Paint by Pumpkin

Instead of carving our pumpkins, we decided to paint pumpkins this year (thanks, Kathy, for the great idea!). Drew was able to be more "hands on" this way, and it was much less work for Brad (which he liked a lot!). Drew was super excited about painting, as you can see from this picture...

...he kind of has a "carving" grin on his face, wouldn't you say?? A little too happy to be defacing a pumpkin!

The final results...

I painted the one with the hair, and Drew did the other two. He thinks they're pretty cool, but was a bit disappointed when I took them out to the front porch. I think he thought they were going to join us for dinner. :)

Imagination Movers

If you're unfamiliar with the Imagination Movers, let me introduce you...

Meet Mover Scott, Mover Smitty, Mover Rich, and Mover Dave!

Everyone in our house LOVES these guys. They star in the Disney Channel's children's program of the same name. These four Movers work in the Idea Warehouse, where they use their imaginations to help customers find solutions to their problems. They've helped a football player learn how to catch a ball, a trombone player learn how to march and play at the same time, and they helped Pants Armstrong learn how to ride his bike again! Of course, they have their own share of problems to solve, like when Dave's inventions get out of hand or when Scott has a bad hair day. (Learn more about the Movers here.)

Last night, Drew had the pleasure of helping the Movers solve their newest idea-emergency (Smitty had lost his voice!) LIVE and IN PERSON! We were lucky enough to be able to attend the Davenport performance of the Imagination Movers "Live from the Idea Warehouse." Along with Drew's second cousins, Noah and Brady, we brainstormed, sang, and danced our way through an hour and a half of Mover fun!

I was able to capture a few short videos.

Brainstorm with us!

Drew had a hard time keeping his dancing legs in his seat!

Waiting for the show to begin!

Drew with cousins Noah and Brady.

There they are! The MOVERS!

Singin' with Mover Scott.

"Can you help us solve our idea-emergency??"

Dave, Scott, Rich and Smitty

Mover Rich and Mover Smitty

Scott using his Wobble Goggles.

Dave thinks he has just the thing to help Smitty find his voice...unfortunately, it didn't work.

Mover Dave

Mover Smitty

Warehouse Mouse in the light and sound booth.

Mover Rich (Drew didn't get to give him a high-five, but he almost followed him back on stage!)

Idea-emergency solved!

It was a really great show. I must say that I was quite impressed, and I'm pretty sure I had a better time than Drew did! Preschoolers must not be that intimidating as all the guys made their way into the audience at one point or another, giving high-fives and talking with the kids. It was great! (So great that the little girl across the aisle had a bit of meltdown upon the show's end.) With no nap yesterday afternoon, we were sure that Drew would crash as soon as we got in the van to head home. But his adrenaline must have been pumping as he didn't fall asleep until we were about 10 miles from our exit!

So if you haven't watched these guys in the morning on Disney, or heard any of their songs, I encourage you to check them out with your kids or grandkids. Shoot, just check them out for yourself. They're pretty great, and they can teach us adults a thing or two, too. :)

Apple Blossom Farm

It was a breath of fresh air this afternoon as we spent some time outdoors at Apple Blossom Farm, an apple orchard and pumpkin patch in Peoria. And has been our yearly tradition, our friends from Minnesota were here this weekend to enjoy it with us! The Vrieze family (Scott, Kathy, Grace and Norah) made another visit to Pekin, and as always, we enjoyed our time together very much! As adults, we chit chat and catch up, but I think our greatest joy is seeing our kids interact and play with each other. It's never expected or required that we do anything extra-special; we usually enjoy the days at home, eating, playing, napping and talking. Yesterday morning, the eight of us did venture out to take in the opening of Toyland. Sounds like an amusement park, with fun rides and sugary foods, doesn't it? It's not. Toyland is what Farm and Fleet calls their huge fall sale on all things t.o.y.s! I wish I would have had my camera. Picture this....Drew and Grace in the back of the cart, Reed in the front, Norah being held by her daddy, and the four of us adults battling other parents and kids though the tight toy aisles. An adventure to say the least! We didn't even get there until 10:30, and it had opened at 7! We caught a few good deals for Christmas and birthday gifts, so I can say I've officially started my holiday shopping! :)

As always, our deepest thanks to our friends for their continued willingness to stay in touch by "vacationing" at our house. We can't wait to see you again soon!


Here are a few snapshots from the Farm...

Dad and Drew coming down the giant slide!

The farm had several play centers for kids to enjoy. I think Drew liked the swings the best.

Reed and Norah enjoying the farm the best way they know how...from the stroller.

This year at the Farm, three feet tall!

"Hey Gracie, a goat!"

