We made it through the week!

I was back on a 10 hour work week this week and boy was it tough! The boys go through Jekyl and Hyde type behaviors where they want to be good but are just too darned tired. I concur.

Jim is a real trooper on Mondays and Tuesdays and has coffee waiting for me to take to on the run. This week he was extra sweet and took good care of my mom too. She was on a goose chase for her missing wallet and showed appreciation for Jim's help by cooking him and the boys dinner:) ymmm.

Last night Ryan took the path of saying the opposite of what he means and did not get to go to the bowling alley with Daddy. He cried for the longest time. He loves to go. He ended up helping me make no bake cookies for a bake sale and we made them extra special in some halloween decorated bags which required scrapbooking supplies and the cricut! Fun. Tyler mastered the Wii while we played:)

We're looking forward to some Halloween fun this weekend though. Jim and I have plenty of chores to catch up on. I'll be sure to take some spooky pictures.

Just had to post this kinda old picture of Tyler from a few weeks ago. I think it was a first footy pajama of the year picture and Ty is totally busted wolfing down another doughnut. This was taken before his new big boy hairdo. He sure does look much older now.

Have a great weekend!

More Fun Times to Come!

I'm still thinking about the good times spent with good friends. I wish I could figure out a better balance ... some way to keep up with responsibilities but also to nurture those relationships that mean so much to me. I have so many good friends that I just haven't maintained. I hope they all know how they are in my heart. Okay, so I ask...how do you all do it?? Leave me a comment if you have some good ideas.

Just some fun posing...the boys always love to pass a schoolbus on the road. I hope that's a sign that they will like to ride on it some day:)

Tyler loves to play on slides.

Jim and I are pretty excited...he bought us a neat little getaway package and we are scheduling some adult time soon thanks to Gma Vicki who is going to watch the boys overnight. So excited. I'm dreaming of good eats, lush accommodations, swimming pool, and spa treatment! Jim is dreaming of cha-ching! (Oops...now you have an idea of where we're headin'!)

Weekend Review

No pictures to post from the weekend just yet but wanted to remember the good times we had:
Playing games and good eats at the Hunt Club
Shopping Sams is always fun
Seeing the star of the Eagles, Brendan, come this close (..) to intercepting the football
Enjoying seeing pretty Riley Kate play with Papa Ralph and Grandma Ellen in the stands
Snuggling our not-so-outdoorsy-Tyler from the cold and rain
Worrying about Avery
Having a sleepover with Hailee and Jakob
Major crafting with kids and Cricut Sunday morning:)
Playing at the Church Halloween Party
Going to AHS Haunted House-2 boys chickening out
Eating yummy sloppys and pumpkin decorated cupcakes
Upgrading our Comcast to more channels and DVR and On Demand...how did we live without it?

Fall Harvest and Pumpkin Painting

I can't remember if I ever posted about Ryan's tomato plants. I'm sure I must've because I was such a skeptic and I was totally (and joyfully) proven wrong. A few weeks into summer, well past the spring planting time, Ryan and Jim picked up some seeds for tomatoes at menards. When they got home...I said there was no way they would thrive but we could try. I got out 2 hold flower planters and the boys went to work planting the seeds. They watered them and talked to them daily at the beginning. Soon, we forgot about our tomatoes until one day we discovered some pretty thick plants growing against all odds:) I scooped some dirt and flipped over grass and planted two plants alongside our satellite pole. At this point, Ryan really got interested and sure enough he watered and loved those plants daily. It was sometime late August when we discovered bright green tomatoes. We did get a couple of really pretty red ones, in time. Last night, the boys picked the rest. Mostly green. Mostly bug bitten. I wrapped a few good ones in newspaper and we'll see if they ripen. What a valuable lesson. How proud we are of Ryan for taking such good care of his tomatoes. He surely proved Momma wrong.

Here's a scene from some pumpkin painting. The boys really loved mixing all the colors and making the pumpkins black. Tonight we'll probably try to make some eyes and scary teeth. Boo!

We're planning on some Halloween/costume adventures this weekend too. Can't wait.

Uncle Johns, more than fun...

We spent some time up in St. Johns this weekend to meet up with my college roommates and their beautiful families. Uncle John's Cider Mill is top notch for family fun. I'm still thinking about the good times we had there and was looking back at these photos and am noticing for the first time that Ryan and Tyler are starting to become friends. I know that might sound strange to some of you reading this... but there has been so much fighting, screaming, and jealousy between these two youngsters that you honestly wonder if they will ever start just playing together and getting along! These pictures are a reminder to me that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Truly a fun day and a great memory.

Brrr!

Baby it's starting to get cold outside. I froze my toes yesterday walking 4 miles and nearly deciding to curl up to a book instead. When I arrived home...Jim announced that the furnace was not working. After an hour of trying to light the pilot and a trip by Jim and Ryan to Brooklyn for a part...we spent about another hour trying to install the part...and guess what? The problem is still not resolved. I had to turn on the electric heater to keep our bedrooms warm enough to sleep. I even got up about a 1/2 hour early to light the oven and warm the room enough to get the boys dressed for school. Gotta go...time to study up on boilers:)

More Favorites...Almost ready for Halloween.

