Happy Birthday Mom!

I'm still on Cloud 9 from the trip that we pulled off in honor of my dear mother! The week before Halloween, we celebrated my Mom's milestone 50th Birthday. We started planning the surprise in August. We told her 3 days before leaving that most of the family would be leaving for a fun-filled trip to CHICAGO!!! If you know my family at all, you would know that we just don't do things like this. Just to all get on a plane together was weird! We were giddy and it made it extra special! Aaron and Nan have been there for awhile now and it was time that we all made a visit! We were missing Luke terribly, who is working hard as a Missionary in Washington D.C., but he was there in spirit! And sadly, Shane & Wynn weren't able to get the time off of work. That was a big bummer. Lindsay and I arranged for our boys to be taken care of while we were away. To be together without the little babies was...well...a slice of heaven! Were they missed? Of course they were! But we definitely enjoyed the break! So we set off to the see the city! We also had some broadway and opera tickets that we were anxious to use!

Waiting for the train for our 1st full day in the city. Pretty excited!!! :)

Mom and sisters. Doesn't my mom look good? I can only hope to look half as good at 50!

Waiting in line for the Opera. Pumped!

The fam after the surprisingly AMAZING Opera. We saw Faust. We weren't really sure what to expect. All we knew is that none of us had ever been to an opera, it was going to be long, and we wanted to experience it! Oh man. It was so awesome! We were choked up afterward just because of the sheer talent that we had witnessed. The music...amazing. On top of that, the story was captivating, intense, and wonderful. Even Lauren enjoyed it! This ended up being the highlight of the trip for me. It was an enexpected treat!

Union Station at the end of a long day. Don't we look a little worn down?

Swimming at the hotel. We initially went for Dillon, but we all turned into 5-year-old's and played lots of silly games. Thanks for the great idea Dillon!

We got to see Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was SUCH a fun show. If you ever get the chance...GO! It had great music and was absolutely hilarious. We had the giggles throughout the entire show. It was so fun! This is right outside the Theatre.

All the girls!

Getting for the show to start

Lauren on the Fariswheel doing what she does best! :)

The Fariswheel was at Navy Pier. It overlooked the city and Lake Michigan. Awesome.

Random wedding party in the middle of the city...and it was freezing! Weird but kinda fun!

City girls!

Fun statue at Navy Pier...we had to take advantage!

Sunday dinner with the fam + some cousins (so fun to see you)!

Blowing out the birthday candles. Lindsay's birthday was three days later!

I wish we could go again tomorrow (only this time with Shane)! I have the best family and we always have so much fun together. We always stay up way too late chatting and laughing but it's always worth it! Thanks again to Aaron & Nan for showing us such a good time. Natalie was such a great hostess! She made the yummiest food, made sure we were sleeping well, and planned an exciting non-stop itinerary! By the end of the trip, we felt so "cultured!" Hahaha...we're getting there! Thank you to my sweet hubby for letting me have a get-away. All he asked is that I promised to return! I missed you even more than the twinners. And a special thanks to my Mom. You only turn 50 once! You are as beautiful as ever. Love you.

As Promised

These two were hilarious on Halloween. Cade was full of excitement and caught on quickly to the trick-or-treat game! He would grab the candy and put it in his bag and would then giggle with excitement as we moved onto the next in line! He was all smiles!

Carson was also full of excitement. However, he HATES it when you hold his hand and tell him where to walk. I mean...this is probably on the top of his hate list! He is a free bird and wants to be just that...FREE! So when we would try to walk with him, he would collaspe his legs and lay flat on his back on the pavement. Shane would yell out to me, "Penguin down!" And we would get a good laugh. But seriously, I think he got two (maybe) pieces of candy, which is fine with me! He didn't realize what he was missing out on...again, fine with me! So, we ended up just taking him to an area where he could be free. Cade soon joined him. That about sums up our Halloween experience this year!

I took tons of pictures of Carson hoping to get ONE of him looking at the camera. As you can see, I was not successful. Carson-Penguin on the run!!!

How cute is he?!?

None of them looking at the camera. Awesome!

This was the best of the two of them together. Carson won't hold still for the life of me, so this will have to do! They were darling and that was good enough for me!

Penguin Heads

Here's a little Halloween preview. More to come...of course!

Stocking Project: CHECK!

This isn't the greatest picture of this super cute stocking. The lighting isn't that great. But it's finished!!! I have my mom to thank. I love it and Cade loves it. It is perfect for him! So that makes FIVE stockings completed! Phew! It feels to be done. Good thing we started in JANUARY!!! So glad I decided to take on this project. It has been fun. Hopefully my kids love them...'cause they're stuck with 'em!!! For those of you who are thinking about making one, right after Christmas, they are 1/2 the cost. Around $7.00 for the kit. It's a good time to buy and then you have the whole next year to do it!

Breakfast At Our House

They can reach EVERYTHING!!! If anything is remotely close to the edge of the counter, their little grubby fingers get to it. And you better believe that Carson grabs his trusty chair if his goal is out of reach. Fortunately, for him, the Marshmallow Mateys were just too easy (I should have known)! These two were GIDDY as they discovered their treasures!

