GOOOOOOAAAAAAL!!!

We had some VERY special guests at Stacey's soccer game this weekend! Stacey was thrilled that Ryan,

Ally (someone else was thrilled too),
G.P.
and Honey were all there to cheer him on!! Mark and Angie were there too, but I neglected to get their pictures. :(
And of course, this local was representing as usual.
What a blessing to be loved so much by so many people. I think our star player was feeling the love from the sidelines because he scored his first goal!!! And the crowd went crazy, of course.

Stacey you just get better every week and we all love watching you play. Thanks to everyone for making III's and my day by driving in for the game.

No words

And then there were six

I made my second trip to Presby this week for another precious little blessing! Brad and Laura welcomed their first baby, Braysen. He is DARLING!! The Grundy's are one of five couples in our community group and this is the sixth baby for our group.

We are so blessed by this group of families and a new baby is like a new member of our team. I know that's sounds nerdy but its true! And I've never claimed to be above a cheesy anecdote :) We can't wait to get to be a part of this little guys life.

Dylan David Self

My precious friend Karla welcomed baby #3 last week and he is pretty perfect!!

You know all those thoughtful gestures that you think about doing but rarely ever actually do? Well, Karla thinks of them and then does them. She is one of the most loving, generous friends I've ever had and she is a fantastic Mommy. I am looking forward to watching her blaze the trail with three and learning how its done. Stacey and Wyatt adore Noah and Haley (her other two) and I am sure they are going to love this little brother too!

Race Day

This week Stacey's preschool had its annual Grand Prix Races!! The race comes with the daunting task of creating a car out of a card board box - with your preschooler. Since I have never created a car out of thin air, and my 4 year old often has the attention span of a raccoon, I was a little stumped as to where to begin. However, after roaming the isles of Target, Michael's and Staples (fairly aimlessly) I thought surely I had the necessary supplies to create a masterpiece, or at the very least a red box that could be run in Fred Flintstone style.

When we got our first notice of the upcoming race Stacey decided that he wanted to be Mack from Cars. I was thrilled with this idea simply because Mack is squarish and although, as previously mentioned, I have never crafted a car out of a box, I was pretty sure that square was the shape we had to work with.

Thankfully Dad was VERY helpful with figuring out how all the pieces were going to go together. All that annoying time spent watching Pimp My Ride paid off and he was able to suggest we "design the car" then take it apart and spray-paint the individual pieces. I could have kissed him for his body shop know how!! And for taking my previous panicked stricken response to his suggestion that, I would probably be able to take care of this without him because I was creative and yadda yadda yadda, VERY seriously.

III was thrilled with the finished product and if you ask me he made a very cute Mack!!

Can't forget Lightning McQueen along for the ride.
Gentlemen start your engines!! Not to brag, but the boys got speed :)

Making the crucial turn

Wouldn't you know it he won a blue ribbon (as well as all the other participants). It was a really fun day and Stacey loved every minute of it!

After watching the races Wyatt finally got his turn. I was telling him about Mrs. Jerry (the director of the school) and how she was a Honey like our Honey and he looked and me with his most serious face and said, "NO, dats MY Jerry!" So I had to snap of pick of him with his Jerry

At a shower this morning a Mom was talking about the castle her 3rd grade son has to create out of only recycled materials. I guess my spray painting, glue gunning, paper towel role saving days have just begun. Bring it on.

Trick or Treat

Let's go surfin' now, everybody's learnin' how....

but watch out for me!!

DA-da, DA-da, DA-da, DA-da

OH NO HE GOT ME!!!

Thank goodness he's a friendly shark and just took a little nibble. :)

We had a really fun night just trick or treating up and down our street. Stacey's side of the family all came over so Big and Nannie held down the fort and passed out candy while we went strolling for, well, more candy. The boys loved having their precious little fairy cousin (Brylie) join them for the festivities.

Stacey's face paint turned out a little scarier than I intended! I was trying to copy a picture I found online but I don't think my face paint value pack from party city is exactly what the pros use. :) For the record, he was VERY patient as I amateurly transformed him into a shark.

I couldn't get of enough of the hand holding cuteness.
Thankfully when the little legs got tired Sarah was there give them just the boost they needed.
Such a fun day! I loved trick or treating with my surfer and my shark.

Now if I could just convince myself that "fun size" candy does not make a "fun size" Caryn. :)

Mummies, Monsters & Gary

Last night we had a little pre-halloween dinner with mummy dogs and marshmallow monster apples. Our crazy dinner was super easy but such a crowd pleaser!

Then we moved onto pumpkin carving. Luckily I have three strong boys who were up to the challenge.

Stacey even helped with the gooey guts but Wyatt was not interested.

(no children were harmed in the taking of this photo)

Ta-Da!! Meet Gary. Uh oh looks like Gary isn't feeling well. The boys thought this old trick was hilarious!!

