More Halloween Fun

This Halloween we carried out our pumpkin carving tradition. Eric and I decided to go with the political theme this year and carve Michelle and Barack Obama. I must say that I was so excited to see that my pumpkin actually looked kind of like her! We had a ton of fun carving them and we can't wait to hopefully celebrate Obama's victory on election day next week!

I have to confess that I accidentally cut off Barack's nose while trying to clean out Eric's pumpkin. So sorry honey! I was getting impatient with Eric's speed, so I took it upon myself to clean it out so we could display them on our doorstep. I guess I got a little too excited and...well...oops!

Introducing the cast of Shrek 3 - donkey/dragon (Mason), Shrek (Ethan), and Puss in Boots (Carson).

I can't believe I actually got them to sit together for a picture! This was taken at our annual blanket trick-or-treat. They all had a ton of fun. Ethan even wore his Shrek ears...after a tootsie roll pop bribe from me. :)

Pumpkin Patch

Every year our Mom's club goes to the pumpkin patch. Nevermind that it's in the parking lot of Sunset Station Casino. One would think it would take away from getting into the Halloween/Fall spirit. Not really. I guess we've gotten used to it by now and it's something we look forward to each year. I am learning that when I have expectations of getting some cute pictures of the boys all sitting together among the pumpkins, it turns out to be the complete opposite. Now, I just go to these kinds of things with the only goal being not to lose a child. It works to my advantage. Kids get to play and I go home with a little sanity!

The twins in the pumpkin patch for the first time. They eventually warmed up to the idea of it.

This is where I caught Carson the wanderer several times that morning. I only hope he wasn't trying to drink that water. Ick!

Not quite sure what they're looking at. Ethan felt pretty cool getting to drive his younger brothers around.

Yep. This is my only attempt to take a picture with the boys. It was getting close to naptime so they were a bit crabby. I was smiling however! I guess it had to do with that no expectation thing I mentioned earlier.

Gilcrease Orchard

Last weekend we decided to load up the boys and go check out Gilcrease Orchard. We had been hearing rumors of an orchard in North Las Vegas and wanted to see if it was actually true. Yep, it's true....but not the kind of orchard you would go to in, let's say Vermont. Luckily we had no expectations so it didn't crush us when we pulled up to an orchard that had been completely picked over. Ethan thought the whole thing was great. He got to run around and get dirty. We don't think we'll be making this a tradition, but it was an inexpensive way to kill some time on a Sunday afternoon.

Ethan and Daddy at the orchard.

Ethan got so excited when he found this enormous unidentifiable vegetable thingy. Lucky for us, it was oozing gooey stuff so we promptly tossed it when he wasn't looking.

So excited to pick some apples!

After the orchard, it was back to 21st century life: watching a dvd on the car ride home...apple in tow.

This picture was taken in a pumpkin patch...in the parking lot of a K-mart! Yep, they do it right in Vegas. Where else can you pick pumpkins AND get a blue light special?

Hmmm....could Southern Nevada really have a beautiful orchard like this one shown on the sign? I'll go ahead and answer that for any of you curious readers out there. Nope. Ethan didn't care though. He just liked the idea of running around and picking stuff, dead or alive, to put in the wagon.

This was pretty cute to watch. The twins however did not like oversized squash crushing their feet. Every time Ethan put something in the wagon, they promptly threw it out of the wagon. You can guess how Ethan reacted to that!

The little man trying to lift a pumpkin that probably weighed more than he did.

Texas in October!

Last weekend, Ethan and I popped down to Texas for a few days to spend some time with my sister and grandparents. We had a blast as always and the boys really enjoyed playing together. We took them to Zilker Park on Friday so they could play and ride the train. My sister and I even got a chance to sneak away for lunch and a movie. Good times all around! Ethan was extremely well behaved on the plane ride and even took an hour nap on the way back. This was a huge bonus for me since I was feeling under the weather. Can't wait for our Christmas trip!

The boys at Zilker Park on top of the old fire truck.

Baby Kaitlyn just turned one in September. She is such a doll!

Ethan's only request for the train ride was for it to go faster through the tunnels.

Ethan was quite the doting cousin! It was neat to watch him interact with a girl. He was very gentle...most of the time!

Walking for a Cure

This past weekend the Mom's club of Henderson-Green Valley participated in the Breast Cancer walk. We raised $500 to support breast cancer research. It was a great time and I'm so glad I was able to participate. My sorority sister from college, Whitney, was diagnosed this past May and I wanted to show my support for her. She has been such an inspiration in the way she has chosen to deal with the diagnosis. She just underwent her last round of chemo and things are looking great for her. Thanks to all of the fellow moms that came out in support for her.

It wouldn't be a breast cancer walk in Vegas without Elvis dressed in Pink.

Preschool Open House

Have I mentioned how ecstactic I am with Ethan's preschool teacher? In a nutshell, she is a godsend to the Payne family. She has a way with Ethan like I've never seen with any other teacher. He connected with her from the start. Ethan had his open house last week and although he was confused with going to school at night, he really enjoyed showing us around the classroom. It was fun to stand back and watch him venture around the room.

Ethan and daddy at Open House.

Notice how I wrote his name on his craft and attempted to make it look like an actual person by drawing eyes and attaching hair on the head, not the arm where Ethan put it at first. Eric just stood back and laughed at me...typical teacher and control freak. I'm gettingbetter at letting him do it... I swear!

Ethan and awesome Miss Teri. He really loves her, even if he is scowling in the picture.

