whobody was spooked?

Halloween was a few weeks ago…and we had so much fun.

(We actually did.)

I will be honest. 

Halloween is my LEAST favorite 

holiday of the year. :) 

Probably because it is a busy time of year in our house AND because I tend to get a little stressed about making sure everyone has enough layers on and the right pieces to their costume and so on…. BUT, this year, it was much more enjoyable than normal. It may have something to do with the oldest 3 kids pretty much being able to manage their own costumes and stuff!

We had such a full and fun day on Halloween! The older 3 had school…so they wore their costumes to school and pretty much came home ready to rock and roll (ahem, I mean trick or treat).  We had a large snack/ early supper and I forced them into wearing more layers than they wanted to…and we headed out the door. 

It was COLD COLD COLD….and I wanted to get a picture of all 5 of them. 

Dirx wasn't extremely happy to be put outside in such cold and windy weather.

Yep…he only was not crying for about 20 seconds. :) Poor kiddo. Needless to say, I didn't make him trick or treat with us the whole night. 

He just joined us for our annual first stop: Grandma's house…and then he spent the rest of the evening inside of our cozy house with one of his favorite babysitters.

(I don't think he minded…since he is not the most tolerant baby ever…he would not have liked trick or treating in the cold and wind.) 

He couldn't even handle it for 2 pictures….

Here are the kids at grandma's house…she had a great costume this year.

 I love it that she dresses up. So much fun!

And now for the action shots…the kids had so much fun trick or treating.  

Cruz was always about a house behind, but the other 3 just had a blast! 

Nash had to be reminded about only taking one thing…but other than that they were great! He was pretty excited about getting all of this free candy!

And…the kids did a very good job of grabbing me a Twix whenever they could.

Oh Cruz...

Once it got dark, and we got cold, 
we went to the place we always "end" our night. 
"mindy and mindy's house".  

The older kids wanted to keep on going, but Cruz was done-zo. 

SO…they headed out with a few older kids that we trust…and hit a few more houses…and when Lola came back, she laid down on the floor and did this dramatic

"lay down on the floor because you are so exhausted from begging people for candy you won't even be allowed to eat all of anyway but it is just fun to be dramatic" 

She made sure to hold the pose long enough for me to get a good picture

…. it is tough to be a princess.  

Sometimes even the ice queen gets cold and tired.

A group picture. OH….so much fun.

Now, our night wasn't even OVER yet!

 We still had another halloween party to attend. 

The boosters put on a great party at the community center, and the kids were dying to go! So…after a little chill time at andy and mindy's…. we headed to the party.  

They had so much fun, they played games, ate popcorn, did crafts and watched a movie!

Oh…so cute!!! (They barely look tired!)

It really was our best Halloween ever. 

The kids are old enough to enjoy it themselves without me leading them through every step of the "fun". 

Now…the best part of Halloween is the day after for me…when I get to turn my calendar to 

NOVEMBER!!! 

That is when we can start to see the light at the end of the harvest tunnel! I think we are down to just a few more days…which is good because it already feels like winter!

whobody is finally five?

Let me tell you a little bit about my new favorite five year old!

Nash is a kid who can't wait to grow up! He loves to do big kid things with Keaton and Lola and is so excited to finally be FIVE YEARS OLD.

He is such a sweet, happy boy with a huge heart.

He is one of those kids who is "all or nothing".

Nash has a special relationships with each of his siblings.

*dirx and nash*

First of all…Dirx.

Nash is Dirx's biggest fan (and biggest threat).

He is IN LOVE with Dirx and is always in his face talking to him, singing to him, playing with him…and usually a little more wildly than Dirx can handle. I have to say the words "back away from his face" at least 5 times a day.  But, Nash is in Dirx's face in the name of LOVE.  

Nash grits his teeth and talks to "schnerkel" all of the time. 

(Yes, Schnerkel is one of Dirx's nicknames…and Nash is the one that gave it to him.)

He really does love and enjoy Dirx, and he is an excellent big brother to him.

*cruz and nash*

Cruz and Nash are best friends/worst enemies.

When Keaton and Lola are around, Nash sticks with them and fights with Cruzie…BUT when it is just the two of them, they play SOOOO good together. They love playing trucks and legos and pretend…they are always talking to each other about which "guy" they are…

"I'm the garbage truck guy" 

"I'm the tractor guy"

"Hey garbage truck guy, I've got some garbage over here for you!"

"okay, tractor guy…I'll be right there."

As you can imagine, it is hilarious.

They are always pretending that things are either boats or rocket ships too. 

Oh, the imaginations.

Since Nash's preschool doesn't start until noon most days, Cruz and Nash have the whole morning to play together. It has been great for both of them. They do tend to get into trouble…between the two of them there isn't a whole lot of "rule following"…but they do have a good time.

*lola and nash*

These 2 are actually BEST friends.

(and Keaton and Cruz are best friends…wonder how Dirx is going to fit in…)

They really are. It seems these 2 always pair up.

They play very nice together, usually getting into even MORE trouble then Cruz and Nash.

They love to climb trees together, draw together, and mostly, play pretend. 

They are always running around the yard pretending they are in some sort of crazy situation that only they could dream up.  

When these 2 are together, they are usually not following the rules. 

And if they aren't doing something extremely naughty, it is on the edge of naughty…

but not quite.

I blame it on them being the middle children.

Here…they both got some of those smelly markers…

and got their noses a little messy smelling them.

I think Lola and Nash will always be close.  They definitely have a special relationship.

*keaton and nash*

Nash looks up to Keaton SOO much and tries his best to be just like him.

Nash loves it when they dress alike…and does everything he can to impress his big brother.

Keaton and Nash like to play do active things together…usually playing either soccer or football, going for a walk in the field, riding bikes, or doing "workouts".

Nash and Keaton love to hang out…and I am sure as Nash gets better at catching and throwing, they will be playing catch non stop.  Keaton is so great at including Nash and teaching him.  He is always encouraging Nash to help him with chores, training him how to do them.  Nash also loves to help Keaton "cluck the chickens" and even helps him clean out the chicken coop. Keaton is helping Nash learn how to be a good worker…but Nash is a little bit easily distracted *usually distracted by a girl with long blonde hair who doesn't like to do chores….but at least Keaton tries.  

Keaton is a great role model for Nash.

A few things about Nash.

(just a few…I am trying to cram way too much into one post :) )

first of all…Nash loves his best friend Tate.

He wishes Tate was in his preschool class…but he loves him even though he doesn't get to see him as much as he wants to. 

Good thing Tate's parents are such good friends of ours….

…and because of Tate…Nash is a Hawkeye fan. 

He loves the hawks…and actually loves to cheer for any team that we aren't cheering for. 

Yes, he is one of "those" kids. 

Nash loves preschool…and loves writing and coloring.  

He cannot wait to go to school every day. 

He is a very social kid that really enjoys hanging out with his friends and his 2 awesome teachers.

 Nash has his own 'fashion'.

He likes to put these surprises into outfits…like wearing these halloween socks to a birthday party in August. 

He is cool like that.

He also loves to wear ties. 

Seriously. He dresses himself for church, and puts a tie on almost every time.  (I have learned that I need to lay out clothes with him the night before so they at least…kind of match.)

Nash had an excellent birthday. 

It started with our traditional birthday pancakes…

then we went to Sunday School and church…

Then we ended the day with a birthday party! 

Dad even quit picking corn to come to the party.  He had a blast! 

Nash loves being in the spotlight 

(and would have loved to have about 5 more parties…)

Finally, he got to celebrate his birthday at school on Monday! 

He had a great birthday and we love him SO much!!! 

Five is SUCH a fun age!