Childrens Museum Halloween Party

Tonight the boys had a Halloween party at the Children's Museum. Kevin and Tyler were beyond excited all day long. As you can imagine, they had an absolute blast! They got some candy and toys, played lots of games, jumped in bounce houses, and even had time to play with the regular exhibits there. And of course both boys enjoyed wearing their costumes and seeing all the other kids dressed up. Tyler and Kevin both say that the bounce houses were their favorite parts, but they also loved the surprise lemonade, bananas, and animal crackers the museum had waiting for the kids as we left. They were pretty exhausted though by the time we left and weren't very chatty believe it or not, and I was just thankful that at the point we were leaving Tyler and Kevin were still game to walk.

I didn't take my camera, but did attempt a group picture before we left. This one makes me laugh. Tyler wanted to look spyish in his pictures so he was all over trying to find the right pose, and Jake just looks very worried about Tyler's platypus feet here. (And note that he is also up on all fours here....it has finally clicked, and he always practicing these days). And big kuddos to Kevin for not only sitting still while his brothers squirmed around, but also looking at the camera! :)

Jake's expression here just makes me smile. He had just woken up from a nap and was already a little dazzed. And then seeing his big brothers dressed up, and flying out the door just to sit on the grass had to be a little confusing.

Iowa Hawkeye Football Player and Platypus fitting.

A very proud two year old to have his own set of "Iowa pads" as he says. He was so thrilled to try on his costume this morning. And I love his impromptu pose right when we got outside. :)

This morning we had another costume fitting as I finished up the padding and my second attempt at a football helmet for Kevin. He is VERY excited to have his pads and loves his new helmet (the last one was too small). The helmet is big, but he doesn't seem to care at all, so I am happy.

And last night I added a beak to Tyler's platypus costume because he didn't like the foam one that went on his face like a mask. All I can say is that Adam was an amazing help getting me through the logistical problems of all of this costume! He helped me figure out last night how to keep the beak off of Tyler's face so he can see. :)

Tyler is VERY excited about this beak.





A school bus drove by while we were out there. They were very excited to see a bus and then were talking about the bus here. :)

Touchdown!!! Kevin just ran from our neighbors tree and then all down the sidewalk. He turned around to announce a touchdown! So cute! :)

Another practice of his platypus look. :)

All of the frustration of trying to figure out how to do something and guessing at what size is totally a distant memory seeing their excitement for their costumes! And we have our first Halloween party of a few today, so they are very excited and I am relieved to have their outfits ready to go.

As for Jake, he is going to be a puppy. Will take a picture of him later...but thankfully we already had this costume as my eyes are so tired. :)

Wednesday

First, I managed to get most of Tyler's costume done late last night. The look on his face this morning was priceless as he was so excited to see it hanging up in the living room. It made all of my sleepiness worth it! There are still a few touches to be done (e.g. secure feet and make beak) but he is pretty excited to finally have his costume ready, and having most of it done is a huge weight off my shoulders.




We made the costume out of four towels....two turquoise, one orange, and then one brown (for the tail) and one set of Jacob's socks. :) It was definitely an adventure and trial in patience, but the costume is pretty close, Tyler is thrilled, and our living room is a mess of towel fuzz. ;)



This is Perry "the pet" platypus.


And this is Agent P (spoiler....Perry the Platypus is a secret agent!). ;)

And then a picture of breakfast some mornings around here. This morning Kevin insisted on having all of his car friends eat with him. And he was being so sweet about it and talking to them, that I let him. Of course, they all had to be in their proper places before he could eat. :)

And last but not least, a picture of Jacob on the day he turned eight months old! Such a happy guy and getting big so quickly!

Mr. Jacob is Eight Months!

Jacob is eight months old today! Just had to share a quick picture.

At eight months:

• He loves to smile and laugh;



• Still screams like a baby eagle...but now just louder (and does it when he is both happy and sad);



• Says the occasional "mama" and "dada" though they don't refer to us yet;



• Rolls QUICKLY around a room, often shocking us at his new location if we leave for a few moments;



• Likes to eat puffs (a quick dissovling baby cracker) and pretty much any other puree at this point (he's not picky);



• Has discovered that a sippy cup will give him water and can get a drink for himself;



• Takes two naps most days (a short 45 minute one in the morning and then a good 2-3 hour nap in the afternoons);



• Enjoys being tickled, but even more likes to be put upside down to look around;



• Still loves his pacifier;



• Getting tired of his swing and prefers to play in his jumper or exersaucer instead these days;



• and is just a very content, happy guy (when of course he is not screaming like a baby Eagle). :)
  
  

Hawkeye Feet

Apparently, our Hawkeye training is paying off as Tyler and Kevin couldn't wait to put on some new Hawkeye socks on their feet, and then both insisted Jacob put his on too! I couldn't resist a picture of six little Hawkeye feet. :)

Lazy morning

I had a long night last night, but woke up to a very fun surprise. After letting Ellie outside to potty for the dozenth time, I fell asleep back on the couch. When I woke up I had Tyler and Kevin snuggled in with me, and Kevin had even brought his comforter so we could all keep warm (it got cold finally here). Tyler announced that he could snuggle on the couch with the blanket all day, and Kevin concurred. So with Jake asleep and the dogs content as well, we just snuggled on the couch and had a lazy morning. Eventually we got up and have been working on things around the house.

