Christmas Pictures

A morning of trying to get shots of the boys for the annual Christmas card a few weeks ago....

Little E was determined to not look at the camera
but of course adorable none the less!!

"vintage" Evan




Hayden was very cooperative but
Mommy realized I likely would not
get a good shot of the two of them together smiling at me...but it was fun!

Hayden was finally getting bored ..

Evan is flat out just going to run from me at this point

Mommy was so happy both my boys kept their adorable little hats on without complaint.

and the finished product.....

front

back

Sweetest Little Thought...

Oh, sweet Hayden - the things you think of to ask me these days. I have to write these down to never forget.
I was standing in the kitchen yesterday doing dishes while the boys ate lunch and from no where Hayden asks, "Mom, did you name Evan because it rhymes with Heaven?" I realize that in all reality Hayden is really getting the whole concept of rhyming but to me it was the sweetest sentiment. It felt like no coincidence to me though because in fact Evan means "Gift from God."
As a friend of mine, Shannon, wrote on her blog a couple of months ago, "There are no coincidences, just God." - I love it!
Another thing he ask me in the car the other day really struck me. "Mom, if we start as babies who took care of the very very first babies?" I was able to tell him about how God made Adam and Eve first but I was so awed by such a little mind to think of such. Hayden, you are such a compassionate little soul!

Half Marathon!!!

So yes I look really scary here but this was one happy girl to finish a half marathon at 2 hr 32 minutes. (This included a 5 minute wait during the race for a port o potty which I am bummed about having to stop for but my bladder was not going to stand for it any longer!) That was a good lesson learned for pre-race water consumption for my next half marathon.

Anyhow, the weather was perfect and the path was beautiful. The energy was fantastic and the support of people all along the Dallas streets was so encouraging. It really was a lot of fun. I am eager to do it again next year!!

It was awesome to see all my boys waiting for me at the finish line. Daddy braved taking them by himself on the train with a double stroller and all down in that crazy crowd to watch me finish. It was by far the best site I had seen all day! We went for a late breakfast afterwards and I gladly finished without guilt a delicious stack of pumpkin pancakes - YUM!!

As part of my goal, I was fundraising for my friend Kristin's Angel Twins, Cathryn and Corynne. You can still contribute to my campaign and your donation is tax deductible at Colleen's Run for the Angel Twins.

This was for you, sweet angels!

Birthday Boys...

So I catch myself "backblogged" again. November was a big month for my two sweet birthday boys.

Little "E" turned 2 on November 14th. Daddy took a little break from work to meet us at The Cupcakery for some delicious cupcakes and present opening.

His preschool teachers made him the darling crown the day before.
I thought it would be appropriate for our little celebration, too.
He was "King" for the day.

This was the first birthday Evan could really appreciate opening gifts. He is all about trains
right now so he was fascinated with his Thomas the Train wrapping paper.

Of course we got him a little train track! He loved checking it out.

Evan we can't believe how the time has gone already. You are talking more and more each day. I love to hear your cheerful "Hi, Momma!" in the morning and your "I love you, Momma!" at night just melt my heart away. You always keep me on my toes, my little "E Monster." The big hugs that you give us around the neck as you smash your sweet little face into ours are priceless.

their birthday card I made with Sock Monkeys
www.celestialcreationsbycolleen.com

I decided on Sock Monkeys as the theme (perfect for my little "monkeys" as I often call them). I cheated and just found an illustration online. I downloaded, printed, and cut around it. I then just frosted over the paper and put in on the cake. It was removed of course before cutting and made the cake decorating process SOOO much easier!

Evan and then Hayden going down the bounce house slides.

The boys celebrated with some friends together.

Hayden on a car at Chuck E Cheese's the night of his birthday on November 25th.
Hayden you are the sweetest little boy- what a blessing we have in you! You
have been so excited to tell everyone that you are 5 years old and that
you go to kindergarten in just 9 months. I am so proud
that you look out for your little brother and show your love for him and those
around you.
You are learning to read and show us more and more each day
what a big boy you have become.
You will be a wonderful man someday!

Hayden enjoys his super cool Chuck E Cheese light up cup.

