Almost Turkey Day...

Conner and Ben have their turkey hats ready to go!

 

Christmas Lights...

The Christmas lights are up and they went up accident free!!!  We figured we should take advantage of the warmer temperature today.  Half of the neighborhood had the same idea!  We weren't sure how it was all going to come together, but it worked out well.  Good job Nick!!!

Gymtastic!

This weekend was our niece, Marley's, 3rd birthday so we headed to Des Moines to go celebrate!  Happy Birthday Marley!!!

My sister Cari had booked The Little Gym for us to go continue the party at, so after Marley was done opening presents, we headed over to the gym.  The boys didn't know what to expect, but when they walked in and saw all of the equipment and mats everywhere, they were squealing with delight!  They had the best time!!!  It was awesome to see them get to do so many different things.  They were fearless and enjoyed every second of their gym time!  (Ben has the blue shorts, and Conner has the gray ones on!)

They ended the evening at the gym with singing Happy Birthday to Marley and enjoying some Dora cupcakes.  Of course, my kids were the ones who didn't care about the cake at all and just wanted to get back in the gym!  Ben kept saying, "More exercise?  We get to do more exercise?"  Needless to say, they were not happy when the party ended, but everyone had such a great time!  Thanks for the awesome party, Marley!!!

Bowling!

We got to go bowling today with Ben and Conner's preschool!  As always, the excitement started when they saw that big yellow bus!  They enjoyed the bumpy ride and then it was time to bowl.  The boys have never been bowling before, so I couldn't wait to see how they did!  They loved it!  The only part that proved to be a little hard was waiting for their next turn!  Conner came up with a very unique move when he rolled the bowling ball down the lane.  As he was pushing with all his strength, he would tuck his head down, almost as if he was bowing to the ball!  It was a very dramatic flourish that seemed very fit for our ConMan!

Ben had such a great time!  He was pushing that ball down the lane with all his might and greatly enjoyed cheering for himself and for all of his friends! 

It was a very memorable morning and the boys are definitely interested in going bowling again!

For Future Reference...

Driving home from an appointment today, we passed a car lot and this was the conversation that followed...

Me:  Ooh, look at that nice red mustang.  When you guys grow up will you buy Mom a nice red mustang?
Conner:  Sure Mom!
Ben:  Yes, I will buy you a new car.  You want red?
Me:  Or black...
Ben:  I'm on it, Mommy!
Me:  Thanks guys.  What kind of cars do you want?
Ben:  A bulldozer, maybe a red one...
Conner:  I want a crane!
Me:  What would you do with a bulldozer and a crane?
Ben:  I will build 2 houses.
Me:  Who will live in the 2 houses?
Ben:  You, of course!
Me:  But who will live in the second one?
Ben:  Daddy!
Me:  Won't Daddy live with Mommy?
Ben: .... oh yeah... me and Conner will live in the other one right by you!
Conner:  Yeah!
Me:  That sounds perfect!
Ben:  Yep.  I just need that bulldozer... and a dumptruck...

The conversation continued, but turned sour when I told Ben that he would not be getting a bulldozer today.  The important part, however, is the part about how my boys are going to live right next to me.  I just wanted that part recorded for future reference....

No More Pumpkins...

We finally got our Halloween pumpkins thrown out this week and Ben was not happy about it... not at all... His face was frozen like this for quite a while when he realized what we had done!

Our 11th Wedding Anniversary!

11 Years....  Funny how it happened "so long" ago and I can still remember almost everything about that day.  I suppose it is the same for many brides.  But you know what I remember the most about our wedding night... (don't worry, I know who reads this, so I will keep it clean :)  What I remember most is sitting in our suite, in our very own hot tub, talking about the day, laughing, reliving all the moments that we still remember to this day and wondering what was next.  I cherish this memory the most because, I realize, that it was a small preview of what life was going to be like for us...  sitting together, laughing, wondering... and so, our 11th anniversary turned out quite perfect...  just you and me, sitting, still laughing, and always wondering...  Thank you, Nick, for 11 years of marriage, 11 years of smiles and laughter, 11 years of your support that is so unbelievably strong, and 11 years of love that has been tested many times, but has always won in the end.  I love you...

Thanks Nana and Gramps for taking care of our little ones so Nick and I could have a "moment" to ourselves... we needed it and we greatly appreciate it!