More Thanksgiving Fun

Layna and me ejoying some cuddle time.



Grandpa and Maddox enjoying some cuddle/wrestle time before bed.


Karl looking at all the sale flyers helping us girls chart out our next day (which began at 3:30AM)

Because Effingham wasn't enough fun first thing in the morning...

We pulled out the iPod and rocked out to some Bon Jovi.

Ferris adventure up to Chicago.

We stopped in Effingham, IL right after 6AM for breakfast. Cracker Barrell is so good early in the morning. The boys got dressed (they were loaded into the car before 4:30AM in their jammies).

I want a front porch big enough to hold a family of these rockers.


Happy brothers, happier minutes later when the pancakes came!

Happy Early Thanksgiving!

I'm scrambling around trying to get laundry finished, bags packed, dogs bathed, and the house ready to go away tomorrow morning!!!!
Our family started celebrating early. Sunday we had a Thanksgiving dinner with our church. The food was amazing the fellowship was great and all of us had a good time.
I raced home from church Sunday morning, and put the turkey in the oven. (it was the second turkey I've ever made) Thanks to my parents, the Thanksgiving pros, the turkey turned out juicy with perfect skin!!!!!

Never a dull moment

This is Maddox's new favorite place to play. He can stand up and pull the fridge open. For some reason, there is great entertainment in there for him.


I would rather Maddox take lessons from his brothers and entertain himself quietly (and less destructively) with coloring books and crayons. He has been offered crayons as recently as 2 days ago... He likes to eat them.

Our Kindergarten Indian

Cooper came home from school last week with a piece of paper with instructions for an Indian vest. I groaned and cringed when I saw it. I HATE PROJECTS! I'm not artsy at all! I look at creative memory albums with envy. I'm good to get my pictures loaded on Travis's computer and in the right folders. I see homemade jewelry and long to make it. I see cute wall art and decorations and think they would be easy to throw together. Then I'm thrown back into reality. Heck, I can't even hang my UpperCase Living decals alone!!!
Anyway, all that to say. I'm very thankful for the husband I have. He sat down with Cooper on Sunday afternoon and the 2 of them made an amazing Indian vest. When Cooper glued his final piece of maccaroni on Travis exclaimed, "Gosh, I was born for this!" I'm thrilled that he was! I sure wasn't and will never claim that I was.

Pumpkin cookie goodness

The pumpkin cookies Cooper and I made.

Maddox enjoying the pumpkin cookies.

Steak-N-Shake

Since it was a special day today, it called for a special lunch. Cooper decided Steak-N-Shake would be the perect place to end Grandparents' Day. The food came in a (surprisingly)timely fashion. The order was 100% right (a first for me at SNS). All in all, it was a great lunch!

Grandparents' Day

Cooper and Grandma.


Playing games with all his classmates and their grandparents.

Book-It

Yummy pepperoni pizza.


Cooper was so proud of his accomplishment!

One night, no children

This past Saturday night, we went with my family to the Art Museum in Chicago. It was a benefit dinner with time to wander thru the art galleries. We had a really good time. I got to see paintings that I hadn't seen since grade school field trips. Travis saw the museum for the first time.

Travis and I really excited to be out child-free.


Sheila and Clint really excited to be out without the kids.

Ryne's Birthday Party.

Cooper cheesing it up for the camera.

Ryne and Nelson enjoying Transformer cupcakes.

Maddox rocking the activity table.

All the cousins.

It could be worse...

Ever since Cooper started school he has become much more aware of what he wears, what he watches, and what he says. He's always worried about looking cool, sounding cool, and watching cool shows. His current obsession is a great zip-up hoodie. The kid wears it over EVERYTHING!!! He puts it on in the morning and tells me it's part of the "outfit". He comes by this honestly. I have 13 hoodie sweaters and sweatshirts in my posession. "What Not to Wear" would have a field day in my closet. I want my child to dress in the clothes he wants to wear, the struggle comes into play when he is more concerned about what his friends at school will say about the clothes. We had a HUGE fight yesterday over a shirt. I wanted him to wear it, he wanted nothing to do with it. In my defense, I still see him as my little boys. I want to dress him in cute clothes. He sees himself as a cool, too big for mom's help, Kindergartner. I put him in an undershirt and then had him put on a brand new turtleneck shirt. It had blue white and gray strips (was from the Children's Place, an approved store to shop at). Cooper threw a fit because the shirt wasn't cool. He got off the bus yesterday afternoon wearing nothing but the blue undershirt. He took the turtleneck off and had it stuffed in the bottom of his backpack. This is where I'm struggling. Do I make him wear it becasue I said so, or do I just let him start picking out his clothes everday and keep my mouth shut?
Gosh, being a parent is hard work!!! It could be worse, he could have been a girl...

