Happy Halloween

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Perfect Fall Weekend

We had the perfect fall weekend as a family!  We went to a Halloween Festival with a sorta spooky hayride, to the pumpkin patch, had family pictures downtown, had a chili dinner get together with friends and then went to a Halloween celebration at the zoo!  The weather was awesome too!  Now if it could only be so great this coming weekend as we host an outdoor Halloween party.  I'll settle for no rain!

Cream and Crimson

College was an experience that everyone should have!  I wouldn't trade those years for anything.  I got to find out what it was like to live on my own, without actually living on my own because my parents were still supporting me, I was still on their health insurance, etc.  I also had the opportunity to pick ANYTHING I wanted to study in college and declare a major.  I changed my mind a few times and still ended up graduating with a degree that I don't use.  Even though my business degree may not be the job I work in forever, the education I received from the Kelly School of Business will help me in life in general (finance, marketing, management, accounting-all life skill if you ask me).  Along with studying and going to school I had more fun than I can even explain.  And of course met best friends that I still have today; whom I had all that fun with back in the day.  One of the things we still have in common is our love of having fun (and laughing until our faces and sides hurt!)  So, what is a great way to HAVE FUN and LAUGH till you cry with old college friends?  Plan a tailgate and campus visit together during football season, which my friend Jiffy originated a plan for 6 months ago!!!  It was a beautiful day, college friends and my hubby, food and drinks,  lots of trips to the port-o-potty that got progressively more disgusting,  I got to see the stadium, watch half time, hear the fight song once, play Sink the Biz and eat yummy food at Nicks and take a stroll down Kirkwood.  We watched replicas of ourselves a short few (okay, not so few) years ago, saw replicas of ourselves 10 years from now,  reminisced, made fun of each other, took lots of pictures , were loud and annoying at a bar, dared each other to do silly things and thought we were the funniest people ever and did I mentioned we laughed a lot??? I have no idea who won the football game, but really don't care.  I had so much fun and fully plan to do it again next week....I mean next year.  Guess I'm not really in college anymore! But that's okay, I have enough memories and an ongoing relationship with my college BFF's.  That's good stuff.

Kim couldn't make it so I copy and pasted her in :)

Me and the Mr.

 Just a hanging...

Super cheese-a-listic

 Silly boys

Stopped by the game

 Mr. Moms

There is a story here.......  :)

 Woot Woot Sink the Biz

 This is serious business, it takes complete concentration!

And the official loser is Will with 5+ rounds lost....

Claire Annalise is 2!

My sweet baby girl Claire,
Oh how I can't believe that 2 years has come and gone since you were born!  You have been such a gift to our family!  You just add a dynamic that our family needed and has completed our family of five! Even though mommy says she wants another baby, I know that the three of you have blessed me more than I could have asked and am completely happy with you as my children! You are so full of energy and talking up a storm these days.  I can't believe I was ever worried that you weren't going to talk-now we can't stop you!  You are at the age where everything out of our mouth is so cute, so even when you say NO with a pouty face I still smile because it is so cute.  The screaming fits, not so cute....and you are starting to have more and more of those lately.  LOVE THOSE terrible twos. I am hoping you defy the name and create your own tremendous twos! Your personality is growing by the day...excited for everything, especially food!  Oh my gosh, if you could sit and eat all day long, you would. Well except for vegetables. You dislike everything vegetable. That's going to be a fun battle! You love your daddy and ask for him every morning and I have to tell you he is at work. You are such a big helper, you want to help me clean, cook, even help change your own diaper!  When you are asked to throw something away for us you RUN to the trashcan and come back grinning with pride.  Priceless!  Now, I fully expect this to not carry into your teenage years, but if in fact it does, you will for sure get more allowance than your brothers who want to do NOTHING that involves work!

