Creatures Everywhere!

We have these walking stick bugs all over the place out here. It's like it's a new creature every time the boys spot one. This one was hanging out by the garage. They are so cool...they really look like a stick!

Brett's first playdate of the year 09-29-2009

Brett has been asking since school started to have Anders over for a playdate. We finally got our act together and had him over to play! They had a great time...I even got them to help me load up some rocks for Mrs. Elliott for her backyard...OK, I had to bribe them with a quarter, but they did help!

Our New Neighbors...09-27-2009

OK, so all our neighbors are new to us...but these guys, Cody and Cynthia, built their house right next door at the same time we did. We enjoyed visiting their house, which is really more like a museum...I totally should have taken more pictures of all the deer and bears and other creatures he has mounted everywhere! The boys, especially Jace, loved it over there.

Jace with a stuffed bear in Cody's study...
And with the bear skin rug on the living room floor...

Thanks to Cody and Cynthia for inviting us over!

Treehouse Construction 09-26-2009

The building of the tree house is well underway! Check out the progress...special thanks to Grandpa for the use of his tools, various materials, manpower and general know-how...
Brett supervising construction from the back of Grandpa's truck...hmmm...or maybe he's just playing DS...

Jace got tired of "helping" with the treehouse, so he asked if he could clean the driveway...

And after the morning was over, the boys could climb up to see what it's like up there...

Brett wanted to stand up...

A visit from Grammy, Pop and Linz 09-26-2009

Brett got to have birthday one more time when Grammy, Pop and Linz came to visit the weekend of the 26th! They were supposed to have come the weekend before, but Matt had the flu, so they postponed the trip.

Here's Brett opening his present...a stack of Star Wars books...he was so excited! We have read them all a million times by now!
And then there was Linz's present...every mom's dream...a marshmallow gun...great...

Grammy had fun playing air hockey with Brett one afternoon...

We had a great visit with them, as always! Looking forward to seeing everyone at Thanksgiving!

Turtle, turtle! 09-12-2009

Mom and Dad were out of town, and we went over to check on things and as we were turning in to the driveway, we noticed there was a giant turtle sitting right in the middle of it!
The boys were fascinated! We figure it must have crawled up from the creek behind their house with all the rain we have gotten...it was covered in mud.

Brett was concerned that the turtle would not find his family!

We put him over in the flower bed and gave him some lettuce to eat!

It's always fun to have a little impromtu science lesson on a Saturday!

Happy Birthday, Brett 09-11-2009

Today my baby turned 5! To celebrate, we went to McDonald's (his restaurant of choice) and then over to Grandma's for cake and presents!

Here's the birthday boy wearing his birthday crown from school...
Opening presents...

Hot wheels...they never get old...

Grandpa studying instructions...

See? Hot wheels never get old!

And blowing out the candles...

And eating cake!

I'm pretty sure he had a great day!

Jace's First Day of Cub Scouts 09-09-2009

Well, Jace had his first day at Cub Scouts. He could not wait and he has not been disappointed! He loves scouts! Matt gets all dressed up in his scout uniform to go with Jace each week...it's really a cool thing...so cute (er...I mean, manly)!

Brett's Birthday at School 08-09-2009

School started and the very next day we celebrated Brett's birthday at school! He decided he wanted army cupcakes so this is what I came up with...the army dudes have been a hit at our house. The boys line them all up along the bunkbed rail and shoot them off with their nerf guns. Hours of fun!
Mrs. Elliott and a very excited Brett:

The 3 boys playing blocks...seriously their favorite toy at school:

Brett's First Day of School 09-08-2009

Boy, we thought Brett's first day of school was never going to get here! Mrs. Elliott never starts school before Labor Day, and this year Labor Day was Sept 7! So, poor Brett had to wait! He was so excited to get to take a backpack to Kindergarten this year. He missed the cutoff for public kinder this year, so he's going to Mrs. Elliott's for the last year (I'm trying not to think about having to say goodbye to her!) and then he will join Jace at Aue next year to do public kinder.

