making sugar cookies

Right after Halloween we were feeling the loss of that holiday. There had been so many activities, and now there wasn't a whole lot for the kids to look forward to for a while. It had gotten cold enough outside they finally had to play inside, and we needed something to do. Chad, having some time suggested that we do a service project, and really let the kids do the whole thing. Cookies are our fall back, and that seemed like a good project for them on a cold afternoon. Luckily Chad spearheaded this one. I typically don't have the patients for the mess that comes with such hands-on help. I usually let the kids dump an ingredient after I have measured it, or let them hold an egg or something before I crack it, but Chad got down on the floor with a bowl and a spoon and let them do it all. He is a pretty amazing dad! That night for family home evening we delivered plates and plates of cookies all over Village Green and in our ward in Council Bluffs. There were some less than perfect looking cookies, but we had a great time making a big mess!

the despicable williams

We love Halloween! And, like I said last year, Village Green is the greatest place in the world for a kid to have it! It isn't all about blood and gore, it's about characters and LOTS of candy! Last year I spent hours sewing all of our costumes. This year I got considerably lazier and resorted to dye (that was nearly a disaster all by it's self) and hot glue. While it may not have been as visually appealing it was so much fun. We started off by watching Despicable Me so that I could get my kiddos excited about what I had already decided they would be for Halloween. I hope that lasts another year! They loved it! Then we enjoyed all of our normal Halloween traditions one at a time. It was just a great season really. We loved what is very possibly our last Halloween here in the Corn husker state!

We made minion cupcakes. Truthfully, it was more aesthetic than tasty. The bodies, after all, were Twinkies. Plus, Aimee and Porter had a lot of fun putting sprinkles on them.

Our annual trip to Vala's Pumpkin Patch was awesome. Chad's externship ended just in time for us to hit one of the last warm week days for a not too crowded visit. We have now been there enough to know what to spend our time on to make the most of our day without missing anything and without wearing the kids out on the stuff that isn't awesome. One of my personal favorites is the jumping pillows.

Aimee has gotten all girlie on me, and wanted her picture taken in the pumpkin princess.

Between the hail storm we had here, and the lateness of the season, it was tough finding the pumpkins we wanted. I admit, we settled.

This is the family peddle cart. Chad also made sure to take Aimee and Porter on the single rider ones so they could go fast. Porter wasn't a big fan of going fast...all in good time.

The out-house pictures are some of my favorites.

Aimee and the four boys next to her are the fanatical five. This is our car pool group that we love. These kids are crazy on a normal morning heading to school, but this morning in their costumes they were uncontainable! They are at the old folks home in this pic. They came and sang a few songs for them. It was so cute!

This is Aimee's first school party. I loved the paper towel plates!

Aimee won the pin-the-nose-on-the-jack-o-lantern! Sadly, she first ran into the wall when released with the blind fold! I was laughing so hard I think some of the other parents thought I was mean. If only they knew how often that happens without a blind fold...

This was the final product! Pratt had glasses, but after the ward trunk-or-treat they were misplaced. I have the cutest villain and baby minions!

Our pumpkins this year! Aimee just couldn't stop painting, and hers ended up mostly yellow. Porter had more paint on himself than his pumpkin. Prat was a great watcher. I chose a simple one so that I could keep everyone in paint, and Chad kept with the Despicable Me theme.

Mummy minion.

Frankenstein minion. I am married to such an artist!

tidbits

I snapped this photo a couple of weeks ago. Now Pratt is up on his knees and rocks back and forth. He wants to crawl so bad but hasn't quite figured it out. It is just a matter of time though.

While Pratt technically isn't mobile yet he still does a pretty good job getting around. Aimee and Porter regularly play and hide under the bunk beds, but this night after tubby time Pratt was able to join in the fun.

It is pretty fun getting to teach your kids to tell you how awesome you are or to do funny things. I caught one of those incidents on camera the other night.

We have never had a kid with so much chin chub. This is one of the fun benefits of it!

peer presure

In the last few months Aimee as become very attached to her bike. She rides it outside regularly, and to the clubhouse for several of our activities there. I feel like our $15 yard sale investment has been a good one. A couple of week ago the bike became a little cool. Most of Aimee's Sunbeam class lives within 50 yards of us, and they are all older than Aim. Just recently several of these other four year olds had their training wheels taken off, and replaced with a dad running behind them while holding on to the bike seat. Of course Aimee didn't want to be left out, and requested also have her training wheels removed. Only day before Chad had seen Aimee's little friend take a pretty good spill off her bike. It resulted in blood and several bandages. Being the cautious dad that he is, Chad was not thrilled about this. He talked Aimee into trying it out on one of her friends bikes first before doing it to her bike.

