've loved feeling the little kicks. :)

It was a rainy afternoon, and after watching the boys run about 100 circles through our walk-though kitchen/dining/living room I told them they all needed to go play together in their room, and then shut the door so they could enjoy some playtime together and Jeff and I could try to have a conversation.

They were doing great together…too great. I soon realized it was getting awfully quiet, and although every mother loves moments of quietness, any mother knows that ‘too quiet’ for ‘too long’ spells trouble. It didn’t take too long before we found out exactly what was going on.

Apparently the boys thought it would be much more fun to go outside and play in the rain than it would be to stay inside. And because we live on the downstairs level, the outdoors are easily accessible (which can also be a good thing- such as when mom doesn’t have keys to get inside and can just climb through the window). Long story short, the boys climbed up on Jacob's bed, Caleb opened the window and pushed out the screen, and then he and Matthew climbed out and went looking for the biggest puddle they could find.

Jacob was the encouraging onlooker/Benedict Arnold who supported the whole thing, and them ratted out the other two once they were out playing. I think maybe he thought he could avoid punishment if he didn’t actually go outside…nice try.
I’m pretty sure we would have figured it out even without his announcement considering the big open area is right in front of our big window. It was a surprise to look out and see them running around in the rain.

We had a little talk with all of them, and I don’t think they’ll be trying this stunt again anytime soon. Well, Matthew probably will, but he won’t have the support of his older brothers!

Even when I went outside to get him, he thought he was pretty funny and just tried to run away. How can you resist taking pictures and getting a little laugh though? These boys definitely keep life exciting!