Here's Brett with his backpack...what's up with pulling in his lips? All the pictures I took were like that!
Brett and his friend Anders playing blocks...

Brett and Mrs. Elliott after the first day...

We're looking forward to a great (but small!) year! There are only 3 kindergartners this year!

Afternoon at Grandma's 09-07-2009

One Saturday afternoon, we went over to my parents' house for quiet time (watching Night at the Museum) and swimming...here's what quiet time looked like!

Crazy Cat 09-06-2009

So one day, Matt walks out in the garage to see this:
Yup...our useless cat, Savoy, who loves to nap on top of vehicles, was lounging on top of the truck. We cracked up at his leg propped up there!

I scream! You scream! We all scream for ICE CREAM! 08-24-2009

Brett is my little sweet tooth...he loves sweets (I guess the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree!). It cracks me up that when we have ice cream, he has to make sure that he gets every last drop of even the melted stuff in the bottom. So, he drinks it and then licks out the rest...here he is, hard at work...not wanting to waste a drop!

Jace's First Day of School 08-24-2009

We woke up on Jace's frist day of school to find a praying mantis on top of the humming bird feeder! The boys were really excited. I love these insects...they are so cool looking! Quick advice: never take a praying mantis ootheca (egg mass) inside your house in a cup and leave it in your closet through the winter. My dad and I did this when I was little (we didn't know what it was and we wanted to see what it hatched into!) and one day I woke up to all these little praying mantises in every corner of my closet! Just a little tidbit for ya...

Anyway! Back to the subject at hand...first day of school...so first we found the praying mantis during breakfast...then Jace got ready for school and Matt took him and walked him in the first day at his new school (which he's doing really well there!)...
Here's Jace putting on his shoes while Brett chats with him about how he wishes he could go to school with him...

Here's Jace with his backpack all ready to go!

And here's Brett once boredom set in (when's Jace going to be home...why isn't Jace home yet?...can we go get Jace now? ALL DAY LONG!)...upside down in his underwear playing DS...

Swimming 08-22-2009

We went to one of Brett's friends' birthday party at a local pool and the boys had a blast swimming in a big pool! They are both such good swimmers and enjoyed having more space and a diving board!

Brett and Matt played with dive sticks almost the whole time...
And here's me playing with the camera again...this time trying out the burst mode on Jace:

Drama at the Lasater's! 08-20-2009

One night, just before school started, Matt and I wake up to Brett screaming and crying in our room. He'd been up a few times with bad dreams that night, but never screaming like that! We turned on the light to see blood pouring out of his mouth! He had tripped over a pile of Jace's school clothes that I left out in our floor and hit the coffee table with his mouth! I immediately pick him up and head to the bathroom to start the investigation of teeth and the rinsing and spitting to stop the bleeding. Matt headed to the kitchen for ice, came back to the bathroom, handed me the cup and went to his sink. I hear what I think is Matt slamming a cabinet door, so I turn around (still encouraging a crying Brett to rinse and spit) and see Matt laying on the floor...he had passed out (we don't know why...I think it was the blood but maybe he stretched and got a big head rush or a combination)...anyway. I got him to talk to me while still standing by Brett, who is sitting on the counter by the sink and told him to crawl to bed and I would handle Brett. We finally got calmed down...teeth were still there, it's a miracle, but he bit through his bottom lip. He fell asleep after a little while of rocking and slept in our bed the rest of the night.

Here's the teeth prints in the oak coffee table...apparently he hit more than once...
Matt with Brett at the dentist office the next morning...

After a few months, his teeth actually tightened up quite a bit, but the dentist said he will lose them early. It's October and he can finally bite things with his front teeth again!

Last Summer Trip to the Library 08-17-2009

The boys and I made our last trip to the library the week before school started. They both had fun since we went out behind the library for some exploring after we got books. They have an old rock building back there and they have made a little sitting area with large rocks and a deck and really big, beautiful trees! It's a really nice place to relax...

The boys in the rock house...
Climbing trees...that's the library behind them

Up high! Brett looks at ease...Jace more cautious...perfect picture of their characters

At the top!