Cookie Making, plus Bonus Halloween Preview

Mommy hurt her back two weeks ago... hence the infrequency of blog posts (hurt back = can't sit = less computer time). So Grandma Dianne came to help two weeks ago Thursday. Her and the boys made some chocolate chip cookies together, how fun!

Then last Thursday we went "Trick or Treating" at downtown businesses (Something the York Chamber of Commerce puts on). Here are the little pirates!

We had come from getting haircuts and so they even got some carbon paper beards! So cute ... I mean  "Arrrrgh!"

Outdoor Fall Chores; Tip of the Day

And I quote "Oh, I forgot what little people are used for when you are cleaning up leaves in the yard" -Daddy

And a couple from when we raked up leaves a few nights ago. The boys were really big helpers and filled a couple of big pumpkin bags up while Daddy raked (and Mommy took pictures) almost by themselves. Clayton can take really big arm-fulls!

^^That was a fun pile, but nothing compared to the epic pile that we made today using a snow shovel to get a FEW of the leave off of our driveway! What a blast fall is with two rambunctious toddlers to help with the chores and jump in a pile of leaves!

The final results:

Clayton's Birthday Party

We had Clayton's birthday party last Sunday. Here's the invite I emailed out to family (just Grandparents and Great-Grandparents were able to attend this one).

Clayton spent most of the first part of the party digging in the sand and playing outside. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. He really enjoyed playing in the sand with Grandpa Mark. Reese really enjoyed being a show-off and doing silly things like put a bucket on his head!

After everyone arrived, we opened presents! Every one was the new favorite, and Reese was bawling most of the time because he either wanted the new toy Clayton was playing with or he wanted the one we were trying to get out of the packaging. . . Christmas should be fun...?

Cozy Truck, aka "Four-Loller" (4-wheeler) from Papa and Grandma Branz

Bulldozer from Grandpa Mark and Grandma Dianne

John Deere dump truck that rumbles from Great-Grandpa Aldon and Great-Grandma Erna

Awesome motorcycle from Great-Grandpa and Grandma Branz

We also got a fun Mega Blocks dump truck from Uncle Brandon and Aunt Betsy with a lever that dumps the back end but I guess we didn't get a party picture of it! Ooops! :(

Singing Happy Birthday

Blowing out the candles 

Awesome cake decorated in 14 min. at Walmart since someone screwed up my order!

Birthday Boys snitching a little frosting ☺

After cake and ice cream the next activity was putting together the Cozy Truck, which Clayton has named the "Four Loller" (because that is how he pronounces 4-wheeler)

Stacking the tires and knocking them down

Both boys sitting in it while Daddy and Grandpa Mark figure out how to put it together!

Here are some pictures of the decorations. I don't know what was wrong with my camera's settings, but most of the pictures turned out pretty blurry. Oh well. 

Daddy is Pooped!

You can imagine what a 3 year old must think that phrase means. If not, just watch this ;)

Good Little Helpers

Sorry but I haven't even been through Clayton's birthday party pictures. I will try to do that today. In the meantime, here is what the boys were doing last Tuesday when I got home from working out. Daddy had put them to work cleaning the floor it seems! :)

Clayton's Birthday Celebrations

Well, Clayton is certainly three! Here he is practicing, first thing (6:40am) Thursday morning.

On Thursday morning around 10:00 am we had a little party for Clayton. Our neighbor (and friend), Heidi has a daycare and we often go to her house to play with them when they are outside (and have an adult conversation occasionally). She normally  has 4 toddlers there, but on Thursday she had just three of them and was able to easily walk them over for our little party. We had lots of fun and I think Clayton thought it was really neat that his friends came to play with him at HIS house.

All 5 kids playing together on the swingset

Clayton helping Mommy adjust the piñata

Hi Reese!

Clayton taking a swing at the piñata

Reese having a turn

Looking for the candy in the broken piñata

Clayton blowing out his candles in a banana bread muffin

You might also notice in these pictures, on the shed by the sandbox that there is some artwork taking shape there. Aunt Amy has been working on a construction site mural on the side of the shed as a present to the boys. She has the trucks done now and it looks awesome! There will be more to come on that later!

Sadly, there were parent/teacher conferences until late Wednesday and Thursday night so daddy was not around to help us celebrate that evening. After naps Clayton asked if  he could go to the park, so to the park we went. We played until it was time to come home for supper and had a great time, just mommy and the boys. We even got a a surprise visit that evening from Papa and Grandma Branz on their way out of town to give Clayton a little birthday present, three little toy monster trucks that both boys love. There is already a favorite one that gets fought over too!

After that, Clayton still wanted to go outside and play even though it was dark, we played anyway.

digging in the sand in the dark

I also thought it would be fun to lay down and look up at the stars since we were out after dark. The boys really liked it and we even spotted a few planes as well as the moon and stars!

Clayton and Mommy - Happy 3rd Birthday, Baby boy!!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

Still backtracking today, but slightly more recent, only 1 week ago! The Seward MOPS group scheduled a "playdate" at JK's Pumpkin Patch which is north of Lincoln last Friday (October 4). It took pretty much exactly 1 hour to get there (and that included waiting for 10 min. to cross through the one lane section of Hwy 34 just east of York (argh!) I invited Grandma Dianne to meet us there so that there would be an adult to chase each of the boys since I wasn't sure what it would be like. It turned out to be a really fun time, this place is geared toward toddlers, pre-schoolers and even younger elementary school kids. The boys had a blast!

We arrived at about 11am, played until about noon. Tried to have lunch outside at a picnic table, ha ha. Then played until we went home at about 2pm. The boys slept all the way home, they were tired!

Their first favorite thing to do was play in the big sand box and they got to pick from probably a couple dozen toy tractors, bulldozers, excavators, and dump trucks to dig and drive in the sand. There were also slides off of hay bales, a swing set with a slide and horse shaped tire swings. There were ducks and chickens and a rooster just wandering free, and we may have lost track of Reese once or twice when he took off chasing after them!

Next we discovered a tub full corn with a slide into it. Both boys really enjoyed that one.

They had a few ridding and pedal powered toys around:

There was also a combine that had been transformed into a slide! How sweet! Clayton loved it too, but I guess we only got a picture of Reese doing it.

Reese climbing up the back ladder to go down the Combine slide

Reese coming down!

You could also climb some steps to sit up in the cab of the combine

Of course we got to take a hay rack ride out to the pumpkin patch itself so we could pick out our pumpkins!

One of the best parts I thought was two bounce houses. There was one for kids 5 and under and another for kids 12 and under, so we didn't have to worry about bigger kids in the bounce house with them. Luckily there just wasn't very many kids there and they were able to have all to themselves for a few minutes before it was time to go.

 What a fun day!