Thursday, November 22, 2012

Fun Times

 
November has already begun to fly right by us.  When we went to California in October we helped Grandpa pack up some of his things and bring them down here to Arizona.  One of his "treasures" is a quad he bought ages ago... way back in the Eeiigghhties....surprisingly it is still in great shape.  One trip to a mechanic and it is running as good as new.  Of course my boys had to take it for a spin. Connor looks very thrilled in this picture, however, he was terrified to ride it when it was turned on.  Funny kid.  Daryle was in heaven, reliving parts of his youth so to speak.  (I must confess, even I went for a little ride and enjoyed every second!)
 With all of the baseball and t-ball games we have had around here the grandparents have been over at our house quite a bit.  Connor LOVES playing games with Grammy!  She will play anything with him, she is such a good sport too.  When they go to her house they like to play Bingo. Connor likes to be "the caller" and according to my mom he is able to read every number correctly.
That would be 1 to 99. Pretty good!  Connor has also been going with my mom to visit my grandma on Saturdays.  Last Saturday Connor asked my mom, "Grammy, when I am old and can't get out much will you pick me up and take me out to get a little bite to eat?" He's too cute sometimes.
 This week Travis has his class music program at school. This year he was a worm.  All of the kids did a great job, the music was awesome and the theme was super cute. 
 And then there is Petey. He has gone from a small cute puppy......
to a big dog who likes to take over the couch when nobody is looking! (Or should I say when Mom is not looking... Daddy is such a sucker for those puppy dog eyes!)
Where does the time go? I have no idea. For now I am just trying to live in the moment and cherish these times with my family before they are all grown up. 
Happy Thanksgiving to you and  yours!


Saturday, November 10, 2012

No, We Didn't Skip Halloween!

Halloween is Daryle's absolute favorite holiday. He loves dressing up, getting costumes for the kids, carving the pumpkin, and taking the kids out for trick-or-treating.  This year was no different!  Since Connor is getting older, he is able to do more things. Such as sticking his hand in the pumpkin to "take out the guts"!  (Look at that smile....)
 Travis still does not like that job at all.  (Every year we feel the need to remind him how he threw up when he was 3 from the smell.) Poor kid will probably never live that one down!  Travis always draws what kind of face he wants on the pumpkin. Here is the designer hard at work.
 Tah-dah!  Finished product.

 This year we went to the local pumpkin patch and since we bought one of the biggest pumpkins they let the  boys each  pick out a small one for "free".  Travis decided to try and carve his.  The problem is he got a little "cutting happy" should we say. He didn't know when to stop.  Eventually he decided to stick it in the mouth of the big jack-o-lantern....
 So this is what we had on the lawn.  A bloody, pumpkin eating jack-o-lantern in our yard!  (Why do boys love the blood and gore aspects so much???  I am all about the cutesy parts of Halloween but am surrounded by boys who love the gross things!!  LOL)
 Here is the crew, ready for a fun night out. Travis was supposed to be a zombie baseball player, but decided he didn't want any make-up on this year. Connor made a great little Storm Trooper!  And as for Daryle... he seems to keep adding to his Pimp attire. This year he added the hat along with the wig.  He always makes us laugh! It is great to see him having so much fun along with the kiddos.
 So this one will probably be in the yearly calendar for the grandparents. (Which reminds me, I had better get started on that pretty soon!)  Grammy got the boys those cool bags from Disney World in Florida. They even lit up which was pretty neat.
 How much candy did he eat to get teeth like this??
 Look at all of that loot.... crazy!! It's a good thing Travis shares.....
Things have been pretty busy around here. Fall always seems to be like that.  This weekend our weather is finally cooling down and it finally feels like fall is in the air. Daryle is making his famous chili for dinner tonight and we invited the grandparents over to enjoy it with us. 
Even though MANY things in the election this past week did not go as I had hoped ( I don't know what Arizona is thinking when it comes to funding for education..... along with other things...) I am trying to focus on the positives and the many, many things I have to be thankful for in my life.
Happy November to you and your family!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Orphan Sunday

After reading around and lurking on various blogs this morning I came across a couple of things that really seemed to hit me.  First of all, I have been so busy  with my own hectic life that I forgot that the first Sunday in November is Orphan Sunday and that November is Adoption Awareness Month.  Secondly, I came across this quote from another adoption blog.  (I loved it and had to share, I hope they don't mind!)
 
“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes…” – David Platt
Those words are powerful.
 
On another blog I came across this video.  It is not very long, if you have a few moments please take a few minutes to watch it.
 
 
After watching this I feel compelled to help and do something. I really, really want to help with this project. I don't know right now what I am going to do or how I am going to do it.  But there is one thing I know for sure, I am going to help with this project in some way.  I can't stop thinking about it. I feel the need to share about this project and hope that others are touched the way I have been touched.