The Moorhead's

Crazy Kids and Kyler's Soccer Game

2011-03-08T07:43:00.015-05:00

We've been spending lots of time playing outside... especially on 4xwheelers and dirt bikes! Kyler and Bradley have both enjoyed learning how to ride the 4xwheeler... which has been nice since they are constantly getting flat tires on their dirt bikes. Kyler just loves to ride... anything!

Meggie jamming out to some tunes on Ben's iPod!

We have also been busy with the start of soccer for Kyler. He has enjoyed his soccer practices even though according to him they don't play "real" soccer. He is on a team of 3 and 4 year olds, all of whom have never played an organized sport. So, there is a lot of playing games as well as a little soccer. The kids are all so cute trying to get the ball!

The Walls Going Up

2011-03-06T07:28:00.008-05:00

They have started in the dungeon and we are starting to see some walls!

Ski Trip

2011-03-04T01:18:00.017-05:00

The boys have been begging to go to skiing again and we were finally able to take them. Jason, Allison, and Hunter joined us for an eventful weekend. All the boys did a great job of learning/ relearning how to ski. They spent the whole first day on the slopes and didn't want to leave. It rained on us the second day so we just hung out and did a little bowling. Our sorry camera was acting up so we only got a few pics and it wouldn't let us zoom in at all... but here are a couple pics below.

Jeb's Basketball Game

2011-02-26T01:05:00.003-05:00

We went to check out Jeb's awesome basketball skills and had a great time cheering for his team and snacking! Kyler had attended a game before and he made sure I had some dollars before we left the house for the concession stand. Our camera was acting up a little and we didn't have much luck getting pics of Jeb playing, but we did get some cure ones of Meggie cheering for him. Jeb had a great game... he looked like a pro dribbling the ball up the court.

Bradley did get this one shot of Jeb out on the court.

Meggie had a great time showing off the new sunglasses Ben got her for Valentine's Day.

Basement... Cleaned Out!

2011-02-21T00:43:00.012-05:00

So... we've got the basement totally cleaned out! For those of you who have been down there you know what a feat that was (we forgot to get pics before the clean out). Here are some pics of the cleaned out basement before any renovations.

Bradley's 1st Day at Fair Oak

2011-02-14T22:31:00.008-05:00

After much deliberation we decided to let Bradley go ahead and start first grade at Fair Oak... luckily he was placed with the best teacher ever... Lele! Now if we can just get him to remember to call her Mrs. Swain instead of Lele we will be set!

Crazy Hair

2011-02-11T22:22:00.006-05:00

Meggie got some crazy hair while playing in a tent Bradley built out of blankets.

Cruise Time!

2011-02-08T21:35:00.036-05:00

My sweet and wonderful husband took me on a cruise to celebrate making it through this past year! We spent the week relaxing and just enjoying each others company... without little ones yelling in the background!

When we sailed out of Jacksonville with our jackets and sweatshirts on we were a little worried... but the weather ended up being great.

Ben participated in some contest to win the boys a medallion... they are supposed to me mailing me a copy of the "Harry Chest Competition"... I'll be sure to let everyone know when it arrives!

The Carnival Fascination.

While we were in Nassau we spent the day at the Atlantis Beach resort. We enjoyed the aquarium, the water park, the beach, and lunch.

While we were in Half Moon Cay we went on a canoe ride around the island and got to see some Manta rays.

We also went snorkeling and saw some beautiful fish. We took some pics underwater but have yet to get the film developed... digital cameras have spoiled us!

We watched the sun set as we left Half Moon Cay... I think it was the first time I've ever sat down and watched it... very beautiful.

Back to SC!

2011-01-31T21:21:00.001-05:00

After hours of driving, battling a snowstorm, packing truck after truck after trailer (with a little help... thanks Jason!) we finally made it back to SC!

JESSICA!

2011-01-18T01:17:00.001-05:00

I took these super cute pics of Jessica with Meggie and Kyler and I just had to dedicate a whole post to her... All of the kids love hanging out with her and Bradley was shocked today when I told him I only had one sister. He said he thought Jessica was my sister too! She is like a sister and we all love her very much! (Also, Kyler is pumped about the Monster Jam... so you better get ready!)

Zuri's Two!!

2011-01-15T00:10:00.008-05:00

We went to Zuri's 2nd Birthday party today. The boys had a great time playing and visiting with all the kids.

Cooper, Bradley, Hunter, Alan, and Kyler

Cooper getting crazy on the slide.

Marie and Meggie.

Kaitlyn and Meggie.

Meggie trying to take a nap in Zuri's doll's pack-n-play.

And, of course, the Birthday Girl... Zuri couldn't wait to dig into the treat bags after everyone had left.

She is such a sweetheart and I can't believe that she is already 2... man time flies.

Last day in DC... for awhile anyway!

2011-01-13T22:34:00.031-05:00

We decided to spend out last day in DC just taking in some sights...

We've been trying to make it over to Georgetown Cupcakes for months and we finally did it... the famous cupcakes were good, but I'm not sure they were any better than what we make at home.

Kyler wasn't crazy about the red velvet cupcake he picked out so he ate some of mine.

