The Drink of Choice

Carving Pumpkins

Most of the work was done by Grandma Nelson, but we now have three lovely Jack-o-lanterns. Owen carved the middle one by himself. Lewis had no interest in posing for a picture. He decided to attack the pumpkin in the background instead.

Annual Dells Trip

We had an awesome time in the Dells as usual! Our condo was the fanciest we've ever stayed in, and it worked out to $55 per family per night! I love ebay. We spent hours at the waterparks, and Grandma and Grandpa dropped some money in the arcade so the boys could go home with a handful of trinkets.

Vacations are tops on my list. I'm already thinking about the next trip!

Everyone had fun in the wave pool, even my brother's baby, Lucas. Corey had fun telling the guard at the top of each waterslide that I like going down backwards. And he asked one of them to hold my end of the raft under the waterfall - and he did!

There were a few "family" raft rides, and this one never had a line, so we went on it a lot. The bummer was the conveyor belt was broken, so Corey and Keith had to carry the big rafts up several flights of stairs. I didn't feel bad for Corey though, I figure it was payback for making me go down all the slides backwards.

Lewis in the Water

Watching the big bucket dump with Grandpa.

Lewis had a ball karate chopping the water. He was really fighting hard.

The Boys

I know I'm slightly biased, but these are four of the cutest kids ever!

The Gigantic Play Place

What could be more fun than blasting foam balls at people in a three story treehouse?

This is what happens when two dads chase four little boys for three days.

A Little Water Fun

Don't let that smiling face fool you. This crazy dad is always up to something.

Overheard

Yesterday, Owen was talking with a friend about his new baby sister. This is what I overheard Owen say. "Just wait until she's 2. She'll mess up all your stuff." Spoken like a true older brother!

Pictures Not for the Faint of Heart

That splinter of wood in the above photo looks very small until you consider that it just spent 2 weeks under Owen's thumbnail!! It was imbedded under the nail, so you couldn't see it from the end of the nail, and it stopped somewhere past his cuticle. Two doctors visits, multiple salt-water soaks. two rounds of antibiotics, and two very painful shots of numbing medications later, his thumb is now splinter free.
I felt so bad for the little guy when we were at the doctor's office yesterday. It was so painful for him, and it took Dr. Testrout a long time to get it out. She had to cut his thumbnail way down as you can see in the above photo, and had to deal with a lot of gunk oozing out. It was pretty gross. Every time she would get a hold of the splinter, a little piece would just break off, so the splinter pictured above, is shorter than what was actually in his thumb.

Owen was so obviously in quite a lot of pain while we were at the doctor, but I am really proud of how he handled himself. And I love our family doctor. She is so good with my kids.

Campfire Without the Camping

A winter coat and no shoes or socks. He would not keep them on.
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One marshmallow in the hand, one in the mouth. Life is good!

Marshmallows Anyone?

What could be better on a COLD October night than a hot fire and some gooey (and in my case, charred) marshmallows?

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Loving My New Camera

It's Magic

I'm having much fun playing with the settings on my new camera! I dig that it will add a smile to a non-smiling face. It gave Corey more of a grimace, but it's kind of fun anyway.

Who Needs A Teddy Bear?

Let me tell you, as the woman of the house, I feel very well protected knowing my two-year-old went to sleep cuddled up to his arsenal of sticks (I didn't even realize these were in his room when I put him to bed.) Bad guys, beware: Lewis Harms may be small, but he can hold his own with people considerably larger than himself.

Badge of Honor

"Mom, Mom!! Guess what I got playing football today?" - Owen
"I don't kn0w. What did you get?" - Me (thinking he was going to say a touchdown.)
"I got green on my pants and a hole in my knee!" - Owen

To him, a grass stain and tear in his pants are like badges of honor. To me, it's the demise of a good pair of khakis.

Leaning Tower of Legos

Owen and his new neighbor/friend, Caleb, built the tallest Lego tower I have ever seen. It was quite impressive, but not very stable.

New Temporary Pet

It's a salamander. Our neighbor, Bret, caught it at his office and thought our boys would like it. Of course, they love it. Especially since we made them get rid of all the frogs and toads a couple weeks ago. We'll let them keep this guy for a little while before we make them release him into the wild. Notice my boys' attire. It was drizzly and maybe 55 degrees today. Perfect barefoot, shirtless weather. Wouldn't you agree?