Chip is 5! Etc...

We recently celebrated a big milestone at our house. Actually, several milestones as three of our four boys have fall birthdays. Nick turned 16 and Tyler turned 12 in October. They are turning into such grown up fellas, and we're very proud of them. Unfortunately, grown up fellas such as they don't take too kindly to their mom snapping their picture all the time. That, you see, is the reason that I have no shots of their birthdays to share with you. One must pick one's battles, you understand. Be assured, however, that their special days were celebrated handsomely. That said, Chip is still young enough to be bossed around by his mom so I can document it on the blog.

Chip was very excited to turn five. To him, that is very big and gets him closer to being as big as Tyler. Granted, that won't ever happen, but at five, it seems like the penultimate. Chip wanted to take cupcakes to school for his party. Lots of thought went into getting the sprinkles on afore-mentioned cupcakes just right.

Perseverance pays off, though, when the finished product is picture perfect.

The platter came home completely bare and licked clean, so I judge that as a hit!

Later that evening, we enjoyed Chip's birthday cake. Blowing out the candles is always so much fun!

Happy Birthday, Chip! You just get better and better!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't think there are many crafts more precious than the ever-popular Handprint Thanksgiving Turkey. Chip brought home this sweet-as-sugar picture from Sunday School.

Today is Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for! I have a fabulous husband, four of the best boys anyone could ever ask for, health, a warm home, my Nook ;o), my church and God's Grace! Have a very HAPPY Thanksgiving!

Fall Sports 2011

75% of All Those Boys were busy this fall with Soccer games and Cross Country meets that kept them on their toes...literally. This was Luke's second year running Cross Country and he really enjoyed it.

Chip LOVED Soccer and wants to play year round now. He really took the idea of being on a TEAM quite seriously!

Tyler was an animal and ran Cross County AND played Soccer. Yes, he was a tired fella once in a while when the two sports collided, but he did extremely well.

We are very proud of all of our fine athletes! And now...bring on Basketball!

Fiery Flames

Day 2/365- Fiery Flames

Nothing complicated or special about this photo, but I do like how the flames are so vivid while everything else is subdued. :o)

Pumpkin Patch 2011

As most of you know, I'm not that great at Necessary Childhood Events. I'm awful at throwing birthday parties for my kids. Heck, I'm usually not even ready for their birthdays even though they come on the same day every single year and really shouldn't sneak up on me the way they seem to. I'm also really bad at loading up my kidlets and going anywhere...like to see Santa...or to a festival of some sort...or to the Pumpkin Patch. Thank goodness I hooked up with some mommies who excel at that sort of endeavor and they make me go along. I end up having the best time of my life!

We had a fabulous time at the Pumpkin Patch this year.

The weather was beautiful! Sunny and warm...just perfect!

Chip and I loaded up with Rebecca, Garrett and Wyatt

and Christie, Aliah, Annabelle and Violet for this adventure.

I know what you're thinking...Hmmm, only Chip got to go? Yes, this is correct thinking. All Those Other Boys were in school. Yes, they were annoyed that they didn't get to go, but, frankly, it's a whole heck of a lot cheaper to take just one than 4, so there. Anyway there were LOTS of fun things to do at this Pumpkin Patch...and we tried them all!

The first big thing was the Zip Line!

To be honest, I wondered if Chip would be brave enough to actually do this activity or if I would be forced to hoist myself over the fence and rescue him. I really hoped that didn't happen, because my least favorite thing to do is any sort of hoisting.

But he didn't need rescuing of any kind! He loved the Zip Line!

And of course, the overgrown tricycles are always awesome.

Next came the train ride. All of the kids really liked riding the train and did it over and over and over. :o)

Another fun thing this Pumpkin Patch had to offer was lots of wonderful slides! Whee!

Chip had a little trouble with the rolling bars on this slide. His nylon pants kept creeping up his legs!

The little boys in particular loved the corn box where they could dig to their heart's content!

After such a fun afternoon, it was time to go home and recover. I tried to get a group picture of the kids with the pumpkins, but by this time, they were all pictured out. This is the best of the bunch. They were tired...but very happy!

Have a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Some things are worth staying up all night for! This is true of the new movie in the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Tiffany, Katie and I attended the grand premiere of Breaking Dawn well before dawn...more like midnight! I had a WONDERFUL time!

Project 365...Take 2

I can't believe I'm going to try this Project 365 again. I really do believe that some good things can come from a project like this, namely better photography skills, even looking at the world around me in a fresh new way. That said, I won't reap any benefits whatsoever if I don't actually do it. So. Here is Day 1 of my New And Improved Project 365.

Tyler is turning out to be quite the budding artist. He enjoys drawing a great deal and turns out beautiful things on a regular basis. Recently, he brought home these wonderful pieces: a handmade bowl and cup! I am very proud of them and have them displayed where everyone can get a good look at them. Thanks, Tyler! You're doing great!

Luke's New Ride

Luke got a new ride!
Last week, he started the arduous, yet worthy, task of buying his own vehicle. We are very proud of him for being responsible enough to handle a monthly payment. He loves his truck and looks pretty darn cute driving it all over. Not that I'm biased or anything. Good job, Luke!!

Okay, I said I wouldn't try to play 'catch up' here at the Blog, but I'm pretty sure there are a couple of things you really need to see. One of those things is most definitely Open House at Chip's preschool.

The evening progressed just perfectly. Chip found his cubby, and we all exclaimed over its perfection. He looked at all the things he would be playing with, and they met his approval.

He even thought a picture with his brothers would be in order.

However, by the time we were done with Open House, Chip was also done with taking pictures. Thus...

Not a very merry beam of sunshine, eh?

Told you that you needed to see that! ;o)

Hello, Loyal Readers who have been waiting almost an entire calendar year to hear from us. Your wait is over, as I have been bitten by the blogging bug again. I honestly can't believe it's been as long as it has since we last visited. Every time I thought of coming back here, I would get overwhelmed at how much I would need to 'catch up on.' Finally, though, I decided that I would do the only thing possible and simply start from here. Makes sense, doesn't it? So to get us started off on the right foot, if you will, here is a nice fall picture of All Those Boys for you to enjoy!

They are all growing like weeds, as you can tell from the photo. All are busy with friends and activities...and the pride and joy of this Mommy's heart!