Meggie hanging out in Downtown... with the White House behind her.

The boys playing in the field beside the Washington Memorial.

At the Washington Memorial.

We had not been up in the Memorial since 2005 so we decided to do it again... luckily the cold weather kept the crowds away and we were able to go up without tickets.

Bradley, Meggie, and Me at the top of the Memorial.

All of the kids looking out the windows.

The Jefferson Memorial with the frozen Potomac in front of it.

Our tour guide, Bradley.

While we were at the WWII Memorial Meggie just had to have her pic made beside the column that said Texas.

And of course Kyler wanted his pic taken beside South Carolina.

And Bradley.

Here they are cheering because we are headed back to South Carolina tomorrow.

Bradley got this pic of Me and Ben while we were walking around.

Kyler all decked out in his winter gear.

Ben in front of Iwo Jima.

After we got home Meggie and Kyler decided to hop in the bath and then had to hop right back out because Meggie had an accident. They decided to hop in the sink and bathe off instead of waiting for a clean bath tub. Bradley thought this was great and decided to take some pics.

Funny Pics

2011-01-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

These are some funny pics from the last week.

Ben and Meggie sacked out on the couch.

Ben and Bradley playing Band Hero.

Bradley and Kyler playing.

Meggie playing in the cabinets.

All of the kids love to play with my shower cap... I don't know why we bother with toys!

New Years Day

2011-01-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

We had to head back to VA on New Years Day but before we left we had a good lunch at my Grandma's and then stopped by Abby's for a "snowball" fight. She had bags of marshmallows that the kids (and adults) used as ammo. They had a great time and really got into it... as did some of the adults (see below). Meggie had fun running around and taking bites out of the ammo.

Caleb got a new tractor from his Nana Mac and papa. While we were there he asked me if I wanted to see and and when I told him yes he told me I should bring my camera!... He's too funny.

All of the kids having some dinner.

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T17:46:00.000-05:00

After Bradley's birthday party we spent the rest of New Year's Eve hanging out with family and friends. All the boys got on their ATVs and had a blast in the pasture... we had about 4 dirt bikes and 4 or 5 4-wheelers going at one time... plus a tractor! Then we headed over to Alicia and Tyler's to hang out and ring in the new year.

Samuel getting some work done on the farm.

Hunter trying out the dirt bike... I know what he's going to want for his birthday.

Ben and sweet Sarah.

Check out that belly! Allison and Ashford... we can't wait to meet him!!

All the girls... Ashley, Allison, and Alicia.

Bradley's Birthday Party

2010-12-31T14:56:00.008-05:00

For Bradley's Birthday he wanted to go to the Japanese Restaurant so we got a few of his friends and some family and headed that way. Not all of the boys enjoyed the food, but they seemed to like watching the food be prepared and spending time together. I know it was a lot of trouble for everyone to go so far... thank you... Bradley had a great time.

Zuri had fun hanging with the girls and enjoyed watching the food being prepared also.

All of the boys (except Noah... behind the cook's arm).

Noah was REALLY impressed!

All the boys outside the restaurant (thanks for the pic Libby).

Addis Family Christmas

2010-12-26T23:12:00.014-05:00

We had a great time celebrating Christmas with our family at my Grandma and Papa's house.

Bradley has enjoyed his legos from Jessica and Adam.

Kyler with the Nutcracker that Mamaw brought him from Germany... he is very proud of it.

We got Kealie a pearl necklace... she's not too crazy about it.

Both of the girls got a motorcycle from Mamaw and Poppie... complete with a side car for their doll. Kealie really liked hers, but Meggie was a little scared of it at first (she rides with Kyler on his all the time, so I'm not sure why...)

Meggie did finally decide to try it out with Kealie!

Kyler in his Christmas jammies and his dirt bike boots from Santa... he is such a nut!

Dirt Bikes

2010-12-26T00:06:00.003-05:00

Everything covered in snow for Christmas... it wasn't too fun to drive in for ten hours, but it's nice to look at now!

Ben and I got the boys dirt bikes for Christmas... they jumped right on and have been riding all over the place.

This is Kyler all decked out in his helmet, gloves, and boots.

This is Bradley with his helmet and gloves on... they think they are professional.

Ben and Meggie getting warm by the fire.

Meggie decided to come outside and check out the snow.

She loves to ride the 4-wheeler.

Layla with her Christmas outfit on.

Santa

2010-12-25T23:46:00.000-05:00

I think Santa forgot we will be moving soon...

The kids gave Ben a donut maker for Christmas so we decided to try it out for breakfast... it made cute little donuts and Meggie LOVED them... surprise surprise!!

My Famous Neice

2010-12-22T23:44:00.000-05:00

This is my newest niece, Sarah Hope, in her modeling debut...

Zoo Lights!

2010-12-21T23:32:00.000-05:00

We went downtown to check out Zoo Lights and check out some of the animals at night. They had lots of lights up and many of them were shaped like animals. The kids especially liked the one of the chameleon. We also got to see a baby chameleon that was almost Sticky's exact size and an adult chameleon, which was neat. It was pretty cold and we had to get bundled up, but we all had fun.