Goofy Carson

Goofy Cade

Finally. Both pajama boys looking at the camera. I hope you enjoyed your marshmallow breakfast (they only picked out the colorful marshmallows. And I don't blame them...they're good!). I now have smashed mallows on my freshly mopped floors. Oh well...sticky floors it is!

Black Mail

The boys got to play with Emery today. Cade and Emery wouldn't stop kissing. Should we be worried?!? Actually, it was super cute. Christy and I got a kick out of it. Hey...at least they weren't hitting!

Motor-Heads

These boys could play in Daddy's (broken-down) car for hours. Seriously. Especially Cade. That boy has a natural love for cars and trucks running through his veins. That would be why he's in the driver seat. Lucky for Cade, Carson is so content just hangin' in the passenger seat. It's all good until it's time to stop playing. It all goes downhill from there. You take the good with the bad, right?! Could these boys be any cuter? I think not!

Proof Women are Born This Way

I couldn't resist posting this. It makes me crack up every time!

Updated

Turned out OK. Too bad we aren't all looking in the same place. I still like it!

This one also turned out OK, despite Carson's little tongue hangin' out. What can you do...I still like it!

LOVE!!!

LOVE!!!

Love both of the boys together. These turned out 100 times better than the last ones we took, so I can't complain. And they were very inexpensive, which makes me love them that much more!!!

New Best Friend

Meet Carson's newest best friend. These two are joined at the hip. Seriously. He drags this chair everywhere with him. He has learned that doing so gets him where he wants to go...and into all those things that get him into trouble.

Examples to follow:

Hmmm...that's a BIG "no, no." Good thing the hot plate on the stove wasn't on...this time.

Sayin' "CHEESE!" (and so proud of himself)

On his way to the next stop...

Gotta get started on those dishes. Thanks Carson, I really needed the help!

Keep your eye on the prize...

He was saying, "no, no, no" while he attempted to open the freezer. He SO knows that I am not a fan of his actions. But does it stop him? No...oh no. We're working on it!

"Yes Mom, I know I'm naughty...but how can you get mad at this face?" It's a good thing our kids are cute, right?!? (and yes, that is drool about to drip off of his chin. Dude, when is the drooling going to stop?)

For a Friend

My friend's little Ella turns one this month. Do you think she'll like it? This thing took me a long time, but I finally got it done! My goal was to finish it before piano started up. My students started on Tuesday, and I finished it Monday afternoon! I worked like a crazy person to make my deadline. I'm officially done with the stocking-making...at least for now. I haven't posted Cade's yet. My Mom wanted in on the fun and volunteered to make Cade's. I wasn't about to turn down the offer. She's getting close and it is way cute. I'll post it when she's finished.

Failed To Mention...

We celebrated our 6 year anniversary a little over a week ago! Another year of BLISS has come and gone! Not gonna lie. It has been a good one. I feel like I brag about my hubby all of the time on this here blog, so I don't feel like I need to say much. I'm so grateful every day that Shane asked me to marry him. Saying YES was the best decision I've ever made. So glad that this man is all mine!!!

GAME DAY

The day has come. It's official. Welcome back college football! Is it really back already? Seems like we were just doing this! Anyway, it's exciting all the same. Today we are all sporting our colors.

Shane got me a "game day" watch. Cute, huh?

The jerseys are courtesy of Grandma & Grandpa Tucker. These pictures are mostly for them!

And I have no doubt in my mind that Shane is wearing his nice Bronco polo with pride (I didn't see him before he left for work this morning).

I must say, I've come a long way in the football department! Shane is more than just a BSU fan. He is one of those...I-know-everything-about-every-team-and-every-player-in college-football...college football fans. And really, he knows it all. When it comes to this game, he soaks up copious amounts of facts and information and retains it all. If only retaining all the information for the CPA exam was so easy. If only. Needless to say, he's fun to watch games with because he can tell you all the history and fun facts about all the players to make you feel like you've been following the team from who knows where forever! I didn't really understand how deep his love for the game was when we married. But I do now!

While I was on bedrest, Shane was in heaven with ESPN at his fingertips. It made his stay at the "St. Luke's Resort" (as he would say) actually enjoyable. We watched a LOT of college football. During that particular season, I knew way more about random teams and players than I wanted to admit. So unlike me. But I would be lying if I said that I hated every minute of it.

I would also be lying if I said that I wasn't a fan of BSU football. I'll admit, I didn't embrace it right off the bat. I tried to resist it for a long time. When I was in high school and college, I never would have thought that BSU would be my school and my team. But then I met Shane. Not soon after...I'm a student at BSU. And to my surprise, I loved it. I met some great people, made some amazing friends, and had some outstanding professors. By the time I graduated, I was so proud to be BSU alum. I really do love the school. On top of us both being BSU alum, we are still living and growing in the community that bleeds BLUE & ORANGE. It is hard to live here and not be a fan. So, yes, I've embraced it. My boys are wearing jerseys on game day. And I'm more than OK with it! And I figure, the rest of my life is going to be a whole lot more fun if I embrace that which my husband loves. So, here's to today! Go BSU!!!

AND (if you are still with me) some more pictures for your viewing pleasure of our two little broncos!