Halloween Fun

This sums up all our Halloween fun...

We were thrilled when we convinced Evan it was cool to be Robin so we
had the perfect Batman and Robin duo.

Wouldn't want to meet these boys in a dark alley, huh? :-)

The dynamic duo!

Batman and Robin get ready to race..
One of their favorite things to do is run up and down our sidewalk.


Who knew Robin wore little white Fruit of the Loom undies?

Quite the handsome Batman!

We decided to give our first shot at family pumpkin carving.
I let the boys pick out what they wanted to carve from some
online templates.
Of course they picked the most challenging of all choices,
the Star Wars X-wing starfighter.
I was a bit nervous about carving around the details of the little
wings but the $5 carving kit tools far surpassed my expectations!

Daddy cut the top and we let the boys dig out all the pumpkin "guts"
which they loved.
(We don't normally have the boys shirtless and in underwear
but we figured this project would be messy very fast!)

The pumpkin guts were every bit as entertaining as I thought they would be.

It is definitely an X-wing!
Sadly even indoors it was moldly and so
gross within about 2 days that we had to throw it out
way before Halloween.
I will know better next year on how to keep the pumpkin mold free.

On the day of Halloween, we took a fun
family outing to the Arboretum.


They had trick or treating there that day
which we didn't even know they were going to have.
That of course was an extra fun surprise for the boys.
Evan just dropped to the ground in the middle of the
walkway and starting pulling out the chocolate-
I totally understood his chocolate enthusiasm.




Evan loves to go at his brother's face. Hayden is entertained...most of the time

Yes, I had to get my annual matching tees from Janie and Jack.


Hayden loved the Frog water spray fountains.
Evan... not so much.
It is always sweet to see him run to Daddy though for shelter.

Hayden Singing "5 Little Monkeys"

This was taken on the way to the State Fair. Hayden loves singing his songs learned in Kindergarten and Evan appreciates his big brother teaching them to him too!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Steve took the day off work so we could attend Hayden's first
Kindergarten field trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

We were assigned to this adorable little crew to supervise.

The boy huddle clearly having a blast.

The boys found the smells
of the animal covered wet grounds gross
yet entertaining at the same time - so cute!
We all enjoyed a trip in the hay wagon around the farm.

Hayden and his buddy, Kerry.

Apparently the peace sign is popular with the kids.
I saw it several times that morning when trying to snap shots.
You could not catch these boys not smiling.

To say that it was muddy was an understatement - we could barely walk without our feet sinking into the mud. We all left with what appeared to be mud shoes. Hayden hiked his pants in the patch to try and keep his jeans out of the mess.

The "mud shoe".
Steve got a stick and tried to help several kids
scrape some of it off with some success.

Hayden picks out his perfect muddy pumpkin.

Pumpkin was a bit misshapen but had
a very proud owner none the less!


Daddy of course felt the need to give the
last bit of the feed to the beloved longhorn
or should I say "Longhorn!"

Me and my "mini-me" - so happy I got to spend that morning with him!

Hayden and his teacher who we love.

We had a great day- mess and all! :-)

Back to a new season of Soccer!!

So we have had another great season of soccer (realizing it is now almost over as I post this.) The same group of boys have stayed together for many seasons and, well, the Raptors dominate!
In all seriousness it is a very special group of boys. Hayden adores his teammates and looks forward to games and practices each week (on the special occasion when it hasn't
rained this fall).
The coaches are wonderful with the boys and have truly made it fun
for them. I think that is why they keep coming back season after season.
Kids need to be kids and I am so thankful a positive and encouraging spirit
with the boys has remained consistent each season.

A little pre-game warmup.

One of the first games they played the Longhorns.
Steve was only a tad jealous that the uniforms
did not belong to our team of course.
Oh, well, Hayden has his number 12, right?

Hayden sometimes makes the funniest little faces when he goes in for a kick.
Go Hayden, Go!

Hayden's First Day of Kindergarten

How have the almost past 6 years gone by already? Is it really time for Kindergarten?!!
Hayden was so proud and eager for the day. I, on the other hand, shed many
tears the night before. What a glutton for punishment was I to start
looking at old videos from when he was a baby the night before his first day?!
This post includes a tiny bit of memory lane...

From Hayden first day of preschool - Fall 2005

What a beautiful, sweet son we have in Hayden.
August 2009

He was so excited to sport his brand new Stars Wars lunch box
Aunt La La bought him.

Evan helps Hayden proudly display his brand new Star Wars lunchbox.

Hayden and I in Malibu in Summer 2005...

Me and my favorite kindergartner now.

We all drove together and walked Hayden into the school.
My eyes stayed dry. I think I had gotten it all out of my system...almost. Tears didn't start flowing again until later that day when I was driving with my sister and she asked me to sing the Fred the Turtle song to Evan. That song was my favorite from the first "Mommy and Me" music class I took Hayden to when he was just over a year old.

Hayden and Steve in Laguna Beach, June 2006.

Love, love pics of Steve and Hayden holding hands.
melt.my.heart
I am so happy to know he can always count on his Daddy.
That has never changed a moment the past 6 years
and I know it never will.

I'm okay, Mom, see. You can go.
I am pretty sure that is what he was thinking.
So there we are - on to the next season
of his precious life.
I don't want to forget a single moment of his joy.

Visit to Feed the Animals at Fossil Rim

We decided to take a fun family outing the Friday before Hayden started Kindergarten to Fossil Rim. We had a blast seeing and feeding all the beautiful animals. It was well worth the trip and far exceeded expectations!

This poor little guy has some brush stuck in his antlers.

Evan was pretty hesitant at first. He said, "Please don't let me feed that!!"




About midway through both boys were comfortable with the animals
and ready to feed them all.

The giraffes were exceptionally beautiful and gentle.
They were the one animal they said you could let
eat the food directly out of your hands.

This giraffe we fed right through the sunroof.

The zebras were actually pretty aggressive. One started
pulling at our back windshield wiper when we didn't feed one.
This one stuck his head right in the car - it was a little scary and
a whole lot of hilarious :-)


These are the kind of memories you cherish forever - so happy!

Bed Time "Jesus Loves Me" with Evan

Hayden and Evan in Daddy's "Happy Birthday" Song rehearsal

Evan pulling up out of pool

Evan being instructed by our friend, Erika, during his first official swim lessons this summer.

Summertime Water Slide Fun!

We had so much fun celebrating a friend's birthday!

They had a super cool inflatable water slide/pool and the boys could not get enough.

They would wait for their little friends to come sliding down and
then beat the crud out of each other with the giant noodles -
Oh, for the love of boys - so much joy in beating one another ! :-)
I think it is how they show their love for each other, seriously.

Hayden's Swim Lessons Summer 2009

Hayden is doing so great with his swim lessons. He is trying so hard and we are so pround of him! He might just be a little fish by the end of the summer.