Snow and Birthdays

2010-12-19T23:21:00.052-05:00

We've had a busy week playing in the snow and celebrating Bradley's 7th birthday! It snowed Wednesday night and most of the day on Thursday and we ended up with a pretty good amount of snow. They boys enjoyed playing outside while Meggie and I stayed warm inside! Friday night the boys and I brought in a few bowls of snow and had a fun time chasing Ben around the house and throwing snow at him... we had some water to clean up but the boys thought it was great.

Layla went out for a quick look around but didn't want to stay long.

The snow was like powder so the boys had a hard time making a snowman... Bradley improvised by having one lay down on the steps!

Here is Bradley with his lazy snowman... he was thrilled that we actually had carrots that he could use for a nose.

Bradley and Kyler out in the snow.

Meggie wasn't too interested in being out in the snow, but Bradley got this pic of us when we were headed to the car to get dinner.

While Ben was home on Saturday they all went out and were able to make a real snowman.

Kyler enjoyed throwing snow balls at everyone.

For Bradley's birthday he wanted to eat Japanese with all of his friends so we are going to have his official party while we are in SC, but we did take him out this weekend. He chose to go to PF Changs and wanted to see the Zoo Lights at the National Zoo. So, we headed up to DC and the traffic was so bad he decided he didn't want to go to the Zoo anymore! So, after dinner at PF Changs we headed home (hopefully we can make it to Zoo Lights one day next week)!

I'm making some cupcakes for Bradley and Meggie had to come check out what I was doing... she is always checking any noise that comes from the kitchen.

Bradley with his cupcake FULL of candles!!!

Meggie didn't waste any time digging into her cupcake.

She cleaned her plate...

and then wanted Bradley to give her his cupcake!

When he didn't she decided to ask Ben for more... I think she likes to eat!

Bradley with his PlayStation Move Bundle.

This is Meggie COVERED in food (mostly mashed potatoes) eating a little debbie! She ate as much as Ben for dinner... I think we're going to have to start giving her a limit... she is starting to get a little gut.

Christmas Card Pics

2010-12-12T00:41:00.000-05:00

We needed some recent pics with all the kids in them for our Christmas card so we got the kids dressed up and put them in front of the tree for a fun photo session!

Bradley posing with Meggie's doll.

Getting warmed up...

That's right Meggie and her doll are dressed alike... I'm so cool!

Baking Cookies

2010-12-10T00:34:00.007-05:00

Every Christmas we get together with my family and we each bring a different cookie or candy recipe and the ingredients needed for that recipe and we just spend the day baking... by the end of the day we have tons of cookies and candy. Since we're in VA this year we were not able to cook with everyone else, but we decided to make some cookies ourselves. The kids love to help in the kitchen (especially Kyler) so we made some Neiman Marcus cookies. They turned out good and the kids had fun helping me make them. Meggie especially enjoyed tasting!

Dirt Bike Gear

2010-12-09T00:30:00.000-05:00

We got the boys dirt bikes for Christmas (crazy... I know) and they were very excited when the gear they ordered online arrived. They looked like pros in their get-ups. We did end up having to return both of their helmets because they were too small... the Stills head strikes again.

Williamsburg, VA

2010-12-08T00:14:00.023-05:00

Since the weather has been pretty cold and we've been stuck in the house a good bit we decided to take a trip down to Williamsburg. We went to Colonial Williamsburg and spent the day walking around there. We found a couple of things that the kids thought were neat, but for the most part it was not very interesting to them. However, we also stayed at Great Wolf Lodge and they LOVED that... we kept it a surprise and they didn't know what it was until we got there.

The Jail was probably the most entertaining for the kids (and Ben).

They especially loved the bathroom area.

Kyler got mad at the water park because he was not big enough to do the knee board ride and this is Meggie "loving" on him to make him feel better.

We got to listen to a story and then it snowed on us in the lobby of the hotel.

The boys planning something at the water park.

Meggie had a great time in the wave pool... we tried to get some pictures but most of the ones from the water park didn't turn out well (bad lighting for pics).

I did take these two videos below of the boys going over this obstacle corse thing:

Kyler on Logs

Bradley on Logs

Kyler's Crazy Outfit

2010-12-07T03:30:00.000-05:00

Kyler got himself all dressed up and came into my room looking like this...

Black Friday

2010-11-26T03:13:00.028-05:00

My first trip out on Black Friday was with Allison and her mother-in-law and we went to Wal-mart at 5am... it was so amazing I told Ben and Mama they had to go just to witness it so the following year we did just that... I think it scared Ben for life (I'm surprised he ever went back in Wal-mart!) Since then Mama and I have gone every year... Karah has come a few times and she can hang pretty well. But, this year was a first... Grandma decided that she wanted to come with us so we could help her pick out some gifts for all the kids. So, she loaded up with us and we headed for Wal-mart at midnight, then off to Target where the line was so long we decided not to wait, Toys R Us (arrived about 2 am), snack time, back to Target (arrived at 4:30 am) where we got our stuff and got in line and it was so long we left again, Lowe's, Dick's, back to Wal-mart for the 5 am sale, and then back home. I think that was about right... it was all kind of a blur. I crawled in Bed around 8 am on Friday morning. But... Grandma held out as well as we did! I hope I get around half that good when I'm in my eighties. I took my camera because I had planned to get pictures throughout the night, but the only time I thought to bring it out was as we were loading up after leaving Toys R Us.