(Not the best family portrait, but Drew's got a million-dollar smile!)

A couple snapshots of some other fun...

I have to give Brad the credit for capturing this priceless moment!

Color Wonder time.

Norah and Reed, obviously flirting.

Drew and Grace. Believe it or not, they only had one moment of toy stealing/jealously/non-sharing. Pretty good, huh?

Seven Months Old

Milestones this month:

Introduced sippy cup
Pushes himself up onto all fours
Rode in the front of a shopping cart without carseat

If only we all were this giddy at 6:00 in the morning...

Humorous, yes. Gross, absolutely.

Drew's smiling, but his eyes don't hide his nerves very well!

Where'd our chubby cheeked toddler go?!?!

Silly boys!

You can bet that some serious life lessons are being taught here.

Check his mouth...totally screaming with delight!

Watching Disney in the morning.

You can't see from this picture, but I was attempting to work on my Bible study while the boys were playing like this. Another gold star on my "supermom" chart! ;)

Drew often times wants to hold Reed. "Sit him in my lap, mama." He's usually pretty nice about it, but it's a good thing Reed is so big; Drew can give a good squeeze.

Picnic supper in the living room as we watched the playoff tiebreaker game between the TWINS (!) and the Tigers.

More love!

We break 'em in early...texting with Mom.

Goofy grins!

Our monkey!

Definitely frame-able!

In the Genes

A few weeks ago we introduced Reed to the sippy cup. It didn't take him long to catch on! As a matter of fact, I have to keep it away from him until he's done eating, otherwise he has a hard time staying focused on his food!


Drew is the same way. That kid would have a cup in his mouth all day long if he could. He'll drink all of his milk before taking a bite of a meal. He has yet to learn that boy can't live on sippy cup alone! (We're working on taming this as a bladder constantly full of liquid doesn't work well when trying to potty train!)


Huh. I wonder where they get this from...

She's 30!

And by "she" I only wish I was talking about someone else.

But no. It is I. 30. That's kind of a lot. It's that age that I always thought was so "old" when I was younger. Boy, was I wrong! ;)

All in all, today was a nice day. Drew even behaved! No time-outs! Now that's a great birthday present! Reed was a bit of a stinker, not wanting to nap so mama could nap, too, but there's always tomorrow for that, I suppose. So for those dying to know (and I'm sure you all are), what did I do on my 30th??

Laundry. I did laundry. And will be doing more laundry tomorrow.

Thrilling, I know.

Oh, and I shouldn't forget about the family trip to Walmart. That was a blast! Brad especially enjoyed it. (He said I could do whatever I wanted today...so I told him I wanted him to help me with a few errands...it's the only day of the year I can get him to go with me!)

And while I did do a lot of laundry (seriously, that maid is slackin' around here!) my day was great. The boys were good, and they gifted me with a small present this morning. Brad's gift arrives in November. Or rather, we're going to go to it...on a plane...to San Francisco...for a much needed vacation! I.can't.wait.

Yeah, I know. Brad's the best.

Brad also put this little gift together for me, as well. It was a nice surprise to see it this morning as I logged into Facebook. Since not all of you are Facebookers, we'll post it here, too.

Off the Charts

Off to Dr. Hunter this morning for Reed's six-month well-baby check-up. And although he talks like a baby, eats like a baby, and plays like a baby...Reed certainly doesn't measure like a baby!!!

He is...

23 pounds 2 ounces

30 inches long

and has a 47 cm head circumference

...just two pounds and one inch shy of how big Drew was at ONE YEAR OLD!

Reed is officially off the charts! I can't give you the percentile's Reed is situated in, because he isn't in any. Unless something like "the 107th percentile" is for real.

And all this time I thought Drew was a big kid!

Dr. Hunter assures me that he is perfect (was there any doubt, really??). He's growing in perfect proportion, and his measurements continue along a curve, which is what they want to see. "He's just gonna be a tall guy," is what the doctor had to say. I wonder at what age he'll surpass Drew? And if Drew will notice? Or care? Reed might be the "little" brother, but little he is not!

Reed's ears are healed from the infection he had, although they both have some fluid in them. Dr. Hunter suspects it is just residuals from the infection, but to keep an eye on them nonetheless to see if they begin to bother Reed again. (I've come to the conclusion that everything bothers Reed. He's kinda high maintenance...I can't imagine who he gets that from...) She also reassured me that she expects Reed's reflux to back off here in the next three months (as Reed puked all over me right there in the exam room...nice). He continues to take baby Zantac twice a day, and thankfully, it is still working as our "wonder drug." His next round of immunizations were administered today, and his next appointment is scheduled for December, when he'll be nine months old (!).