Saturday, October 30, 2010

Pumpkin Party

Matt surprised us with breakfast this morning!

Donuts & Hot Chocolate!
 Yummy!

This afternoon we headed to a local park to meet all of our small group friends for a pumpkin party!

All of the dads worked on carving pumpkins, Matt helped carve a fairy in a pumpkin, for some girls, who's dad was on a mission trip and not able to be there.
Ian & Levi enjoyed helping me carve a smily face out of our baby pumpkin!
After the pumpkins were carved...all of us moms took the kids with their flashlights for a walk in the dark, while the dads hid skeleton bones

Ian with the bone he found.

Our Smiley Face Pumpkin...


FAWN

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Our Favorite time of year!

is FALL!

This morning we took the boys on a short hike at Pleasant Ridge Park.







 
 Ian & Levi enjoyed climbing on trees, picking up leaves, chasing insects and looking for the next sign!




After our hike, we decided to take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I think the boys favorite park was going through all of the tunnels...Matt honked the horn in the first tunnel we went through and that was all it took...as soon as we got in the next tunnel we heard them in the back seat "BEEP BEEP"

It was a beautiful day to get out and enjoy all of the colors of FALL!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Wagon Rides



This week, Matt took the boys for several wagon rides around our neighborhood.  Their special time with Daddy continued as they got to play out in the front yard!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Red means...STOP..Green..means GO

When we are out driving around..the boys are constantly telling me what colors the traffic signals are..."mommy red..STOP mommy"  " GREEN - GO GO GO " & for yellow "CAREFUL"   So this morning while they were riding their bikes on the deck I decided to create our own STOP & GO sign. They were so excited.  We used it all day...not only outside with their bikes but inside as well. While I made dinner, I held up the Go sign and they would dance around until I held up the Stop sign and then they would freeze and then quickly ask me to hold up the green sign again!  They are so much fun!






Tuesday, October 19, 2010

While I make dinner...

 I usually try to get the boys interested in an activity that they can do at the kitchen table.  That way they can be in the same room as me and we can talk but they are not hanging on to my legs!

Here is Ian picking up tiny pompom balls with tweezers and then he puts them into a ice cube tray. 
He can use the tweezers with both hands!
Levi had fun blowing the ones that got dropped across the kitchen floor!

Monday, October 18, 2010

OH MY...

This is where I found Ian after I got Levi out of bed this morning.  Still trying to figure out how he got up there!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Update

IAN
Ian's teeth seem to be fine!  He is finally using he front teeth to eat again!

  COMPLETELY POTTY TRAINED!! (with an occasional accident) 

Knows his left & right 

Very opinionated about his clothes (didn't expect that with a boy) 

Into giving everyone raspberry kisses

Is a great BIG brother (he doesn't want anyone messing with Levi - but doesn't think twice about doing things to him) 



           LEVI

                    • total Momma's boy
                    •  gives the best hugs
                    •  wants to sit on the potty all the time
                    • loves his brother and wants to do everything that Ian does!


          I love my little boys...its hard to believe that they are almost 3 and 2!

          Sunday, October 10, 2010

          Driving Home

          We left at 6:10 this morning to head home.  The boys slept off and on..over all it was a pretty good trip. We still made it in ten hour!

          Now to unpack:(

          Saturday, October 9, 2010

          Day 8 - Parade & Birthday Party

          This morning, we all met at Ali's hair salon and then walked up to Philadelphia Street to watch the IUP Homecoming parade. 

           Ian's favorite part was getting candy, seeing the fire trucks and the mini cars.  It was fun watching  him dance to the music of the bands.
           When we got back to PopPop and Mimi's house it was time to get ready for Paige's 1st Birthday Party..
          Ian helped PopPop clean up sticks from the yard....
          Levi helped PopPop mow the grass!
          The invitation for Paige's party said "come celebrate our little pumpkin's first birthday" so her whole party was decorated with pumpkins! She was even dress like a little pumpkin!  SO CUTE!


          Ian's teeth are still a little loose and he is still not eating anything with them, but they are not getting any worse..praise God!

          Friday, October 8, 2010

          Day 7 - Morning with Mimi - Evening with Friends


          We spent the morning at the house with my mom.  The boys played with her breakfast play-dough set and rode on bikes down in the basement. Today, was the first day that I could tell that our staying up late and going everywhere was catching up with the boys. They were cranky.
              
          We were hoping that both of the boys would nap on our way to meet Sheridan and Erin (2 hrs away) ....but Levi was so tired that he ended up taking a morning nap and then didn't sleep in the van.  Ian slept for an hour or so...but by the time we got to Sheridan & Erin's work...I could tell that it was going to be a long evening.  After, Sheridan & Erin finished we all left to go see the ELK in Benezette, PA.  Matt had taken me there 11 years ago on his bike. It is one of my favorite memories.. it was fun to go back..and experience it again with the boys!

           


          We saw over seventy elk! 


