Kenn's Mo-vember

 I'm sure we all remember this guy from Halloween...

And if you saw this post, then you saw the sparse beginnings of mustache numero dos.

But WHY, you ask, did Kenn repeat the facial hair that his wife loathed so much??

::sigh:: for a good cause...

Kenn and some friends from work all decided to participate in Movember, where guys grow absurd looking mustaches and other nearly-but-not-quite-related facial hair monstrosities in order to raise money for men-related causes. Like dirt bike track improvements.

So this is the final pic, and I do agree with Kenn, his was the best. Not that everyone else didn't try, but however much I hated it, Kenn ROCKED that 'stache.

Good job babe! I'm OH so proud. ;)

Thanksgiving 2011, a.k.a. 'Deliciousness'

 This year, we were thankful for lots of things.

For being able to steal FHE ideas from music time at church...

For new iPhones that take old-school lookin' pictures of boring things and make them cool...

For our boys who like to wrestle and rough-house and have pretend picnics...

And for food. Wonderful, delicious, Thanksgiving food. :)

corn pudding

squashed apples

turkey!!!

homemade cranberry sauce

whole-wheat rolls and honey butter, from scratch

beautiful crispy marshamallows on top of whipped sweet potatoes

mashed potatoes

veggies

cranberry-pineapple minis

butternut soup as an appetizer 

And even the table looked pretty good!

But I think this year, more than anything, I was grateful that I had time for a nap in the middle of all the cooking, and that I got to lay down after dinner and snuggle with my boys.

And #1 thing I was grateful for?? Being only 5 1/2 months along at Thanksgiving. It definitely could've been worse. :)

Caleb's Harvest

We dug up everything in the garden a few months ago and have just left it hanging out. Some weeds have popped up and a few onions that Kenn missed, but other than that it's been looking really vacant.

And then Caleb decided to start digging one afternoon, and lo and behold, we grew some sweet potatoes! I had planted them, but the summer was so dry and hot I didn't think anything came of it, and Kenn didn't think to look. Caleb sure had fun digging for treasure, though. And edible treasure is always better, right? :)

Six Flags Over Texas!

 We finally made it to Six Flags in San Antonio! And it only took us 5 1/2 years of living here. :) it was actually a really nice day to go, because November is significantly cooler than the summer here, and there weren't very many people even though it was a Saturday. A lot of things in the park were closed, but it was mostly the bigger rides that we wouldn't have gone on anyways. I was 5 months pregnant, and Kenn had a splitting headache most of the day, but we still managed to have a good time. :)

 Of course, the boys had to go on the first train they saw

Then it was Daddy's turn to go with them on the wagon ride.

Kenn got pretty comfy up there

Then Kenn took the boys on a raft ride called 'The Gully Washer,' and Caleb ended up SOAKED. I guess he got the full brunt of the waterfall they went under. He handled it well, though, and at least he was dry by the time we left to go home. :)

Kenn can't handle circular rides, so I went with Caleb on the airplanes (can you see us there, bottom right? I've got my sunglasses on).

Kenn sat in a play-area while B ran around

Then the boys got Dad to go on the kiddie coaster with them.

And finally--the carousel. Another circular ride that Kenn wouldn't touch, and I wasn't allowed on because I was pregnant (y'know, cause carousels are sooooo dangerous). So Caleb went by himself and was beyond happy when he found a dragon to ride.

He wasn't so happy when the ride started and he realized the dragon was stationary, but ah well. 

He still had a good time. :)

There was also a bigger train that went from one end of the park to the other, and of course we got to ride that. The boys had a ball, and we will definitely take them again sometime.

Hoodie Buddies

The mustache is certainly not my favorite, but my boys in their hoodies was adorable.

Peaceful slumber

naptime with Happy, 10-28-2011

The Great Halloween Escapade of 2011

It wasn't really THAT great, but I felt this post needed a better title than just 'Halloween.' I do what I can. :)

Halloween is SO busy every year, I sometimes think it's trying to keep up with Christmas in the 'how-many-different-activities/events-can-we-squeeze-out-of-one-holiday' category. Christmas still wins, but you get the point.

Our first shindig was the annual Halloween party at Kenn's work. NI does a pretty good job for the employees' kids, with snacks and treats and crafts and games and the whole shebang. They usually do a sweet picture, too, backdrop included.

Remember this one? Classic, right? :)

 That was Caleb the caveman in 2007, when he was 16 months old. So cute!

And now here he is with his baby brother this year, looking oh so fierce.

I told them to make scary faces, and I think Beckett thought I said 'scared.' Ah well.

And he refused to wear the Thomas costume ALL weekend, but he'd wear the train hat, so I guess he was a train conductor. 

Again, ah well.

 This is so you can see Caleb's costume. It turned out pretty sweet, though I say it myself. :)

 And just for clarification's sake, no, he's not a dragon. He's a red T-Rex. Dragons have wings. And it's hard to make a costume of one without it resembling the other. :P

So yah, that party was fun. And then Friday night we went to Tiff's pumpkin carving party where there was chili, and pumpkin guts, and kids running around like crazy, and yummy yummy treats. I made this again, and I encourage you ALL to try it. DELICIOUS. :)

Beckett was having fun, and got some good oreo crumbs around his mouth. 

He's cute when he's messy. :)

And Daddy did a stellar job with the initial pumpkin carving. I had done the gutting earlier in the day, and also did some fine-tuning and edge cleanup after he finished. We're such a team.

We also went to our ward Fall Festival on Saturday night, which included a trunk or treat, chili cook-off, games, and LOTS of people in costume. We didn't get any pictures, though.

and now...

HALLOWEEN NIGHT!!!

Here they go, off to score loads of candy for mommy and daddy to eat. :)

our cool pumpkin

post-trick-or-treating chaos apparently includes a half-dressed boy with tootsie roll stuck to his teeth.

Yum.

And yes, even daddy 'dressed up' for Halloween, which for him meant shaving his beard into a handlebar mustache. 

 No, I didn't love it.

Yes, everyone else did.

Ah well.

Happy Halloween!

Today's Reminder...

...that my children CAN be sweet...

Caleb apparently inflicted some unintentional pain on his brother in the course of the daily rough-housing. Beckett was hurt and upset and crying, so Caleb, in what was almost definitely the most darling thing I've ever seen him do, put his arm around his tearful baby brother and sang 'I Am A Child of God' to him.

Pretty sure my heart just melted. :*)

a little classic brotherly love from our family pics last year

thanks again, natalie portugal