pumpkin patch

while the ashton's were visiting we went to a pumpkin patch to get into the spirit of halloween. we went to a really cute pumpkin patch close to rob and jana's. there was tons to do, like:

haystacks to jump off of

a little jail to play in (he looks like he looking for the quickest escape route!)

rows and rows of pumpkins to be chased through

and of course lots of those heavy orange things to pick up.

we took some family pictures:

i know what you're thinking: wow, what a nice, calm, fun, little family! um, that's what a good photo can do for you. in reality our photo attempts are like this:

lost one

squirmy little guys

eyes closed, heads turned other directions

oops! lost one again!

Oh well, at least we had fun and got a single decent picture!

byu game

well some ashton cougar fans came to visit for the byu/tcu game last weekend. it was a boys only activity (thankfully) but i did keep the twins with me. clarke, rob, justin, mike and brody kicked the festivities off with the byu tailgate party and then hit the game at tcu, which happens to be pretty close by. afterwards, they all came back to have pizza and watch more football. sometimes i'm amazed at the pure dedication men can have to not only sit in the stadium through a three hour plus game, but to then want to come home and watch hours more on tv. seriously, pure dedication.

daddy and brody

brody and grandpa

brody and mike just taking it easy away from the crowds

i love this pic of brody. he loves athletic events!! he was so pumped when he found out he was going to a football game. he was a little bummed it wasn't a usc game, but loved that he got to go to a byu game with all the big boys!

the little things

kids can be chaotic work- at least that's totally how it is at our house! but somewhere during the loss of sanity, my boys do things that quite literally brings tears to my eyes because i feel so overwhelmingly grateful that these three boys are mine. this is why i choose to be a stay at home mom, for the little things that make the all the poopy diapers, whining and temper tantrums worth it. here's pics of some of the things that make me sigh with happiness:

i love this face brody makes when he tells me all about his school day.

i love that the twins have to have their hair styled whenever brody does.

i love going in to wake up the twins and seeing a little face so peaceful like this.

i love how brody is so excited to make a tower taller than he is.

i love when crew lays on the ground to play cars because brody is too.

i love how brody's such an sc fan, he asks to listen to the usc fight song when we go on drives.

i love when these guys are buddies, sitting together, playing together and giving hugs.

i love, love the rare times we drive home from visiting family, the boys are worn out from playing non-stop, baths have already been given and they actually fall asleep on the way home. i simply love it!

and those are some of the little reasons i love my boys!

new school year

well after much searching and some recommendations, i enrolled brody in a preschool that he absolutely loves!! he now goes 3xs a week and is so excited about all the work and projects he does in class. i wanted to get some pictures on the first day, but he wasn't really in the "smiling mood." so now, a couple weeks in, i can finally get some pictures of his teachers with a smiling brody.

here's a pic with brody and ms. crane who has he twice a week.

and here he is with ms. langston who he has once a week.

here he is with his girlfriend, charlie.

and this is what his teachers say they do all. day. long.

trash truck

So right now trash trucks are all the rage at our house. we take them however we can get them: coming down the street monday mornings, the tonka version pushed across floor, and then these cushion creations from brody which somehow represent a trash truck to him- i must not have an interpretive eye to "see" the trash truck amongst the cushions. however the boys LOVE them so here's the action:

brody catching some sweet air on his way into the truck:

all the boys in on the fun:

if you're worried that brody's too rough on the twins, believe me, i know!

so, are you going to make a trash truck at your house?

bucket heads

I'm trying harder to capture the boys' "in the now" interests. lately, for the twins, they have this bucket head jabber that they do. they seem to think it's pretty entertaining, and no one usually gets hurt, so it's always encouraged! here's some video of their fun, i especially love the end with crew!