Halloween night...

We lucked out this year and had beautiful weather on Monday night for Trick-or-Treating, I kept thinking it was going to get really cold and it never did.
(not until the next day!)
Ashton and Gunnar were so excited to get out and start knocking on doors! They wouldn't even hardly stand still for a picture...

(Gunnar would not stand up, until I went in and stood with him...)

First we went over to our neighbors' (the Smiths) for our annual chili dinner...(we figured out we've been doing it for about 6 years now!). Emily is always so nice to make a huge pot of chili & other yummy stuff and have a bunch of us over.

Such a fun tradition!

Then it was time to go get some candy.

We lasted longer this year than last and probably made it to about 20 or so houses.

Our funny neighbor Brett...I mean Marge Simpson! haha! 

Then Gunnar had a little meltdown and it was time to head home...

I was glad Ashton stuck with us this year the whole time instead of trying to take off with friends. As usual they were both excited to get home and set up their chairs to hand out candy :)

Gunnar checking out his stash...of course excited about the CHOCOLATE!

It was a fun night, and they're already talking about what they want to be next year!

Oh I was a leopard this year.
Since I was in charge of Ashton's Halloween party at school, I figured I better come up with something :)

Carving Pumpkins...

We finally carved a few pumpkins last Sunday night right before Halloween. I didn't get too many pictures, I guess I got busy and my hands got all covered in pumpkin guts, but here they are in the process. Loving it!

Grandpa from Texas came to visit!

Well it's been almost a month ago now...but Grandpa Gene came to visit from Texas for a long weekend and we had so much fun having him here!

The weather was beautiful...well until the day he showed up. That Thursday, October 6 after being so nice for weeks, it turned really cold and rainy. But we still got out and had some fun. Kelli picked him up from the airport that day and brought him to our house and he got to come with me to pick the boys up from school, then we just hung out that afternoon and I made yummy chicken pot pie for dinner.

Friday Ashton had school so Kelli and  I and Gunnar and Grandpa all went up to First Dam to feed the ducks. It was freezing so we only stayed about half an hour, but Gunnar always loves it and rain or no rain, it was fun to get out
(and as one of my friends said...any excuse to wear my cute pink coat :).

Kelli even made a new friend :)

We also loved this little guy...look at his fluff of feathers on his head!
love it!

That night we took Grandpa out to eat at the Coppermill, then came home and had movie night with the movie he brought for the boys...Despicable Me. One of our new favorites.

Saturday Ashton had an early morning soccer game at 9:00.

It was still cold and a little rainy, but so fun to have Grandpa there to watch. These next two pictures are two of my favorite pictures from the whole weekend...love them!

After the game I took the soccer pictures, then we went out to get Ashton a new bike for getting those last 2 stickers on his chart. That was an adventure in itself!

Anyway then on Sunday, our last full day with Grandpa here, we decided to go fishing up at Newton Dam.

It ended up being a beautiful day and we had so much fun.
 We caught lots of little perch and the boys had a blast just running around exploring.

On our way back into town we decided to stop off at Village Inn for dinner.

Monday we got up and all walked Ashton to school...he was so excited to ride his new bike there :)

Then it was time to say goodbye.

 At least for Ashton. Kelli didn't have to leave to take Grandpa back to the airport till about noon, so Gunnar got a few more hours in to play with him.
Oh and have their morning coffee and hot chocolate :) 

It was a great weekend and we were sad it went by so fast. Good memories. Good times. We love you Grandpa!

Happy Halloween 2011

(I started this post yesterday and obviously ran out of time...)

After a so far very crazy day, I have time for one quick post before we head out to Trick-or-Treat! We have waited so long for this night to finally come!

I love to go out a few days or a week before Halloween (when the boys' costumes are still nice and clean:), and do a Halloween photoshoot. Then I can make fun cards and send them with cute pictures of the boys in them to grandparents and aunts and uncles.

Here are this year's pictures. We had fun for about an hour after school one day last week taking these. Well I had fun anyway :) The boys did it for a trip to the dollar store and well for getting to wear their costumes one time before today...

Anyhoo....

here they are :)
(oh and I have to mention that Gunnar chose this all on his own while looking through tons of costumes online...this was what he chose:) Love it!

Ashton of course chose his own too :)

I love you boys and I love how much YOU love Halloween!

Soccer Pictures...

