Happy Halloween!

Presenting this year's costume choices:

Dorothy and her dog, Toto

Toothless the dragon (from How to Train Your Dragon)
Lincoln won the school costume contest with this one!

A packet of watermelon seeds

(I have no clue where he comes up with these ideas, but they are totally his - I'm only responsible for execution)Here's the back... click on the photo to make it larger if you want to read the fine print.

Almost Woody from Toy Story
Eli wanted nothing to do with the costumes, so I was relieved to get this much on him.

Birthday Celebrations

Eli was unlucky enough to get sick on his birthday this year... quickly followed by everyone else in the family. By the time we were all better, Andrew had to leave for a few days to present at a conference. So...

We finally managed to squeeze in some birthday celebrations today! Luckily, 2 year olds have no sense of time so Eli was just thrilled to be able to open presents!


Playing with some of the new toys...


The favorite of the day - Buzz Lightyear!

I'm taking advantage of the fact that this child can't yet articulate his opinions.
The birthday cake was generously donated by Lincoln - his winnings from the cake walk at the school carnival the night before.

It was a wonderfully fun, uncomplicated birthday celebration and Eli loved being the center of attention. We're looking forward to many more happy years with our sweet baby boy!

Thoughts on Halloween

Peter: Mom, all you need for my Halloween costume is a sheep.

Mom: Did you change your mind and decide to be a sheep for Halloween?

Peter: No, but all you need for my costume is a sheep.

Mom: Why do I need a sheep?

Peter: If you have a sheep, you can cut it's hair to make yarn and then you can use the yarn to make my costume... and also some other stuff like socks and hats and things.

Well, I guess I can't argue with that logic...
does anybody have a sheep I can borrow?

My Baby

My baby will be two years old this year...
He is such a force to be reckoned with in our family!
Eli always has something to say about whatever may be going on, but he is also quick to obey and give loves to whoever might need them.
Unfortunately, sometimes I think he bullies the big kids on purpose just so that he can give them loves afterward - and you can't help but smile because he's just so stinking cute!!

Eli has also decided over the last couple of months that he doesn't need naps anymore - not that his body agrees with him all the time... a growing boy needs his rest and this boy is growing more than most - he and Peter wear the same size clothes and shoes now!!


The result being that when we go to wake him from his naps, we find that he has been taking them on the floor, wherever he collapsed after creating chaos in his room.We love you our big boy and can't wait to watch you grow and learn throughout the coming year!

Austin Zoo

Peter has been asking to go to the zoo again, so this time we decided to hit the Austin Zoo. It is actually more of an Animal Rescue Center, but to children who grow up watching "Go, Diego, Go" that's almost better than a zoo!


While they do have some exotic animals like lions, tigers, bears (oh, my!) and leopards...


A lot of the animals are of the more domestic variety - pigs, llamas, sheep, goats, etc.


The Groupon we got included bags of feed for the sheep and goats, and I think that was the highlight of the day. This llama in particular was very gentle and would let the children just drop the food pellets in her mouth.

Hooray for Weddings!

My cousin Jenny and her fiance George got married this weekend!

As none of my extended family are members of the LDS church, this meant a trip to Brenham for a traditional Lutheran wedding ceremony... followed by a fun country reception!

And what country reception would be complete without BBQ? Lincoln it seems was more excited about the pickles, but trust me, it was good!


Since the littles were sick, Andrew stayed home with them and I took the big kids with me. One of my favorite things about these family gatherings is watching my the next generation of cousins play like they've known each other forever. Most of my cousins on my mom's side of the family still live in Texas, so Leah and Lincoln got to play with my cousin's kids all evening.

My aunt Linda had the brilliant idea of setting up a kid's table in one corner of the reception hall - coloring books, little toys, dress up jewelry, goldfish crackers, and fruit snacks! Leah and Kara had a great time with all the treasures they found there. I tried to get a picture of Lincoln playing with Jack and Matt, but they didn't stop moving long enough...

Leah tried valiantly to catch the bouquet, but wasn't quick enough - one of the bridesmaids really wanted that thing! Instead, she made her own bouquet from the flowers on the tables... which I think turned out better anyway.

Lincoln, however, was more successful with the catching of the garter. This may have had something to do with the reluctance of every other male to touch it. It's hard to tell, but in this picture they are all trying to help Lincoln catch it or are standing by just watching the whole spectacle.

Here he is with the proud groom - and you can see the cousins in the background, waiting for Lincoln to be done so they can get back to their games!