Gingerbread Houses

It was ridiculous cold today, so we decided to have a couple of our super-cute neighbors come over to have hot chocolate and decorate gingerbread houses. It was extra special because Pupa Ed could be here to help!

Reis, Emily, Colin & Lauren with their masterpieces!

Brunch with Santa & The Nutcracker

We had brunch with Santa this morning and went to see the Nutcracker this afternoon. The boys are so done with me!

Snow Days

We've already had a lot of snow this year and the kids are really enjoying it.

Reis built a snowman after school.

Colin likes to play football in the snow.

Halloween

Halloween was a HUGE success this year! After four years in a row of being a pirate, Colin decided to change things up a bit. He was hilarious as the Geico caveman. Reis was "freakishly awesome" as a swamp monster. He knew what he wanted to be in August, but his mom was too cheap to buy the costume then. After a mad hunt for the swamp monster two weeks before Halloween, Pupa Ed came to the rescue and shipped one from San Antonio. Mom learned a valuable lesson...when there are only two Targets in town, just pay full price if you see something you like!

Pumpkin Carving

We finally carved our pumpkins today. The boys are getting better at it every year. Colin only asked for help once and Reis did a lot of his himself. They discovered that the smaller pumpkins are harder to carve and juicier than they thought.

Hard at work.


Colin's pumpkin sure is happy!

Oh my!!

Weather update

Just so you know...We got our first snowfall last night and it's supposed to snow a little today. It's not cold enough to stick yet, but still....CRAZY!!

Fall Nature Walk

It is absolutely gorgeous here, so we decided to go on a nature walk today. The boys loved leading the way, romping around and picking up the different leaves. We also spotted two deer on one of the trails.

Reis is deciding which way to go!

Lincoln Park Zoo

Grandma Pam came for a visit and we decided to take her to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. What a great little zoo in middle of the city. They had excellent exhibits for the kids and the tiger even roared for us!!

Do you think they're going to kill me in middle of the night?

Reis the monkey.

Grandma Pam and her boys! Haircuts are on our to do list!!

Colin's smackin' the wolf.

Indian Shores Beach Trip

Will and I went to Indian Shores, Florida with some good friends for a weekend getaway. We had a great time eating, drinking, boating and relaxing.

The gang at Bern's Steakhouse.

Me & Tina waiting for the boat leave.

Will, Ken, Jim, Tina & Kirsten at Caladesi Island State Park.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Today is Will's birthday. The boys made a scavenger hunt for him to find his presents, made his favorite cake, and had me decorate the house for his special day. They love daddy's birthday, and I can't wait to see what they do for NovAmber 9th!!