But the real finished product (as previously requested by III) had a sweet stash.

Nice.
Happy Halloweeeeeeeeen!!! :)

I'm obsessed with...

I've been tagged by Katy because "I'm fabulous" but I'm fairly confident that these five items will immediately water-down any delusions of fabulousness that I or you might have suspected about me. :) So here goes, I'm obsessed with...

1. Google Reader. I check it obsessively, yep, that really is the word for it.

2. Playing with my food. I think I may have found my true spiritual gift and it is making seasonal goodies that require little or no baking but are just so dern cute I can't stand it. I just can't resist the urge to turn a perfectly normal dinner or dessert into something Halloweeny, or cover things in colored chocolate. Usually by copying something I have seen on another blog (see #1). Here are a few examples:

Moon pie owls (BTW I had to buy the moon pies at the gas station)

Marshmallow pops (minus the pop, you can put them on a stick and they are even cuter)

Muffin-Tin Monday gone Halloween.

What, you don't like your turkey ghosts with M&M's on them, or your chicken nuggets with Jr. Mints?? Luckily I'm entertaining less refined diners around here, and I scrapped this together on a we really need to go to the grocery store kind of day. That thing in the corner was my attempt at a spider and the peas were "eyeballs."

Sorry I derailed a little, I am also obsessed with...

3. Glee. Any show with impromptu song and dance is a winner with me, but this one is also funny and the music is awesome. Stacey has small group on Wednesday nights so I curl up with this little treasure and enjoy every minute of it. He usually comes home during the end of it and I get the same eye rolling, "seriously you like this" face every week. I've tried to convince him that the satire is right up his ally, but he is having trouble getting past all the choreography.

4. Dr. Pepper - I have no willpower over the doctor. I try not to keep them in the house, but if I'm at Quick Trip or in line at the store or really anywhere they serve it, I'm powerless.

5. Snuggling with my boys. This morning it was dark and rainy so we were all snuggled up under a blanket on the couch together watching a movie and I thought I might explode from the sheer joy of it. I just look at them knowing that in about 5 minutes they will be men and I have to soak up every precious second I can before they are all grown up. And more immediately before they start hitting each other and I yell out a reminder of the ridiculous but serious rule in our house, "No wrestling on Mommy!"

So there you have it. No pressure, but due to their fabulousness I'm tagging...

Wendi

Shannon M.

Shannon B.

Kristin

Karla

Stacey's Fall Party

On Thursday I got to help host Stacey's Fall Party at preschool. In the process of preparing I had to laugh at myself repeatedly for how much I was over-thinking this little 30 minute party! I mean, I didn't want to over do it and be that Mom that everyone is laughing at because I mean really, who does she think she is (does anyone really say stuff like that?). But on the other hand I didn't want to under do it and throw a shabby par-tay that got me labeled a some sort of loser by 3 year olds everywhere. A reputation like that is hard to live down.

Thankfully the party, although a little chaotic (9 3 & 4-year-olds with cupcakes and sunkist - who'd of thunk it) turned out great and I think the other co-host Mom and I are sleeping more soundly now that we've completed this Mother of a preschooler write of passage.

Sure they can't read, but it's a party and I can't control my need to make a banner for ANY festive occasion.

The snacks

The favors

Spider man and his posse. III is really living it up this year and like Beyonce at the VMAs he will have multiple costumes. Spiderman was just his red carpet look.

A few of Stacey's cutie classmates with their craft masks (Haakon's Mom, gets all the kudos for the fun craft).

On the way home from school it was just Stacey and I in the car and he gave me what I consider the ultimate party favor. He said, "Mom, do you think you can come back to my class again sometime?" Awwww!! I love you Stacey and I loved getting to see you with all your buddies at school and being a part of your fun fall festivities!!

Lubbock Weekend

I won't talk about the game (which according to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal was the most deflating Tech home game since 1967), or the speeding ticket (85 in a 70 - yeah right officer!), or the search all over the stadium or my lost wallet (that was later found in my purse) - but I will share with you some pictures from a great weekend in Lubbock with my family!

We celebrated our arrival after 5 hours in the car with a trip to Lubbock's new 5 Guys. We just wanted to make sure it was up to our standards. And based on these happy eaters I'd say yes!

And of course the most important part of our visit was seeing Nana, my grandmother. She has been a huge part of my life and I love that she gets to be a part of my boy's too!! We love you Nana!!!

A little football at Nana's house. If only these guys had been on the roster Sat. night.

Stacey declared that she had "cool toys" a bold compliment from a 4 year old, including her very own matador!

The fam at the pre-game tailgate.

Sarah joined us as well, but we won't talk about her unexpected victory.
Ryan and Stacey aren't too sure about that pig getting prepped for the smoker.
We took the kids to the Will Rogers statue on campus traditionally wrapped for game day. Did you know his horse was named Soapsuds? Now you do!

