Happy Halloween!

Deciding upon the boys' Halloween costumes for this year was determined fairly early in the month.  I wasn't against the idea of attempting to make their costumes like I did last year, but I knew that if that was to happen, I would need plenty of time to do so.  {I did have the tiniest desire to want to make their costumes...but I gotta admit, when it was decided that I wasn't going to, I was pretty relieved!}

At dinner one night, then, it was discussed.  Let me interject, I have loved our "themed" costumes the last couple years.  The boys dressing up as a pair that belongs together has been pretty fun (2010, 2011, and 2012.)  I am aware, though, that as the boys have gotten older, they are expressing their own opinions and desires and I really don't want to squelch that.  Halloween costumes definitely fall under the whatever-you-want-it's-no-skin-off-my-back category, so I gave them the freedom to choose.

Drew was batting around a couple different ideas, when Reed, very surprisingly declared, "I'm gonna be Batman!"  Neither of the boys have been very in to superheroes.  Drew knows the most about the Avengers, but even that interest came because one of his good buddies at school likes them.  But I wouldn't say that superheroes are at the top of their favorites list.  But hey.  We had a Batman costume handed down to us (thanks, Mindy & Perry!) so that made that decision very easy!

And because it is usually the case that when one brother chooses something, the other makes a very similiar choice (especially when Reed chooses first), Drew also declared that he was going to be a superhero.  And that particular day, his favorite was Captain America.  (Thank you, Target, for coming through with that costume request!)

Perhaps not Batman and Robin, an actual crime-fighting superhero duo, but still so fun that the boys allowed me one more themed Halloween!

So a superhero Halloween it is!

The city of Midland has never been more safe.  

*Of note:  1)  I did make Captain America's shield.  Target wanted $10 for their cheapy plastic one.  With plenty of cardboard and the right color spray paint at home, we made it happen for free.  And I gotta say...looks much better than the store-bought variety!  2)  The giant Vander Waal head worked against Drew...I had to adjust his mask a bit to make it even sit right on his head, and even then he had to pull it farther down over his nose to keep the eye holes where they needed to be.  It looked uncomfortable to me, but he made it work.  3)  Yes, Drew's two front teeth are incredibly loose.  Yes, he looks like Bugs Bunny.  Kindly ignore.

These Boots

{This one's for you, Uncle Justin!}

These froggy rainboots were first given to Reed in the spring of 2011.  They were hand-me-downs of my nephew's, and my parents brought them on one of their regular visits to our house.

It might be safe to say that Reed has had them on his feet ever since.

They do make quite the fashion statement, and they are very versatile.

These boots are made for...

backyard exploring

beanbag tossing...errr, tripping

crafting

cuddling

picnicking 

and parading

and pop can smashing.

These boots are made for

going to storytime

to the beach

to the store

to the pumpkin patch

and to the Urgent Care.

They're even good in hard to reach places!

And then they bit the dust.

Boo.

When the boots began to fall apart in the fall of last year, I went on a mad hunt to find a replacement pair.  I was really unsure as to exactly why Reed loved these boots so much.  Was it because they were boots, or because they were froggy boots?  I didn't know, but when it came to finding a replacement pair, I wanted Reed to love them as much as the originals.  Thus began a search and rescue mission for froggy rainboots.  I tried all of my local stores and found a variety of rubber boots...but none were frogs.  Camouflage?  Yep.  Fireman?  Sure.  Froggy?  Nope.

It wasn't until I visited a Walmart four hours from home that an appropriate replacement pair was seized, so all wrapped up and under the Christmas tree they went!

Thankfully, the new pair has been just as popular as the old, broken, tossed-in-the-trash pair!

These {new} boots are made for...

mail retreiving

puddle jumping

more shopping

scootering

trampolining

and celebrating.

Quite frankly, these boots

are just too cool for words.

It's obvious by how much Reed wants to wear them exactly how much he fancies these boots.  Reed's love for the froggy rainboots has even made others love them, almost as much as he does.  Take, for example, Grammy.  While we were at her house, Reed wanted to wear his boots inside.  He had previously been wearing them out, so I told him no, he couldn't wear them inside as they were all dirty.  I promptly placed them back in the closet.  Grammy?  She goes ahead and cleans them so Reed can wear them in the house.

But I don't think anyone has stronger feelings for Reed and his froggy boots than his Uncle Justin.  So much so that when Justin asked Reed to be the ring bearer in his wedding, he requested that Reed wear the boots.

To which Reed replied, "That's what I wanted to wear!"

Now if only he'd had that red carpet to walk down...

These boots were definitely made for Reed!

Our Fall Tradition, Times Two

Every fall, we like to take the boys out to a pumpkin patch/apple orchard, if for no other reason than for me to take a few pictures of the boys with pumpkins so that I can say "Yay! We have our annual pumpkin patch photos! :)

Honestly, that might have been the case a few years ago when the boys (all three of them) weren't as "into" the patch as I was.  But as the boys (all three of them) have gotten older, they've gotten a bit more excited about making our annual visit and are more participatory in picking out pumpkins and taking part in the farm activities.

This year, Reed had the opportunity to visit the patch twice, as his very first preschool field trip visited Grandma's Pumpkin Patch a few weeks ago.  I was lucky enough to be able to tag along, and although it was a bit chilly and breezy, it was a fun morning spent with my little guy and his classmates.

The kids were introduced to a variety of farm animals: Troy the donkey, the peacocks, 2-week old baby chicks, the llamas, and the goats.

Fun goat fact: don't be afraid to feed them.  They can't bite you because they don't have any top teeth!

We then were able to go on a hayride through the corn field, and minus the incredibly muddy conditions that almost caused the trailer to slide off the path, it was a fun little ride. :)  Reed then played just a bit with the various climbers they had available, but it was getting pretty cold, so we were ready to head home.  Before doing so, Reed was able to pick a pumpkin and a coloring book to bring home with him.

Not too shabby for his first field trip!

This last Saturday, then, was our chance to head to the patch with the whole family.  Unfortunately, it was just as cold and just as breezy as it was on the previous visit!  But the perk of going when we did was that we went as guests of our realtor/realty company as a part of a customer appreciation event.

With Drew along this time, there was much more exploration, climbing, and playing.  Both boys were wanting to climb and swing and slide and get dirty, which was all well and good until it started to rain.

Thankfully, it didn't last long, and we headed into the field to pick our pumpkins.

By the time we had chosen our two, and I convinced the boys to just squat for a second so I could rattle off a few photographs, Brad and I were cold enough to call it good and head back home.  The boys, on the other hand, were wanting to stay.  On a warmer morning, I would have been thrilled.  

Next year, boys.  Next year. :)