Tommy's cast

Poor little Tommy has had a cast on for the last four weeks. We were playing at the park, before taking josh to school, and we were making a train going down the slide when Tommy's shoe stuck on the slide and I ran it over. It twisted and I thought I had broken his ankle but when I took him in, we found out he had snapped his Tibia. Poor boy got a cast on his right leg up past his knee. This is a picture of him on his first day with the cast on. He looks so tired and dejected as I sat him down to watch a movie.

He spent the first couple of days in depression and then on about day 4, he decided this was his new lot in life and made quick work of finding new ways to get around, they ranged from scooting to crawling like a puppy dog, to finally hobbling around on his cast.

He finally got his cast off and boy did he love the bath he had! He lost no time learning to walk again! Its kind of a stiff, hobbling walk but he is getting there!

Happy Birthday

Mike had a birthday and we celebrated properly! The boys helped me make a cake and decorate it with trucks and "dirt".

To celebrate, Mike wanted to go to the park, so we did! The boys thought it was the best thing in the world! Who doesn't like to have daddy time!

We had a spaghetti and meatballs dinner with cake and ice cream and presents later! This year I took the boys to the dollar store to shop for dad's presents, and they got for him exactly what they thought he would want (in other words exactly what they wanted!) They each helped wrap it themselves and were so excited to have dad open it, that in the process of handing it to him, their itching hands just happened to open it!

Halloween fun!

Halloween was busy this year. We went to a fun party at our church, where we had dinner, trunk-or-treating, and a carnival for the kids. I usually can't get Mike to dress up so I had him come up with the idea this year, he said a construction zone! So whether he was serious or not, when he came home, he had costumes from a construction zone! I dressed up like a construction cone, he was a construction sign, Tommy was a construction worker, and Josh was a pirate, arghh! Josh also had a party at school and we went trick or treating on Halloween night!

Grandma time!

I snapped some cute shots this fall of Josh spending time with Grandma Dimick and Grandma Bingham.

"Hey everybody, it's family night!"

This post's title are lyrics from a favorite song that announces the beginning of our family night! The couple of Mondays before Halloween involve pumpkin patches and pumpkin carving! This year, Tommy did a sticker pumpkin and then proceeded to help us with ours by scooping the pumpkin guts back into the pumpkins. We enjoyed a treat of homemade carmel apples, yum!

Some of our Fall projects

This fall, like the rest of our life, has been a whirlwind as we have completed projects. Strange snow storms (4-6inches at a time) interfered with our projects but we have completion on most of them. Our neighbor gives us bum calves that are on death's door and this year we got 2, both have lived!

Mike and his dad put on a porch over the newly poured concrete at the guest house.

Mike finished painting some of the last dumpsters of the season with an awesome upgraded paint sprayer! (No, I'm not talking about the paintbrush in his hand!)

My 'Honey' spent a day doing 'honey-do's' when I planned on doing it myself, including jack-hammering 3 concrete pads for me and mowing the lawn with two 'helpful' boys!

Mike sat with the boys and watched the crew from Missouri, who did the concrete for Mike's building, frame and pour the concrete for our two pads.

When Josh got too hungry and cold, I gave him a chair inside the door so he could eat his pancakes and still watch the men.

Hooray for no more dirt, (or less, at least)! Can you spot Josh inside the door?

Tommy has an opinion!

As Tommy gets older (he is 22 months) he has definitely developed more of his personality and wow, does he have a temper and an opinion! Some of these pictures show his personality. He has some kind of a fetish with things he shouldn't touch, mouse traps are one of them and was one of his first words! ("Snap"!) He can barely control himself to not get stuck in them and has been caught pretty good, so here we are! Mike finally just attached one to his finger and Tommy thought it was so funny and kept asking for more! I put an end to that, what is it with boys and 'no brain, no pain' mentality?

Hooray for the interest in potty training! An average of 3 poopy diapers a day is not my idea of fun!

My boys still love to dance!

Tommy conked out in the middle of painting his train!

Brothers are the best of friends!

Some cute pictures of my boys being brothers instead of arch rivals!

We built this sand box this fall with the leftover sand from out 1700 feet decorative curbing project. They play in it several times a week for hours, even when it's cold!

Who isn't friends when there is food involved?

Both boys love Josh's rabbits and have taken such good care of them! wont they be surprised when the babies come?

Josh sharing his trucks with Tommy, that aunt Emily gave to him!

After Tommy fell asleep in the middle of lunch, Josh helped to clean him off.

More of Josh

Joshua is such a joy in my life even though he is in the awkward stage of life where he is not a baby but not a young man. I love to see him growing up and becoming a helpful and sweet boy as he discovers his place!

We had crazy weather all September and October which included 4 snow storms! We took advantage of the white stuff and made a snowman. The snow was melting so fast that we only had to roll it a couple times for it to make a ball!

Can I just say I'm in love with my husband's and now my son's brown puppy dog eyes!

A picture snapped behind the glass while he was at Montessori School. He always wiggles his way to the front!

My boys always love to help me cook and I am constantly tripping over the two stools I have for them to stand on. Josh is actually becoming a helper instead of a taste tester!

Josh's turn for scripture study. We have laminated pictures of gospel principles or scripture stories and descriptions on the back. They get to each pick one and then we talk about it. It keeps their attention and they love it. Josh picked the brother of Jared every night for almost 2 weeks straight! But he could tell us the story word for word!

My darling boy practicing riding his bike!