Good Monday

I love Monday mornings that get off to a good start. So far this morning I've got the kitchen clean, dishes done, floors mopped, laundry going, and two happy little boys running around outside in the fall sunshine. I'm sure they are up to no good, but I'll just try and be content for letting them play for a minute and not worry about what they're doing.

On Saturday we went to my grandparents house in Hermiston and the kids got to have a "pumpkin hunt". My aunt Alaina that lives in Heppner has a big pumpkin patch and she loaded up whole bunch of pumpkins to bring down for all the little cousins. They loved going and finding them hidden all over the yard. There were even a few tiny ones stuck up in the trees. I thought that was such a fun idea, we might have to make it a tradition.

After that we spent the rest of the evening at my parents house and had dinner and birthday cake for my brother Richard. The kids also enjoyed some candy apples that grandma Melodee made. Some of the kids got messier than others:

{Kale}

Tonight we are going to decorate some pumpkins and roast some smores for family home evening. Morgan asks us pretty much every night if we can make some, so we figured we would have a nice, chilly, fall marshmallow roast. It's definitely cold enough at night to sit around a fire.

Signs of Fall and Halloween

October is flying by and we (really the kids) are on the countdown to Halloween. I have yet to really even start working on costumes so I better stop slacking and get on that. I'm loving the crisp breezes, the chilly nights, and the baking weather, not to mention the falling leaves and autumn foliage that is the perfect back drop for all of the Halloween decor that's been popping up around town. I love this time of year when our grass is emerald green and Riley is trying to get the last few mows in before the sprinklers are turned off for the winter. (It seems like it was just spring and we were waiting for them to get turned on.) We've enjoyed watching the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, making donuts, and reading Halloween books.

I thought I'd post a few pictures of what fall is looking like around our place:

(My new lights. They cast the coziest glow at night.)

(Cooper couldn't miss out on a photo op. Don't you love his Spiderman rain boots?)

Attitude and Underwear

Last Saturday Kendle's soccer team gained another victory. She scored three goals, made some stellar saves at keeper, and played tough defense. Their team is still undefeated and she has a total of 10 goals for the season. She played like a beast and dominated the second half. So why was it a little hard to celebrate after the game? Well, I hate to say it, but her attitude and sportsmanship could use a little bit of work. Her competitive edge came out in full force, maybe a little too much? Sometimes she gets a little frustrated when she doesn't feel like everyone else is trying as hard as she is, which I totally understand, but we tried to emphasize the importance of building your team mates up and leading by example instead of having a major attitude and trying to be the "mini" coach on the field. Her dad and I tried to explain that even when you play your best game, you don't walk off the field a winner if you acted like a loser. I think it is also hard for her to treat her dad like a coach and not dad when she doesn't agree with what he wants her to do. All that aside, if she can work on the attitude and keep playing like she has, I think the sky is the limit to what she can do. She has become a whole different player this season. And I suppose (uh hmmm, throat clearing....) that Riley and I need to work on being better examples of not being so critical and that winning isn't everything.

I took these pictures during the half because I was so entertained by how hard Riley was trying to instill come strategy and instruction to these girls, although half of it was probably over their heads. He tries so hard to make these girls better. I just had to laugh and capture "coach Riley" in action on camera:

Lately Morgan has been obsessed with underwear. The other day while watching The Grinch who stole Christmas, he was sincerely puzzled as to why the Grinch wasn't wearing underwear (or clothes half the time for that matter). Is there really any good explanation you can give a 4 year old about that? I think I mumbled something about the fact that the Grinch was a creature of some sort and creatures don't need to wear it. Then this morning while getting dressed he asked me if Darth Vader wears underwear. Yep, I replied. Then he asks me, "Even when he was getting melted in the hot lava that burned half his body off?" Ummm....yep, I replied. "What about after he became the bad Darth Vader and he was wearing the big suit and mask and he talked funny?" Yep, pretty sure he was still wearing it. I read somewhere the other day that the average 4 year old asks around 400 questions a day. It's crazy, but true. And half of Morgan's questions are about underwear. Ha! He is so funny.