A Boy and His Shoes

Oh how I love fall! The leaves change, we get a break from scorching temperatures, and it's a great time to bake yummy things like stews and pumpkin bread...even though I don't bake much these days.

Best of all, you get to shop for fall clothes and shoes! Ethan has been so excited to wear socks and shoes after 6 months of wearing sandals. I bought him two new pairs of shoes for the fall and winter, and the chuck taylor's are hands down his favorite pair. Every day he tells me that it's a "brown shoe day" even though I try to get him to match his shoes to his outfit. He has quickly taught me to relax a little and to be okay with going to get yogurt in his brown shoes and Spiderman costume...even if the whole time I'm thinking his blue shoes would match the blue in the Spiderman suit perfectly.

I love my little guy for countless reasons, but most of all, I love him for teaching me to look at the world differently each day. So go out and enjoy this wonderfull autumn season...and maybe get a little crazy and wear your brown shoes with your blue outfit. Happy Fall!

Walking...Finally!

On September 24th, at exactly 16 months of age, Carson decided to walk Although they have been taking small steps here and there, they were reluctant to take off. All of their shorts were getting holes in the knees from dragging along the floor. Finally, Carson tested the waters and liked his new skill so much that he never looked back. Unfortunately, I don't have Mason's first steps on video. He decided he wanted to keep up with Carson, so he began walking 4 days later. We haven't rested since! The park is a whole new challenge because of course they never want to stay in the same area. As exhausting as it is to run after them all day, we are really enjoying it. They seem so content and proud of themselves. Enjoy the video! I'll post more of them walking together later on.

Missing Daddy!

What happens when your hubby is out of town for 5 days? Chaos and ghetto games. I don't think I need to explain chaos. It is exactly what it sounds like. Three very high energy boys taking over the house and turning it upside down in 3 minutes flat. What are ghetto games you ask? Playing with cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, and paper bags. Many people would call that using your imagination. I call it survival! Here kiddo, pretend the box is your house, the toilet paper roll is your telescope, and the paper bag is...umm...a hat? Before you gasp at my irresponsible parenting, I was a very close observer when it came to playtime with the bags.


It was a fun weekend with the boys but I am so very appreciative of Eric. I get this huge sigh of relief when he comes home from work. Imagine the relief I felt after 5 days! We missed you honey!

As you can see, we spent much of our time in my bathroom. This was purely selfish. I was able to take my shower, do my makeup and hair, and organize my closet, which was quickly destroyed. In the background you'll see the beginning of the bathroom destruction. Ethan is sporting his 'Obama is my Homeboy' t-shirt in this picture. Don't worry, this is my first and only attempt at campaigning through the blog.

You may be seeing this costume a lot on the blog in the next month and a half. Ethan has a new obsession with his Spiderman costume. He has seen maybe 5 minutes of the movie and could care less about action figures but he absolutely loves dressing up in costumes and dancing in front of the mirror. So...in case you haven't figured out Halloween 08' yet, he is Jeff from The Wiggles disguised at Spidey.

As if coloring your brother with an orange marker wasn't enough, Ethan had to try out the sunblock lotion spray on Carson.

Presley and Carson somehow managed to get Ethan's plate off of the table and onto the floor. Gotta love a mischievous boy and his dog.

A Shark Reef Birthday Party

Ethan's friend Andrew had his birthday party at the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay two weeks ago. Ethan had a fantastic time and it was so fun to see him in action during the tour and in the party room. The employees really did an awesome job with all of the little ones. Now everytime he wears his shark t-shirt, he thinks we're going to another party there.

Ethan posing in front of Mandalay Bay while waiting to take the tour.

The tour guide had them all walk in a line with their "shark fins" on their heads. It was so cute!

Ethan has this new smile going on now where he scrunches up his nose and shows all of his teeth. Here he is in the party room after the tour.

After the tour, the kids all sat in a circle and passed around fun stuff like shark teeth and scuba goggles. At the end of the party, the birthday boy pulled the curtain open that revealed a ceiling to floor aquarium. Thanks again to the Solow family for a great party!!

Painting Adventure

I have been itching to paint the house for quite some time now. After my sister told me about this paint color, I ran out and got a swatch and immediately knew that I had to take the plunge. I have never painted anything before so I was pretty scared to say the least. I'm so happy though that I started and actually finished our breakfast area. It took me 2 days with many interruptions, but I have to pat myself on the back for completing it.

I definitely bit off more than I could chew the first day of painting. I didn't realize how time consuming it would be!

The finished product! I still have to do some touch ups around the ceiling and baseboards. I'm a bit neurotic about stuff like this, but overall it actually looks pretty decent.

The color is called latte by Sherwin Williams. I'll post more pictures of the rest of the rest of the house when I finish....in 2012.

Back to School

Last Monday marked the first week of the new school year. Ethan loves going three times a week to Miss Teri's class where he paints, sings, and stays very busy. Below are some pictures taken the morning of his first day. It's always a challenge to get him out the door and off to school on time. This particular morning was no different than the rest. Right before we rounded him up, we caught him drawing on his brother. Usually Carson would be screaming his head off if Ethan was torturing him. However, this day he was entertained by the orange marker Ethan was using.


As if the orange marker wasn't bad enough, he had scratches all over his face from falling into the Lego box. Poor thing.

Ethan is quite the proud artist.

Mason stayed out of the chaos as usual. I think he already knows to run from Ethan when he has a marker in his hand. Smart little man.