Trick or Treat

Halloween has come and gone! The boys had a great week filled with lots of trick or treating!

On Thursday, we went to the library for storytime and trick or treating at each librarians' desk.

Have a mentioned how much we love Miss Val???

On Friday, Philip's class had their Halloween party. The day before, the boys and I made 4 dozen cookies for the party. I have tried many different sugar cookie recipes...this one was the best!

They trick or treated through the halls of Trinity...stopping at each office. Miss Pat was so sweet to share her treat bag with Daniel...although he became quite confused that the name on the bag didn't have a "D".

Here a few shots with Philip and his friends...

Philip and Pape (well supposed to be Philip and Pape...Claire snuck in!)

Philip and Mary

Philip and Miller (who play firefighter together at school everyday!)

Daniel did not go to school on Friday because his class had six kids out with RSV, one with viral pneumonia, and one with swine flu. I'm keeping him out for a week!!!

After school and naps, we went to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin. Kind of late, huh? Oh well...did take some pictures, though keep in mind getting a decent shot of three kids 4 and under is difficult!

On Saturday, the boys went to Butler with Daddy and PopPop to ride the "Big Red" and tour the grounds. While they were gone, I made William's costume.

That night, we headed to the neighborhood party for hot dogs. Then off to trick or treat! By the end of the night, William was done...can you tell???

Rainy Day

Well it was rainy here yesterday. William still had a nasty cough, so we decided to spend the day at home. Have to admit, we don't do it enough. I got sheets changed, laundry done, and then we worked on making some apple butter.

While I did this:

Philip and Daniel did this: Have a mentioned that we love blocks!! Philip is finally getting to where he can build things with these Trio blocks by reading the directions. He will build things over and over with them!

They were very patient while I peeled and chopped. Then they help me pour in the rest of the ingredients. The apple butter is still cooking in my crock pot...can't believe how good the house smells right now! Can't wait to try it in the morning!! I got my recipe from here.

Then we played some games and read some books (and a Toys R Us catalog) in the Thomas tent!

There was a lot of crying, fussing, etc. too, but that's not worth recording. Finally, we went to the doctor's office...Philip's 4 year checkup and William's 6 months. Philip did great. He weighed 34 pounds and was 38 inches tall. He got four shots in addition to the flu mist. I was so impressed with him....took his shots so well...no tears! William didn't do so great....turns out he had an ear infection. He weighed 15 pounds 4 ounces and can't remember how long! He was very fussy, had a low fever, so he did not get his shots. We'll go back next week.

Today we stayed close to home. I did take the younger boys to the playground to play and have a picnic. We also got a walk in. All because William slept until 8:45 this morning. Of course, he, and his brothers, were up in the middle of the night. I was considering making a pallet on the floor in the hall to shorten my trip to each room! We also delivered apple butter to the Carothers and Dee and PawPaw. Hope they enjoy!

Hope all the germs are gone by Halloween!

Can We Build It??

Yes, we can!!

This morning we headed to the Bob Builder exhibit at the Exploreum. First, we dropped of William at GranGran's. He's battling a bad cough, so we thought it best that he get a good nap and stay away from the crowds. He ended up sleeping for four hours over there...may drop him off more often!

Next, we stopped at the Farmer's Market. It's always nice to walk around and see what's for sell. We bought a loaf of Breakfast Bread and a jar of homemade mayhaw jelly. Can't wait to have it tomorrow with the best coffee ever...love our new French press!

Finally, we made it to Bob the Builder. The boys had a ball at the exhibit. Philip was thrilled to see his friend, Claire. Claire's mom informed me that she says that she will one day marry Philip!

Daniel was not thrilled to see the live Bob!

We finished the morning up with lunch at Hero's. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of napping going on this afternoon. We held our breath through the Alabama game, and put boys to bed.

Time to relax! Tomorrow will be busy. I give the stewardship address at both services...Chris will stay home with William. Then Chris is off to work in the afternoon.... :(. Oh well, at least today was a blast!

Have to end with a picture of the newest nephew, Russell! I think he's perfect!!

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one says, "Oh my, it's getting late."

The second one says, "There are witches in the air."

The third one says, "But we don't care."

The fourth one says, "Let's run and run and run."

The fifth one says, "Isn't Halloween fun."

Then Ooh went the wind and out went the lights.

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

The boys have both learned this poem at school this year and have loved it! Watching Daniel "run and run and run" is hilarious.

So here are my three little pumpkins before school this morning.

Good week. We welcomed a new cousin, George Russell Watson, into the world on Wednesday the 21st. Haven't gotten pictures yet, but we hear he looks like Daniel! Enjoyed a birthday celebration last night for Daddy...35. Dee and PawPaw joined us for dinner and we thanked them for having and raising such a good guy!