The rest of the day was a little more peaceful... after a few hours of sleep I headed out to the farm to meet up with Ben and the kids. They had a great time spending the day with cousins.

Noah, Samuel, Bradley, Jeb, Cooper, Kyler, and Caleb

Kyler brought Sticky to show him off.

Bradley did a little photography while we were there.

He is pretty good at getting people to ham it up.

Sticky's New House

2010-11-21T03:10:00.006-05:00

Sticky got a new home... he has moved into a plant that has much more room for him to climb around and many more leaves for him to hide in... he really seems to like his new habitat more than his old one... I've already spent too much time trying to find his sneaky rear!

ICE!

2010-11-18T02:51:00.001-05:00

At the National Harbor they have a Christmas thing going on where the highlight is ICE!... they have about 2 million pounds of ice that is carved into scenes from the movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." We decided to go over and hang out in the National Harbor and check it out. It was really neat to see and we had lot of fun.

We crawled all over this statue that looks like a man being buried in the sand if you look at it from far away.

Meggie rocking some reindeer antlers.

They keep the part with all the ice at 8 below so it was VERY cold.

After we walked trough all of who-ville we watched some carolers. Kyler was so worn out that he just couldn't make it through.

Meggie however tried to enjoy it... she was having a good time dancing but when Ben turned on the camera to video it he got this instead:

Meggie At Ice!

There was also a 2 story slide that was made entirely of ice (super fast) that the boys had a blast going down over and over... if it hadn't been so cold they would have done it all day... click on the link below to see a video:

ICE! Slide

Decorating

2010-11-16T02:35:00.020-05:00

We usually decorate the Christmas tree the weekend after thanksgiving... but we got up with nothing to do today so we decided to go ahead and pull it out.

Meggie has been enjoying all of the Christmas music... she especially likes this one toy that makes music and she has figured out how to start it... click on the link below to check out some of her dance moves:

Meggie Dancing

Awesome Christmas Cards!

2010-11-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

Every year I begin designing our family Christmas card in my head before I ever pick out the card. We have a lot of friends and family that live out of town, who we rarely see; so our Christmas card gives them an update of how our lives have been throughout the year. I've ordered cards from several different places before and my favorite so far have been from Shutterfly. They were good quality and reasonable priced. There were also many more styles than the other online sites I looked at. A few weeks ago I received a Shutterfly 'flier' in the mail and fell in love with their cards. I knew I would be using them this year to share Christmas with our friends and families. The problem is...which one will I choose. I can choose from:

Holiday cards---http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Photo cards--http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Or even order gifts for grandparents---http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/5x7-folded-greeting-cards

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs

To all those fellow bloggers out there, you can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly! Sign up at http://bit.ly/sfly2010.

I can't wait to pick out our Christmas cards and to share them with the people we love. I also can't wait to find all the fun cards in my mailbox from all of my family and friends.

Goat Fun... and Chickens too!

2010-11-12T02:06:00.000-05:00

While we were in SC we had to make a stop and check on the chickens and goats... they love to chase, pet, and feed the animals.

Caleb and his rooster... too cute!

Playing on the goat playground!

Trying to get all the goats gathered up.

Playing on the hay bails.

Atlanta Trip

2010-11-10T00:47:00.032-05:00

While we were visiting SC we made a little side trip over to Atlanta. We went to the Zoo, ate some Japanese, spent the night downtown, went to the aquarium, and then headed back to SC.

The boys playing on the statues.

Trying to get the birds to land on them.

All the kids... Bradley, Cooper, Kealie, Kyler, and Meggie.

Karah and Kealie

Karah getting silly in the gift shop.

This was the first time Cooper had been to a Japanese restaurant (since he could remember anyway) and he thought it was just great.

Kyler of course had fun... like always!

Cooper checking out the fish at the aquarium.

All the boys had to touch a sting ray and a shark so we spent FOREVER trying to touch a shark!

Kealie taking a peak at the sea anemone.

Kyler touching a starfish.

Halloween

2010-10-31T21:55:00.001-04:00

We couldn't find anywhere near our house that was doing a Fall Festival or Truck or Treat so we decided to just head out and do some old school trick-or-treating. The kids got dressed up and and we walked all around out neighborhood. Most of the houses were giving out candy and there were so many kids out it was crazy.

Bradley had planned to just dress up in one of the costumes we already had in the dress up box... but when we got it out the day before Halloween we discovered there wasn't much in it that still fit him. So... off to Wal-mart we went where his only choices were a Transformer or a Clown. He wasn't real excited about either one, but after I told him Meggie would think the clown was funny he was sold!

Our pre-trick-or-treating pics didn't turn out too good... Kyler and Meggie didn't want to participate.

Kyler dressed up as Shark Boy... not an easy costume to find.