Uncle Don as Dick Cheney, Ellen as Spider Zombie, Ralph as Ding Dong...I mean King Kong:) Papa really scared the crap out of Tyler. And Tyler looked at Gma Ellen as if he should be scared but her voice kept her in good favor:)

Aunt Kathi as Dolly Parton was one of Pirate Jim's favorite blond. Sure would like to have a copy of Uncle Dick as Kenny Rogers doing something very inappropriate to Dolly:)

Papa T has a great skeleton smile:) GG tried to cast a spell on me! So fun that everyone played along.

Last night I finally had some time to do a little organizing at the house and managed to dust off an area for the decorations that have been scattered about the house since Sunday as we tore into the goods looking for Halloween essentials for the party.

Tyler played Wii for nearly 2 hours straight. That will win me Mother-of-the-Year Award...but hey, I was on a roll and the kid was happy. I'm chalking it up as a great lesson on hand/eye coordination. Anyway, Tyler is really advancing in his game playing skills, jumping, singing, talking, and coloring.

Tyler is also trying to perfect the "I'll do it when I'm ready!" like other 2 year old kids. We have had issues getting dressed and ready for school in the morning, and getting ready for bed in the evening. Two nights ago I was so tired that I left the two boys downstairs while I went up to bed. After sever inquiries with Tyler to get him to lay down and him refusing...he cried on the stairs while I snuggled in bed. After about 5 minutes I could see his little face peeking up at me and he agreed to lay down. The kid was asleep within 3 minutes. I guess I need to let him do some things at his own pace. At the same time, I am not going to let him waste my time:) In this case, it worked out for both of us.

Ryan is still constantly picking on baby brother but I am really proud when he just cooperates. He does a lot of resting on the couch at night while I'm busy getting Ty to sleep. He is even helpful with turning off lights and TV when he is ready for bed. He's also having really good success with his constipation issues. Now we're starting to introduce Tyler to the big boy potty via a well liked sponge bob potty chair. No pressure Ty and Ry...but we could have an extra $100/month if we get rid of diapers and pull-ups. Go Team!

We've got a low key weekend planned. I'm on the lookout for some more spookies for the house. We have a little too much cutesie and I'm ready for some scares!! JoAnn's? HobbyLobby? Sounds like an adventure.

Aargh! You ready for fall?

Yes, we are! And so was the rest of the Ladd crew when we celebrated fall together yesterday at GGs house! What an enjoyable time. The kids played alot of tackle football and horsing around outdoors while the rest ventured in and out to catch up with extended family. It was so fun to see everyone participate in the fun. Sure is hard to get a group shot though. The lighting was terrible in the garage and it was raining while we were trying to get the pictures.

Aunt Kathy gathered the kids around for some pie eating and apple bobbing adventures. Each of the kids won a "best" contest and were awarded a prize from the prize table. I had picked up a number of prizes from the store and gathered up some unused goods that we had laying around the house. Ryan was at attention when Aunt K called out for the best football player. He jumped up with hands raised to let everyone know that he was a football player. He chose the Diego prize that he had been begging for at home. Tyler won best Teddy bear and snatched up some new flash cards.

I have a ton more pictures so...if you're a Ladd, leave a comment with your e-mail and I will send you a link to my Kodak gallery.

There's more to racing than just winning!

Here's one of the preferred activities at our house lately. Ryan and Tyler got these really cool trucks as a hand me down from cousing Brendan (thanks Brendan) quite a while ago. Tyler has been pushing them around on the sidewalk all summer but the boys discovered they could race them down the driveway for unlimited laughs. It's not as easy as they make it look. The trucks turn and crash and tumble and head for the grass...but if you are real focused...you might make it all the way down the driveway to crash into the garage:) Daddy is the official "On your mark, get set, goer!"

Last night we were invited over to the Snyder's house for dinner. Pastor Will and Mrs. Shelley have 2 daughters and they asked us over for a visit. Shelley prepared a scrumptious chili and corn bread muffins and had some fruits and veggies for the kiddies. It was nice getting to know their families. The kids played together pretty nicely together. Ryan certainly tested the boundries and ignored my pleas (read, glares) for good behavior. The boys got a little too comfortable too quick. There were a few crashes of baby strollers that the boys used as race cars. Tyler was a little cranky and shared his talent for screaming a couple of times. The Snyder's were gracious in their support and understanding as they testified that they experience some of the same struggles.

We have been planning to go the fair tonight but after Ryan's refusal to respect our repeated requests for good behavior...we'll probably be missing yet another activity. We have missed both Jackson and Lenawee County fairs due to misbehavior earlier in the summer. We were really looking forward to the Hillsdale fair. Maybe I'll tell him if he has flawless behavior on the way home we can consider a quick trip. Otherwise, I may be asking the neighbor girl to watch Ryan while the rest of us go. I don't know if I could stand to see that. We'll see...I'll keep you posted.