Speaking of grandparents....aren't they great!! Daniel got a day with Dee on Wednesday all to himself. He had a ball playing Candyland and bowling on the Wii. He also enjoyed his trip to Chick-Fil-A. Philip spent Thursday afternoon with GranGran. They watched cartoons and ate PopTarts. How fun! I don't know if the grandparents realize it, but one on one time for the boys is really special. They rarely get it at home with two other brothers, so these times are precious. I so remember my afternoons spent drinking Sprite (never allowed at home) and playing Go Fish with Mammaw. I am grateful that the boys will enter adulthood with their own memories!

Sewing, Sewing, and More Sewing!

What a great week. My house is a disaster, sheets need to be changed, playroom needs to be picked up, etc., but oh how much sewing have I accomplished. Don't know if it is the change in the weather or what, but I was very motivated to get some things checked off the list this week.

First, finished a pumpkin t-shirt for Philip on Wednesday. I had already made the orange gingham pants to match!

Next, stayed up really late Wednesday night to finish a pumpkin bubble for William. Many thanks to my mother-in-law who kept the big boys Tuesday and gave me 2 hours to sew. Couldn't have finished this without her! Not so many thanks to William who pooped all over it at the library before I could get a picture of him in it!

Third, a new church outfit for Philip!

Finally, a pumpkin t-shirt and pants for Daniel. The poor kid has no pants to wear in this cool weather. I've got to get sewing for him now!

I love weeks where I get a lot accomplished. Sometimes it takes weeks for me to do one thing, so this past week was huge!!

In other the news, the weather has called for the Woozer to wear his first pair of socks. Thanks to the Watson clan for his adorable socks! His older brothers love them...him not so much. They get in the way of his ability to suck on his toes!

Happy Weekend and Roll Tide!

A Week in Review

Note: This post was written last Saturday, October 10th, but I forgot to post!

We've had a great week. Busy...denist appointment for Philip on Tuesday, playdate with Pape at our house on Wednesday, library followed by lunch with Dee on Thursday, and a visit to Big Mama in Fairhope on Friday.

Wednesday was Philip's first playdate at our house without Mom's coming along. Pape's parents just welcomed a little girl, so I thought I'd give Lynn the afternoon off. We took Pape home from school and the boys had a great time. I was in the kitchen most of the time finishing up supper and baby Claire's burp cloth. Philip and Pape did great...the only hitch being helping Philip understand that when you have a guest, you have to do what they want. The playdate was a success and we'll definitely do it again sometime soon!

William and I went to Fairhope on Friday with Mom for a visit with Big Mama. It was his second visit, but the first time I failed to take some pictures. I got one this time!



Friday night Chris and I had dinner at the Corkerns. Fabulous meal as always! It was nice to get out, but we were unfortunately called home early by the babysitter. Apparently, William was fussy and woke up after falling asleep...love the babysitter, but wish she wouldn't check on him every five minutes. I am confident she woke him up!!

Today brought our annual fall trip to Seward Farms...tractor rides, hayrides, corn maze, etc. The boys had a blast just running around outside. So many photo opportunities!




Love this one because I have one from our last years trip just like it...my how the boys have grown!

Seward Farms 2008

Seward Farms 2009

Got the little ones home in time for a good afternoon nap so Philip, Chris, and I can watch a little Crimson Tide football. Nice weekend!!

Philip's Birthday

Well, we survived our first friend birthday party!! On Saturday, we had 23 kids here at our house for Philip's fourth birthday party. Very low key...Chris did spray paint a football field (complete with the Crimson Tide A) in the yard and he built goal posts out of PVC pipes...other than that, we just planned to let the kids play in the yard with our outside toys.

Play they did. The field wasn't the attraction I thought it would be, but everyone loved the Gator. It worked hard, but eventually gave out from all the traffic!

The cupcakes were a hit!

Philip had a blast...Daniel did too. Thanks to Susan and Rob, William had constant attention too!

On Sunday, his actual birthday, we went to church as usual. After a quiet afternoon, we had the grandparents and Susan and Rob over to celebrate. Phil fried some chicken, and I fixed mac and cheese, green beans, and a salad. Then we had a Thomas cake...Philip had been asking for it since he turned three!

I think Philip had a great weekend...loved all the attention! I loved that he shared the limelight with Daniel well and Daniel was very willing to let Philip be the center of attention. I realized this weekend how close of friends they are becoming. So fun to watch.

As you can see in the photo below, the Norvells put an end to an ongoing argument. By giving Philip a new Crimson Tide jersey, Daniel inheirted the old one! Now everyone's happy! I guess gone are the days of cute outfits made by mom for the birthday party!!

We're all a little worn out from it all. William slept 14 hours Sunday night!! Daniel is still trying to catch up. Hard work, but we survived and will do it again!!