Bradley all dressed up in his Clown costume... complete with face paint and hair.

Meggie and Kyler enjoyed being pulled around in the wagon.

Kyler and Meggie decided they were ready to go home so Ben went on with them while Bradley and I got a little more candy... until Bradley decided he was cold. I gave him my jacket and then we had to head straight home... since I was wearing a tank top and it was freezing!

Meggie Messing in the Kitchen

2010-10-30T21:53:00.000-04:00

Meggie loves to get in the cabinets and pull out all of my cookware and tools. There are child proof locks on most of the cabinets, but she has figured out how to get in them anyway.

Six Flags Fright Fest

2010-10-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

Since we had season tickets to Six Flags we decided to take one more trip up there to make sure we got our money out of them! The kids had fun riding the rides and going through the fun house and getting candy. They also enjoyed seeing the workers dressed up in there scary costumes.

Playground

2010-10-28T21:16:00.017-04:00

Today was such a nice day we decided to spend it at the park. The kids had fun playing on the playground, hitting the baseball, and just running around.

Meggie especially enjoyed the swing.

I also took this video of Kyler hitting baseballs:

Kyler Playing Baseball

Kyler's New Bike Gear

2010-10-23T02:52:00.000-04:00

Kyler had been wanting some knee pads and bike gloves... he rides his bike like he's in the X games so he did need them. He finally got some from Mamaw and Poppie for his birthday and he was out in the yard in full riding gear as soon as he could be.

Kyler and Kealie's Birthday Party

2010-10-17T02:21:00.013-04:00

We had a birthday party for Kyler and Kealie while we were visiting the south. We had a Batman/Hello Kitty theme and more importantly to the kids we had cotton candy and a huge slide. All the kids had fun playing on the slide... even the babies.

Kyler on the slide.

Bradley and Hunter sliding.

Mama and Jason manned the cotton candy machine like pros.

Zuri wouldn't try the cotton candy so Lele had to eat it for her.

Cooper, Caleb, and Jeb digging into their cotton candy.

Meggie loved it, of course.

Cooper ejoyed his cotton candy... and going shirt-less all day.

Kyler even got in on the action a little.

Kyler with 2 big wads of cotton candy... I'm pretty sure he ate both of them at one time.

Cake time.

Happy Birthday to Kyler.

Happy Birthday to Kealie.

Kealie digging into her cake.

Kyler showing his new lego set to Bradley.

Kyler's excited about the new Transformers from Jeb and Caleb.

The Bumblebee outfit was a HUGE hit.

Knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves for Kyler to wear while he is practicing to be in the X games.

Kealie got a singing teapot.

She also got a Huggums doll.

She was so sweet loving on all of her new toys.

Here she is loving on her new stuffed animal.

Wasn't it sweet for her aunt to make this for her?

Meggie stuffing her face... for about the 3rd time today.

All of the kids on the slide.

Everyone on the slide (except Kealie... she missed the action).

Kyler taking Zuri down the slide.

Jeb meeting Sticky... Kyler's new chameleon.

Kyler has been wanting a lizard for awhile (Ben's friend in DC has one) so Mamaw and Poppie and Ben and I got him one for his birthday.

Caleb wasn't sure he wanted to touch it at first, but he did end up holding it.

After the party we decided to bag up some cotton candy to save... it seemed like such a waste to throw away all that sugar!

Kyler was so worn out he was asleep before we got him in the bed... in his new costume.

Cooper and Meggie were pretty worn out too.

Kyler had a great time at his party with all of his friends. Thank you to everyone who made time to come... it really meant a lot to us all. Thank you for all of the fun gifts as well. Kyler has enjoyed playing with his legos, transformers, bike gear, and Sticky. He has also enjoyed watching his new movie and wearing his new pjs from Noah, Samuel, and Sarah. He is itching to get to Toys-r-Us to spend his gift cards from Hunter and Zuri and his cash from Gr-ma and Gr-pa... I'll let you know what he picks out!

American History Museum

2010-10-13T00:20:00.000-04:00

We've been to the Natural History Museum several times so Bradley and I decided to branch out and visit another museum. We went to the American History Museum. There were a few exhibits that the kids enjoyed and there was a cool science room that they enjoyed.

They enjoyed listening to the slave children describe how life was for them.

Ben and Meggie checking out an exhibit.

Bradley and Kyler checking out an old boat.

Meggie and Bradley playing.

Ben having a chat.

Bradley building a road in the science area.

Kyler building a ramp for a marble.

Meggie getting ready to use some tools.

Ben loves museums and he is having a blast!

Meggie checking out everything with the magnifying glass.

Kyler and Bradley checking out the fountain outside the museum.

Checking out the fountain at the Ronald Reagan Building.

While we were downtown we got to watch part of the new Transformers movie being filmed. We got to see Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and a whole bunch of bad guys in a chase scene through DC. I'll admit I thought when Ben said the transformers were there it was going to be the robots, but the boys thought the cars were pretty cool.

Bradley biking downtown.

Kyler biking in front of the Capitol.

