Pizzas!

While we were playing outside this afternoon Ben actually caught a grasshopper!  Usually I have to help a little so he doesn't accidently squish whatever bug he is trying to catch, but he caught this one all by himself.  He was very proud.  When it was time to go in, I asked Ben what he wanted to do with the grasshopper and he said he wanted to let him go so he could go find his family.  Very sweet...  As we were getting ready to go in, we heard the marching band at the high school playing so Conner insisted on staying out just a little longer so he could listen.  There was some kind of marching band show at Linn-Mar last night so there were lots of bands playing, including the Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band!  We heard the announcer introduce them and then they played the Iowa Fight Song.  Conner was overjoyed!

Ironically, while we were listening to the Hawkeye Band, Nick was going to Iowa City to sit in one of the sky boxes for a dedication ceremony of some kind.  The important news there is that he got to meet Kirk Ferentz and enjoy free food and drinks!  He had a great time, even though he was too chicken to ask the coach for a picture with him!!!  So, since Daddy wasn't home for dinner, we decided to make our own pizzas tonight.  The boys actually loved this and were very proud of themselves for making their own dinner!  (Although Ben informed me, he was a little upset that I didn't have chef hats for them...) 

Conner and Ben were almost done making their pizzas.  Check out the leaning tower of mini pepperoni on Ben's!

Once the pizzas were done, we sat down to eat.  I will just say that the making of the dinner went a lot smoother than the actual eating of the dinner... but I suppose that is no surprise since almost every meal right now is a struggle with these two!  They would just rather be doing something else! 

 



Parade!

The Linn-Mar Homecoming parade was tonight and it just so happens that our house is on the route so we headed outside to sit on the lawn and watch the parade!  When we started to hear the parade coming, I turned to Ben, and said that the parade was starting and it was so exciting.  Ben told me, "Okay, Mom, I know it's exciting, but just calm down!"  Ironic, that my Ben tells me to calm down!!!  He loved the parade and Ben really loved catching all the candy that was being thrown at him!

 

Conner absolutely loved the marching band!  He just stared in awe as they passed us.  As soon as they walked past and happened to stop playing, Conner started listing all of the instruments that he liked.  Tuba, cymbals, drums, trumpet....  He was pretty excited about it.  He also enjoyed catching all of the candy and was very cute picking up one piece at a time and bringing it over to his pumpkin! 

 The football team was the last group in the parade, and a friend from HyVee was walking with her son, so she stopped and gave the boys little footballs, which they thought was pretty cool!  When the parade was over, we said goodbye to a few friends we had seen from school and went inside to go through all the candy!!!

 

Another...

Yep.. we lost another tire tonight...!!!

 

While Daddy was putting a new tire on Conner's bike, Conner was actually loosening the training wheels on the other bike.  Hmmm... I don't think we are ready for that yet!

Another Flat Tire...

Nick took the boys for a bike ride this afternoon and ended up with a flat tire on his bike.  When the boys all got back home, Ben walked in and said, "Mom, Dad has a flat tire on his bike, so I need to fix that.  I need to get my tools."  I said okay and he disappeared to the basement to gather a few tools.  A couple of minutes later, he came back upstairs with a full toolbox, some work goggles, and his tool belt!  I went outside to snap a picture and Conner had the goggles on and both were intensely "working" on the bike!  Apparently, along with Hot Wheels, Band-aids, and pudding cups, this household needs to invest in bike tires as well!  At least Nick's tire lasted a decade, not like Ben's which lasted a little over a month!

Our Very Own Volcanoes...

We made our own volcanoes this morning!  We just dropped some colored vinegar on a little pile of baking soda and watched it fizz up.  The boys were pretty impressed.  Then we made one big volcano in a cup of baking soda, poured the vinegar over the top of it and watched the cup overflow.  Conner and Ben love volcanoes so they thought this was pretty fun!

 

 

Movie Night!

Conner and Ben are ready for movie night!

 

Sick Daddy...

Daddy was not feeling too well tonight so he laid on the couch for a while.  Ben and Conner ran to get their blankets and wanted to lay down with him so he would feel better.  I told them that they couldn't lay on Daddy, so they made a little bed on the floor by the couch.  They didn't lay here for too long but I thought it was very sweet that they still wanted to be just like Dad!