Halloween 2010

In trying to prepare this year, I asked the boys who they wanted to be for Halloween. They both said Darth Vader. After purchasing the costumes about a month early, I asked them again (why you ask - now I am not really sure). At this point, Levi said he wanted to be a spider.....later told me a witch.....and Jacob said Mario......or Kick Buttowski. Well - we broke out the Darth Vader costumes so they could try them on - and hopeful that it would solidify them. It worked - they were excited to be Luke's father.....

Levi tired of his mask quickly - but here he is - crooked mask and all - with his eyes peering through.

Jacob giving me some great action shots with the light saber.

We went to the harvest festival at our church first - with games and lots of candy - and then walked around the neighborhood with friends (daycare peeps). MacKenzie and Levi were so cute - holding hands almost the entire way. She was taking care of him :)

Here is Molly - all smiles - cruising along with the kids.

My mom and dad came by before we went out - and ate with us and saw the boys off for their night of adventure. We walked around for about an hour and a half - and got SOOOO much candy.

When we got home, I had got some candy so the boys could hand some out - they love that. Well - it was so close to bedtime - we only opened the door a few times and it was time to head off to bed. So - Jim put the candy on the porch. I thought we should put a sign on it - to take a few pieces. Well - 10 minutes later - the full bucket of candy was GONE! At one point - I looked out the peephole with all of the commotion - and there was kid after kid after kid coming to the door. It might have been a good thing we weren't home for the majority of the night - mighta ran out of candy early.

Molly's 1-Year-Old Pebbles Party

Molly had her 1 year old party on October 16th. She is our daycare's youngest daughter - and the boys just love her. She partied in Flintstone style.

Jacob enjoyed playing in the bounce house - here he is a bit overheated.

Levi was a bit shy about the bounce house - but had fun with finding the candy and treats from the pinata.

It was a beautiful day for an outdoor party. Time sure flies by - we will blink and she will be turning 2.

Fire Department Open House - October 2010

Our local fire department has a yearly open house - with free hotdogs, punch, bounce house and activities for the kids. We were able to stop by after one of Jacob's soccer games. Here are the boys after getting some balloons.

Jacob had a turn using the fire hose.

Getting a wide spray.

Levi using his muscles on it.

The water feels funny.

Jacob sliding down the large blow-up slide. Levi is not very fond of these large ride on toys. He prefers not to jump in a bounce house - or go on this slide.

We look forward to next year - and maybe Levi will be more adventurous and ready to enjoy all that it has to offer.

All Ready for Bed

Levi is about ready to be done with naps - so when he does nap - he has lots of energy at night while he is supposed to be going to sleep. He goes through several changes of jammies - and often dons footwear. Here he is - passed out on his bed - after removing his shirt and putting on some "new to him/hand me down" tennies that were in his closet. Oh - silly boy....

Big Kid Desk

One of my good friends gave me a desk that she used as a child. We painted it and replaced the drawer handles - and put it in Jacob's room after he started school. After getting a cool chair from IKEA - look at the studious student now!

He loves school - and enjoys doing most of his homework. Although - numbers and letters are not his favorite...

Here he is working on some more homework. Isn't he the cutest thing?

He now has a lamp on his desk too - and he is able to store all of his prized possessions in his desk drawers.

Thank you Jen for this cool desk - that is getting some good use 30+ years later. They don't make desks like these anymore!

Sacramento River Cats 2010

We got free tickets to a Sacramento River Cats game for Saturday, August 28th from Jim's work. The River Cats are a AAA team for the Oakland A's. This was the boys first experience at baseball. To start it off - it was the coolest day in August - at about a 73 degree high. With a wind, we thought we were going to freeze our booties off in the evening. Luckily, my 3 year old human blanket worked quite well keeping me warm!

Jacob took this picture. Even though we had some of the cheapest tickets - the view was pretty good. Being a fairly small stadium, there aren't many bad seats.

The boys did well and we stayed to the top of the 7th inning. We were glad we had free tickets - with snacks being so expensive and parking - we still spent about $30. With the tickets - we would have been out about $80. Before we even got there, Jacob was looking forward to cotton candy and a sno cone. Well - he tried 1 bite of cotton candy - didn't like that - and wasn't too fond of the sno cone either. Levi enjoyed them though!

So - we also had some licorice and popcorn. The popcorn was a big hit. What could be more fun then eating tasty snacks, watching the mascots be silly, dancing to the music, and cheering with the crowd. Oh...and watching the game! After every hit - Jacob would ask if it was a homerun. I guess I need to start teaching my boys about baseball!

It was a fun evening! With the boys getting older - I can see more first time events in our future. Looking forward to checking out a Sacramento Kings game someday!

First Day of Kindergarten

Jacob started school this Wednesday - on August 25th. He is in the afternoon kindergarten - that meets from 11:10a to 2:30p. We chose the afternoon partially due to him being about ready to be done with afternoon napping. He is going to a school by his daycare - where he gets to walk with the other kids to daycare after school. The daycare is about 2 blocks from the school.

There are about 20 kids in his class. The morning class was in session - so we took a picture outside the door. His teacher's name is posted on top of the door - Mrs. McDaniel.

He loves recess time already - loves the jungle gym. Before his first day - he was constantly asking when he would get to go out and play on the monkey bars.

First experience in class - sitting on the number rug and listening to some class rules. He did so well sitting still with his legs crossed and hands in his lap. His name is posted at his spot on a table - with about 3 other kids sharing the table with him.

We filled out a few forms on orientation Monday night - and one of the questions asked about his strengths. We noted "verbal communication." That is an understatement! He is full of questions as always - hopefully he doesn't make his teacher crazy!

He was so ready to start school. Amazing that we have one beginning his elementary school journey - and the other is potty training and doing very well. They are growing up fast!