Halloween Fun

I think Jack started getting excited about Halloween in August...he was really ready this year!   He kept asking me "Momma, when are you going to decorate the house for Halloween?!"  I'd never really done that, short of a couple of pumpkins on the stoop so it caught me by surprise.  I hope he's going to be like this about all holidays now.  I admit, it kind of makes it a little more fun! Anyway, our Halloween fun started with a trip to the pumpkin patch around my birthday (more about my birthday soon!).  We've been going to the same pumpkin patch since Kenny and I were dating and always have such a good time.  I think all kids are cute in a pumpkin patch but these red-heads always seem to take the best pictures there!

We didn't even tell them to hold hands, Jack just reached out and grabbed Max by the hand to make sure he didn't fall off his pumpkin I think!

Do these 2 look exactly alike here or what??

They picked out 2 great pumpkins and we were on our way!

The next thing we needed to do was call in the master pumpkin carver, Gramps!  They each picked out their own patterns they wanted.  Jack's was a ghost and Max's said BOO!

Jack has been very much in love with the Detroit Lions and decided pretty early on that he wanted to be a Lions football player for Halloween.  It was between that and a dragon.  He's been obsessed with football since it started this Fall and knows everything about who played who and who won.  He's even picked up on some of the rules.  He's memorized every mascot and logo and studied a map of where the nfl and college teams are for weeks. It's beyond comprehension for me, how a 4 year old can be so interested in something like this but it's true to form for Jack that whatever he's excited about, he has to learn EVERYTHING about.  He only ever wants to go outside and play football and one day he even dug out his bike helmet and put it on to be more like a real football player!  So I told him I'd look around for a football player costume and when I found this one, even though the price tag was a bit bigger than I'd hoped, I knew he'd think it was the greatest thing ever.  And I tell you what, Santa is going to have a hard time this year because Jack Lion truly thought it was the most magical moment ever!  He thought he was getting a plastic suit that looked like a football player, not an actual uniform with a helmet and shoulder pads!  He was completely overwhelmed with excitement and wore that uniform every chance he got for the 2 weeks leading up to Halloween.  He would ask to put it on the second he got home from school and he even asked if he could sleep in it.   Turns out it has been worth every penny!

Max didn't have any opinions about his costume or understand at all what we were talking about, so we let Jack decide about Max's costume this year.  He always wants to dress like Jack anyway so we made him the mascot, Roary!

The kids paraded through Carytown at school that day and then we trick-or-treated in the neighborhood that night.  Our new neighborhood is perfect for trick-or-treating!  Our block was lots of fun as we got to enjoy seeing all the neighbor kids and parents enjoying the evening and then we ventured to the block behind us which is really into it!  It was packed with cute kids and friendly adults and lots of dogs for Max to "touch!"  We had a great time and the kids loved it all!  

Thanks to Grandma for manning our door so we could both go enjoy the evening with the boys!  Hope you all got more treats than tricks...Happy Halloween!

Apple picking

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Carter Mountain to pick apples. It wasn't a very nice day (cold gray and rainy) but  it's insanely crowded on the pretty weekend days and this Momma hates crowds, so if we were going, it was going to have to be less than ideal conditions!  The boys didn't love the weather though and they were over the whole apple-picking experience after 5-6 apples.  So yes, we drove all the way to Charlottesville for a bit of whining and 6 apples...and a few really cute pictures!

The highlight of the trip was definitely the apple cider and donuts!

Jack does NOT like to be cold.  He gets it honest.  I also hate it.  He was really over it all by this point...but it makes me laugh and definitely captures his feeling about the trip!