Here are a few pictures I snapped of the boys this morning since they were actually getting along and playing together:

October Is Here

Well, I'm officially slacking on my blog. I can't believe I only posted three times for the WHOLE month of September. I guess I could say I just haven't had the time, but I think more than that I just haven't felt the motivation lately. But, vowing to do better from here on out and into the future. Moving on......so here's what's been going on with the family:

Kendle:

Kendle has been one busy little girl. She has been playing softball games two or three nights a week for the last month. I kind of love the night softball games under the lights, although it is really starting to get chilly. She has really improved since the spring season and has had some stellar hits. Her last game she had some great plays at pitcher and third base - one in particular from third where she ran up on a grounder and just zinged it clear to first base (seriously like the hardest throw I've ever seen a nine year old make) and *bonus* the girl at first actually caught the ball. It was amazing. It was one of those things you see your kids do and your heart nearly leaps out of your chest with pride. This week she has her last two games and although there's been some ups and downs, I think she is really going to miss it. Soccer is also keeping her busy with a few practices during the week and games every Saturday. Her team is undefeated so far and are a fun bunch for the most part. Kendle loves playing keeper and she has been working hard on improving her kicking and getting the ball far down the field with accuracy. She is pretty aggressive and will go out and dive on the ball to make saves and sometimes I have to cringe when someone almost kicks her in the head, but I guess I better get used to it. She is also making some great plays out in the field and consistently scoring goals to help her team. Her last game she had a hat trick - three goals all back to back in the first half. I think it has been hard sometimes to have her dad as her coach, but I hope that she sees that all the hard work and running (lots and lots of running) that he has them do at practice is paying off. I love seeing the determination on her face when she is going after a ball or trying to catch up with someone when she's playing defense. Ok, that is a lot about sports! Her first month of school went by in a flash and she is really enjoying it - her teacher, her classmates, and pretty much everything else. I can't say enough good things about her teacher this year, she has gone above and beyond already in some things she has done for Kendle and I'm thankful for that. In Kendle's "spare" time when she isn't at softball or soccer or reading a book, she's been enjoying learning to roller blade with her roller blades she got for her birthday and also jumping on our new trampoline. She's also excited that at her last orthodontist appointment she got her expander removed (no more metal on the roof of her mouth) and she'll also be getting her top braces off soon. Pretty exciting stuff!

Morgan:

Morgan has been growing like a weed over the last few months. Jeans that I bought him for preschool are starting to already look a little short. He is so skinny though, that it is hard to keep up with the growth and not have him drowning in the waist. He's a little muscle man and has a little six pack. He has loved jumping on the new trampoline and helped his dad put it together. He has figured out how to do some flips, but yesterday he kneed himself in the face while doing one and gave himself a gushing bloody nose. Might need to lay off of those for a while. He also got to go hunting for the first time last week and he was pretty thrilled with himself even if (according to Riley) they only got to see and shoot at a few birds. Just the fun of getting up early with dad, getting his cool camo gear on, traipsing through the fields, and stopping to get breakfast afterwards, pretty much made his day. He loves to help me make cookies, measure the ingredients, and dump them all in. He's also a quiet cookie snatcher when I'm not looking. It would be great if he could learn to play with his little brothers a little better, but for the most part he is still a happy fun boy and I enjoy the quiet time in the afternoons we get to spend together when the twins are napping. He is starting to like to read books with me more and some of his favorites right now are "The Story of Ferdinand" (the bull) and "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything." We're hoping to get him playing some indoor soccer soon.

Cooper (on the left) and Kale (on the right):

