Nolan's Pumpkin Patch Field Trip and Halloween Party

Friday October 28th, was a very busy day for Nolan at school.  Not only did he have a trip to the pumpkin patch at Rhodes Family Farm, but it was also his Halloween party at school.  With the festivities being on a Friday I was able to be with Nolan the whole day.  He had a lot of fun and it was great seeing him with his friends.

Nolan started his busy day with the trip to Rhodes Family Farm.  He was so excited to ride the bus!!  I rode with some friends and met Nolan at the farm.  First stop, pick out your pumpkin.

Nolan wanted to do his own thing and run around by himself.  After awhile, Nolan met up with his friends and mostly hung out with Harper and Anna.  These girls are in our small group at church and in Nolan's class.

After a few hours of playing at the pumpkin farm, it was time to load up and head back to school.  The kids had a parade and walked around the middle school track in their costumes.  Nolan was Batman this year for Halloween.

Once Nolan's classmates made a lap around the track, it was time to go back inside for the Halloween Party in their classroom.  Nolan had a lot of fun and consumed a lot of sugar!

Below is a picture of Nolan and most of his Kindergarten class with their teacher, Mr. D.

Crossfit Festivus 2016

Bill has been working out at Crossfit Edwardsville for about a year and a half.  He really enjoys the competitiveness and stress relief.  Bill had a friend ask him to partake in a crossfit competition called Festivus. On October 15th Bill and his partner, Chris, competed in Festivus at J5 Crossfit.

There were several different heats, the boys and I went to support Bill for a few of them, but I had to take the boys back home.  Luckily, I was able to make it back in time to cheer Bill on in the Finals!!  Bill and Christ took 4th place, which is great for their first crossfit event!

For the finals, Bill and Chris had to complete every exercise synchronized.  The exercises included: knee raises, push-ups, kettle bell swings, and air squats.  The guys were moving so fast in most of the pictures, I wasn't able to capture good photos.  Thank goodness there was a photographer who was able to capture some good pictures along with my candid ones!

I am so proud of Bill for taking place in the competition and doing such a great job! 

Carter and Blake's Birthday Party!

Since Carter and Blake's birthdays are only a couple of weeks apart, we decided to celebrate their birthdays with one big celebration.  The party took place at our house on Saturday, September 17th.  The theme for their party was Gone Fishin'.  Carter turned 4 on September 19th and Blake turned 2 on October 1st.

Carter was more cooperative and took pictures before the party.  Blake only wanted to eat the cookies.

Friends and family started to show up, so outside everyone went to blow off some steam and play for awhile before it was time to open presents!  I didn't snap too many photos because I was inside trying to organize the party. 

All the kids were starting to become hot and sweaty, so inside we went to open presents.  Carter and Blake were blessed with so many presents, they didn't know where to start opening.

Once all the presents were opened, it was time to sing happy birthday and eat some cake/cookies.  We sang Happy Birthday twice, so Blake and Carter had their own special song.  When it was time to blow out the candles, the candles kept sparking back to life.  Little did I know, I had bought the trick candles which relight themselves!!  Whoops! I was in such a hurry I grabbed the cheapest ones not even reading the label.  It made for a good laugh at least and a story we won't forget for awhile.

Our family of five birthday photo!  What a great day to celebrate my two youngest loves!!

Carter and Blake want to thank everyone who helped them to feel special on their birthdays!!