Goat Milking Master

Joel had a life experience the other night. We were invited to dinner at his coworker's home. They have goats there & one of them is used for milking. After dinner Joel had the opportunity to give it a try. They said he did a really good job of it & the goat didn't seem to mind at all either. ;-)

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch this evening for a little bit. Thought these pictures were worth sharing. Both Emily & Jon thought the hay was pretty darn fun to play with. My nose didn't agree. The photo of them holding hands is a rare moment as of late of sibling harmony & love. Gotta document those to remind myself that they do exist. ;-)

Airplane/Flag Radar

My kids have a new crazy radar abilities as of late. For Emily it's American flag radar. She's learned the Pledge of Allegiance in preschool and is very proud of this. Now whenever we are out driving she has the ability to spot every single American flag we pass - no matter how obscure. It's really quite impressive. Once spotted the Pledge must then be recited - with authority. :-)

Equally as impressive is Jonathan's airplane spotting radar. It's truly crazy. He can pick out the smallest little spot in the sky & identify it as an airplane. Just this morning on the way to church he picked out at least 4. He announces his discovery with a very enthusiastic "air-pane!!" Then Joel & I have to visually scan the area he's pointing to & sure enough - there's a plane. This photo is of him spotting a plane in the sky. Joel brilliantly captured the super cute moment on film. Go Joel!

Pajama Season!

I love this time of year. Cooler weather is on the way. The leaves will change color. Thanksgiving & Christmas are not far off. These are all really good things. But, I also love this time of year for another reason...

Because I have a weakness for kids in their winter pajamas. A serious weakness. They're just too darn cute in those long pj's. This was the first night they both had on their new adorable pajamas & I couldn't stand the cuteness. I just want to grab them and hug them a ton when they're in them.

On a side note: the blue blanket Jon is clutching is his most prized possession. It's called his "baby" and it goes pretty much everywhere. If Jon thinks you are a really special person he'll even let you hold baby...for just a second. Because it's going everywhere with him it gets really gross, really fast & has to be washed frequently. I just hope it lasts until he's ready to move on from it. Otherwise we're all in trouble!

Speedy Jon

Joel took this picture for me the other night when I was out & he was bathing the kids. He got the tub all ready & went to put something in the hamper & in a matter of seconds he heard the thud, thud, thud of little feet running & the sound of Jon splashing in the tub. The downside...Jon was still fully clothed - including socks AND shoes. He loves bathes so much he can't wait to get in them. He's a speedy little dude!

Em the imaginary builder

Emily lately has been creating imaginary houses and castles with books. She sets them up in a row to make walls and uses single ones to make movable doorways. Sometimes if she's feeling super creative she'll create rooms in her houses by using surrounding furniture as walls as well. She likes to stand guard of her castles/houses & let us all know that "you can't come in!"

I love that she's using her imagination so much now. It's really fun to watch the things she comes up with.

Death to a Mailbox!

I have hated our mailbox pretty much as long as we've been in our house (about 6 years now). It's old, lopsided, weathered, and just plain ugly. Joel just put in a new one today. I made the comment that I'd love to beat the heck out of the old mailbox with our rubber mallet - that is truly the depth of my hatred for this thing. Joel thought this was a great idea & decided to immortalize the moment with film. Thus I present - Death to a Mailbox. Enjoy - I did!

Disclaimer: I did not realize that I looked like such a girl trying to take down a mailbox until I saw the footage. But, that's not stopping me from sharing it because it's such a glorious day for me - I truly hated our old, ugly mailbox. ;-)