Happy Halloween!

This was our first year dressing up for Halloween. It was so much fun!  The kids went as characters from The Wizard of Oz.  Carter was the Cowardly Lion.  Brandt was the Scarecrow and Elina was, of course, Dorothy.

The festivities began with a Halloween night at the hospital.  I was apprehensive that the boys wouldn't want to wear their costumes, but I kept talking about them and how cool they were.  The day of the hospital shindig, the boys didn't take a nap.  I thought the evening was going to be a complete disaster, but the boys did fine.

Elina as Dorothy

Carter as the Cowardly Lion

Brandt as the Scarecrow.  Brandt had fallen asleep just before I had to start getting him ready.  He was in such a foul mood when I got him up!

Eric got off just when we got there.  I love this pic of Carter and his daddy.

Brandt wtih his new friend, Grayson.

Eric and his princess

Here's the boys' good friend, Cole.  Cole was a ferocious shark!

A rare family picture

We also went to the local pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkin to carve.  The boys had so much fun running around through the pumpkins.  There was also a bubble machine and the boys would try to catch all the bubbles.

Running after bubbles

Me with my little pumpkins :)

Elina enjoying the view from the stroller

Got to find the right one!



Later that night, Eric and I carved the pumpkin and roasted the seeds.  We look forward to the seeds every year and there were hardly any in our pumpkin.  It was such a bummer!

Later that week Elina and I ran an errand while the boys were in Mother's Day Out.  Here she is in her Halloween tutu.

Wee took the boys to a trunk or treat at the church were the boys attend Mother's Day Out.  Those pictures are on another camera so I will have to post those when I download them:)

The night of Halloween, Eric got home right before the trick-or-treaters began to arrive.  Since we'd already taken the kids trick-or-treating at the trunk-or-treat, we opted not to go door to door.  I'm so glad we didn't because the boys had a blast handing out candy. Every time the door bell would ring, they would start running around and screaming.  They'd give each trick-or-treater some candy and then say "bye-bye!"  It was too cute.  Celebrating the holidays are getting more and more fun as they get older!

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7 Quick Takes

1.  The reason for the lack of posts lately is well, see below.  Some short little person stepped on the laptop and boke the screen.  It is beyond frustrating to use!  You have to minimize the screen you're using and then move it around to be able to see. Ugh...another thing to replace!

2.  Eric has been working a TON.   Below is a picture I took a few weeks ago when Eric was post call.  Poor guy.  He loves the time he's able to spend with the kids. You should see their faces when he gets home.  They clobber him and he's so happy.

 3.  The kids are doing well saying their prayers.  Even Elina joins in!  When she folds her hands, it looks like I Dream of Jeanie. Brandt is very good at reminding me when I forget to say a prayer before we eat and makes sure that his siblings are also folding their hands.  He also likes to say numerous prayers during the meal and before bedtime :).

4.  Elina took her first steps a few weeks ago!  She can take several at a time, but still crawls and then stands up everywhere.  Less than a month to her birthday!

5.  Elina is saying several words...mama, dada, bug, poopoo (a common word around here!), and hi.  Eric taught her how to do a high five the other day.  It's so cute!   Oh, and she's begun to use silverware.  I think she's going to be an over achiever in life:)

6.  Costco opened up yesterday!  I've been waiting oh so patiently. It was completely packed but I managed to get most of the things on my list. The opening was a huge event in Augusta.  Seriously, it is the talk of the town.  The mayor and news crews were even at the opening.

7.  The boys have become such big helpers with picking up.  They enjoy putting their dishes away which is such a huge help.  We're sticll working on putting their toys away, though.  For some reason, they tend to get too tired to help with that.  Hmmm....



Cousin Madelynn Turns One!

Yesterday we took a drive up to Charlotte to pay a visit to the kids' cousin, Madelynn.  Miss Madelynn turned one on Friday and since Eric had the day off, we were so excited to be able to visit and celebrate her birthday. 

The birthday girl.  Happy Birthday, Madelynn!!

The men hanging out before Laura got home.

What a precious face!

Lil Miss was excited to celebrate with her cousin.

In this photo, Carter was saying, "Aunt Laura, more cake please!"  Silly little boy!

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Madelynn

A little apprehensive at first...

Then she got the hang of it!

Brandt hiding for some reason.

Madelynn and Elina enjoying their delicious cake.

Now Mady was really getting into it!

The girls sharing.  How nice!

After lunch and cake, the kids were filled with sugar and the party really got started!

Opening up presents

Madelynn loved her new baby doll

Elina had such a good time playing with Madelynn's toys.



Happy Birthday, Madelynn!  We're so glad we were able to come up and visit!

Day Trip to Charleston

Last weekend, we took a last minute day trip to Charleston, SC. It only took a little over 2 hours to get there so it was the perfect place to go for the day.  We picked up some sandwhiches and took them to the Battery Park. The boys had a blast running around.  Their age is so fun.  It is just getting more and more fun as they get independent.

Having fun at the Battery Park

After lunch we walked around the neighborhood.  The homes were so gorgeous!

This one was my favorite!

This house was really cool.  It had a plaque that told the history of the home (see that below).

I thought the entry was cool.  The lights are have gas flames and the door is crooked.

Eric took my pic with all the kids.  Carter was mad because he wanted to hold Daddy's hand.

I took this pic over my shoulder while we walked.  Both the boys had a blast walking with their daddy.

Eric showing them the boats in the water.

Elina hanging out.

Another beautiful home.  Look at the balcony off the side!

A friend of mine here in Augusta just moved from Charleston. I consulted her to find a good beach to go to and she recommended Sullivan's Beach on Sullivan Island.  It was about a half an hour away but was AWESOME!  The boys had such a great time in the water. 

Me and my sand eating little girl

The boys were "swimming"

Yum!

Can you believe that after running through the water, the boys didn't take a nap in the car on the way home?

Charleston was such a lovely city.  We can't wait to get back!