I just can't get enough...

OF {FALL}!

We have had a LOT of Fall fun this week! Check out the photos to see what we've been up to!

We stopped by a local pumpkin patch in Parker! It was ridiculously expensive just to enter so we illegally trespassed on the outskirts to snap a few pictures instead of joining in on all the fun overpriced activities inside!

SMILE BOYS!

Look at these two! They thought it was so fun to sit surrounded by pumpkins!

Nolan checking out the hay barrel animals!

And later that evening we had some of our own FREE autumn fun at home!

Nolan trying to "help" Daddy rake the leaves. Not sure how much of a help he was, but he had fun trying!

And when raking was just too much work...this is what seemed to be more fun!

Our trees were beautiful shades of red and orange this autumn! Nolan thought it was so funny that the leaves were falling off the trees! It's just so neat to see him really understanding concepts as he gets older! Daddy put him up in the tree to get a closer look!

LOVE this handsome boy who actually wanted to smile for a few pictures this week!

Look what Auntie Mal sent him in his AWESOME Halloween package! Nolan loves Potato Heads, so this was the perfect gift...along with A LOT of candy!

And look what happens when Mommy isn't home! Heath wearing Mark's Halloween costume wig! Silly boys!

My parents also sent the boys a fun Halloween package. My mom made them these adorable bags! So crafty and cute! Grandpa picked out 2 new cars for Nolan and Heath got "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" DVD...and of course...more candy!

The boys have already been wearing their costumes this week around the house on the days that I have been home with them! We can't wait to visit Daddy's work Halloween party tomorrow, carve pumpkins with Payton & Brady this weekend, and trick-or-treat in our neighborhood and at Oma & Opa's on Sunday!

We just can't get enough!

Go DU!

Mark's Oma Bosch has had tickets to University of Denver hockey for years and years. Mark grew up going to every game. Before we had Nolan we went to a few games together, but since having kids it just hasn't seemed realistic to go. We thought Nolan was finally old enough to enjoy the game and atmosphere so we decided to head out to the DU/Wisconsin game last night.

When we first arrived we got to snap a photo with the DU Pioneer!

They have great seats- just a few rows up from the ice. Nolan sat in his own seat for most of the game and watched; pointing out the players, the ice, the skates, the flags, the net, the seats, etc. etc. etc. He talked pretty much non stop!

Heath sat on Uncle Dave's lap for most of the night. He had our entire section watching him more than the game. He waved, smiled, pulled the stink-eye, clapped, jumped, bounced, and laughed the whole time! He is so expressive and personable!

I really couldn't get Nolan to pose for a picture the whole evening. He was entranced by everything going on around him. This was the best I could get of us!

Heath with Auntie Sue & Uncle Dave- he always feels the need to wave at the camera! Sue & Dave were a great help to us with the boys all night. It was so nice to go out with the boys and have some extra sets of hands to care for them! We actually got to relax and watch the game a bit! Although in true Abby form- I did not happen to see either of DU's goals for the night. I wonder what I could have been doing instead? :)

Nolan was fascinated with the zambonies- probably his favorite part of the night. We looked at the gift shop for a little zambonie for him and he was devastated when we couldn't find one. But Auntie Sue bought popcorn instead and all was good in the world again! He said he would ask for one for Christmas or his birthday!

Heath was so tired he fell asleep amidst the craziness! He took a little snooze until the Pioneers scored their first goal pretty late in the game! He was startled awake, but was the life of the party during all the celebrating!

Nolan ate his way through the game, switched seats a million times, read all the numbers on the seats and of course asked A MILLION QUESTIONS about the game and the arena. He is so curious and wants to know what everything is, what everything does, and why everything happens! Once he learned a little about the game he was starting to tell me what he saw happening! And Auntie Sue taught him about her favorite player- Zucker. He would cheer, "Go Zucker, Go Zucker!" He probably knows more about hockey than I do!

Nolan especially liked the net and goalie! And he thought the big net blocking the fans from getting hit by a stray puck was really cool as well.

The game ended with a tie- after a 5 minute overtime the score was still 2-2. So even though we didn't win, at least we didn't lose either! It was a late night for all but the boys did great! We were really proud of them. There were a few hungry moments & a few sleepy & overstimulated whines and cries, but overall it was the first of many fun nights out at DU hockey!