These two alumni couldn't resist the photo opt. :)

We stayed with the Warren's (my brother-in-law's parents) and they had these precious little cots fitted with Lightning McQueen sheets set up for the boys. Needless to say they were delighted with their accommodations (as were we). Wyatt immediately declared he wants dat for his bertday! A new statement we are hearing WAY to often.
All in all we had a great weekend in spite of the aforementioned unmentionables.

Pumpkin Patch

While we were in Lubbock this weekend (more on that later), we made a quick stop at the pumpkin patch. We picked out a perfect pumpkin for carving and got some pumpkin pictures of course!

The cousins: Ally, Wyatt, Ryan, Stacey and Lila. I love it when all these lil' punkins get to be together!

(Not sure what to do with this precious' hair, I mean he looks like he is wearing a wig for heavens sake! But seriously, with that little snaggle tooth smile how can you resist him!?!)

On the way home we were discussing how we, and by "we" I mean Daddy, should carve our pumpkin and III requested he have a mustache. So stay tuned for that masterpiece.

October

O-C-T-O-B-E-R

Halloween brings a candy bar.

Christopher Columbus is a holiday.

Fall is here and winter's on its way.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I think Honey and her gang of master rappers made up this dope rhyme back when Purdy's Preschool was taking the preK world by storm, but every October I find myself hypnotically chanting O-C-T-O-B-E-R...!

I've been loving this fun fall month and all the cute treats and decorations that it inspires. I need to have a party just to have an excuse to make it all, but since no such party is on the books we've just been enjoying some everyday celebrating with our little family. I haven't done a very good job of taking pictures but here are a couple of our October creations.

Spider cookies III and I made for his class snack basket. He skillfully added the eyes.

Jack-O-lanterns.
Itsy bitsy spider glasses
Of course my favorite thing about this month is enjoying it with these two pumpkin heads.

Wyatt was still searching for the perfect halloween costume, but dog-fireman didn't make the final cut.

Hope your October has been rap worthy. :)

Hungry Hungry Hippos

I love Saturdays!

It's official...I'm a soccer Mom :)

This Sat. was the debut for Stacey III's soccer team - the Roadrunners!! Obviously, based on the picture below he is not the first in this family to take on the game of soccer.

I'm not sure if the ribbons or the pink Velcro Care-Bear tennis shoes better convey my obvious love for the game. Both clearly make the statement, I'm not just here to party, I'm here to play. It's rumored that this picture is the only time I ever actually made contact with the ball during my first and only soccer season. But I distinctly remember being undefeated and getting a sizable trophy so clearly I, the rest of the A-Team, and my super short shorts did just fine. And if the team had needed someone to lead them in a Care Bear Stare, I was right there waiting in the wings.

We're hoping III inherited Daddy's serious soccer skills, but looks like the Roadrunners and the A-team have one thing in common...baby blue!

I could have just eaten up this little soccer stud!

The coach is pretty cute too! I do have to say my man is doing a fantastic job leading this precious team. He stepped in to coach this orphan team last minute and I couldn't be prouder of him.

Yes, we all wore baby blue, I know we're nerds.

This joyful picture of my three favorite guys was taken before Wyatt (AKA best little brother ever) was faced with the reality that he in fact is not on the team - crushing blow to a 2 1/2 year old who up until game time thought he was the roadrunners best player.

Luckily Aunt Cassie and some fruit snacks were waiting on the sidelines.

As well as a few other faithful fans.

Warming up.

Game time. Ronaldinho may have met his match.

They don't keep score just yet, but it doesn't take a mathematician to know we came up a little short of the Sharks. But this crew could have cared less. One, Two, Three, Roadrunners!

Ah the sweet taste of victory, I mean good sportsmanship.
Stacey, you did a GREAT job at your first soccer game. Your shoes alone showed me up from the get go and if the whispers are true then you've also already managed to make more contact with the ball in one game than I did in one season. But, regardless of weather you turn out to be a flower picker like Mommy, or a club soccer rat like Daddy, we're so proud of you. GO ROADRUNNERS!

Caleb's John Deere Birthday Party

Last weekend (when the weather was much milder!) we got to celebrate Caleb's 1st birthday at a John Deere party with all the tractor trimmings. Julie had everything looking darling from the entrance to the favors!

There was a real John Deere right out front, so Stacey and Wyatt were immediately thrilled and saw no reason to venture any further.

But in the back there was another tractor that was just their size! And they could actually drive this one. Wyatt sent a few folks running with his unconventional paths, but III was a very responsible plower and might have a little farming in his future.

I thought this was a really cute idea. Mom won this round no contest!

The "Grazing Ground".

Mom & Dad with the guest of honor. Craig and Julie are in our community group at Watermark and live just a few streets away from us. They've become really dear friends to us and we hope to be a part of many celebrations to come!!

Happy Birthday Caleb.