Some day I will stay caught up on here again...in the meantime I will do a quick easy post :)

This season I had the opportunity to take Ashton's team's soccer pictures.
 He had such a fun little team and for the first time all season they ALL showed up for that Saturday morning rainy game...then we gathered them up and got a few good shots before they got really wild!

It was fun and I think they turned out pretty cute :)

Ashton is Six & 9 months...

Yes HE keeps track :)

And it was pretty darn funny the other day when he had finally earned his new bike (he filled up his whole sticker chart) and we took him in to look for one, the guy helping us asked him how old he was and he said "Six & 9 months". Funny boy!

Anyway he was SO excited to put those last 2 stickers on his chart. He has been working really hard to earn a new bigger bike, and I have to say it has been a great motivater for him. I think we need to start a new chart to earn something else :)

It is a gear bike and he has figured it out and is loving it.

 Now he needs a new helmet...his old one still fits, but he has plain worn it out! The whole outer coating came off a few weeks ago.

A few more recent Ashton things I don't want to forget.  A few weeks ago it was a really stormy night, I had put him and Gunnar to bed and Lars was gone playing poker I think. Anyway Ashton is rarely ever scared of anything and never really asks me to come sleep with him. Well that night it was raining so hard and thunder and lightning and SO windy...he came out of his room really scared and wanted me to come lay with him, so I did and we just laid there and talked till it quieted down and he finally fell asleep. I treasured those moments with him because they really are so rare.

Then one night last week I went into his room to get him to bed and I noticed he'd found an old toe ring of mine and had it on his left ring finger and was calling it a "married ring". So I asked him if he ever wanted to get married some day, and he asked me "to who?" I said, I don't know, you'll meet a nice girl someday. To which he replied "No, I'll just marry you." So sweet :) Then he said, "I can, can't I Mom?" And I said, well no...It doesn't really work that way and he just kept saying, "No really, I really just want to marry you." Oh I love you Ashton!

We had your parent/teacher conference last week and I just have to say how proud we are of you. You are doing SO good in 1st grade. Your teacher Mrs. Rawlins had nothing but nice things to say about you and your report card was perfect! It is amazing how well you are reading too. I love that you love school and come home each day with good things to say about everything you did that day. And just like last year it has been so fun to get to know all the cute kids in your class and get to know your teacher.

You only have 1 more soccer game left and have been doing really well with it too. Last week you came home with a flyer about basketball starting soon and I've actually never seen you so excited about starting something new. It seems like in the past we've more talked you into the things you've tried. You can't stop talking about how you really want to play basketball! So I'm excited to get you signed up for it.

Last Monday was crazy hair day at school...You were so excited to have me spike your hair funny and spray paint it purple.

Of course Gunnar wanted to be just like you as always, so he went to school with spiked purple hair too and had his teachers wondering what the heck was going on!

Crazy to think that you will be 7 in 3 short months Ashton!
I found this picture that Daddy actually took of you sitting at one of Gunnar's kickball games (then I edited it) I love it! You are SO handsome!

Gunnar is 3 and a half!!

Yes we keep track :)

On Sept. 28th, Gunnar turned 3 1/2! I told him and he was so excited...he got the biggest smile on his face and asked me if he was bigger now. Cutie!

I just did all that updating about him in my last post so here is a little note just to you my sweet Gunnar boy...

Dear Gunnar,

I can't believe my baby is 3 1/2. Time flies by way too quickly and if I could, I would freeze you just how you are. I love to tell you that and you laugh and tell me no way, that you ARE going to keep getting bigger. I know it's true, but I wish I could even just slow down time. You are adorable, funny, smart, sensitive, stubborn, a good helper, a good brother and all around just fun kid!

Your favorite thing lately is to ride your bike.

You love it and will go up and down the sidewalk over and over and over. You finally talked me into letting you ride it along with Ashton as I walked him to school a couple days ago. (You usually go in the stroller)...

You dressed yourself in of course an oversized green shirt, blue athletic shorts and on that day your batman cape :) You looked so cute riding your bike like that!

 And you kept up pretty well. I had to laugh at one point when you said "When I get bigger I can ride on two wheels hu?" So I said "Yep." And you said "But my name will still be Gunnar hu?" hahahaha!

You always make me laugh!

 It's just crazy to me how fast you are growing up. The phrase that is constantly going through my mind is "You're going to miss this..." And I know I will. So much. I've said it many times before, but every single day that I get to be your and Ashton's Mom is a gift to me that I treasure more than anything. I am so lucky to have you and these are the best days of my life.

Love you little boy...

(You and me on the day you turned 2 1/2 last year :)