Workaween!

I'm posting some pics from work today so that I don't overload our server. Family & friends... please disregard!!

Can anyone guess who this member of the HR team is?? Anyone??



Here the group at Cooper 110.

Wendy at Ensminger.

The group at Ensminger. Yes, there is a whoopie cushion in this picture!

The group at Dearborn. Jeannine has red contacts in... creepy!

Our own Wizard... and master at experiencism.

And, Glinda the Good Witch! I feel like I have to say lollipop after saying Glinda the Good Witch??

The dynamic duo.

John's office is amazing. Here is a pictorial walk through courtesy of Mariann. Enter if you dare!

Oh, the munchkins!

The man behind the curtain.

The walk through the forest, oh my!

There she is, the wicked witch of the west!

Watch out, it's the flying monkeys!!

I'll get those ruby red slippers!

Blah!!

And, for those of you who don't have the luxury of an in-person visit, here is your virtual walk through Oz.

I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into our world.

Blogaversary

It has been exactly one year since I started recording our adventures on this blog. I really enjoy looking back at the old posts and remembering all the little details that would have escaped me by now.

At the same time, it reminds me of how fast time is flying. We didn't have a Ryan a year ago! How can that be?? Now we have this beautiful laughing boy cruising the living room and trashing the place. I can't imagine not having him now.

Tyler has also changed significantly. A year ago I was very concerned about how his world was going to change. As I sit here today I know this year has brought him much joy. He's my Tyler and I wouldn't change him for anything.

Here's to another year!

Pumpkin Mania!!

Today was a gorgeous fall day so I couldn't resist taking lots of pictures of my boys with the pumpkins. I have to share a few.

This is Tyler's version of a pumpkin snowman. Too funny! He's quite proud of himself.



I am going to be so sad when Ryan stops smiling with his mouth open. Look mom, two pumpkins!!

You have to smile when looking at these pictures, right?

I tried really hard to get a good picture of the two of them together. He's an example of the result.

They're mine, all mine!

This is classic Tyler. Too cool.

Another try at a picture together.

The pictures are a lot better with haircuts. So much better.

Ok, I have about 100 more, but that's enough for now. We still have to carve them!!

Trunk or Treat!!

Yesterday was the Trunk or Treat event hosted by the mommies group to benefit the local food bank. Basically a bunch of us decorated our car trunks and the kiddos trick or treated. It was great fun! A little cold and windy, but fun.

Here is our trunk. It was supposed to be a duck pond. How did I do?? Poor Ryan. He has no choice but to play along.





Isn't he adorable? This is the same costume that Tyler wore when he was almost 2. Ryan fits in it now at almost 1. It's probably a good thing that he's wearing it a year early because he's not scared of it.

I remember being so excited when I found this costume. It was Tyler's first Halloween costume! I brought it home and held it in front of me as I walked into the living room, quacking. Tyler freaked! He was traumatized by the duck. Looking back on it I can understand why something as big as you coming toward you could be a bit intimidating... I left the costume on the couch for about a month so the duck and Tyler could work out their differences!

There was no such drama with Ryan. Here he is hanging out.

Too cute!

Tyler and his friend Liam enjoyed the festivities. Tyler is Batman and Liam is a Power Ranger.

In addition to games and goodies, there were characters to visit. Here are the boys with Perry Winkle, the local ice cream dude.

The best part of the day was the ride in the bucket of a real fire truck! Here they are ready to go. Dan got to go with them. Up, up and away!

This was the best trunk. They actually built a track!

Here we are waiting for the next batch of kids.

Poor Ryan. He had quite a day.

I've got to go. Ryan is now cruising and into everything! Aaaaahhhhh!

Pumpkins

Last weekend we went pumpkin hunting with Uncle Dave and Aunt Alisa. We've checked out a number of places over the past few years and this was by far the best... although one of the other places has a winery and a brewery... even so, Brown's Berry Patch is awesome. They've got goats on the roof. What more do I have to say??





Alisa and I got into the spirit of the day right away. I've never been on a bounce pad before... notice the lack of children in this picture? This thing was huge! It was kind of like the floor of a bounce house without walls. You should have seen us trying to get on top! What a hoot.

Then it was off to the corn maze. Here's Tyler running through it. We let him pick the direction at every intersection. I am directionally challenged and I'm sorry to say that Tyler inherited my dysfunction, poor boy.

Running, running, running...

They had a huge slide that grown-ups were allowed to go on. Here I am sliding with my boy.

Off to the rubber duck races. Uncle Dave and Aunt Alisa cheered Tyler on as he pumped his duck through the track. Go Tyler Go!

I'm not sure what to call this contraption... some sort of teeter totter type thing...

Aunt Alisa keeping Ryan entertained. I love Ry in this hat.

Weeeee! Here's our friend Jeff and his little girl Evelyn enjoying the big slide!

And Tyler with Daddy.

Check out Ryan's top teeth. They look like they're going to be huge. I think he was watching the goats walk their track up above.

Then it was finally time to pick out our pumpkin.

Oh my... such decisions... can you guess which pumpkin is my favorite?? I think I'll take the blue one in the middle.

I tried multiple times to get a nice picture of the boys in the patch, but this is the best I could do. There was just too much excitement to get them to be still together. And, I'm trying to hold off on haircuts for our family picture. I'm not liking the scraggly look!

That's a great pumpkin Ryan!

Aren't they cute? She's 8 months older than Ryan. They're going to be trouble in a couple of months when Ryan starts running.

We also tried for a family picture. That darn sun!

We ended our day at the patch with hay ride and donuts. Yum. It was the perfect fall day and so nice to share with family and friends.

And, when we got back home I decided to try for a boy shot again with the pumpkin... um, yeah, the boys need haircuts.

Back at home the boys had a good time rolling on the floor with Uncle Dave. Tyler caught a case of the sillies. But, that's what uncles are for, right??

It's a week later and I'm still smiling. I'm looking forward to our next adventure at the patch.