Highway to the Danger Zone!

My very own Goose and Maverick!  Can we say, reliving my youth?

Sean said he wanted to be a pilot one day in late August and I jumped on that.  I'm all about taking advantage of the fact that the boys still let me decide what they wear for the most part, so this is probably my last Halloween having some say in the costume.  A Pinterest search for sibling costumes and I came across the genius idea to turn the wagon into a fighter jet.

I enlisted my parents' help for design/material ideas knowing Scott was burned out on wagon transformations from our firetruck creation last Halloween.  They dedicated 5+ hours one weekend in October and delivered the wagon two weeks ago, ready to go.  A million thanks for their blood, sweat, and tears!

Costumes were purchased off Amazon for $20 each, Aviator sunglasses from Amazon too ($8 each), and my mom found the hats at a dollar store and sewed on the emblem that she found from JoAnne's.  I love that the kids can wear warm clothes underneath in layers depending on the weather.  Considering that we hit the weather jackpot both Halloween events we've attended so far, we're due for the 40 degree weather and potential snow flurries they're predicting for Halloween night.

Plymouth does such a nice job with their Pumpkin Palooza in mid-October.  From 12pm-4pm, downtown shuts down traffic and all the local businesses participate in passing out treats and hosting games for the kids to play.  The firetrucks show up, spooky music is playing over the loud speaker, and costume contests are held for all ages and even for pets.

Another new favorite is Greenfield Village's Hallowe'en.  Last year was our first year going since we were members and we took a risk, skipping the Zoo Boo, and attending Greenfield Village.  It was a million times better than the Zoo Boo!  From the Grim Reaper to the spooky bridge with smoke and strobe lights, there was so much more to see and do for the kids.  Well worth the extra money!

6:30 is the first time slot and truthfully, the best with little kids.  It's light out when we arrive and it's dark out when we leave.  We were home by 8:30 and even had time to stop at a little cafe inside of GV for some hot cider and donuts!  Even spiked cider...

The weather was in the low 60's and high 50's!  In late October!  Can you believe it?  It was absolutely beautiful.  I don't even think Scott minded that he was missing the precious Michigan vs. Michigan State football game.

With fall and it's beautiful colors going by so quickly it seems this year, I knew we needed one last trip to the Cider mill.  We haven't had a chance to get out to Three Cedars where we had Sean's birthday party last year, so that was our destination when I had an unexpected day at home with the boys on Friday!  Every one had the same idea in mind.  The place was packed, but we still had a blast!

Even a complete outfit change in an outhouse complete with a port-a-potty and all in some pretty damp, chilly weather didn't put a damper on our day out.  (Seriously though, Evan?)  Accident free for weeks and we're stuck changing clothes in a wet, filthy, cold bathroom.  My worst potty training nightmare, for sure.

What trip to Three Cedars wouldn't be complete without standing on the big rolls of hay?  Is there a technical term for these hay rolls?  If so, oops!

Last, but not least, our final step in preparing for Halloween and the end of October is carving pumpkins!  I don't know why I always think this is going to be such a fun, perfect family moment.  Because it never is.  Mixing sharp knives, sharpie markers, messy pumpkin guts and seeds, and two little boys together on a Sunday night was just a total cluster.  We now have sharpie on our hard word floor and a piece of my sanity is still MIA.  But, at least they look cute in the pumpkin carving mess we created...

And our final product...

We have two carved pumpkins, pumpkin seeds are baked (and tasty!), and some Goose and Maverick costumes all laid out and ready for some trick-or-treating on Friday!  The tradition continues of going over to my sister-in-law's house so the cousins can all go out together for candy.  Chili, hot cider, a bonfire, etc.!  I'm excited and so relieved that it's on a Friday this year.  I have a feeling two little boys will be dragging in swim class on Saturday morning...

When Hines Drive is your backyard...

We've lived in this house for 3 years and I can't help but still be in awe of all Hines Drive has to offer.  We've driven for miles down this stretch admiring the spring flowers, the fall colors, and even the Christmas lights.  Every single season is breathtaking in it's own way.  But, man, fall cannot be beat.

You can't see from this picture, but our neighborhood is up over the hill and back a ways.  It's like having Hines Drive in your backyard.

A totally impromptu "adventure in a spooky forest" on a Monday evening after dinner bought us over an hour of Pure Michigan and fall splendor.  I admit there were a few times I panicked and wondered how we'd ever find our way back home, but Scott was the voice of reason and led us back.

Walking down a steep hill with damp grass while carrying a two-year old and my camera?  No problem.  Ducking under fallen trees while still in my work clothes?  I've got this.

It seemed all worth it to get a view like this as the sun was setting tonight.

My four-year usually complains when he has to walk any distance further than going to the end of the driveway, but much to my surprise, he was in his element.  Grabbing sticks to use as a walking stick, wanting to follow his daddy anywhere he went, and finally getting to throw rocks into the river.  Nature suits him well.

On our walk back home we came upon the prettiest tree sitting at the top of a hill.  We raced to the top, we rolled in the leaves, and we watched the cars drive by on Hines Drive.  My only regret was not going on these adventures sooner.  This may be my new favorite way to spend time with my family, while getting in some exercise at the same time.  Win-win.

