Happy Halloween!

We hope you all had a fun halloween. Our night started off with Max falling out of the wagon and getting a scrape on his forehead. Luckily, it was a few centimeters over from the bruise he got from falling down the stairs a few days prior. He recovered and went happily "running" after the older kids. Will was quite excited about all the candy. And really, so was I! We all know from whom the boys got their sweet tooth!

Help

Ok, to the very few people who read this blog, I need help, encouragement, Zanax, and/or booze. As you saw in my last blog....my children are adorable, angelic-faced wonders....who are driving me crazy! I can't believe that one minute I am marveling at their cuteness, intelligence, etc. and the next I am trying the whole count to 10 thing and praying that God is ok with spanking. Cuz in my head, I know that is what is coming next. I never dreamed that a soon to be 4 year old could figure out how to push every single one of my buttons worse than my older brother ever could. Will has such a temper (no clue where that comes from!) and is still quite prone to horrible fits. And Max is starting to give Will a run for his money on the temper tantrum thing. And poor Max, he just gets bullied around by Will. This is the action that I don't get and don't know how to fix: Every time Will gets mad, he hits Max. And the reason he is mad usually has nothing to do with Max. He is just a convenient punching bag. And Will's big saying now is "Mom, I just want you to be nice". Right back at ya buddy!

And let's just talk about bedtime. Should it be an hour long process? And I know..."you made your own bed...". Blah, blah, blah. I just want a peaceful end to my day. I want to brush teeth, read books, tuck them in, say "good night" and "I love you" and then be done. Oh, I am ok with and even expecting the occasional "Mom, I need a drink" and the like, but I am not ok with the screaming of my name from 2 different rooms. (And no one is screaming "Daddy"!)

Don't get me wrong, I love those two little burping, tooting, weinie-loving, dirty, stinky boys with all my heart. Lately though, they frequently make me want to run away from home. Pack my "I'm going to Grandma's" suitcase and head off down the street. Chances are, I won't.

They'd find me anyway!

Wedding

We all had a great time at Chad (Brian's brother) and Megan this past weekend. They are now off to Mexico, and I am quite jealous. The wedding was beautifully decorated...no detail missed thanks to Megan's talented Mom. The boys did great! They actually left their tuxes on. It was Will's job to pull Max down the aisle in an antique toy fire engine. Rehearsals did not fare so well, so needless to say, I was almost as nervous as the bride and groom as go time neared. Max threw a small hissy fit just as I was supposed to send them on their way, so we did not make it down binky-free as we all had hoped. I am attaching some pics from the big day. Sadly, as it was my job to get them ready to go down the aisle, I did not make it around to my seat in time to see the walk for real! But they did get some applause! All in all, it was a great time and we are very happy for Chad and Megan.

Life has been busy around here. Will has been loving his new preschool. He is always very excited to go. He has a new little friend, Katie, who he talks about a lot. I even caught them holding hands while exiting the building the other day! Ooh la la. Despite his new relationship, he is still quite fond of Ellie, as witnessed at her birthday party last week. Those two were inseparable. Too cute!


We are anxiously awaiting the upcoming nuptuals of Brian's brother, Chad. The boys are excited to be ring bearers and wear fancy clothes. I am praying for cooperation from the two of them. You never know when the little demon children will come out! (Like now...trying to get Will to bed!). I can't wait to post some pictures from the big event!

Brian and I are celebrating our fifth anniversary this Friday. We are planning a nice dinner and the kids will be having a "sleepover" at Mema's house. Maybe we'll even slip in a movie too! Wow...we know how to live it up! Usually our problem is trying to stay out late enough so that we don't get home before the kids go to bed!

We passed up tickets to the K-State v. KU game in Manhattan this weekend in favor of watching the game with some friends. What a win over Texas last weekend. Let's hope the streak continues and we can give the Chicken Hawks a bruising!

I Love Fall

What a gorgeous day! I am so excited for the cooler weather. Although it is not officially Autumn yet, at least we can step outside without breaking an immediate sweat. No more cabin fever!

Will started at his new preschool last week and is starting to get in the groove. He is in the 4 year old class and is going 3 mornings a week. He has mastered pushing in his chair and can now remember his teacher's name. And the great part is is that there are no more tears at drop off! And for the first time in his life, Mr. Max gets a few hours of alone time with the women in his life (Mom, DaDa, and Memaw).

Mom was lucky enough to have two girls nights this week. I got to meet up with the Chi O girls for dinner on Tuesday. It is always fun catching up. And then Thursday was the monthly Bunko night, which is always a great time. The down side is I injured my back on Tuesday and have not been able to work off all the food I ate this week. I will be good tomorrow.....

Girls' Day Out

I had a great day with my mom and sister yesterday. Lunch, shopping, no kids. We probably could have sat on a curb all day and did nothing and still enjoyed ourselves....just because of the sheer fact that we were childless. It is always fun to reconnect with them on an adult level....even if neither of them sees me as an adult yet! My sanity needs me to do it more!

My fingers are crossed that the last "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" have been said, and I can get to my chore of cleaning the woodwork! Please people, don't get jealous. I would be happy to let you all come join me....

Bodily Parts

Ok, Max's newest word is "weenie". He says it repeatedly while he is overzealously playing with it.

I'm surrounded by them.