Documented: August 2013

August.

One of the boys' most favorite and least favorite months all in one!

Most favorite because they get to go to the Cisne Reunion, which is like one of the best highlights of the summer.  I loved it as a child, too.

Of course, that was when it involved real amusement rides.

I remember watching all day out the window at the funeral home (for those of you who don't know, we lived above the funeral home my dad owned for the first 4 years of my life and then we spent lots of time there growing up even after we moved to our house).....anyway, I remember watching out the window because I had the perfect view of the carnival workers setting up the carousel.  

I'm sure I bugged my parents all day long to go ride it.

I still like going over during Reunion time - it's nostalgic for me, of course, but I really like seeing everyone again and catching up.

So I'm glad the boys like it too.

And the worst month, too, of course, because school begins again.

Don't get me wrong.  We are all always ready for some routine again after freer summer months.

But I think the boys would choose a different way to introduce routine back into our lives.

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Documented: October 2013

October....one of our favorite months.

Soccer, of course.

And, not pictured, but football also.

Ethan's birthday.

Halloween.

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Documented: April 2013

April.

So long ago I can hardly remember it.

Although I feel a bit like I'm reliving it right now.

It involves baseball, flag football, school activities, and even guacamole!

Seriously, this was a fun month too.  

A very busy month with all the activities filling up our weekends.

But fun.

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the big 4-0

{note:  almost all of these photos were taken by Nyla.  she graciously took the camera and got great photos that night.  unfortunately I forgot that the watermark with my name on it automatically goes on the pictures for the blog.  sorry Nyla!  we love the pictures!!}

I think we were successful in surprising Brian for his 40th!

(thanks to Pat for keeping him entertained and away all afternoon!)

and in keeping the kids entertained all evening making confetti angels and confetti rain and all other things confetti!

Was there any other choice than to have a Georgia Bulldogs cake?

(Except in Missouri they do not have any Georgia cake picks.  Mizzou was offered up, but I about choked thinking of what kind of reaction that would get.  So I made my own - fancy, huh?)

Kelsey was able to get exactly 40 candles on that cake - she's superwoman!

Which meant that the birthday boy needed a lot of help from his much younger friends to blow all of those candles out.

Of course all of those younger peeps were very willing to help Kelsey get all of those candles off of that cake.

(Faster they are off, the faster they get to dig into that delicious icing-ness you know)

 We had lots of decorations, but the pictures were my favorite, of course.

We made a banner out of his school pictures from preschool up until college graduation.

Thankfully Angie was there to hang it or it might have still been on the floor in the office when he arrived!

And Brian's mom must share my love for documenting with photos, because I was able to find birthday pictures of Brian in almost the exact same spot from his first birthday to his 21st. 

Did you notice the gap between 21 and 32?

Yeah, over an entire decade of birthday photos missing.

I guess he went to college so his mom wasn't around to take those birthday photos.

And I'll blame some of the gap to being busy with babies and toddlers.

But between about 24 - 28.......no idea!

Lots of "40" reminders.

In case he forgot why all those people were over.

And this was still the scene more than 2 days after the fact.

Fortunately, Brian didn't mind helping me clean it all up a bit after this so the house is pretty much back to normal now.

Thank you to everyone who helped pull this off and who came to celebrate with us.  We love you!

march madness 2014

We are in full-on basketball mode right now.

Actually we are dividing time between basketball, baseball and flag football, so our weekends are crazy busy like all of yours, I'm sure.

But basketball is almost done, so I thought I should get some favorites shots added here.

The boys have both learned lots of lessons in being the underdogs this year, but they have had fun.....and they get a snack after each game so that always negates any ill feelings they had about the game, right?

And just because he can......

yes, those are 3rd and 4th graders :)