A Swashbuckling Halloween!

Halloween crept up on us once again and it was a mad rush to finish costumes, run out and get Halloween candy, get the house decorated and get dinner in the crock pot. Unlike many neighborhoods these days we actually get about 500 trick-or-treaters so it's still a big deal in our neck of the woods. Luke and Kyle were Buccaneers this year and really took their costumes seriously. Mom didn't want to get left out so she made herself a "little devil" mini costume and Dad just wanted to be... Dad. We did some early trick-or-treating and then hunkered down at home to wish all the other 500 kids a Happy Halloween! Hope yours was frightful.

Captain Luke

Cabin Boy Kyle

Captain Luke ready to make Dad walk the plank ~

Little devil mom and her swashbuckling boys ~

Don't you dare swipe my candy or I'll hang you from the crow's nest by your ears ARGGHHH ~

Down on the Farm.....Yeeehaw!

Off we went to the pumpkin farm to pick out our pumpkins in 95 degree weather, hmmm... that just seems wrong for the end of October. Anyways, we had a rootin tootin good time petting pigs, feeding goats and sheep dried corn, riding on ponies and picking out pumpkins. We packed our lunch and had an old fashioned picnic on a hay pale as well. Mom was solo and "sweated bullets" but we had a blast. Kinda makes me want to just go back to basics and live out somewhere rural where life is simple, wholesome and full of life.... I said kinda.......

So this is what a piggy feels like ~

My little farmer ~

My little pumpkin ~

Down on the farm ~

Feeding Mr. Goat ~

Video Time

God bless video time... there are days when you just gotta give it to them to get a little peace and quiet. This particular morning Kyle was really interested as well, he is just now starting to enjoy the kid shows. What was so touching is that Luke had the idea to bring in the two chairs and the blanket, spreading the blanket over them to get "comfy" and then watching together. They definitely get their laser beam TV glare from their dad, when the TV is on, there is no penetrating it.

Oh So Silly.....

There are days when I realize I haven't taken any photos of Kyle in quite a while. I definitely need to think about it more often than I did with Luke, the second child definitely gets the short end of the stick in this department. So this day I grabbed the camera and just watched Kyle play on a chair. He is the silliest kid, and his emotions can change in an instant. It's like, "Oh I'm so mad", then "Oh, mom has the camera", then "Oh I need to put on my happy face now."

My Brother, My Friend

One of the most incredible things for me lately is watching Luke and Kyle
"become" brothers. Caring for each other, loving each other, hanging out together and just developing their relationship. I am SO thankful that I decided to have another child and I believe the boys will thank me when they are older as well.

Yipee I'm 1!!!

On September 14th, Kyle turned 1, amazing. Time has flown by and we have tried to cherish each moment. Kyle also decided to turbo walk on his birthday and is now nonstop action. We had a fabulous day, even though mom was in the ER the night before. We even had a special visit from Uncle Mark the sheriff who brought his patrol car. The kids enjoyed sitting inside and hearing the siren go off. And what party wouldn't be the same without cake? Kyle enjoyed his carrot cake and wanted more and more. Happy Birthday my little one!

Group shot of the party people ~

Put the siren on Uncle Mark ~

Yum, carrot cake ~