It was a lot of fun for her for about ten minutes, and then she was ready to hop back on her four wheeled bicycle to enjoy the convenience of little effort needed to ride a bike. Either way it was cute to watch.

train museum

We have awesome friends! One of our good friends turned 30, and his wife threw him an awesome Amazing Race surprise party. We drove all over old market Omaha and Council Bluffs doing everything from downing ice cream in record time to singing to strangers and hanging upside down on the monkey bars at a local park. It was a blast! We were seconds from winning, and had it not been for a blatant traffic violation just blocks from the finish line we would have. It worked out great though because our prize was admission for our entire family to a train museum in Council Bluffs. I admit that the kids didn't enjoy the race as much as we did, so it was great that we won something they would love so much, especially Porter.

The museum had all sorts of miniature trains moving through model towns. There was also a small train that they could drive. There was a fair amount of bickering over whose turn it was, but still fun. We also got to step into several engines, and walk through a variety of train cars that included old fashioned mail cars, sleeper cars, army cars and dinning cars. They rang the rail yard bell, and had a great time.

ward camp-out

We had been really looking forward to our ward camp out. With Chad gone all summer we hadn't been able to go, but this was just the opportunity we needed. The forecast was clear this year, but it did say it would be a cold that evening. We got up to Hitchcock with plenty of time to go claim our camp spot. It reminded us of just how much we love our hand-me-down tent. We then enjoyed a BBQ and fireside before we headed back to the campground. Honestly, I missed most of the night. By the time I put Pratt to bed and pumped up in the van, most people had gone to bed. I found a few smores and learned that Aimee and Porter had actually asked Chad to take them to bed while I was away. It had been a big night. They had definitely made the most of being in the woods. That night I could have written a thank you card in the dark (because for the second year in a row we forgot to pack a flashlight) to our neighbors who kindly loaned us their four sleeping bags. Every blanket that we own wouldn't have been enough. It was cold! My little Prattman's rolling skills are not good for staying under the blankets while in a pack n' play outdoors. I also learned that Chad thought the sleeping bags for Aimee and Porter were just for padding. He gave the kids all of his blankets, and I wouldn't have been warm if I had had all of them myself. I got up early the next morning to feed Pratt and pump. The two of us enjoyed the warm van for a couple of hours before I headed back down. That morning we enjoyed fried eggs, hash browns, sausage, donuts and juice. We swapped stories with our friends about their crazy nights and packed up. We got to drive back home on I-29 for the first time since the flood closed it. It was quite a site to see. We got home in time for Chad to vacuum the van out and me to uncover our kids from the layers of dirt and smoke they had built up. Someday we will get good at the camping thing, but for now we are having fun make memories failing at it!

7 months old

Pratt had a check-up just last week. I learned that my not-so-little boy is indeed, not so little. He was 19 pounds, and his height was at about the 67th percentile. He may not be a baby that people gawk at because of his size but we are still adjusting to his size. Porter was about 18 and 1/2 pounds at his one year, and Aimee was just barely over 16 pounds. I continue to be amazed that a child can actually follow clothing sizes by month. Right now my little guy is learning to eat. He was not excited about this step. I only wished I had captured a picture that would have said it all.. He is getting much better now and has mastered rice cereal, peas (Chad thinks I am a villain for this), carrot, and his favorite, sweet potatoes. He has also caught up to his brother in terms of hair growth. I now have two little heads to cut every three or so weeks. Pratt continues to be a great sleeper, and waker. By that I mean that he always wakes up happy. In fact he often just wakes up and plays. It isn't crying that gets me in the room to retrieve him, it is his little happy squeals. I only with I knew how long he had been in there before I heard him playing... He is a little rolling machine. Aimee has gotten quite good at pulling him back onto the rug in the living room. Although, he also loves his walker. He is my first kid big enough to actually use it. Aimee and Porter couldn't reach the floor until they were too old to enjoy it. He scoots backward all over the kitchen. Pratt loves everyone, and everyone loves Pratt, although Porter reserves his affection for special occasions or when he feels possessive of the kids outside cooing at him. Pratt makes me baby hungry, and that is saying a lot! But don't worry, that is most definitely not in the plan for a while!