Halloween 2011

Well I have never felt much pride about my picture taking abilities and this Halloween proved to be no different.  Having another baby has made it even harder for me to capture those fun and special moments.  Thanks to my friend Brittany, she took this picture of us at our church trunk or treat.  Our costumes were a bit thrown together but we had fun.  I did not mean to make myself look like a cat with the face paint, but oh well.

Here is Ethan as a little "Ghost Skeleton"

Jace as the baby bee

Brandon was a ninja and looked really cool but he changed after trick or treating and I never got a picture of him in his outfit....see what I mean?  Anyway here is his cool mohawk we did at least.

Grandma Carla and Tyler.  She looks really scary, she is REALLY pretty in real life just so ya know.  Tyler was a "skull kid" don't ask me, but he changed too soon for my shot too.  Here he is in Grandma's hat.  We did his mohawk up cool too.

Our Saturday mornings have been all about football for Tyler lately.  He mainly plays defense and he is really liking it.  He says he wants to play next year.  Basketball comes next and then baseball for he and Brandon. 
Things here have been going along like normal I guess, Jace is getting really big.  He is really happy and is starting to laugh and talk and skwak and all that.  He makes all kinds of really funny noises that make us laugh.  The boys really enjoy playing with him it's very cute.  He really loves them too, if he is fussy I can just lay him in the middle of whatever the boys are doing and he is entertained by the sounds of their voices and especially if he can see them.  The weather he has been sooo great, I wish it would never end! 
We are gearing up for Halloween, costumes are ready.  Actually they wear them to play in each day after school it's pretty funny.  I am hoping that they will be intact for Trick or Treating.
The boys are really doing well in school.  Tyler is older so his progress isn't as obvious sometimes but for Ethan and Brandon, wow!  Brandon is learning to read and write so much more and he is very motivated to learn and eager to do school work.  Ethan is the same way, wants to know how to write and sound out all his letters.  I am amazed at what he already knows because I don't remember teaching much, I think he just learns by being around and watching the older boys.  I am happy to say that they always get very positive reports from their teachers about their behavior.  I am not sure if the teachers are just really happy that they are good kids or if they are completely AMAZED by the fact they can be good and still come from a crazy family of ALL boys!
They can be crazy at times but they really are well behaved at school.  I wish that was always the case at home but whatever, they are pretty good.
I have started a new system in our house that seems to be working fairly well.  I bought a ton of chocolate gold coins at wal mart and put them into a candy jar.  Each boy has his own little jar that he can put his earned coins into.  He has a choice to either eat the coin upon earning it, or he can save it and cash it in at the end of the week.  Each coin is worth .$25 so at the end of the week they have a couple dollars (unless it's Ethan and he pretty much eats his when he gets them) : )  It has been a great way to have them earn some money which they love, get chores done, and teach about tithing.  Everytime we cash in, we take out 10% for tithing.  I had tried a few other systems before that work for a while and then fade out.  I am hoping this one sticks because money is the best motivation I have found.  And for little little ones, chocolate is just as good or better.  It is also possible to lose a coin or two or ALL if you are naughty enough.  This has already happened just so you know.  It was tragic let me tell you.
The picture of the pumpkins is just to show how funny our boys can be.  Pretty sure Brandon is behind this one but do you see how they are kissing?  Oh the laughter when they showed me.  Some of the other pictures...I canned pears with Carla and Grandma Patt.  They helped me do it actually so that was really nice. The other pictures are of the boys digging for potatoes that we grew in our garden.  I wish that I would have used all three planter boxes for this.  They had so much fun digging these out and it was just about the only thing that survived the cold nights here.  We had a few tomatoes and some lettuce but not much.  They dug up enough to feed us as a side dish to three meals!  Exctiting isn't it?  Well it was to us.  Brandon told me he wanted to be a potato farmer!  He really is funny. Ok the last set of pics are of Ethan and his legos.  He came to show me his wake surfing guy that he had made....pretty cute. 

