I love that my son's school teaches the kids The Pledge of Allegiance.

Afternoon entertainment.

Day Off

Now that AJ is in kindergarten, we really miss the lazy days at home, just playing in our pj's all morning. Last Thursday he had a day off and we did just that. One of AJ's favorite things to do is play school. He has adjusted to the role of "smartie" (as his teacher calls the kids) amazingly. He writes messages on our white board using "brave spelling." The teacher in me is so thrilled to watch him learn how to read & write. We attended our first ever parent-teacher conference last week and it was very interesting sitting on the other side of the table. I miss the classroom, but I absolutely love the privilege of being my boys' first teacher.

Jordan is 4!

Poor guy had the flu on his birthday, but we still celebrated, and it was fun to have Uncle Brian in town from Chicago. Happy Birthday, JoJo! You're such a big boy now, and we love you to pieces!

Halloween

We had fun trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood this year.....and our cousins joined us! We ate birthday cake since JoJo had the flu on his real birthday. We also started a tradition of giving out hotdogs and hot apple cider instead of candy. This wasn't very popular among the littlest trick-or-treaters, but the tweens loved it!

Ahoy!

I'll admit, we get excited about Halloween around here. This pumpkin design is perfect for our pirate-loving boys. I just love seeing life through their little imaginative eyes. They had the most fun changing the facial pieces around, and then making their own silly faces. They get excited about seemingly simple things, but to them life holds so much wonderment. It's good to be back home. These guys are my pride and joy.

Birthday Fun

Wow, did I ever feel loved on my birthday! I celebrated with my boys......yummy chocolate cake and birthday song. The next night I was treated to dessert with my mom and sis. Then came my big birthday surprise from my husband....a girls weekend in LA with my good friend from college. I was glad to also visit some extended family while in CA. I boarded the plane Wednesday evening and returned 4 days later a much more relaxed and refreshed mom & wife. Thank you honey for this incredible gift! (And thanks to Liz for showing me a great time.) I truly felt overwhelmed and grateful.

And no, I didn't accidently insert a picture from last winter.....this is the first time I recall getting snowed on on my birthday. Gotta love Minnesota! The trip to 85 degree weather couldn't have come at a better time.