Chuck E. Cheese!!

Today started out as a somewhat boring day for the boys and I.  We had a few short errands

to run, but nothing else very exciting planned.  In fact, the highlight of Owen's day

prior to lunch was riding Sandy, the free horse at the super market.

Thrilling...I know.  But he actually loves it.

Little did he know that just a few doors down from the grocery store was a place that would

blow his little toddler mind.  A place none other than Chuck E. Cheese.

Now typically I steer clear of this place as there are always far too many crazy kids running

around for my liking.  Trying to keep up after my boys on top of that does not sound like

my idea of fun.  But as we walked past and Owen caught a glimpse of the blinking lights, I

noticed that the place was nearly empty.  Since we had no other pressing plans, I decided

to give it a try.  I figured Owen would have a blast, and boy did he ever!

He would start one game, then before it was even finished run over to something else that caught his attention.  My job was to follow behind him, finish his games and claim his tickets (which by the way we put to good use snatching up a 3" frisbee and a banana laffy taffy).  He was so excited he could barely sit still to eat lunch.

 Even Joe had a great time.  He and I helped out Owen with the games and even found a

few that fit him perfectly.  And what's better than pizza for lunch?

 I was pleasantly surprised with what a great time we had.  Aside from a minor meltdown

when it was time to leave, it was a lot of fun.  Watching how excited the boys got made it

all that more enjoyable for me.

I'm sorry Sandy, but I think you've been replaced.

  

Look who's walking...

 ...This little guy!!

 It's so funny because I was just talking with my mom on the phone this morning about him

walking.  We were talking about Thanksgiving and how funny it would be to watch Joe and

Ellie chase each other around.  I mentioned he wasn't quite walking yet, but he was taking

one or two little steps here and there and I felt like it would be any day now.  Well, he must

have overheard our conversation and decided he wanted to prove me wrong.

 

 He's still in the early stages, but he is super excited with his new mode of transportation.

Fall Block Party

Today was our annual Fall block party.

It was getting late in the season and no one was stepping up to plan it, so I decided it was

my turn to organize it.  I planned the meals, made the flyer, ordered the bounce house, and

worked with the village to get our street blocked off.  There's a lot of planning that goes into

it, but I have fun doing things like this so it wasn't a big deal.  The only thing I was nervous about was the weather.  I was really hoping it would cooperate so all my hard work and planning wasn't wasted with it being too cold and rainy for everyone to enjoy themselves.

And thankfully, though it was a little cold, it turned out to be a beautiful Fall day.  It seemed

that everyone had a great time which makes it much more satisfying to me.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

  

 Such a fun day!!  If I haven't said it before, we honestly have the best neighbors.

Happy 4th Anniversary!!

Happy 4th Anniversary to us!!

A lot has changed in 4 years....

Getting dressed up and ready to go out for dinner on a Thursday night after a long day

with the kids and a long day of work seems almost painful.

Staying up past 10:30PM is almost unheard of.

And a good time on a Saturday consists of a family day at Costco where one of the regulars

at the door Sheila, yes we know her on a first name basis, greets us as her "favorite family".

Sure, maybe we're a little more tired these days, and quite as exciting,

but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I love our family, how we evolved and everything that goes along with that.

 Happy 4th anniversary to us!!