You love playing with your kitchen and babydolls!  In fact your grandparents and mommy and daddy got you a new kitchen for your birthday because you play in the tiny one we have all the time!  You have 6 or 7 baby dolls and got a stroller for them for your birthday that you have basically pushed around the house since you got it.  You sleep with at least 2 babydolls every night and like them to ride in the car with you and feed them when you eat.  Nana got you a Barbie jeep for your birthday and you screamed in delight when you saw it and no longer wanted to open any more gifts!  I love seeing all the girl gifts in our house-the nostalgia of my childhood is overwhelming!  You LOVE your Papaw and everytime he is around, the rest of us are minced meat.....Your like to say the color yellow and everything is yellow!  You love animals, especially dogs and I have a feeling we are going to have to break down and get you one soon! You love to give hugs and kisses; in fact we just shared a kissing session of about 25 kisses.  I love watching you run because it is a waddle/run that is so adorable! You have to say good night to your brothers every night and give them hugs and kisses or you cry.  You went from calling them Tay and Co over night to calling them Co-er and Ta-er.  You still suck your fingers and put your hand in my mouth, especially when you are tired.  Even though I seem to be upset when you get clingy and want me to hold you all the time, I actually enjoy every second of your neediness because we get to cuddle.  You do not like brushing your teeth, you just like to put the brush in your mouth for 1 second and take it back out and spit.  You still have to be on your breathing machine and see a pulmonologist-we are on 2 a day breathing treatments right now, but I am confident that this will cease eventually.  I could go on about how awesome you are, but you are MY daugher so why wouldn't you be?  LOL  We love you so much and can't wait to see what year 3 has to bring for you and us!  Thank you God for bring you into our lives! 

Love, Mommy, Daddy, Taylor and Connor

 Claire and Cousin Quinn

 Birthday Cake Pops (don't EVER make them, unless you have a spare 8 hours to kill!)

 Opening gifts

 Playing with new kitchen, table and food

 Blowing out the candle that we had no where to put so I just held it!

 Grandpa and Claire-cake pop time!

Mommy and daughter!

Football!

Taylor is playing tackle football this year. (versus SAFE flag football last year) He loves it. I actually think he likes it better than baseball, but don't tell Todd b/c he will FREAK! His dream is for Taylor to breathe baseball like he did. Now, don't get me wrong, he loves baseball too-actually he loves any sport....but he gets especially enthusiastic about footbal, especiallly when they are 5 games in and are yet to win a game. He gets frustrated with the no win thing, but he loves playing it so much and he usually does really well, that he doesn't even care that he isn't winning. He plays quarterback on offense and I have absolutely no idea what on defense.  He thinks he is Peyton Manning (pre neck surgery) on the field. I love watching him. Well, except when he gets tackled or limps after a play..then I just want to run out and dote on him. But how embarassing would that be??  The kids don't call me "Safe Mommy" for nothing... I love watching everything my kids do. Love my little Spartan!  He is number 21 below.

Go IU! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

We try to take in one IU game a year with the kids because they get a kick out of it.  Well, Claire is just along for the ride and likes doing what everyone else is doing.  Taylor gets in to the actual game and loves watching it, and Connor has a million things to look at and we only lose him 42 times when we are there because he runs off.  This time we went with friends of ours and their two kids.   We tailgated first and the kids got a kick out of that too-it was the first time they have tailgated.  We spent the first half actually watching the game (well, I did a lot of people watching-and sorta paid attention to the game). Then went down to the Knot Hole area where the kids can pass footballs, run around and scream and no one even notices.  Perfect for my crew!  I love visiting campus and feeling the memories come back to me of being there as a student.  Husband and I will be headed down there in a few weeks for a game with all my college BFF's and I am so excited for that.  We will pretend like we are 22 again and then the next day feel every bit of our age plus some, but it will be worth every minute! 

Girls weekend! Can I get a what-what?

Last weekend (after my husband was away on business for 4 days so the timing could not have been better!) I go to run away with 4 of my best friends!  Jiffy and I go way back to 6th grade and were college roomates all four years in college (thankfully she dragged me around with her wherever she lived) :)  College was where I met my other 3 girlies and now lifelong friends.  Jiffy and I lived with Sara Junior year and all five of us lived together senior year.  Which was, by far, the best year ever in college.  For one, I FINALLY turned 21 (I was the last one and looked way too young to ever even attempt a fake ID).  And for two, I formed a bond and friendship with these girls that would continue after graduation, traveling all over the US to visit each other (Nashville, TN, Houstin, TX, Chicago, IL and boring me that never left home :)).  We are all now living in the same city but busy jobs and raising families get in the way of seeing each other as often as we would like.  And when we get together w/ the kids we barely get to catch up or discuss our lives as we are busy feeding mouths, changing diapers or disciplining naughty children (well that is mostly me since I have the naughty ones).  But at least our children get to play as they will certainly grow up stuck w/ each other as friends whether they like it or not because their mommies will always be friends!  I shouldn't leave out the daddies, as we also went to college with some of the husbands; only Jiffy and I brought in outsiders :)  Good thing we know how to pick 'em because they fit in great-which makes for fun couples nights out too!  Point is, these girls are amazing and I am thankful to have them in my life!  Having great friends makes any of life's ups and downs and just the everyday in between better to have them to share it with!  (okay, those non-sentimentals out there may now go vomit from my sickly sweet moment :))