Pumpkin Fest 2010

Last year we went to a Pumpkin Fest at Tagawa Garden Center. Click on the bold link to see our blog about it. Isn't it crazy how much younger Nolan looks! He had so much fun last year that we decided to check it out again this year. Brad, Jayne, and Cohen came with us.

Our first stop was the petting zoo! We visited it twice while we were there. Nolan just can't get enough of animals! He has no fear. He walks right in, pets them, gets bumped by them, checks 'em out, and asks a million questions about them!

Unlike Nolan, Heath is a little unsure of animals so far. Just like his Mommy! Maybe this will change when he gets older, but he held on to Mark for dear life when close to the petting zoo!

Silly Mommy thought these animals were camels! Oops...their llamas! Can't you tell I'm an animal lover?!

Nolan thought this turtle was so cool! He loved looking at his head and watching it go in and out of the shell.

Pirate Cohen!

Decorating Pumpkins- Daddy and Heath's pumpkin ended up with pointy eyebrows and a mustache! Silly!

Nolan opted to just put stickers all over his!

And Auntie Jayne & Cohen created this masterpiece! Pretty funny!

Gettin' tatted up!

Uncle Brad & Daddy got inked too!

Jayne and I also got in on the action and got small tattos as well! Nolan thinks it's really fun that I have a flower on my foot right now!

Last year Nolan was completely freaked out by all things creepy having to do with Halloween. This year he thinks ghosts, bats, witches, and skeletons are such fun! We went to the Halloween store this weekend and he loved pressing all the buttons to make the spooky decorations turn on, talk, and move! Heath on the other hand, does not like them so much!

And here is Nolan's pride and joy! A Spider Man balloon that Daddy so nicely waited 45 minutes in line for! He LOVES it!

So this was just the start of our pumpkin fun! We are looking forward to visiting a pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, roasting pumpkin seeds, and of course trick or treating!

"The Greatest Mom on Earth!"

This past weekend my mom came in for a quick visit! We are so spoiled because we have been getting used to her week or two week trips, that for some reason this one just seemed too short! But she was able to combine some Parent-Teacher Conference comp time with Columbus Day and a Personal Day to allow for a 5 day mini vacation!

She got in on Friday and we spent the day playing with the boys, shopping, baking cookies, cooking dinner, and visiting our favorite- Yogurtland! We love that when she comes we can just live life as we normally do and wrap up our evenings relaxing on the couch and watching Reality T.V. together!

Saturday we got up and headed out to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus! I hadn't been to the circus since I was 6. And now I know why! It's definitely fun, and exciting, and amazing, but it is also VERY overstimulating, bright, loud, in your face, and even a bit creepy! I'm still glad that we went and it was a good and different experience for Nolan, but not something we'll need to do every year!

Nolan and Grandma before the show!

There was an all access pre-show! The clown with the green hair was Nolan's favorite! Although he also really liked when the ***11*** clowns dressed as Super Heroes climbed out of a Volkswagon Bug!

Grandma sporting the one and only free thing at the circus!

Everybody wanted to be a clown! It comes pretty naturally for Mark!

Heath was a very good boy for the entire 2 1/2 hour show! He clapped a lot, took a little nap, sat & stood on our laps, and was intrigued by all the lights and sounds!

Love this silly boy!

A glimpse at the circus train from our great seats! I just bought average priced seats, but it wasn't very full so we moved a lot closer! For most of the show Nolan sat in awe! There were a few times when he got a bit scared because it would get really dark or loud. But when he saw something he really loved his eyes lit up, he pointed, smiled excitedly, and talked non-stop about it!

This was Nolan's favorite part- 7 motorcycles driving in a steel ball at the same time! He couldn't get enough of this! It truly was amazing and death defying!

Of course Nolan loved all the animals too- elephants, tigers, horses, and even a puppy that got carried by elephants and jumped on a horse's back!

Our little family after the show! We were all exhausted and overstimulated and ready for a nap!

