Paranormal Activity

Our high-tech security system recently caught this blurred image.

Halloween must be near...

Step Right Up to Celebrate!

What's Been A Happinin'

It's obvious that this is not the time in my life for blogging. 

I'm also not sure that it is the time for showering, eating warm meals, or having any kind of agenda of my own. 

My friends with older kids will tell me it gets worse. As my boys grow up and their lives become over scheduled, mine will too. Times 3.

But that's beside the point. 

My point is that if I can't keep up with blogging maybe I can attempt infrequent, mass updates on the family.

So here's what's been happinin' around here...

I finally have the accessory that all minivans require - a soccer player. I admit that I put this off as long as I could. I wasn't exactly looking forward to giving up my Saturday mornings and adding more things to our schedule during the week but I'm surprised at how much we have all enjoyed it. It's actually, dare I say, fun to watch your kid running around out there - even if the running is aimless and the goal is to get back to the sideline to finish digging an awesome mud hole. Braden seems to be enjoying it and can be counted on to give his all the first 5 minutes of the game (the rest of the game is questionable). My favorite part was the practices early on in the season. It was always funny to hear the coach yell things like, "Braden, no summersaults on the field!"

Zachy turned 1 at the beginning of October. It was a bittersweet celebration with a few tears shed in private. Turing the big 1 also meant saying bye-bye to the bottle. There were fits and (more) tears but, after Declan had me calmed down, the transition went smoothly.


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Ok, that's all I've managed to write all day. I better post it now or it will never make it into the blogosphere. I promise to try to come back soon and finish up. In the meantime, here's a picture of Ryan because it wouldn't be very nice of me to leave him out of this one:

Happy Birthday, Baby!

This week from my phone...

Text & picture from Ryan's preschool teacher:

Here's the "class clown" :)

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Text from me to various family members:

Braden tells us: "I put my shirt on backwards so when I run to attack they think I'm actually running away." Smart kid.

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Text & picture from me to various people:

Trouble...

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Picture from Aunt Sheila:

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Picture from Dec:

Let the awkward years begin...

Braden lost his first tooth!

The Dad

Declan - 33 Years Old

I think Declan might just be my favorite kid. He's pretty self-sufficient, doesn't ask for much, and his aim in the bathroom is far superior to the other boys'.

When I went back & read the posts I wrote about Braden, Ryan, & Zach I realized that most of their standout qualities were inherited from their Dad.
Sweet
Thoughtful
Sensitive
Funny
Will eat anything
(it's hard to tell what Zach's standout qualities will be just yet, so I went with this one)


I asked the boys to tell me about their dad and this is what they had to say:

Braden
"My dad is awesome! He lets me stay up late & feeds me yummy desserts! He likes football, hockey, and us. He doesn't like kids gum, skunks, and Zachy's stinky diapers."

Ryan
"My dad plays with me, watches movies & TV with me, and he loves me! He likes hugs and kisses. He doesn't like stinky diapers."

Zach
"dadadadadadada"



It's pretty impressive how well they know their dad - they highlighted most everything I was going to mention....

His favorites:
Football (Broncos)
Hockey (Sharks)
Cooking
Music
Movies
His family

His not-so-much:
Stinky diapers
Sticky things
Dirty-germy things