TRICK OR TREAT!

Trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat. The boys are off for trick or treating by themselves! I can't believe my babies don't want us around anymore. Aidan actually went with some neighbors because Brad needed to hand out the candy since I'm on my death bed with a stomach bug. Slight exaggeration! Nate and Tyler (Nate's friend next door) are all grown up apparently and don't need adult supervision :) Luckily we live on a circle and we know all the neighbors.
In this picture, it is Aidan, Nate and Tyler.

Here is our Unknown Phantom complete with blinking red eyes!

Check out our scary skeleton. He doesn't have it here, but he brought an ax with him!!!

Happy Halloween!

With Halloween only a day away, we finally got our pumpkins carved. It's Brad's job to oversee the whole carving experience (MESS). I want nothing to do with the cleaning out of a pumpkin! My job is to roast the seeds and then blog about the event. The boys couldn't wait to get their carving kits out and take a knife to their pumpkins! They did a great job and now we are all enjoying my delicious pumpkin seeds.
Aidan finished his pumpkin in record time and then wanted to carve a second face in the back. Daddy vetoed that idea.


Nate worked very hard designing and carving his pumpkin! Complete with angry eyebrows!


Here are the finished products! Aren't they scary?!? Have a Happy Halloween! BOO!

This and That

Aidan's class on Friday had Fun Fall Fest. They rotated to different stations doing all sorts of fun activities with a fall theme. He got to play games involving apples, did candy corn math and ate pancakes with applesauce.

Nate had Prime Time at school Friday night. The kids bring pillows, books and flashlights and get to read in the dark hallways. They also rotate to different activities, games and snack. He had a great time reading and hanging out with his friends. I stayed to volunteer for the night as a group leader. I may have to reconsider that for next year :)

Aidan was very busy all weekend working on his lego. It started off as a fireboat and he turned it into a cruise ship. The picture doesn't do it justice. There are lots of details on the inside, too!!! He was so proud he asked us to take a picture of it and put it on the computer. Here you go, kiddo!!!

We Love Our Newest Addition

No, not our baby yet! We got the Dyson Ball vacuum and it is AWESOME! I wouldn't ordinarily blog about an appliance, but I don't have much else to blog about right now on the adoption front. Just waiting! Anyway, we were in need of a new vacuum and decided to go all the way. This thing is so cool! I've only vacuumed 2 rooms with it so far, but it handles great. The boys even wanted to help. As you can see from the pictures, they had to vacuum around junk on their playroom floor. And they actually "cleaned" that room today. Nate told me, "I'll vacuum. You won't even have to pay me. I'll even pay you to let me vacuum." Somehow I don't see that happening, but it's the thought that counts!

All Finished!!!

I painted the baby's room all weekend and it is finally done! I moved all the furniture, did 90% of the painting, cleaned, and moved all the furniture back. Brad helped with the trim work. He was busy with Scout stuff and school work, so this was my project and I am so happy it is done! Go to "check it out" and click on "Our Home" to see pictures of the finished project!

Maryland Science Center

We went to Virginia this weekend to celebrate Ryan and Emma's (our nephew and niece) birthdays. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the cousins. I just wasn't thinking. We had a very nice time. The boys love going there and playing with their cousins. They all get along so well. Brad's parents and sister, Amy, were there too. It was great to see everyone!

On our way back home, we decided to stop at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore. We had a great time. It was especially fun for Brad and I since we used to live 10 minutes from the inner Harbor. The weather was beautiful and the kids enjoyed the sights.

The kids had a blast at the science center and practically had it to themselves. We love it when we luck out with no crowds!!! There was a really cool Dinosaur exhibit where the boys got to dig for fossils.

Look how brave Aidan is. He actually laid on a bed of nails! A future magician...

We were so lucky! We ran into Cal Ripkin! He was nice enough to shake all our hands. :)

And The Winner Is...

The baby naming poll has closed and "Tessa" is the winner! Although, this poll was just for fun! We have had a lot of people ask what we plan on naming our daughter and the truth is we aren't sure yet. We have several names that we like, but we really want to see what her name is first. We would have to really love it, though. I have thought of baby girl names since I was a little girl playing with dolls and all through my pregnancies. So, I don't want to settle. We would like to include her Russian name as possibly a middle name. So for now it will have to be a surprise until after we meet her. Then we will be able to pick the perfect name!