Honk-or-Treat

Dearest Buzz & Woody,

Do you know what would just thrill me to pieces?  If y'all dressed as famous duos every Halloween!  Jax, you & I shopped online together a few weeks ago and you were very opinionated about your costume.  Actually, you wanted a robot costume...but you were the most adorable robot ever last year.  You really liked the Buzz Lightyear costume though and I knew it would be "the one" as soon as I pictured a tiny Sheriff Woody at your side. 

Your first time in costume was at the church's "Trunk-or-Treat" event on Saturday.  I explained why we were getting dressed up and you, Jax, then kept referring to it as "Honk-or-Treat"! 

Tonight we dressed you up again as we walked the neighborhood with Deanna & Kristy. 

For the sake of next year:  order a size larger in costumes!!  Colt, we had you in an 18 month outfit and you were popping out up front and missing a few inches off the bottom.  Jax, this was a 3T, yet you needed another foot (or two) of material at the bottom!!  ((Maybe it would've helped if we hadn't lost the shin guard thingies that belong on the bottom of this.?.?.))

We visited the next street over from ours and they had an awesome little set up.  So many families had their dogs out with them and a lot of houses were really done up.

Here y'all are about to make your way down to the spooky houses...

Colt, you were definitely inspecting things carefully...

Jax, it definitely took some comforting to get you near the decor!

Once you realized that decorated yards = free candy, you were good to go!

Some of the homeowners even got into the spirit!

All by yourself!!

Deanna caught y'all in a proud moment : )

Goofball!

Sheriff Lightyear?

We got tired of putting your boots on over and over so we just let you walk barefoot.  Then the joke was that you looked more like Huckleberry Finn!

At least you were still all smiles at the end of the night!

Happy Halloween!!

Hall of Fame

Dear Jax,

Saturday marked the end of your very first tee ball season.  I was camera-ready for game one so, of course, I was ready again for your last game of the year.  You played your sweet heart out and seemed to really enjoy it all!

Your first at-bat of your last game...

tongue out and you were focused!

You were already on first while your opponent was waiting for the ball ; )

Some guys slide into home...instead, I caught you doing this cute jump, hop, action onto the plate.

While you were busy being an all-star, your brother pretended to be the team's bat boy.

He also played groundskeeper for the empty field next door.

Last time batting...for this year...

Look how proud you were after crossing home plate!

(Sorry that my shot makes you look one-legged.)

Your high fives and "good game"s are one of my favorite parts!

This is the smile of a boy who is truly having a good time.

And this is the smile of a boy who was THRILLED last night when he got a ball and a trophy from his coach at his team's end-of-the-year party!

I hope you retain your enthusiasm for sports and that your good sportsmanship stays with you for years to come. 

We are so proud of you, #6!

Pumpkin Patch

Dearest Jackson & Colton,

Remember our very first trip to the pumpkin patch as a family of four?  Of course you don't...but I do. 

Your size difference made for some awkward-yet-precious pictures.  Colton, you sat wherever we propped you.  And, Jax, you were thrilled to have someone to share the camera frame with.  I was giddy as I envisioned this being just the first in a long line of annual pumpkin patch pictures.  My excitement led me to buy you boys coordinating shirts for this year's event.  I strolled down memory lane by checking out pumpkin patch posts from the past 3 years and made a mental list of specific shots that I'd like to recreate. 

Well, I won't say that this year's trip wasn't lovely - because it was.  But I will say that my photography dreams went out the window early on and that this ended up being the best picture I could manage of the two of you together:

That's ok though because a good time was had by all and I did get some super sweet individual shots of you independent, energetic, boys.

I actually find it odd that this is even there to "play" in.?.?.

Whether it's at church, school, or the pumpkin patch - you just love these little barrel train rides!

Colt, this was your first ride and you were a bit more cautious about the whole thing : )

One of my favorites of the day

I like this picture because 1) it replicates one of our shots from years past and 2) I love the paparazzi in the background proving that I'm not the only one who goes at little camera crazy at places like this.

Colt, you wanted to give it a try too but you didn't quite have the concept...

As we got closer to lunch time, you opted for transport via stroller...

and, Jax, you hitched a ride with our pumpkins in the wagon!

We carved our pumpkins before bedtime and here they are lighting up the front porch.

Two big pumpkins with two baby pumpkins...just perfect!

Arboretum

Dear Jackson & Colt,

Fall is here and it is one of my favorite times of the year!  We made our bi-annual trip to the arboretum this weekend and brought Lindsey along with us since she was in town for a visit.  Although the arboretum was decorated with thousands of pumpkins and autumn flowers, the 80 degree temperatures had us sweating like it was still summer!  This was an interesting outing as you boys both tried to assert your independence and were running around every which way - usually in opposite directions! 

Bring on even more fall traditions!!