Hayden is so into Lego's right now. We are amazed at
how well he is able to look at the instruction booklet
and put the detailed pieces together.

Hayden was the first birthday in his class this year. He got to sit in the middle of the circle
while his classmates got to sing to him and help make his day super special.

We all joined Hayden in his preschool birthday celebration and
we brought cupcakes to share with his friends.

Halloween Fun!

Okay, so I know I am an entire week behind on this one...(better late than never!)

Evan went as Winnie the Pooh as a honey bee. He wore the hood and everything - I couldn't believe it! Hayden went as his requested super hero, Superman. I admit they were a precious pair.
They really loved the whole knocking on people's doors to get candy
thing. Evan could not understand why he couldn't put his costume on to do it again the next day.

Hayden sported his Texas Longhorn candy basket and Evan loved his Elmo basket.
They especially loved the $1 pumpkin flash lights that Grandmommy had purchased
to carry with them. They put them inside their baskets to help light the way.
Again, why do we bother with expensive toys?

While I am at it, I will cram into this post our other Halloween festivities earlier that week.
Hayden had his sweet friend, Colin, over for a while and I decided to finally experiment
with one of those fun Halloween dessert crafts you see in all the magazines and say to yourself
you are going to do but never get around to. I mean you have good intentions, even ear mark the pages, but then it just gets forgotten about until the next Woman's Day magazine comes out with the next holiday "fun for all" food craft.

The precious duo.

They each kindly took turns pouring in the ingredients I measured out for them.

Hayden was checking out what he calls the "constructions."


We of course had to use "Cars" baking cups.

This is supposed to be a bat.

This is my attempt at a little spider in its web. It turned out
okay but didn't look as near as great as in the magazine.
It was a fun little craft none the less and the boys had fun mixing!

EARLIER THAT DAY.....

This is what happens when Mommy let's it get
"too quiet" upstairs without going to investigate right away.
Thank goodness little E didn't flush!!
It was a brand new roll.

Evan's Name for Pumpkins...

We are not sure how this came about but Evan is adamant that pumpkins are called ghosts. He will not have it any other way no matter how much convincing we try. He is sure to correct us.

An October Morning at the Arboretum

Steve took of work Friday for a nice family outing at the Arboretum. It was perfect weather and the boys had a great time exploring and playing in the pumpkins and hay. I was so happy to get pics of them in their adorable matching Halloween shirts from my favorite children's clothing store, Janie and Jack.

Sweet Hayden is having a fantastic time.

As usual, Evan is on the move as Daddy tries to get a pick of us together.

Hayden enjoys taking the time to pose with Mommy.

Daddy somehow manages to get E to cooperate for just a second to snap a pic together.

Daddy helps Evan walk across the tops of the hay bales.

Evan loved throwing the hay around. I think that was the best part for him.

Hayden's First Staple - Ouch!

Hayden had his first boo-boo requiring one staple this week. He was playing on the playground at preschool and fell back and hit his head after colliding with another child. His Daddy came rushing in right behind me from work as soon as he heard with the Blackberry already to his ear calling the doctor to wait further instruction and asking his symptoms. Apparently I come to find out that Steve dashed through the main office without even stopping to wait for a name tag and sign in -( such a sweet concerned Daddy!)
Steve took Hayden to the doctor while I took Evan back home for his nap. He said he did great and was such a trooper. Of course Daddy took him for a Wii Game rental and ice cream afterwards - nothing a little TLC couldn't fix. He gets his staple out tomorrow. I am so glad. I think seeing the staple bothers me more than the wound. It looks like it would hurt but Hayden forgets it is even there on the back of his head. I guess if we made it to almost 5 years with 1 staple being the worst injury so far we are doing good :-)

Go Texas!

Nothing like a Texas Skull Cap and
"Texas Fight" from little E
to cheer the Longhorns to victory!
Go Horns!
Texas 38, Colorado 14

Soccer Game Fun

Go Raptors!

I kept seeing Hayden in his "runners stretch."
(He watched a lot of Olympics with Daddy.)

He kicked that ball with great determination!

I didn't ever figure out what this boy was
yelling at my sweet Hayden about. He
was getting the finger point and everything.

Anyhow, he loves his soccer practice and counts
down to his games each week.