Frisbee and Basketball

2010-10-11T23:57:00.003-04:00

Kyler and Ben enjoyed a fun frisbee game outside... Kyler amazes me with his athletic ability. He was doing a good job of catching and throwing the frisbee.

After their game Kyler wanted me to make a video of him playing basketball:

Kyler Playing Basketball

Cows-N-Corn

2010-10-11T21:57:00.006-04:00

We spent the day at a local farm where we got to pet some animals, go through a corn maze, play on a cool tractor and train play ground, play in corn, and even make butter. The kids had a lot of fun.

Ben took this video of Meggie playing in the pumpkins:

Meggie in the Pumpkins

Soccer and Kyler's Birthday

2010-10-09T22:39:00.001-04:00

Bradley had his last soccer game and at the end they all got medals. He was excited that it had his name on it and everything.

On Kyler's actual birthday he wanted to make Batman cupcakes. He love to help me cook things and he enjoyed putting all of the stuff in the bowl and mixing it up. He also really enjoyed putting in the food coloring... he decided to make them purple and to put sprinkles so that they would look cool. I think he favorite part was eating the extra batter after we filled the cupcake pan... but he did share with Bradley. He thought Ben's rendition of Happy Birthday was hilarious but we had to sing fast because Meggie did not like having to look at the cupcakes without having one to eat... as you can see she was trying anything to get to them.

Kyler's Birthday Party #1

2010-10-08T23:56:00.006-04:00

Kyler wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday and have a cookie cake... so that's what we did. We went on Friday so that it wouldn't be as crowded and the kids had fun playing tons of games and eating pizza and cookie cake. Even Meggie won some tickets!

The "Chuckie Machine" was a huge hit... Kyler though that was awesome. Here is a video of him trying to grab tickets inside the machine.

Chuckie Machine

Dinner Table

2010-10-05T23:55:00.003-04:00

We had our little table in the playroom so the kids could use it for crafts or play dough, but we realized it wasn't being used very often so we brought it upstairs. Meggie loves to stand in her high chair so we decided to have lunch at the little table and see how she did. She sat the whole meal and didn't try to stand up once... imagine that!

We also took this video of Ben feeding Meggie dinner. She is such a messy eater that if she has already had her bath we will feed her if it is something messy. She has decided that if we try to give her anything besides the food she wants she will scream her head off. For example if we have corn, potatoes, and beans and she wants a bite of beans she will scream until you offer her beans (even though she likes all of it). She also likes to throw the other food if you try to give them to her. This video was toward the end of dinner, so she is a little upset, but it's still pretty funny. Our little diva...

Meggie Having Dinner

2010-10-02T00:13:00.000-04:00

Meggie grabbing a snack at Bradley's soccer game.

Bradley did a good job of running (and not asking to be taken out of the game) this year.

After the game we stopped by the playground... Bradley didn't want to let go of Meggie on the slide even though it was 3 feet long and I was waiting at the bottom to catch her! Ben worries I don't watch the kids well enough... that's because I don't have to with Bradley around!

Apple Orchard

2010-10-01T23:48:00.005-04:00

We went to a local apple orchard and picked some apples... the kids had fun and we got some sweet pictures of them.

Trampoline

2010-09-27T23:45:00.000-04:00

While we were playing on the trampoline the other day the boys wanted me to take some videos of them performing their tricks:

Trampoline #1

Trampoline #2

Trampoline #3

More Charleston Pics - from Abby

2010-09-26T23:32:00.005-04:00

I thought I had looked at these pics on Abby's blog but then I realized that they were on facebook... so I downloaded them to my computer so I could share them too.

Abby with Meggie and Sarah.

The boys are checking out Sarah.

Meggie taking in the ocean.

What is this stuff?

I love this pic... nice work Abby!

Meggie took a few spills in the water, but she kept going back for more.

Caleb and Kyler had a lot of fun playing in the sand. Caleb wanted to bury Kyler and I was amazed that Kyler just sat in the sand and let him do it as long as he wanted to.

Bradley, Noah, and Jeb

Kyler trying to bust the Diego pinata at Samuel's birthday party.

While we were eating Meggie decided to reach over to Jeb's plate and take half of his cake... she had her own piece, but apparently it wasn't enough! Thankfully, Jeb is so sweet he just laughed.

Abby and Jonas got an awesome new camper and they invited Bradley to spend the night with them... he had a lot of fun and now he wants us to buy a camper too.

Hanging out on Bob's boat.

Sarah Hope

2010-09-26T23:25:00.002-04:00

Sarah Hope ~ She was absolutely beautiful and so sweet. We enjoyed getting to see her and remembering how small babies are (ours is just a chunk now)! Meggie had fun looking at her, but she tried to be a little too rough so we had to keep watch.

Bradley thought she was just wonderful... he just loves all babies and he is so sweet with them.

Samuel with all of his silly band... I love this!

Proud cousin Bradley!

Noah and Kyler shooting each other... oh dear!

Samuel thought Bradley was funny for some reason!

All the kiddos in the playroom... Sarah, you don't know what your in for!