It's confirmed...

I'm an addict. The good news is, I'm a "just above average" addict. This means, there is no need for any kind of 12 step program, intervention, or other forms of counseling. Just leave me and my cup o joe alone!

I am 75% Addicted to Coffee

Get a cash advance

Happy Holloween

The older two boys drew faces on their pumpkins, and then with help, carved them all by themselves. I do not have any progress pictures of the carving becasue that was a special project each boy did, individually with Travis. Maddox did not carve a pumpkin this year or draw on it. We don't trust him with sharp objects yet and he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. I didn't think giving him a marker would be the best idea.

Raphael, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

The Dark Knight. Don't ask, we aren't sure who Dark Knight is. Nelson just really liked the costume.

The cutest bear on the block! Okay, the only bear on the block.

The Dark Knight (minus the mask that's too big) and the Ninja Turtle posing for the camera.

Layna being the cutest Tootsie Roll on the block!

Nelson had too much fun...

Nelson played non-stop all day. By the time we sat down to eat dinner, he got so tired he couldn't even wait for the pizza. He ate 2 breadsticks and fell asleep sitting up.

He's getting older, I'm not!

Travis and I packed up the 3 boys and headed to Greenville on Saturday for Travis's 10 yr college reunion. It was amazing to walk around campus. Some many things had changed, yet so many things were still the same!!! The soccer field was still the coldest place on campus. The boys had a great time playing with Madison, their new, pretty, friend. Maddox had fun watching Travis play and trying to escape his stroller. After the game, Travis went to Joy Hall to relive his early, young days. I took the older two boys to Ladue to drop them off. It was great! They got Happy Meals and Travis and I got a lunch with just one child to entertain instead of the normal 3. Maddox was way more interested in checking out the restaurant and all the new people than eating. After lunch, we went back to the soccer fields to play in all the fun bounce houses. Thankfully, Maddox finally stopped fighting sleep and napped while the boys and I played. (Travis was nice enough to sit in the van with Maddox) When Maddox woke up we went to the playground to play and kill some time before dinner at Mario's Pizza. Ah,
Mario's one of our favorite places from when we were both students.
We got to Mario's and found out that the pizza would take more than an hour to make. Thankfully we got salads and cheesey breadsticks to hold the boys over until the pizza came. All 3 boys fell asleep in the car on the way home. By 7:30PM all of us were in bed for the night. I guess Travis and I aren't as young as we would like to think we are.
Without further ado... The pictures I did think to take while we were there...

Travis training up the next great Greenville College soccer star.

Cooper and Nelson enjoying the playground epquipment at First Christain Church. This cool stuff wasn't there 10 yrs ago.

In light of #5 below...

Nelson brought me one of his smaller blankets. It has always been used as a traveling changer. He asked if I would please put it in Maddox's shirt so he could be Baby Superman. Now, I have Nelson in his "Batman Animal Blanket Cape" and Maddox in his "Blue Baby Superman Blanket Cape". I swear, I only give birth to superheroes... Now if only they can aquire some super powers! (Maddox can find the superpower of sleeping thru the night!)

Randomness from my head

1. How can I sleep 10+ hours and still wake up exhausted?
2. How can I have 5 boys in the house and fell lonely?
3. How can I do 4 loads of laundry and still have a mound that resembles a small mountain?
4. How can I have an almost 13 month old who can wear a pair of 3-6 month blue jeans?
5. How can I have a 4 year old that is still obsessed with superheroes? (seriously, he has to find something new soon, right?!?1?!)

Toby and Tallie cuteness...

Toby enjoys the boys' toys as much as they do. He's lying on top of their Rescue Hero boat/command center to get optimal sunlight.