Our little guys will be turning 2 in November. Where has the time gone? It's been a whirlwind I can tell you. Wow, these boys are hard to keep up with. They have gotten into quite a few predicaments lately. The other day Cooper pulled his trike from the back patio inside the house, rode it through the house to the laundry room, and proceeded to somehow put two or three scoops of laundry detergent into the back compartment on the trike and also dump more all over the floor. Pretty much every day is filled with little surprises like that. Towels pulled into the bathtub, toilet paper pulled into the tub, pen on furniture, flooding the kitchen sink, getting into the charcoal in the fire pit, plugging and unplugging every chord they can get their hands on, randomly recording shows on tv, pulling all the baby wipes out, squeezing lotion everywhere........the list could literally just go on and on and on. Some days I even get tired of hearing myself be a broken record of "No, no's", "Stop that", and so on. They are squirmy and wiggly and fast, and starting to not let me hug them or cuddle as much. They are little jokesters and love to play and tease. I know they are good boys deep down, they do lots of sweet things so that I know they still love me. While I'm changing one of their diapers, the other one will hug me across my back and lean on me. We call these "backwards hugs" at our house and they are Cooper and Kale's favorite thing to do. It is cute too how at night when I am reading Morgan a story before bed, they insist on having books in their cribs to read as well. They are such good boys about always wanting to say their prayers at night, and always fold their arms at church for the prayers. They are also adamant about holding the hymn book at church as if it is some great prize. It is the first thing they want to do after we arrive and sit down in our seats. They must have their own, and they will not share with me. Ha. Cooper is pretty stingy and likes to take anything away that Kale has that is making him happy. He is kind of the bully of the two and is always beating up on  Kale. He always has to be first and has to sit in the front of the tub during bath time. I am trying to get them to share with each other but it is not easy. Kale most of the time is the big cry baby and will come running every time he feels slighted. He is better about sharing, but is also quick to go grab anything Cooper puts down for a few seconds. Kale is starting to talk a little more than Cooper and I'm hoping Cooper will start catching up. I'm looking forward to them getting along better and being good friends. I pray for it every night.

Riley is super duper busy with work this time of year. The fall is always a super big hustle and bustle and even when he is done and home for the day, he's never really done and still is getting calls and making arrangements for sales and setups. I was hoping for a calmer fall with him not coaching high school girls soccer this season, but combined with being Kendle's coach and also being the t-cysa city director this year I feel like not much has changed. But, it's all for good reasons so it's ok. I think he is somewhat enjoying coaching Kendle's soccer team, but I know he gets frustrated with some ideas of things he wants the girls to do and then maybe it's just over their heads just a little bit. He is a great coach though and the girls seem to respond well to him and not get offended when he's yelling instructions to them during the games.  The city director job is pretty tedious and thankless for the most part, (most volunteer positions are) but he has persevered and the hard part is pretty much over now that the season is a month in. He has been getting some little projects done here and there for me in his spare time, we even got one of our new outdoor lights put up and installed on Saturday, now I'm just waiting for the other three to go up. :) We bought half a cow and Riley also surprised me with a pig (isn't that what every wife dreams of?), so we are officially stocked up on meat for a long time. I give Riley a hard time that he is obsessed with meat and he keeps talking about all these different ways we can cook everything and yada, yada......I just try to smile and be glad he at least likes to BBQ and cook a lot of it.

I am SO excited it is officially fall and we are having some cooler fall weather. I think as I get older I enjoy the cooler weather a bit more, it's like a nice crisp refresher after the summer heat. I've been getting out the fall decorations and went and bought some huge containers of mums this weekend. Also found a good deal on some big urns to put them in by the garage and the front door and some smallish pumpkins to add autumn flair.  It sure makes everything look happy and festive. I love all of the oranges and reds and yellows that are starting to be seen in the foliage around here. I love the month of October and all of the fun things it is filled with. Birthdays, holidays, lots of sports and outdoor festivities and next week I'll also be getting a new niece! Can't wait. I loved listening to General Conference over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed every talk. I especially loved President Monson's talk where he told the story of being a young boy and leaving his five dollar bill that he had worked so hard for in the pocket of his pants that were sent to be washed. It was a sweet coincidence that he told this story, as just the night before I had a long conversation with Kendle about how she can start earning five dollars a week to save up for some things she has been wanting. She did not seem to think that five dollars was very much money and that it would take forever to earn enough money for the things she wanted. I'm glad she could listen to our prophet tell his story about how hard he had worked for that "small" amount of money and how sad he was that it would be ruined and that he had the faith to pray for it's safe return. I'm looking forward to getting my new treadmill set up and being able to get back in a really good running routine. I feel like I am going to be starting at square one since my workouts have been somewhat sporadic since the summer, but I know it will feel good just to be doing it consistently again.

Well, I guess this super long post can make up for my lack in posting last month.