christmas with cousins

9 cousins...they just barely still fit on the couch...

the weather was beautiful outside, so we went to park for awhile...there was a little dock that the kids sat on to feed the ducks. that might become a tradition as long as the weather is nice each year...it was a blast!

christmas

i was pretty lazy about taking pictures at Christmas...i think i got a few...but this was the one shot with all three of the boys...and other than the new video game logan got...this was everyones favorite thing!! they get their pjs on early now so they can wear their cozy robes...:)

we headed out for dfw before lunch to start the family christmas time! it was our first time to be "out of town"...and we were soooo grateful that the Lord had provided us with a way to buy a minivan before this trip! we traveled comfortably for the first time in awhile. the boys had plenty of stretching room...no argueing ...ah, it was great!

austin for a day...

funny what you will do to keep busy with 3 kids. 3 weeks off of school and 3 super high energy boys...well, i called up one of my college roommates (who also has 3 boys but lives in san antonio) out of the blue to see if she would meet me in austin for lunch! we laugh about that being crazy, but we had such a great time! we met up at central market where the boys could run and be hyper and active. thank the Lord it was beautiful weather...and they lasted all afternoon! our boys always play great together...sure wish they lived closer!! :)

elijah and logan are only 2 months apart (and when they were born, we actually lived across the street from each other)...and if we lived closer, they would definitely be best friends! they both love sports, and spent 90% of the day playing football together.

here's all 6 boys! ian, tysen, levi, isaac, elijah, and logan...

turkey in disguise

ian had a class assignment to "disguise" his turkey...i gave him a few examples...but then he came up with batman...and he went to work! this was the finished product!

i love this creativity he has!!

logan is 8!

well, he's 8...i didn't think it was too different...but i am starting to see previews of the "tween" age that is coming. i'm hearing a lot of "yeah man", and "dude"...and "sweet"...he gets around his friends, and the 'cool' factor kicks in. i'm seeing growth and maturity...and still praying for this little man as he is developing into his own! right now, he loves cheeseburgers with ketchup and mayo only...loves pizza...he's super into sports, and he learns a lot about other teams from his playstation 2 football game. his top 3 football teams are the cowboys, the texans, and the longhorns. he's beginning to shift away from the imagination world of "guys" (which makes me so sad)...and he'd rather watch a good football game than a disney movie. he takes the trash out and empties the dishwasher...tears up his shoes and jeans like a pro...but he still loves a hug from his mom and dad before bedtime. love this kid!

this year, he opted for a football party (since he plays football with the neighborhood boys every day possible). he had about 13 boys (yikes!!) and 2 girls...we got to have cousin audrey for the weekend, so that was special for them to get to spend time together...they sit and laugh and talk, and read together...its a sweet bond. he's not a huge cake fan, so he decided he'd rather have chocolate chip cookie sandwiches (2 cookies with icing between)...that's definitely my kid!

its that time of year...

well, we're back to that time of year...family pictures. coming from a family of photographers...its impossible to skip this part of the year...its a tradition! mom was in town...and we used a family friend's home to attempt the family shoot!

don't we look happy? doesn't this look easy? don't be fooled. it's still a beating...every time!

i keep thinking it will get easier each year...and it does in some ways, and does NOT in others! now the boys are old enough to understand, and they obey and pose and all that...but now, i'm battling against the "fake" smile!

hmm...i wonder where they get that from?

but despite the struggles (we were also fighting off swarms of mosquitos), we managed to get a few good shots...way to push through it for your mom, boys!

halloweenies!!

our first stop was a nearby church's fall festival...

...but on halloween, we had a big party called "halloweenies"!! we served hot dogs and had a bounce house and snow cone machine...we passed out flyers on our street to invite all of our neighbors! it was sooo fun! we had about 75-100 people come through....and got the numbers of a few new neighbors! we are hoping to throw block parties regularly, and this was the perfect way to kick it off!!