Monkey? Dog?

Matthew has definitely earned the nickname of "Monkey"...as seen in gymnastics class yesterday - he managed to get his feet all the way up the rings and hang for 5 seconds!


But perhaps he wants to be a dog now? (Check out Trixie's collar...somehow around Matthew's waist!)...

That collar isn't adjusted at all - it just fit perfectly around his little body! :)

Guess What?

I'm going to China. In 8 days. :D I am SO excited! Excited first and foremost to see Mike...yeah, I know...it's a foreign country, a once in a lifetime opportunity...I know that I'll have many years with Mike, and I should be mostly excited about the adventure...but you know what? I'm excited to be reunited with this wonderful man! I miss him terribly - life has been a little less sunny since he's been gone. My sweet Andrew asked the other day..."Mom, do you think you could maybe bring Mike home with you? If you could, can you?" It was so precious. I feel so blessed to have this wonderful person who not only loves me and treats me like queen, but also adores my boys and does all he can to protect them and make sure they're healthy and happy from the distance.

And- I get to go to CHINA!!! What an adventure! I abosolutely cannot wait to see everything, experience the culture and just have a great vacation! I'm at a point in my life where I'm very open to new adventures and experiences - bring it on! :)

Alright...onto what you're here for...pictures!

Matthew at storytime...teacher Rebecca is incredible with them - she not only reads stories, but sings songs, teaches them dances and sometimes has crafts for them to do. He LOVES storytime. :)


The felt board is his favorite part...every week, he wonders if she's going to 'do the board' - and she always does! He also gets a fun stamp at the end of storytime - his 'prize' he loves to show off to anyone he sees Friday...and sometimes Saturday, depending on how vigirous we scrub at bathtime :)


Andrew went to a birthday party for a girl in his class on Friday night - Matthew and I tagged along and got to know some of his friends and their parents...the party was at JJJump - madness! Here's my sweetie pie climbing the wall...

Saturday morning, the boys let me sleep in!!! They were WONDERFUL - I was so, so pleased. I even had enough energy to tackle both of them for haircuts! Andrew's went off without a hitch - he was so cooperative, and so proud of his handsome new 'do. Matthew wasn't quite so cooperative, but we managed! He looks SO stinkin' cute with his new little haircut - we kept it long (yeay!), but trimmed him up so he looks a little less shaggy.

Andrew snapped a shot of his little brother mid-fit :)

His sweet little face after his haircut is done - tears stopped, but the snot is still flowing, and the smile is looking a little unsure :)

A quick Matthew story...he has been watching some Winnie the Pooh videos lately - and in one of them, little Roo gets tucked into bed by his mommy...and as she sings him a song, she smooths his hair(s) - all two of them - and his little hairs kinda flop over. Matthew keeps asking me to give him Roo hair. So, we twist two little tufts of hair and gel them into place - he often has an opinion of how far over they ought to flop. :) I'll have to get a picture of it soon. It's absolutely adorable!

Jen came over after haircuts and we headed off to open gym...but not before taking care of the 'bad guys' in the dining room!

Bonus shot...my little cutie pie sharpening a new pencil. He asked how to get the 'black part out' - I handed him a sharpener and he figured it out! Might seem like a simple task, but I was pretty impressed that he could do it! My baby is really growing up! :) :(

A Special Visitor

Uncle K came to Portland for a quick overnight trip...he'll be moving in at the beginning of December - we CAN'T WAIT! :)

Oh...yes...Trixie is a 'sometimes' couch dog now...oops!


Uncle K is the BEST wrestling buddy...everyone was sweaty at the end of this match!


Look out for those little ones...they're sneaky!

The boys made THE coolest fort in the corner of the living room...behind the recliner...it's super cozy in there! Lots of books, bean bag chairs and even a reading lamp...even the dog likes to hang out with them in there...

My angel baby...playing with one of Mike's childhood toys...Snowy keeping a watchful eye in the background...all my couch pictures have animals on them, huh? :)

LOVE the trees out there this fall - so colorful and gorgeous!

We had special visitorS last weekend...Uncle Bill, Aunt Kristi and Marie came up for the weekend...I made a pot roast, cornbread and a key lime pie - all from scratch! :) I love doing that kind of stuff...truly have a domestic gene, I guess. I love family being around!

Somehow, the only picture I got from the entire fun weekend was this! Ha ha! Maybe Bill will send me some more for another post :)

Birthday Aftermath

On Halloween day, the kiddos and I headed to Michael's craft store for a Halloween craft...made some spiders, got a little treat bucket - all in costume! Andrew had a 'new' costume for this event - he wanted to wear his Taekwondo uniform for it...


Little man snuggling up with his HUGE stuffed Wonder Pets...


On his super fun monster stompers from Noah and Nathan...


:)