Another Boy!

Remember back when we got a kitten and he ended up being a crack-cat? I thought we had learned a few lessons from that experience. For instance, I said we shouldn't ever get a kitten again or buy a cat on a whim or even get a boy cat. Well, it seems like we didn't learn our lesson last time, because out of the blue we got another cat...and he's a kitten...and he's a boy. You might be asking if we're insane...I'm not sure...the jury is still out. But I do know one thing, this kitten is SO MUCH BETTER THAN OUR LAST ONE! He is actually nice. Who would have thought?

We named the little guy "Boo" and the boys love him. Actually, he was very close to being called "Cheese", but Boo won out. I'm sure he appreciates that. Boo is a very gentle cat and puts up with everything, even my crazy boys. He will follow us around the house and then sit down and lay next to us wherever we are. He is a very sweet cat and we are glad he is now a part of the family...even if that means I'm outnumbered 5 boys to 1 girl.

Kallen and Boo relaxing and watching some TV.

Weston playing Cars with Boo.

UPDATE:  The day before Boo was suppose to have a special appointment and get "fixed", he ran out of the garage, saw a pretty girl kitty, ran off with her into our neighbors yard, and was never heard from again.  I guess getting "fixed" was not on his agenda.  He had other plans.

Did Someone Say Buried Treasure?

Tyson is a pretty incredible Dad. I don't tell him enough, but he really is wonderful. He often thinks of fun little gifts or activities for the boys at work, and then comes home and surprises us all with his brilliance. The other day, he came home and gave the boys a big surprise...a treasure map! Kallen is really into pirates these days, so to have Daddy turn up with a treasure map that had a big "X" marks the spot, was the coolest thing ever for him!

All the boys got out their pirate swords and went hunting for treasure.

I love this picture of Weston. He looks horrible! But it makes me laugh every time I see it, so I had to include it. Plus, you'll notice Kallen's pirate ship on the table. Since we were looking for treasure, the pirate ship also had to be included in the hunt.
They found the "X" and started digging.

It wasn't anything super big or amazing, but the boys loved it. And by the end, Kallen and Weston found a little box filled with Gold coins.
I'm so glad that we have one of the coolest Daddy's ever. Tyson, thank you for always making such precious memories for us all.

Trick-or-Treating

The boys were so excited for Halloween. All day, Kallen kept mentioning how it was "Halloween Time". Even Weston couldn't wait to dress up and go get candy. However, when the time finally arrived, Weston decided to throw a grumpy fit and didn't want to go, which explains the grumpy face.

These are our friends Keyan and Kaddie. They live just down the street and the boys love to play with them. Kallen was super excited to go Trick-or-Treating with them when they stopped by.

Weston complained the whole time, and this was the only picture I got of him smiling. He only went to 3 houses and then Tyson decided to take him and Liam home.Once he was home with some candy, Weston was much happier.

Liam enjoyed our Halloween lights. He was perfectly happy sitting in his Bumbo and watching them for most of the night.

Kallen loved Trick-or-Treating, and raced from house to house with a big smile on his face the whole time. However, once he got home, he and Weston LOVED handing out the candy to all the kids who stopped by. Kallen commented on each kids costume and kept telling them he'd see them later after Trick-or-Treating. I wish I had a picture of this, because it was so cute.

I hope you all had a great Halloween. It's one of my favorite holidays and each year that I get to enjoy it with my kids makes it that much more special. Happy Halloween!

Halloween Fun

Last year we discovered that Moses Lake has a fun pumpkin festival that they put on every year for little kids. The boys really enjoyed it last year, so of course we had to go back this year as a fierce Pirate, a cute Peter Pan, and...a baby. Poor 3rd child, Liam didn't get to dress up this year.

They had a bounce house, which means our little Jumping Bean Weston had to try it out. The kid loves to jump...everywhere...all the time, so bouncy houses are some of his favorite things.
They also had their tractor wagon rides again and Kallen loved it. Every time we went over a bump he would throw his hands in the air and laugh like he was on a roller coaster. Isn't he one of the cutest pirates you ever did see?
Kallen waited very patiently in line for this next event. I was actually very surprised he was so patient...I didn't expect it. He loved searching for the candy in the straw. Each time he found a piece, he had to stop and show me what he found. What a cute kid...I love this boy.

Weston didn't want to participate in the activity, but he loved cheering Kallen on and also throwing straw on all the other children. Whatever makes the kid happy right?

If any of you are in the area next year, you definitely should stop on by for this little activity. It is worth it.

Some Halloween Fun

A few weeks ago, we were able to go down to Oregon and visit Grandma and Grandpa Hill. While we were there, we went to one of their fun pumpkin patches. Since Moses Lake doesn't have any pumpkin patches, this was a big deal. We were able to play on the fun playground they had.

We got to pet and feed some very hungry goats.

The highlight was definitely riding the cow tractor ride. I was actually very impressed with it, and the boys loved it. We all had so much fun...that is until Weston started feeling sick and wanted to go home. :)

Solid Foods are so Tasty!

Liam started eating baby food a little over a month ago. He is still pretty messy while eating, but he is slowly getting the hang of it. So far he has eaten Rice cereal (not a fan), Sweet Potatoes, Peaches, Pears, Applesauce and Squash. I think pears are his favorite and I can't blame him...its my favorite too.

Our big 5 Year-Old!

Kallen was so excited for his birthday this year, so we promised him that he could have an actual party with friends. He never has had a birthday party with friends before, it has always been with family, so this was a big day for him. He was so excited. He requested a blue and green party with bugs. So I tried to fulfill his wish and this is what we came up with.

These are pictures of the decorations before all the guests arrived. All the food isn't out yet and neither are the presents, but you get the general idea. All the food was labeled with bug names, such as "Caterpillar Pop" and Gummy and Beetle Bugs.

We even had bug themed games for everyone. There was a pollen hunt where you looked for yellow pollen (candy) left by the bee's and also a caterpillar cocoon race.

Then it was food time.

Kallen loves doughnuts, so that is what he got instead of a cake...they were crawling with bugs of course.
Finally, the presents. Everyone was so nice and got Kallen some incredible gifts. He loved them all.
These were some of Kallen's favorites. He loves his pirate ship and plays with it every day. Playmobil makes the coolest toys. Now he wants to add to his fleet.

Also, he got live caterpillars for his party and we all had so much fun watching them grow into butterflies. How cool is that! You can buy caterpillars and raise them into butterflies. We loved checking on their progress every day for about 3 weeks. What a fun gift.

Happy Birthday Kallen!

Kallen's First Day of Preschool...Again

This year, Kallen wasn't as excited to go to preschool in September. I think he was a little nervous because he was starting at a different school and didn't know anyone. Don't worry, he has since decided that school isn't that bad and enjoys it every time he goes.

I'm trying to be a good Mom and take pictures of his first days of school, but because he didn't want to go to school, Kallen decided to give me the most forlorn look he had.

However, he can never hide a smile when I start bugging him about "not smiling". Here is a smile that sneaked out even though he was trying his hardest not to smile.

Then I tried bribing him with a cookie which resulted in this silly face. Even though it wasn't quite the smile I was looking for, he got his cookie...hey, it was better than the frown. (Yes, I bribe my kids.)

Finally, this is the best smile I got out of him. He was busting out laughing by then because he thought he was being so hilarious with his silly faces. What a goof ball.