Happy Halloween

Trick or Treat - Braden was a Fire Fighter this year for Halloween. He loves his fire trucks so was excited to wear the special jacket and helmet. We went trick or treating in downtown Lawrence and saw plenty of great costumes. Braden was in awe watching everyone. When we were all tired, we walked by the fire station which he thoroughly enjoyed....he talked about the Fire Truck the whole way home!

Pumpkin carving - Aaron did a great job carving this year's Halloween pumpkins. They turned out great and greeted all of our Trick-or-Treaters!

While Aaron carved the pumpkins, Braden collected the seeds for us to roast. He was such a good helper! Reece kept an eye on us and kept his mom busy because he wanted to be a part of the action.

Braden is telling us who the pumpkins belong to. He kept us organized while carving!

Iowa Trip

Pumpkin Patch - in October my mom, Grandma Gens, flew in and then we drove up to Iowa to see some family......my cousin Kelly and her two kids, Ben and Ashley plus my Aunt Lynn. It was a wonderful time!

We wore the kids out at the Pumpkin Patch and then got in a few games of euchre once the kids were fast asleep. The weekend went by fast!

Hanging out at the house -

Braden reading to Reece while I'm getting organized.

Ben and Braden washing their hands.....anything to "play" in the water!

Ben was driving Braden around in his fancy Escalade. Braden was holding on tight but loved every minute! Watch out Kelly....you have a race car driver on your hands!

Reece was having a blast!

Maple Leaf Festival

Choo Choo - Braden and I went to the Maple Leaf Festival this year in Baldwin, KS. We were joined by Grandma Wilmes, Aunt Angela, Kylee and Hunter. It was a brisk morning but what fun we had. The boys enjoyed the petting zoo.....we even saw a kangaroo!

It was then off to the main event after that....riding the train! Braden took his first train ride and enjoyed it. It was a fun day!

Play Date

Swimming in October - Braden and I met Chase, daycare buddy, and his mom at the Indoor Aquatic Center. The boys had a blast in the swimming pool together. They were splashing, jumping into the water, and just having fun!

My favorite photo of all is them "licking" the side of the pool. They were actually watching water flow beneath them. Boys will be boys!!

McDonalds - after the swimming pool, we took the boys to McDonalds. They had fun and Karen and I got to catch up. It was a great afternoon! After all of this, needless to say, Braden crashed when he got home and slept great!

Baking

Little Chef - Braden is my little chef and LOVES to help out in the kitchen. He was helping me make some pumpking bread and is great at dumping in the ingredients. He enjoys stirring but his favorite thing is to taste test. I had to watch those little fingers!

Once becoming bored, he then took all of the ingredients and stacked them up high. "Fall? Fall?" he then would tell me and over they would all go!

Twins?

Matching outfits - OK, so they aren't twins but they both look pretty cute in these matching outfits that Aaron's Aunt Joan gave them. THANKS!

Big Brother

Proud Brother - Braden pointing out that he is the Big Brother....and a good one he is. He is the best with Reece!

Smiling for Mommy

Smiling video - I was able to catch Reece smiling on the camera. He typically gets shy when I bring it out. He'll eventually get used to it like Braden has since I carry it everywhere!

Pumpkin Farm

Fall is here - and so we took the boys to the Pumpkin Farm in town. It was fun to pick out pumpkins for each member of our family. As you can see it was a chilly morning but we all had fun riding the tractor and then picking out our special pumpkins to be carved at a later date.

Random photos...

The Boys - Fun photos of Reece, Braden and Aaron.

All Smiles

Happy Boy - Reece has begun to smile, laugh and coo which I just love. He is such a happy baby!

Minnesota Family Vacation

In September we took our first family vacation with Reece. It was a much needed getaway where we relaxed, did some hiking, went out on the boat, roasted marshmallows and had some great quality time as a family. Thanks Uncle Joe and family for letting us use your Lake House!

On the Road - We drove through the night up to Minnesota hoping the boys would sleep. It worked out great. Braden woke up at 4am but feel back asleep later. Reece slept in the back until the last 30min.

Arrival - we arrived for breakfast and to see Great Grandma Andries. Grandma Wilmes, Aunt Kriss and Aunt Joan were also waiting for us. It was a fun morning before heading to the cabin.

Sibley State Park - we went for a quick hike Saturday morning. It was nice to experience the great views and weather.

Nest Lake - it was a beautiful Sunday morning when we took the boat out for a cruise. Captain and Co-Captain took us safely around the lake for a ride. We stopped and did a little fishing but no bites. Thank goodness we did not count on that for dinner.

Reece slept the entire time....the gentle rock of the boat was perfect for napping!

Campfire - Yummy! I can't remember the last time I've had s'mores. They were fun to make. Thanks to Aaron's great bonfire making we roasted some marshmallows. Braden tried one but was happy with just the graham cracker. Too gooey for him!

New Toys - Braden had a blast and was right at home playing with all of the fun toys. We had plenty of pretend meals served to us and it was fun to watch his imagination at work.










Tractors - Aaron took Braden to his Uncle Tanks farm and Braden got to see some tractors. They were pretty big compared to him!

The Park

Daycare Buddies - Braden and Chase after having a lot of fun at the park. I've never seen two boys go up and down the slides so many times. Wore me out just watching them run around!

Say Cheese

Adorable - that's what I think of this photo!