Boats and Crabs

2010-09-26T23:03:00.001-04:00

We finally made it over to see Bob's sailboat. The kids had fun exploring it and hanging out on the pier. Jonas got the kids the stuff they needed to do some crabbing and then showed them how. They thought that was the most wonderful part of the trip. I think they would have spend all day out there pulling up crab. They were actually pretty good at it and they caught quite a few. We even got to boil some and taste them before we left.

Caleb enjoying his biscuit.

Meggie giving Caleb a hug.

And of course she couldn't leave out Jeb.

Meggie checking out the water below... this is right before she decided to loose one of her crocs over the side! Luckily we had "Jonas the Bonus" with us and he was able to use a net and lasso the shoe before it was swept out to sea! Unfortunately, I was so distraught over the shoe I didn't think to get any pictures of this miraculous event!

Jeb, Caleb, Bradley, and Kyler all holding up there crabs. (After Jeb taught them how to do it without getting pinched!)

Abby found these awesome Monster Truck shoes for Kyler and he has enjoyed sporting them... thanks again for that Aunt Abby!

Messing around on Bob's boat.

Charleston - Beach

2010-09-25T22:16:00.005-04:00

While we were visiting our newest niece we spent some time at the beach. The kids had a great time playing and the weather was wonderful. This was Meggie's first trip to the beach and she loved it. She had a great time playing with the sand, water, and even the seaweed. This was the first time Kyler had been to the beach since before he turned 2 so I'm not sure how much he remembered, but he had a great time playing in the water and building sand castles. These pictures are from our second day at the beach... I forgot my camera the first day, but Abby got some great pictures that day that you can look at here.

Meggie's New Trick

2010-09-19T22:15:00.000-04:00

Meggie finally catching on to some of the tricks we have been trying to teach her... here is the first one that we have gotten on video.

Meggie's Getting Smart

Soccer and Laundry

2010-09-18T22:04:00.000-04:00

Bradley showing off his kick at Soccer.

Meggie thinks she has learned all about how to do laundry... and she thinks it is so fun!

Around the House

2010-09-17T21:38:00.000-04:00

Kyler wanted a bowl of cookie dough (thanks to Ben for teaching him about that!) to eat and then after I fixed it for him he wanted to sit on the counter so he could "eat it by the fire!"

Meggie and Kyler playing in the bath.

Meggie was having a blast playing with the water in Layla's water bowl and Kyler was being so sweet to keep filling it up for her.

Soccer, Chuckie, and Teeth

2010-09-11T23:25:00.006-04:00

This is an Abby inspired post... lots of fun things put into one post!

Bradley started soccer today. He was mad that I signed him up because he wasn't crazy about it the last season he played... but I talked him into trying and he said after his first game that it was much more fun now and he wanted to go back.

Bradley running with the ball.

Bradley defending the goal.

Kyler cheering for Bradley.

Meggie walking around... she had all she could stand of watching Bradley!

Kyler was disappointed he didn't get to play soccer so we decided to head over to Chuck E Cheese after the game so he could have some fun too.

Meggie riding the Barney ride.

Kyler playing basketball... he has to stand on the game to reach the goal, but he make a good many of his shots!

Meggie eating... imagine that!

It was way past Meggie's nap time and she was so tired she was being silly.

All she needed was a shot of caffeine to get her going!

She wasn't sure what to make of this ride... she just looked at it with this funny look the whole time.

Bradley has had a loose tooth for about 7 months now and it finally came out tonight!! He was so excited because it has been driving him crazy and of course he is looking to make some money. Hopefully it didn't do any damage taking so long to come out... but we're heading down to meet our new cousin soon so hopefully Uncle Paul can take a quick look at it!

Bradley with his tooth... he finally let me pull it out tonight. Ben is very upset that he didn't get to be the one to do it... he had been bugging Bradley for days!

Here are the requested videos of Meggie walking around outside. Ben didn't realize he was shooting them sideways... so you'll have to turn your head to the left to see them!

Meggie Walking #1

Meggie Walking #2

Kyler's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-07T13:21:00.004-04:00

Kyler had his first day of Preschool. He was very excited to go but he did promise me the night before that he was still going to be my baby, even though he was going to school.

Ben made the kids french toast for breakfast.

Kyler getting ready to go into his classroom... no tears, thank goodness!

Hanging up his book bag. After he got in the class he went to play with blocks and Meggie and I stood at the door and watched him for a few minutes. I heard him telling a boy who knocked over another girls blocks that if he knocked his down he would not be his friend!

When I picked Kyler up he said he had a great day and he spent the entire ride home telling me what all they did. He was kind of angry that the teacher took his glue out of his bag and kept it but I think he got over it pretty quickly. He said no one made him mad and that he did make some friends!

This is a video of Kyler telling me about his first day of school:

Kyler's First Day of Preschool

Frog

2010-09-06T13:32:00.003-04:00

The boys found this frog outside and Kyler caught it. He had fun playing with it and looking at it in the fish bowl. After a few minutes he did release it so that it could find its family.

Family Visit

2010-09-05T12:48:00.002-04:00

Mama, Karah, Cooper, and Kealie came up to visit for the weekend. We had a lot of fun hanging out, touring Fredericksburg, and hitting a few sites in DC.