When we were little and went to the circus we got the circus program. We read it over and over for years and loved looking at all the pictures and remembering the acts. We still have it in my parents garage somewhere! My mom thought it would be neat to buy one for Nolan to have as a keepsake as well. And it was a very good decision! We have already read his program more times than we would care for, and Nolan loves showing it to everyone and telling them all about what he saw!

Grandma and Nolan needed a little down time so they watched "The Wonder Pets go to the Circus" and had a milk and cookie snack!

Heath's new face- the stink eye!

"Nolan and Daddy Time" in his fort! Nolan loves his Daddy time and will say "No Girls Allowed"! He even asks, "What's the password?". This day when my mom and I wanted to come in it was "Choo Choo Airplane"!

The rest of my Mom's visit was spent with trips to the grocery store, a sewing project, dinner out, watching the boys while I was at school, and a nice evening with Mark's parents & Aunt Sue and my Uncle Gerry and his wife Christine. We loved every minute together, laughing, playing, and just being together!

We snapped a few photos on our last afternoon- it was quite rainy and dreary all weekend so we didn't get to be outside much. So we took advantage of a few minutes in the sunshine!

Grammy Pammy and Heater smiling!

My big boy being silly!

Playing Peek-a-Boo!

Grandmomela!

My mom and I take a picture together on every one of her trips out to Colorado! She has a photo album just for all of our photos together! I can't remember the exact number of times she has visited, but I think it's over 15! We are so thankful that she has a job that allows her to come out so much! Since the boys were born she has come out every Spring Break, once during each Summer, a few times over Columbus Day weekend, and a couple Christmas' too!

Grandma...

Thanks for coming out for the weekend! You are so much fun and you bring great gifts! Thank you for our new books and "Passin' Gasser" too! We love your cookies, watching shows together, building tunnels, and reading books! Thanks for watching us when Mommy went to work. It was fun playing all day, going for a walk, and making messes! We can't wait to see you in Chicago for Christmas! Give Grandpa a squeezer from us! We miss you already!

xoxo Nolan and Heath

Abrakadoodle!

Over the past month Nolan has been attending Abrakadoodle Art Class for 45 minutes, once a week. I figured this was a good way to expose him to some self expression and messy fun...NOT AT MY HOUSE! It was a great class that focused on introducing master artists, developing fine motor & verbal skills, and creating lasting memories! It was still a "Mommy & Me" class, so I went along each week and enjoyed having some 1 on 1 time with my biggest boy!

Nolan and one other girl were the oldest in the class. And he was definitely the most vocal. He talked the whole class through, answered every question, shouted out his ideas (Much to this first grade teacher's dismay, he definitely does not have the whole "raise your hand if you want to talk" thing down!), sang, wanted to play with the toys instead of paint, and shared his excitement with all!

Each week Splat the Puppy greeted us, we sang the Abrakadoodle song, sat on "splats" of paint, learned about an artist, and then got to work! When their project was done we gathered together for "gallery". Each student held their piece up infront of the class and shared what their favorite part was!

This was my favorite part of the class. I loved seeing Nolan so proud of his work and sharing it with the class. He gets this nervous happy smile and puts his chin down and answers Ms. Lynette's questions shyly. So sweet! And Nolan's favorite part was probably getting a "Splat the Puppy" stamp on his hands on the way out the door!

Our class is done now, but we have a lot to show for it! I even framed a few pieces to hang in the basement! Check out what Nolan did!

Doesn't this look just like "Starry Night" by Van Gogh? That was what we were going for. Nolan drew the sun, wind, and buildings with crayon. Then he water color painted over his drawings. A lot of the parents helped their children a lot to create a more accurate or more "beautiful" piece. But I really wanted each week's project to be completely Nolan! And that they are!

This is Nolan's "Oak Tree Doodle". It was the first time he had ever had a scissors in his hand- scary moment! But he did good making a few snips to create the tree trunk. He tore the paper for the leaves and painted the tree as well! Each week we came home with a matted masterpiece!

"Dot, Dot, Dot Seurat"- In these two pieces we worked on a pointillism technique with stencils and paint just like Georges Seurat.

Hard at work.

Using a dobber for his whimsical modern art piece! Love his little smock too!

For the last week of class we got to create art on a canvas! It's definitely modern thats for sure!

And so he's not exactly Monet yet, but to me his work is priceless!