October 30 - Cutest School Picture Ever

Here is a quick photo roundup from the last week. Enjoy!!

Mr. Dimples rocked his school photos (Attention family: I will be sending out copies of these, let me know which one you prefer)

Luke loves his new helmet so much he doesn't want to take it off

Buddies

Pony ride at Sarah's birthday party extravaganza

Fire Museum in Downtown Houston

Julia had a blast on this fire pole!

Firetruck fun

They were so excited to read Halloween books the other night they didn't even wait to get dressed

October 24 - Zoo Boo

Pumpkins, costumes, gorgeous weather. I'm not exaggerating when I say the Houston Yamo's LOVE the month of October! We went to the pumpkin patch last week and the kids picked out their pumpkins in 5 minutes flat (a huge departure from last year where Julia inspected every pumpkin before choosing one). Julia insisted on carrying her own and Luke insisted on pulling the wagon. We'll be back again this weekend because we need to provide a pumpkin for Julia's class party next week. The kids are excited to pick out another pumpkin!

We also went to our first ever Zoo Boo at the Houston Zoo. All the kids come in costume and there are booths with tons of fun activities for the kids (coloring, mystery boxes, tattoos and trick or treat areas). The zoo is decorated for Halloween with pumpkins hanging off of trees, an area where the kids can decorate little pumpkins and there was a cave in the children's area with lights and ceiling decorations. 

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Houston Zoo

My little Frankenstein

Posing Bumblebee

Elephant Love

October 14 - Happy Birthday Luke!

Happy birthday Luke. 3 years old!! THREE!! You are such a big boy now and we love you so much. Here are some things you are doing right now:

*when you are tired you want me to hold you and you play with my hair
*you want to sleep in mommy and daddy's room or the green room every night. You almost always end up going to sleep in your bed but come and snuggle with mommy around 5:30am (at which point you are attached to me like a little flea)
*you eat oatmeal and cheerios every morning for breakfast. You insist on helping pour the oats and hot water into the bowl, picking out your own spoon and mixing it
*you love peanut butter sandwiches and macaroni and cheese
*you have a huge sweet tooth
*you love Starbucks chocolate milk and pumpkin bread
*you always want to take showers at night
*your favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
*you love your sister and let her baby you quite often 
*you love trains
*you slept with your baseball mitt and ball last night
*you love gymnastics
*sometimes you insist on being called 'little buddy'
*you are starting to get quite demanding. You like to put your hands on your hips and bark orders. We joke you are a little Napoleon and you reply 'no, I'm a little buddy!'
*within the last week you have started to pout by rolling your lower lip (it is quite funny)
*you love when daddy throws you in the air
*you love reading Curious George, Berenstain Bears and Thomas books at night
*you like to help Julia with her flash cards every night
*I say to you 'You are my favorite little boy in the whole world' and you reply 'Yes, forever and forever.' My heart melts and I shower those dimpled cheeks with kisses. You LOVE mommy kisses.
*You ask me to snuggle with you when you are watching tv sometimes. I know these days are limited and I'm cherishing every moment. 

***
Luke's birthday party was this past weekend and we had a blast! There was a huge thunderstorm when the party started so the kids played inside most of the time. The rain finally subsided and JD dried off the bounce house so the kids could play outside. Overall fun!

Mickey cake (the giant head is Styrofoam wrapped with fondant) and cupcakes. Luke was so excited by the cake he immediately showed it to all his friends when they arrived.

Luke and Isaac

Luke telling everyone that they can play in the bounce house after his dad dries it off. 

Luke and Hadley

Julia and Jenna

Bounce house fun!

Post birthday movie with some friends

October 9 - Beautiful

The weather is simply beautiful right now here in Houston. Clear blue skies, highs in mid-80s, cool evenings and best of all...no humidity! We went to the zoo on Sunday and had a great day. The kids love watching the elephants play and this time we saw a young male try to climb up the fencing around the elephant area and stick his head through (he was smelling some bushes).
The kids loved it! We also saw 3 female lions against the glass in the underground lion viewing area (one peed right in front of us, the kids thought that was hilarious) and we saw/heard the male lion roar! We ran into some friends while we were eating lunch near the giraffes and then took a few spins on the merry go round. Afterward, we took a train ride around Memorial Herman Park. Fabulous day!

Drum Fun

Masks

Snake [Luke didn't want to touch him]

My boys

The Girls

The Park

Happy Wednesday everyone!

October 7 - Green Apple Day

Julia and I participated in her school's 'Green Apple Day' recently which focused on doing things for the environment. Each grade level had a different activity and the kindergartens decorated recycling boxes with tissue paper. It was really messy but the kids all had a blast! When her class was done, she took me around the school for a tour and we were treated to lemonade and cookies from some teachers. Eventually we wandered outside and were able to plant flowers, decorate giant flower pots and bob for apples! 

The best place at school - the library! Check out the cool area with bean bags.

Julia's class read 'Where the Wild Things Are' in art class and then drew their own wild things. Here are their productions.

Bobbing for apples!