While the weather wasn't ideal, it was still fun and the apples were by far the best I've ever had.  I've considered doing it all over again just for more apples! Maybe next year...:)

HHI 2012

I think this was our 7th trip to Hilton Head.  Our very first trip was to work on wedding plans with Patti, one of our lovely wedding coordinators.  We've been every year since then, and enjoyed every stage of married life there...newlyweds, expecting our first, wrapping up maternity leave, a toddler (or 2!), a 2 year old and another on the way in just a few weeks, a 3 year old and a 1 year old and this year, a 4 year old and a 2 year old.  And this year, THIS year was wonderful!  Not that they haven't all been...though the one where I was very pregnant with Max and Jack got strep and hand foot and mouth, was a little challenging, I must admit.  This one just felt really really good.  It helped that we had the most amazing weather ever.  September is definitely the time to go to HHI.  It was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and 82 or so every single day.  The very last day there were a couple of clouds, but it was just telling us to go home.  And one afternoon it was really windy, but the kids still enjoyed the beach. We had a wonderful visit with Grams and Gramps and Uncle Aaron!  And Tommy and Patti too.  And then they left and The Pearson family, including a 7 week old Luke, joined us for a few more days.  It really was a wonderful trip. 

We spent a lot of time on the beach.  Which one would expect I suppose, however in years past I have felt like by the time we got to the beach, it was time to head back because someone didn't like it or it was too hot or buggy or windy or needed a nap or something.  This  year we'd gather up our stuff and get ready, which took a good hour or so, and then get out to the beach around 10:30, stay through lunch and head back just in time for nap.  It actually felt like we got to enjoy the beach a bit!  

The kids were both really good about playing together or alone without us too, which helped.  

The ratio of kids to adults was also pretty high, which was wonderful!  Most of the time we had at least 3 adults to every kid.  That helped too, as someone could always take a little break.  I felt like it was the first vacation since they were born where I actually got to sit for a bit.  It was amazing!  

 

Jack even got to show off some of the moves he learned in swim lessons this year!

We saw a lot of cool wildlife too...including dolphins that were really close to us! When the tide went out and we saw how shallow the water was there, we were even more fascinated at how close they had been.  Very neat!

Near the beach house there are a zillion turtles who all come looking for food when you walk by.

And almost every day we spotted this alligator sunning just across the pond from the beach house.  Maybe 30 yards from the road...really close.  Jack named her Maggie.  He met a dog earlier in the week named Maggie and I guess it stuck.  I thought it was a pretty cool name since my childhood dog's name was Maggie too.  I don't know if this gator would approve of the name or not though...

These turtles and gators are also very close to the hoop ball net and the playground, which we visited a few times.  Uncle Aaron and Max played hoop ball most every day I think since we had to pass it to get in the car at the beach every day and Max was not going to miss his chance to yell HOOP BALL over and over until someone played with him!

There was plenty of fun to be had just hanging out at home too...

Jack learned to shuck corn...

Max tried his hand at golf...

 And we all played a lot of football.

 There was also a little snipe hunting expedition.  Jack was just as scared as he looks...

 And very little tv watching, but the mornings usually started like this...all smiles while Momma enjoyed her coffee and we planned our day full of fun in the sun.

The nights ended like this - books in bed with plenty of smiles still to go around.

Mid-week the Pearson family joined us!  Look at this sweet little guy!  His name is Luke and we are all very much in love with him.  

He turned 8 weeks old while we were there and it was his first trip to the beach.  

There were these great tidal pools when the tide went out that the kids played in constantly.  Sometimes they had tiny little fish in them and Jack would chase after them forever just hoping to catch one!  They were really fast though.

But once Eddie arrived, he devised a plan to catch those fish!  It was a very sophisticated plan, consisting of mud walls, a little sand toy netting and a lot of laying down and chasing fish.

But catch those fish, he did!

We did all get out for dinner one night and had a great time at Sea Pines.  Trying to get a family picture proved entertaining...

 and Jack left his mark on the chalkboard!

There's nothing quite as wonderful as slowing life down a bit and watching your kids be completely and utterly surrounded by happiness and love of family and friends.  Thanks to my family and to the Pearsons for spending time with us and helping wrangle these redheads.

Thanks to the Weavers for making it all happen, again.  I cannot imagine more generous people.  We love you and we love the memories we are making in your gorgeous home - thanks so much for sharing HHI with us!