November 1

Tonight we had more trick-or-treating to do. We always go to Gigi and Bill's house, but didn't make it last night, so we dressed up again and went tonight. But, we didn't leave home before we got a good sword fight in!

The boys had already been to the zoo this afternoon, so fell asleep on the way to Gigi's house

Once there, they perked up with their treats!

One of their new favorites were these pumpkin lights. 

October 31

The boys had parties and a parade at school today and are ready for a night of fun at home

We decided to order a jack-o-lantern pizza for quick dinner before we headed out around the neighborhood 

The pirates are ready. I worked really hard to make their wagon into a pirate ship, but it never sailed. It was going to be more trouble than it was worth to pull it around with the high possibility of the sail falling over or the sides falling off. So, it stayed parked at the dock and the pirates had to walk. 

Matt dressed up as a nerd and ran around with us for a little while

The slew of neighbors that gathered to trick-or-treat together

Their first house

These pirates had a great time and will be going to be on a tummy full of sugar!

October 30

The sheetrock is up! It's starting to really come together

Adam challenged the kids to bring in items for Operation Christmas Child for a few weeks on Wednesday nights. Grayson was the first 4 yr old to bring in things. He was so excited to go shopping for a few things! I love his giving spirit

October 29

Someone was complaining of being cold- so he got to sit by the oven while I made muffins!

October 28

The weather was beautiful today, so I took the boys to the zoo. I decided to forego the big stroller and try the umbrella stroller and backpack. NOT a good idea today! No one wanted to walk all day, so I had to carry and push these two a very long way! 

The big thing we wanted to see today was the new penguin exhibit

It was actually pretty good!

And, we had to see the sea lion show (Grayson still thinks it might be like the one at Sea World)

The zoo is so pretty in the fall

October 27

Finally took a few minutes to take our fall pictures. The trees that line our street are absolutely gorgeous in the fall. I think others have realized it too! There were so many photographers out doing shoots this weekend all along the street. Within about 5 minutes I was able to get a couple decent ones. 

October 24

The insulation and vapor barrier were installed this week. We are ready for sheetrock!

October 21

We have decided that the boys are going to be pirates for Halloween. So, we are attempting to make our wagon into a pirate ship. We made it last week and started painting it today. 

The boys had a blast and Grayson said, "I'm such a good artist, Mom!" 

October 20

I knew Grayson was getting big when he started asking to pour his own drinks all the time. Today, Neylan asked for the first time. He got his milk out of the fridge and sat to pour. You can see how he did!

October 19

Ready to run the KC Marathon! It's a very chilly morning, 34 degrees at the start. I'm running the 6 mile leg of the relay with some girlfriends and some guys from church have another team.

I was "lucky" enough to have the first leg of the race, which had 2 killer hills. The first was the hill to come up to Liberty Memorial. It was rough, so I took this picture when I made it to the top!

The boys found a spot outside of their school to cheer me on

Adam said I needed to stop to give them high fives! He said several other runners had come by and gave them high fives too, so they didn't want me to leave them out. It was great to see them at the start of mile 4 after the two monster hills were done!

When I stopped at the boys, they didn't say anything or want to give me a high five. Adam said after I took off again, Neylan turned around and said, "We forgot to say, Go Mommy, Go!!" 

All bundled up! They talked Daddy into taking them to Wendy's for breakfast after I went by. 

Whew! I did it!

We found Kate at the finish line! After waiting on a bus after my leg to get back to the finish line for a while while your body does what it's supposed to by cooling you off after sweating a bunch and then stepping back out into the cold, it was freezing! Thank goodness for a heat sheet. With that wrapped around me in the sunshine, I finally warmed back up. Adam said my lips were purple when I got to the finish line

The boys beat us!

The girls crossed 10 minutes later

Both teams!

The girls minus one. We all had a great time and are looking forward to next year!

This afternoon we had our neighborhood Octoberfest. This is the view we get to see everyday as we walk to the park or drive down the street. Our trees are so beautiful!

We stood in line forever to get faces painted!

Grayson, Neylan, and Sophie (our neighbor) 

After our race, Matt and I were starving tonight. We decided on a delicious breakfast dinner!

Matt said we needed to carb back up! I think between pancakes, french toast, eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon, I think I got enough carbs back in me to last a week!