Bradley's First Day of School

2010-09-03T21:18:00.005-04:00

I told Bradley I would make him anything for breakfast and he chose dry frosted flakes!

Even Meggie got up early to see Bradley off... which is VERY unusual!

Kyler had to get a quick game in before we left.

Helping Bradley get his shoes on.

Meggie is all set to take Bradley to school.

Kyler is a little angry about having to get ready so early.

We took this video of Bradley telling us how he thinks his day will go.

Bradley Heading to School

Bradley heading in to school.

Kyler got this picture of Bradley sitting at his desk.

Bradley was really excited to start school and make some friends but his day didn't go exactly as he thought it would. He was expecting it to be more like his last Preschool class and he said it wasn't as much fun. He also said there were some kids in the class that kept talking and didn't know how to behave... and that annoyed him. He made a couple of friends and seems to like his new teacher. He also said they worked on writing letters and numbers and did several things that he already knew how to do. He told Ben on a scale from 1 to 10 his first day was a 5... so I guess it could have been worse. He does seem optimistic about next week and things being better.

Motorcycle

2010-08-27T23:01:00.001-04:00

All of the kids riding around on one motorcycle!

Bubble Time

2010-08-26T22:55:00.002-04:00

One of the kids got hold of the bubble bath and we ended up with tons of bubbles! The had a great time playing though.

Bradley pretending to be Two-Face. (We've been watching a lot of Batman movies lately... Kyler's kind of obsessed!)

Meggie though it was just hilarious.

Swimming at the Pool

2010-08-22T22:43:00.002-04:00

Meggie thinking about jumping in the pool.

Apparently someone ticked her off!

Kyler with his pool toys.

Bradley taking Meggie on a trip around the pool.

Bike Riding

2010-08-21T22:34:00.001-04:00

When we got home from our bike ride we realized Meggie was asleep.

Bradley riding around.

Meggie having fun watching the boys.

Bradley doing one of his tricks.

Here are some videos we took of the kids riding their bikes.

Bradley Riding his Bike

Kyler Riding his New Bike

Bradley doing Tricks

Meggie Walking in Driveway

I was also lucky enough to get this little clip of Ben giving us one of his pearls of wisdom.

And... this is a video that Kyler said he was making to send to Jeb and Caleb, but toward the end I think he got a little confused about who he was talking to!

Kyler's Video

Fun times at lunch

2010-08-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

While we were having lunch Bradley though he would give us a little education about what happens to food after you eat it. I got a video of it... but it's not quite appropriate for the internet! He did have Kyler laughing so hard he could hardly breath.

One of those parents...

2010-08-16T14:41:00.002-04:00

Well... I said I wouldn't, but I did. I am now one of "those parents." The boys and I took Meggie to get her ears pierced today. Ben said he did not care if we took her but he did not want to be there to see it. (He must really think it's cute now... he has asked me if I have posted these pics online about 10 times!) Bradley was very opposed to it and Kyler thought it was a great idea! She only cried for about a minute and then she was happy all day long... especially after we got her a cookie!

We also took a couple of new videos of Meggie.

Meggie Walking

Meggie playing with Wiggly Ball

National Zoo in the Rain

2010-08-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

We were stuck at Ben's apartment because the air conditioner went out in our house so we decided to take a trip over to the zoo. When we got there we went straight to the Amazonia building and saw some cool fish and turtles. As soon as we came out it started drizzling... but the boys wanted to look at some animals anyway. We walked to about 5 exhibits but couldn't find any animals outside so we decided to head back to the car. By that time it was pouring and we all got soaked but it was still pretty funny!

A giant bug made out of bugs!

Kyler got tired walking up the hill and Bradley was the only one he could con into giving him a ride.

Around the House

2010-08-10T22:37:00.001-04:00

Meggie after feeding herself lunch... she loves some bagel bites!

The boys letting Meggie watch some "baby" tv.

Sesame Place

2010-08-08T21:36:00.000-04:00

Kyler has been wanting to go to Sesame Place for so long we decided to take him.

Meggie waiting in line to ride the Merry-go-Round.

Bradley and Kyler climbing on the net.

It was so hot Meggie couldn't get enough water.

Sliding on the Cookie Monster Mountain.

Kyler with his Elmo cupcake.

Meeting Abby Cadabby!

and Elmo!

Meeting Zoe!

Meggie... like everyone else is ready to go!

But, we have to make a stop in the gift shop... of course.

The only memory Ben wanted to remember... leaving!

Meggie napping with her Abby Cadabby doll.

Kyler with his bath toys... and trying to trick Ben into thinking he is going to ride in the front with me!

Bradley with his Snuffleupagus.

We didn't have much fun at Sesame Place... it was way too crowded and the wait for the rides was way too long for what the rides were. We would not recommend it. The kids did have fun on the few things that are pictured above. We also got to ride a roller coaster that was pretty fun... and the boys loved that. Below are some videos of each kid on the Merry-go-Round and the boys on the Cookie Monster Mountain.

Meggie on Merry-go-Round

Kyler on Merry-go-Round

Bradley on Merry-go-Round

Boys on Mountain