Hiking, Football, Primary Program

We have been doing a bit of hiking the last few weekends just around here. Two weeks ago we went to Alder Springs between Redmond and Sisters. It was so fun. Started out pretty hot, 90 degrees which is how hot it's been here until today. We hiked along a ridge line for a while which was really hot but then we dropped down into a canyon where Wychuss Creek and Alder Springs meet up. It cooled off quite a bit down by the water and we had to cross a stream up to our knees it was pretty awesome. The boys loved it. Even little Jacer spacer man. My sister Paige gave me a baby Bjorn which I know some people hate but I love it. He loves to face out and it works for him and me. I thought it might hurt my back but it doesn't. Our boys rocked this hike, it was longer than we thought it would be (it usually is) and they did great. Minimal complaining...mostly. I think it must have been 5 miles or so. We came to the springs right after the creek which was just a little puddle at the beginning of a stream where you could see the water bubbling up from the sand. It was really cool.
The next weekend (last weekend) we had to get a special permit from the forest station people in the mail for Pamelia Lake. This was up past Sisters toward Detroit Lake. It was a little overcast when we got there so we couldn't see Mt. Jefferson like we wanted to but it was still a great hike. There is a lake over by Mt. Bachelor that is similar that we have done before called Todd Lake. Well, that one only takes 15 mintues to walk there instead of and hour or two so we might just stick with that one next time! Another one we love to do is Tumalo Falls over by Bachelor as well. We really do love living here!!
Tyler has started Football and I don't know if I have gotten any pictures of him playing yet but I will do that. He is really liking it, learning a lot. It is pretty cute to watch these 3rd and 4th graders tackle and block. We are trying to instill in him some "agressive" nature...Brandon has been blessed with it, Tyler is going to have to explore his inner self a bit more : ) Ethan is somewhere in between and Jace we don't know yet. Tyler is laid back, easy going while Brandon and Ethan are not so much. So, in sports, it's interesting to watch. Brandon is amazing to watch in Basketball for that reason. We tried to get him to play soccer this year but he wants to play football so he will have to wait until 3rd grade for that, two more years. Ethan apparently wants to play too and is always demonstrating his knowledge of tackling to us as he learns from Brian's demonstrations along with Tyler and Brandon. He is pretty good! He can show you how to "get low" and "wrap em up!"
Jace, Jacerman is doing great. He has many nick names and he loves all the attention he gets. He was quite flirtatious today at church as a matter of fact. He has his way with the ladies that is for sure. He is a great little hiker, of course he would love it, he just gets to be held the whole time and we don't really stop moving! Perfect for his style. 
One more funny thing about Jace.  The other day I was rounding the boys up into the car for something and doing my usual....speaking firmly....or yelling, whatever you want to call it.  At the same time I was "speaking firmly" I was strapping Jace into his car seat.  Well, he didn't seem to mind my tone one bit because I looked down at him and the poor kid thought I was talking to him and was just grinning from ear to ear and cooing and talking to me.  So sad that he will take any kind of attention he THINKS he is getting!  It was really funny and so cute.  The boys were laughing too.  Let's just get into it while we are here.  Why DOES it take 15 minutes just to load into the car???  Seriously.  I wouldn't have to yell if they just listened the FIRST time to the FIRST simple phrase "time to get into the car".  For some reason no one starts listening until I do start yelling and threatening to take away priveledges...all for just trying to get some where.  Doesn't matter where it is, could be somewhere really fun or really boring, it takes the same amount of effort and patience to load into the car.  Even writing this whole thing out is getting me a little frustrated!!   Anyway...
School is going great for each boy, Ethan loves preshcool and Tyler and Brandon like their 3rd and 1st grades as well. It has been pretty hot here like I said until today. I am ok with it cooling off a bit. 90 is a little warm. 70s are great!
We also celebrated Ethan's 4th Birthday and Tyler's 9th.  We went to Kline Falls Park for Ethan's birthday and bolwing for Tyler's.

Alder Springs Canyon Walls

Looking down into Alder Springs/Wychuss Creek Canyon

Found a cave like thing

Brandon Crossing the Creek

The rest of us

Ethan's 4th Birthday Party

He was really cute and excited

Grandma Carla made cute cupcakes

No pictures of Tyler in his uniform yet but here is Ethan wearing it!

Tyler's 9th Birthday Party

Bowling again!

Nike Basketball

Ethan's frist day of school

Pamelia Lake

ok, so he faces in sometimes too I guess...

Tyler and Brandon

Ethan

Brandon got in the water of course which was very cold I am sure

And Jace Cute as can be

Brian took these of the scenery

Today at church the boys had their primary program.  They did a pretty good job!  Tyler as always did great, sang, said his part in the microphone.  Ethan did as well which was his first time as a sunbeam this year!  He even spoke into the microphone which was really cute.  THEN there is Brandon.  He at least went up to the stands.  No singing, No standing (while everyone else was) No saying his part but we felt good about the fact that he at least went up there.  We count our small miracles as great ones. No fits from any of them so that is good.  Our kids can have serious public anxiety at times it seems.  I guess that is pretty normal of kids in geneal depending on the factors of sleep, having eaten or not, etc.  I like to tell myself it's normal anyway so that I feel like I have somewhat normal children...?  Who knows.  Probably not.  Oh well!  They are who they are I guess and that is what I have to remind myslef a lot.  They are definitely their own little person, each of them.