Happy Halloween

This year was another wild and crazy one!  We hit the neighborhood a little more than last year and the kids got TONS of candy!  I have 4 Walmart bags full of candy!  I am a fun hater, Cory says, and I think that is WAY too much but oh well, they had fun!

This is also the first year I have purchased costumes.  We usually make do with some dress up costumes that we already have, but the kids were begging for a superhero theme and since we are Batman OBSESSED around here, I went with it. 

 Cole was Batman, or blue Batman, as they call it...not to be confused with Dark Knight :)

 My Dynamic Duo

 Caden was going to be the Flash to complete the Superhero theme, but saw this in a catalog and wanted it desperately. 



 My Little Robin ready for action...he was too cute!  All night if we would say Crosby, he would correct us and tell us his name was Robin.  He totally got into character.

 Boy Wonder :)

 My 4 little men, ready to defend!

 Carter being Green Lantern

Here is the best shot I could get of Croby and our friend Cason.  Cason used our elephant costume and it was SO CUTE on him! 

 Here is Crosby's loot...see what I mean...TOO MUCH CANDY!

This is one of my FAVORITE shots from today.   My caption on instagram said something about why wasn't this a scene on cartoons?!!?!  I thought it was a funny site to see all those costumes hanging on the line outside!

Halloween Parties and Piano Perfermances

Cole had a great time at school on Halloween!  They were able to wear their costumes to school and go to a local retirement home to "trick or treat"  He had so much fun!  He said he was one of three Batman at school that day, but he was excited about it!

I took this picture of Cole and his best friend Jarrett.  They were so cute together.

A couple of days before Halloween, Caden had the opportunity to preform in a little piano recital.  His teacher is so good about finding ways for the students to play in front of others.  They preformed at the same retirement home Cole went to.  Caden has performed there twice this summer and so he knew what to expect.  Several of the students dressed up, so of course Caden wanted to do that.  I was really proud of him!  He worked hard on this piece and memorized it well!  He has only been taking since March.  He is a natural :)

October Phone Photos

Here are several photos from October.  We have been pretty busy!  We had soccer, my half marathon, my surgery, Fall Break, and Halloween!  So between all that we didn't have much time to relax.  Here are the photos I snapped from my phone.

Caden was given the opportunity to start mowing.  He does pretty well for an 8 year old!

Crazy Coley Bear!  He got vampire teeth from somewhere and thought they were SO COOL!  We went to Weatherford on the way back from my half marathon to see Becca and Cole wanted to scare her with his teeth.  He is so cute!

Another cutie of Cole...loves dressing up!

Crosby loves being goofy too!  He kept saying "where's me?!?!"

Carter Andrew is crazy just like his Daddy!  Always getting up way too EARLY!  He was up several times this particular week before 6am...YIKES!

After my surgery, GiGi took the boys home for Fall Break, we drove to meet them halfway and pick them up.  Cory did all the driving and I guess was particularly tired after the trip.  I was supposed to be resting but I guess these two were tired!  So funny!

After a week of recovery and not being around much, and Cory doing more of the care of the little guys, Crosby has changed his Momma's boy tune...he is in LOVE with his Daddy!

 

This day, he wanted to work with Daddy...so cute!

Here is Crosby's working project.  I love that he colors with is left hand!  He is so precious.

Crosby, like Carter, has decided to be an early riser some this month.  So this was my breakfast date one early morning this week.

Cory let the boys stay up late one Monday evening.  "This is how memories are made" he said, "Watching the 49ers on Monday Night Footballl!"  So crazy!  Cole was beyond exhausted and had already fallen asleep. 

I tried all summer to get Cole interested in learning his letters.  I joked so much that Caden and Carter were so advanced, but Cole was going to college on an athletic scholarship.  Now before you judge me, if you really know our Cole...academics just didn't matter to him yet and he is one rough and tumble boy!  But week by week he is learning his letters in preschool and on this day, he BLEW me AWAY!  He wanted to write his name and I was SHOCKED at how well he did.  He is making HUGE progress!  Good thing his name is only 4 letters...lol!

Crosby became obsessed as it got colder with his cute little houseshoes.  He even suckered Daddy into letting him go to sleep in them.

Caden won an art contest at his school for Fire Prevention Week.  They chose one boy and one girl from the WHOLE school.  He was really excited!  They gave him a $20 gift card at Walmart.  He purchased a Lego set, to no surprise!  He came home and spent lots of time in his room, putting it together...so proud!