In one blink of an eye, in one short weekend, these very same trees will be bare and the colors will be stripped.  It's like hitting a jackpot when you can get a few good shots of the kids playing in the leaves.  I guess it's my lucky night.

Go outside and enjoy this beauty for all it's worth.  I'm sure we have a long winter ahead of us.

Lazy Sunday Evenings...

It was one of those perfect fall evenings.  Well, almost perfect considering we have a toddler and preschooler living under the roof.

See what I mean?  

I had a batch of Witches Brew going in the crock pot, a pumpkin scented candle glowing in the living room, a chicken and rice casserole in the oven, and two content boys enjoying a warm, sunny afternoon outside after nap.  So, I thought I would see if I could gather up enough leaves in our backyard to create a pile big enough for two boys to jump in.  Twenty minutes later, we were in luck.

So serious...

Of course once there's a pile of leaves big enough for jumping in, there's a pile of leaves big enough to be worthy of a bonfire after dinner.  So, we gathered around and pushed our luck with bedtime a mere twenty minutes away.  We made s'mores (probably for the last time this season) and sat around the fire for a while.

It was a perfect way to end our weekend.  We've been so busy and so on-the-go on our weekends since the school year started.  It was much appreciated by the entire family to partake in some fall activities and enjoy the fresh air.  After all, it's my favorite season and it's going by way too fast!

Seriously.  How is it already mid-October?  Time to enjoy our indian summer weather for all it's worth and take advantage of every opportunity to play outside.  Happy fall, y'all!

Why take a bite of the whole thing when I can eat all the gooey marshmallow first, then the chocolate...

Even Bailey gets a s'more.  Minus the chocolate, of course.

Happy 4th Birthday, Sean!!

How is it possible that I have a 4 year old?  Much less one that's now in Pre-K at his school.  Look at my little guy.

He's so full of life every.single.day!  It's never a dull moment with Sean!  He keeps us busy from sun up to sun down.  A co-worker asked me a few weeks ago, if you could pick one word to describe Sean, what would it be?  I had to think about it for a minute, but finally decided on passionate.  For that can be a positive word to describe him and negative word too.  Because there's nothing that he doesn't put 100% into.  Tantrums, imagining scenarios, building block towers, playing with his brother, etc.

Aside from his firecracker personality, he's also going to make one heck of a salesman should he choose that profession.  The kid can negotiate like no other.  Suddenly, writing his name turns into two Hershey kisses.  Cleaning up toys equals one TV show of his choice.  Perhaps that seems to be our parenting style to give him bait, but the kid could make a decent lawyer one day.  He's so sharp and witty when needed.  He has the sharpness of an adult with his comebacks.  It's such a treat to hear what he has to say.

The kid knew what he loved as soon as he got his first set of cars on his first birthday.  Three years later and he's still obsessed with vehicles.  Our basement has been transformed into a train station, parking garage, and monster truck arena.  Considering we have a playroom on the first floor, it gives you a good idea of how many vehicles we own and how much space they take up.  He'll dig in the sand for hours if you let him playing with his "working trucks", imagining working sites.  Having seen I-96 completely shut down and under construction for the past 5 months, he has quite the imagination of what they're working on.  As much as I'm happy to have the freeway re-open, I'm almost sad that he doesn't get to see the biggest working site possible anymore.

I'm not sure if this is normal for a 4 year-old boy or not, but I have a boy who's also obsessed with spooky things.  In fact, I have two boys who are obsessed with ghosts, witches, goblins, monsters, and spiders year round.  Doesn't even need to be near Halloween and they're begging me to play scary monsters with them or to watch Scooby-Doo.  I think Scott secretly, or not so secretly, enjoys the fact that they love Scooby-Doo episodes.  Hello, reliving your childhood?  We've finally reached the point after being able to show him Michael Jackson's Thriller video for two years that he can no longer watch that video without having nightmares.  Although, he still requests I play the song on Youtube (as long as there's no scary movie with it).  My fingers are crossed this is normal.

From counting to 30, speaking a little Spanish, writing his name, knowing some of the states in the United States, and recognizing upper and lower case numbers, Sean is right where he should be academically.  Of course, this is important to me and Scott.  While I know he's willing to work at school, it's not always easy to get him to comply at home.  But, we do what we're good at - getting kids to work on things without even realizing they're working on it.  A map of the US on a rug?  Perfect chance to ask him to jump to a state when I call it out loud.  Counting in Spanish to count down your truck jumping off a ramp?  Yes, please.

We've reached the superhero/character phase in our house!  From Spiderman to TMNT, we are in full-blown boy mode.  Thanks daycare!  I thought we might escape this phase for a few more years, but we've arrived.  Even Evan seems interested in them too.  Ahhh!  Swords?  Weapons?  Time to go beyond my comfort zone and embrace having little boys in the house.  I guess that makes next June's Disney trip seem a bit more exciting knowing that they're head over heels with characters.

Taking the good with the bad, I love seeing how his personality continues to grow and develop.  Scott often reminds me how much he's like me, even when I think that's a bad thing.  He's uniquely Sean.  And we love him for exactly who he is!  A little guy who knows exactly what he wants and continues to challenge and surprise me daily!  He's perfect!

Happy 4th birthday, Sean!!