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Xavier-3 years


Brooklyn-5 years

Riding His Horse

Xavier is enjoying riding his bike on the last few days of bearable weather. He selected a knight's costume from Target's clearance rack and is now calling his bike "his horse." When he falls off, he claims his horse has died and needs someone to help revive it.

Dancing Queen

It's that time of year again! Brooklyn's dance class allowed us to observe Tuesday night. It's amazing how far they've come in just 3 years of dance!

Trick or Treat

Brooklyn had been waiting for this day for months! She could finally wear her Sleeping Beauty costume created by Grandma for all the world to see! I didn't think we were going to get Xavier out the door. He did not want to dress up. Period. Once again, the promise of candy got him into his costume. He looked adorable in another creation by Grandma, Jack Sparrow. He refused to wear the hat/hair, but Andy looked pretty spiffy in it. After that, Xavier was off and running! We tried to keep up with our neighbors, but they were too fast! It might have something to do with the fact that Brooklyn had to sing the Little Einsteins Trick or Treat song at EVERY house!

Belly Laughs

I wanted Brooklyn to paint my belly when I was pregnant with Xavier, but it never happened. I figured this was my last chance, so Monday night the kids painted my rapidly expanding belly to look like a pumpkin. After they were finished with mine, they decided they each wanted a pumpkin on their bellies. Unfortunately, by the time we were finished it was time for bath. They weren't too happy to see their hard work scrubbed off so quickly, but we had a great time in the process.

Happy Birthday Xavier: Take Two

After a quick nap and a tour of the Honda plant, we were on to birthday party #2. Oma, Opa, Uncle Joe, Aunt Catharine, Uncle Scott, Grandma, and Grandpa drove in to help celebrate. When I asked Xavier what he wanted for supper on his birthday, he answered "cake!" That's my boy! When I asked him what meat he wanted, he replied "octopus!" Hmmm...that one might be a little difficult. Finally, he decided he wanted "little chickens" for supper. That one we could handle! After a delicious meal of cornish game hens prepared by Andy(I was too tired!) we celebrated with cake and presents. It was a busy, but fun day!

Happy Birthday Xavier: Take One

Xavier turned 3 on Saturday. He said "I want a party...with friends." So, in classic Beth style, we threw one together in less than a week. The cars themed party included 6 girls and one Xavier. In a few years, he'll think it was the best party ever! We decorated wooden race cars, ate cars cupcakes, and whacked a cars pinata. The pinata was almost indestructable! After each of the kids had a turn with the whiffle bat, we graduated to the wooden bat. No luck! Andy and our neighbor took turns pitching it to one another and taking swings. Still no luck! Andy finally tore the thing open with his hands and dumped the candy on the ground. The candy was demolished, but the kids ate it anyway! The party was a big success!

Fall Frolic

Family photos


The caped crusader doing his best Batman pose.

Flying with Daddy. Does Batman fly outside of the Batmobile?

Ella, Xavier, Lucy, Brooklyn, and Katie doing the conga down 5th Street after a festive supper. They were too cute!

Last Friday was the annual Fall Frolic in "Historic Uptown Marysville." The kids enjoy trick or treating at the local businesses and decorating pumpkins. Ellie got lots of attention in her black tutu borrowed from Brooklyn. Xavier did NOT want to dress up this year. We informed him, "no costume, no candy" and he was quickly persuaded. The weather was great compared to the monsoon last year. We ran into our neighbors and decided to end the evening with a family dinner at Fiesta Grande. We put all the kids in one booth and the adults in another. I think we scared the waiter with all the chaos!

Pump it up!

We attended a birthday party last Wednesday for the kids' first experience at Pump-it-Up. They're still talking about it! They jumped and bounced for well over an hour before cake and ice cream. I'm thankful for the order of events! Brooklyn's favorite was the giant slide and Xavier didn't care as long as he was running or jumping. They slept well that night! Andy had to wear my socks(and they were pink, of course!) because he didn't think he was going to participate. All it took was one bat of an eyelash from each kid and he was bouncing with the rest of them. Thanks for a fun evening, Grays!

Gymnastics

We enrolled the kids in a preschool gymnastics class at Integrity Gymnastics. They love it! Xavier gets to expend some pent up energy and learn how to listen and follow directions. His favorite thing to do is knock the pom poms off a cone while swinging on the bar. Brooklyn seems to have some major flexiblity. I honestly have no idea where that came from! She seems to rise to every challenge and try even if she's scared. For all of you who know Brooklyn, that's a major accomplishment! Her favorite thing to do is the bars. Sorry about the dark pictures, my camera was in a funk!

Family Time

Andy had to work second shift last week. The kids really enjoyed having him home during the day. It was like a week of weekends! One of the days we went to the zoo and enjoyed spending some unrushed time together.

Where are the chickens?

Some friends of ours decided to try their hands at raising chickens. We went to their house a couple of months ago to meet the baby chicks. The kids loved petting the fuzzy yellow babies and feeding them chicken feed. Fast forward to October 6th...We were invited to their house for a harvest party and chicken tasting after the chickens were "processed." We had such a great time! Xavier was able to sit on a huge tractor which made his evening. Afterward, Mr. Martig took them for a spin(slowly and gently, of course!) on the 4-wheeler. But, the kids wanted to know what happened to all the chickens? Um, ah, what do you say to a five and almost three year old? Thankfully, they took the news pretty well and there were still a few chickens left to visit. Thanks for the fun, Martigs!

Kindergarten Field Trip

Brooklyn's class.

Ella, Xavier, Lucy, Brooklyn, and Lauren

Brooklyn's first kindergarten field trip was a couple of Fridays ago. I'm still recovering! After meeting at the front gate of the Columbus Zoo, we were free to wander the zoo for almost FIVE hours. Our normal trips to the zoo usually last only a couple of hours at most. By the time it was time to leave, everyone was fighting over a spot in the stroller and we had lots of grumpy faces. I skipped the trip to the fire station the following week. We'll see how Leed's pumpkin farm goes...