          At dusk, the elk were walking through peoples yards and holding up traffic because they were standing in the middle of the roads.  People we jumping out of there cars and trying to get as close to them as possible to take pictures. We had a lot of fun!
          Then we went to a local restaurant to eat dinner....sigh...it was 7:30 by the time that we got there and the boys were hungry, tired and restless to say the least.  While we waited for our food Erin & I took the boys back in the corner of the restaurant where there was a Pac-Man & claw machine up on a platform (about six inches higher than the rest of the floor).  They were happy! Ian was standing on a metal fold out chair pretending to play Pac-Man....just as our food came out Ian told me he had to go potty - I went to grab him off of the chair, he turned and tried to jump off of the chair, but caught his left foot in the hinge part of the chair and fell chin first to the floor.  I felt terrible.  He was screaming...I quickly scooped him up and went running in to the bathroom to check him over. I couldn't get him to stop crying..he had a little blood in his mouth and his teeth were loose, but there were not cuts.  It took a while to calm him down..I tried to get him to think about something else..so I ask him about the shirt he was wearing...he quickly answered "RACE CAR SHIRT" then I asked him what color race cars were on his shirt..he answered "GREEN, BLUE & ORANGE" he loves this shirt! Since I got him to stop crying I figured we would try to go back out to our table but, as soon as I stood he started crying again.  I sat with him a little while longer, but could not get him to stop...deciding we couldn't sit in there all night, I took him out to our table - he started to cry louder.  So I quickly went back into the restroom. Then I heard a knock on the door, this kind lady asked if we were ok..she said she was a nurse and if we needed anything she was there.  I told her we were fine.  After a couple more minutes, I  tried to go back out to our table again..he was still crying..so we went outside.  Matt then came out and said he would hold him while I tried to eat something.  As soon as I sat down at the table I stated crying.  Levi wanted everything he couldn't have, he wanted up and then down and then up again...I was emotionally exhausted....Erin & Sheridan took Levi and got him interested in something and told me every thing would be OK.  I said a quick prayer was able to pull it all together. Matt was able to get Ian calmed down...we tried to get him to eat some french fries but he started crying as soon as he put something in his mouth.  Erin took Ian in her lap, broke up some french fries and put them in the back of his mouth..he was fine eating as long as he didn't have to use his front teeth.  Then the discussion turned to "do you thing his teeth are going to turn grey or fall out?) it made me want to start crying all over again.  The owner of the restaurant came over with stuffed animals for the boys!  It was very thoughtful of him, (since in the back of my mind I thought at any minute someone was going to ask us to leave.) We finally finished our food and decided it was time to go.
          The boys were asleep just minutes after we pulled out of the parking lot. The drive home was quiet...I thanked God for his protection - the fall could have been much worse. 

          Thursday, October 7, 2010

          Day 6 - Fishing/Bon Fire

           Thursday, the rain finally stopped...so we were able to go fishing..(something we had planned to do on Monday) .  With chunks of hot dogs for our bait...we waited for the fish to bite.
           Levi & Isabella
           Ian & Mimi
           Tyler & Ian
           Matt finally convinced Ian to touch one of the fish...
           Me and Levi
          Ali & Isabella

          After we were done fishing, we went over to Ali's house for a bon fire..we made hot dogs, pizza mountain pies, s'mores!  YUMMY!

          Wednesday, October 6, 2010

          Day 5 - Grandpa M.

          Matt called Grandpa Miller last night to see if we could get together with him today and asked him if there was anything that he needed.  Grandpa said that he needed a battery for his battery tester...but couldn't remember what size battery he needed.  Matt told him that once we got there he would take a look at it and then go to a near by store and pick him up the battery that he needed. As soon as we got there this morning, Matt looked at it and found that he needed a AAA battery...and we had two of them in one of Ian's guitars that he brought with him.  Ian let Matt take the batteries out of the guitar and gave them to Great Grandpa! It  was a small thing, but it really made Grandpa's day!


          Grandpa got out his pictures - he told us stories of when he was young and how he started a sign business.  I love looking through all of the black and white pictures and asking him questions...he can still remember the colors of the letters and the back grounds.  Here is a picture of him working on a sign!  SO COOL! We had a great visit.



          When we got home, we got the boys down for naps and then mom and I went into town to go shopping for a little while..later everyone came over for dinner..


           Matt and Levi eating dinner with Shane & Mike!

          Tuesday, October 5, 2010

          Day 4 - Cousins

          On Tuesday, my mom watches my nieces and nephew - so she was excited to have Ian & Levi there too. Here is a picture of them all coloring together!


          Monday, October 4, 2010

          Day 3 - Donuts, Pizza & Wings

          My sister Bethany & I attempted our first ever home made donuts - using a recipe from my Southern Living magazine and the donut cutter I found at the flea market yesterday!  As we mixed, rolled out the dough - we dreamed of working together in a bakery (like the sisters from DC Cupcakes)...if only we had real bakers hat..Bethany improvised with a plastic bag from walmart!!
           Here they are just before we put them in the hot oil....
           we made powder sugar donuts and cinnamon/sugar donuts! They tasted great as soon as they were done and still warm...but didn't taste too good much longer than that....maybe we will try a different recipe next time! 
           Later that night, we all got together at Ali's house for pizza, wings and our home made donuts!

          Sunday, October 3, 2010

          Day 2 - Flea Market

           Levi found this empty shelf in the book store at church and crawled up into it and said "mom mom - I take nap"!

          After church, Matt & my dad watched the boys and the Steelers game - while mom, Ali, Isabella and I went to the Hazen Flea Market (a good 1 1/2 hr drive away).  When we got there, only about ten vendors were open....most of them had closed due to the weather. But that didn't stop us from having fun! My niece Isabella who is three....and so cute...walked away with free stuff from every vendor!  Mom and Ali got some Christmas shopping done and I found the only thing that I was looking for - A DONUT CUTTER.

          IAN - having fun while we were gone!

           
           Ian's best friend at PopPop & Mimi's house - Diesel

          Ian sitting on PopPop's John Deer tractor and 4 wheeler!