Tyler and Kevin have been working hard today on making iphones believe it or not! Apparently, they are more aware of terminology as we were talking a bit about iphones last weekend with Adam's family. Anyways, Tyler made a big iphone because he is older and he made Kevin a smaller one. Then when they both had phones they started calling everyone, including Jake, to determine who had time to play, etc. But soon a battle developed of who was in charge and after some conflict, Tyler decided on his own that if he made a GPS too then he could be in charge of their adventures for the day. ;) And I guess that the reasoning worked for Kevin because there have been no conflicts since on which way to go and what game to play.

Here is a picture of Kevin with his smaller iphone.



And then a picture of just him. :)


Tyler showing off his iphone. He really wanted a picture of it so he could put it on his blog. So maybe a blog post later if he continues to be a good listener (as he has to earn computer time).

And then a picture of Jacob eating a snack in his high chair. He is not the happiest camper today. Not sure if he is getting sick or whether he is working on another tooth. Guess time will tell.

Jake watching dad work.

Tyler, Kevin, and I played a little soccer in the front yard while Jake watched dad work on the van. He was having so much fun laughing, talking, and smiling at dad that I took a few pictures. And you can see his two teeth pretty well too!

Just a year!

My three little loves sitting on a bench. :)

This one took some editing and so earlier I tried it in black and white. But not having it in color was bugging me as I liked having them sit on the bench together and really wanted the picture edited. So after a little tweeking tonight after the kids went to bed I came up with this and am now happy. :) Plus, this was MUCH more fun than working on laundry. ;)

A few other pictures from today.

Kevin sitting in some leaves. He liked burying his shoes.


Jacob watching Tyler and Kevin jump from a bench.



Tyler and Kevin walking down the steps into the garden.


Sitting on a bench before we walked down the path.


Showing me a leaf he found. He LOVED looking for yellow leaves and was excited to find some REALLY big leaves. He never found the perfect one for his treasure box, but did manage to find a really neat acorn to add to his collection.


Jacob looking for some leaves for his own.

T Power and K Power

I had planned on going to the wildflower garden (assuming the boys were acting okay) before we left for theatre class. So as a suprise (and assuming that they let me take some pictures of them first) I took their capes for them to "fly through the forest". They were very excited and of course had fun running along the trail and, more importantly, jumping off of every bench. :)

And in case you don't know Tyler's super hero power is "T Power" and Kevin has "K Power". As you can guess, super baby (i.e. Jacob) has "J Power", dad has "D Power", and I have "M power". The best was earlier this week when Tyler was explaining to a nurse at the doctor's office about all of our super hero powers and how "T and K power's can't beat D power." And apparently "only M power can defeat D power unless Dad has super baby's J power and then D power beats M power". HA! I had no idea that there was such a hiearchy in powers...and the nurses got a kick out of hearing all about the super hero powers and how they work.

div>

Wildflower Garden

Today, after we went to the Children's Theatre for Tyler's class we stopped by the Wildflower Garden by our house for a small hike and some pictures. The wildgarden closes in just a few days for winter, and so we had to go do one last hike as it is our favorite spot. Kevin enjoys running up and down the path as fast as he can, and Tyler looks forward to going into the information house as they always have things to investigate. Today, they had a bunch of big magnifying glasses out and scattered on a table were different things to look at.....catepillars, deer antlers, turkey feathers, snake skin, turtle shells, etc. The boys had fun looking at everything and talking to the two ladies who work there. After that, we enjoyed a few moments of hiking before heading home for Jacob's nap.

Thursday and Friday

One of the boys favorite activities when we go out front to watch for daddy's car, is to run to our neighbors tree (it is on a slight hill) and see if they can see him from the top of the hill. Once they spot his car they take off running to the driveway to see if they can beat him. :)



They won today and are anxiously awaiting for him to get out of the car, and to see if his window is going to roll down. When he rolls down the passenger side window, that means that they get to crawl into the front seat and play with all of the controls and open all of the compartments. Tyler has always called it the "Buzz car" because it's an Infiniti and he thought that it was from Toy Story. And now that they both think it is a spy Buzz car because there are lots of things to check out inside of it (and it drives faster than mommy's car....as both Tyler and Kevin like to tell me to "driver faster like daddy's buzz car" all of the time.)!


Some pictures while we were outside.



Picking some fall leaves. Tyler is anxious to decorate the house for fall. He is very excited that winter is coming (as it is his favorite season) and can't wait for all of the leaves to fall down so the snow can come. We are crossing our fingers that he has to wait a bit on this one. :)


Oh, I wish this one had been in focus!!!! Too cute wearing his soccer uniform.


Drinking a little milk while waiting for dad and watching Tyler gather leaves. I love that it is out of a Kevin cup. :)



And a picture of Tyler and Kevin from yesterday playing in the backyard.

Even though both kids are upset here, I love this picture. Frustration is definitely when you want to ride the same tricycle that your brother wants to ride. It just sort of summed up their day together. They are just so close in age that they have a lot of the same interests, and this makes for a lot of life lessons on sharing, patience, and well, frustration.