Like I said, busy busy!

Spirit of Survival

So I chose to do another half marathon...I know CRAZY right!  But I really really enjoyed this one and I want to do it again!  I loved running in the town I was born and grew up in, I loved seeing people I knew, and most importantly I LOVED seeing my family at the finish line.  I always feel like I failed as an athlete in high school because I quit playing sports after my freshmen year so I felt a little redemption as my parents watched me cross the finish line! 

 

I am so thankful for Tisha and Michelle pushing me to train and going along with my crazy idea to be Wonder Woman!  It was so FUN!  Here we are, all smiles before hand!

They had a professional photographer on the course, so here I am in action...don't I look thrilled.  I was in such a zone, I don't remember where this is or even seeing the person taking the pictures.

This is the most embarrassing, but the most acurate depiction of how I felt!  I was SO TIRED, but so emotional.  I think mostly because as I came up the last turn I could hear the boys yelling "run Momma run!"  What Mom wouldn't tear up at that! 

 I am really proud of Caden for his participation in this!  He chose, with a little prodding, to participate in the Kid's Marathon.  He had to log 25 miles pre race day.  He mainly did 1-1.5 mile stretches but he did them all!  Then on race day he logged his last 1.2 miles to equal 26.2! 

Daddy got to run with him, since Momma could barely walk.

 To continue with the superhero theme, he dressed like the Flash!

 It was so crowded at the start that we didn't even think to time him, but he was fast!  He left Daddy in the dust!  Hoping he does this again with me next year, or maybe even the 5k! 

A wonderful weekend, well spent!

Donuts with Dads, I mean Pops

At Free Spirit, they always do Donuts with Dads when they get to letter D.  But Cory was out of town this whole week at meetings in Austin :(  So I just had to say the word and Pops rode in to save the day!  WHAT A GUY!  He will do anything for his kids and even more for his grandsons! 

He drove in after work on Tuesday night and played a few games of cards with the older boys.
Cole was in a mood this week and didn't want to go to school at first.  I actually had to carry him in and leave him there with Pops grunting and crying.  But of course as soon as I left, the show was over and he was fine!  Tisha was there with her son and snapped a few pics and texted them to me so I knew how he was doing :) 

All smiles once Momma was gone and the donuts came out!

Goofballs

Cole was showing off his reading skills!

He showed Pops all the stuff they play with!

Pops had a great time and we are so thankful he could go with Cole.  He even stayed and played with the little two all afternoon and a little with the big two once they came home from school.  What a great POPS!

Evening at Boiling Springs

One gorgeous fall day, I decided to have an impromtu picnic at Boiling Springs.  So I told all 5 kids to get ready to go, packed a fun picnic lunch, and called Cory.  He got home in time to help load up everyone and off we went.

 

We ate leftovers and had a great evening enjoying nature.  We played on the playground a bit, took a quick hike and went exploring.  A GREAT EVENING!!!

 

Caden climbing on the play structure.

 Carter thought he had to try it too!

 Momma and Carter

 Momma with Caden and Crosby

Momma and Crosby

 Daddy and his boys on a hike!

 The three older boys climbing on EVERYTHING!

 I think Caden is truly a monkey!

Carter was just so cute, posing like a champ

 Self pic of the lovebirds...not bad right!?!?  I love this man greatly!  Such a great Hubby and Dad!

We truly enjoyed ourselves.  We were able to see some deer too.  Finished up just before dusk and headed home in time for baths and bed.  Perfect ending to a day!

September Recap

Just a few pics from my phone to recap the last part of September.

 

 

The big two boys begged to stay up a little late and read, hard to say no to that request!

I came home one morning from carpooling and this is what greeted me...strange.  Still not sure who set them all up!

Operation Must Nap was a success this day.  He gets so tired after a long week of school, I am trying to make him nap some during the week.  This had helped his attitude tremendously!

Crosby is still OBSESSED with all things Batman.  He wears a cape of some sort almost daily and begs to take a Batman figure every where he goes...CRAZY!

Caden had lost his glasses AGAIN, and since I am the only obsessive compulsive one about finding them, I found them and received a foot rub for my efforts.  Not a bad night!

Coley Bear begged Daddy for a mohawk and he obliged...it was AWESOME!  It didn't last all of school, but it was so cool to start!