Well, that was a first!

Goal!

Proud of another goal!

Goal!

Riley and Henry making a lap around the field acting like old men. I have no idea where they came up with this one!

Being silly while defending their goal

"I scored!"

Goal!

Henry had a soccer game at 7:50 this morning. It was quite chilly, and I was worried he might not be too excited to play. Wrong! Henry was fired up as soon as he saw his buddy Riley. They get along so well, and they coincidentally have the same birthday too! Unfortunately, only two members of the purple dinosaurs showed up this morning. We were a little worried about being outnumbered. However, Riley & Henry played against five players on the field for the other team and still completely dominated the game. In fact, after about 8 goals in 3 minutes, the parents asked if we could please tell our boys to let the other team have the ball! So, we actually told Riley and Henry to go run laps and let the other team have the ball! I guess we could call it a lesson in sportsmanship?!? Needless to say, this was a first in a soccer game for us! Riley and Henry scored (according to Henry), "26,000 goals."

Pig Iron 2010

The Coulsons once again came through with tickets for the Pig Iron! David was in heaven. He may have eaten an entire pig's worth of BBQ all by himself, and I ran twice as much as usual this morning to pay dues for all I ate! The kids had a blast. Grant and Grace munched on anything we would hand them.

Below is a video we shot of the kids dancing to some live music. We found a little spot off to the side of the stage where we could let them loose, and they loved it!

Untitled from Brooke Patterson on Vimeo.

Grant loved the glowstick glasses.

Henry got to walk the plank and jump!

Church Fall Festival

Our family pic before leaving was not very successful. Even when bribed with suckers, G & G were not particularly fond of their silly costumes!

Grace finally calmed down when I agreed to hold her!

Sam, James & Henry in character!

Grant and Grace were content to be contained in the wagon for brief periods of time if bribed with candy! My favorite thing Grant did was singing "Happy Birthday" throughout the evening. He thought this was one heck of a good birthday party! It is so funny to be able to understand some of what is going through their minds. All evening, even once home, he kept singing, "Happy Birthday to you!"

Grace loved admiring Maury's beautiful costume!

Piglet was a much happier camper without her hood on. (Notice Pooh in the background hugging a pole--very much in character to be so loving! Ha!)

Eeyore (Emme) & Piglet (Grace)

Storm Trooper Taylor, Captain America James, Dora aka Sara Elizabeth, and

Henry as Spider Man

4 Birthdays in 3 Days!

The boys went for a hay ride!

Pierce blew out his candle!

Grace is learning how to maneuver even the most complicated of jumpies! (There was netting on the sides, hence the fuzzy pic quality.

This past weekend we had a birthday dinner for Uncle Michael on Friday night, a pumpkin patch birthday party for Pierce on Saturday, and two birthdays to celebrate in Cullman on Sunday! Happy Birthday to Michael, Pierce, Carter & Grayson! The kids are very grateful for the overwhelming dose of sugar and fun! Somehow, I only managed to take pictures of Pierce's party. I guess I was too busy at the parties to think to document the others!

Boo at the Zoo & a Birthday Too!

Thursday I took the kids to the zoo for the morning. While everything wasn't lit up, they enjoyed seeing all the decorations for Boo at the Zoo. Henry kept saying, "Take my picture, Mommy!"

On Friday we helped Hudson celebrate his 2nd birthday. Wow, how time flies! Happy Birthday, Hud!

Emme loved her cupcake too!

Grant literally hugged his pizza he was so excited. Somehow I did get all the stains out of his shirt, though!

Fun in the Tub :)

Yesterday I picked Grace up from school after getting a call that she had gotten sick. She vomited in the car on the way home, then all over the playroom. It was no fun. However, after about an hour, she was totally fine, ate a big dinner, and never got sick again. Last night after dinner I let G & G play in the tub longer than usual. They loved it. Grace lays on her tummy and says, "I swim!" Grant was saying, "Splash!" They will repeat just about anything now, and often say small sentences. Grace and Grant say, "Here you go" all the time. Just last week Grace said, "Mommy, go get me some milk!"

My Little Cutie Pies

Grant found a pile of all of our neighbors' empty capri suns while we were playing outside. He decided to hoard them to make sure there was nothing remaining in any of them!
Grant and Grace love to cuddle on the couch, drink their milk, and watch cartoons when they first wake up in the morning. They get on the couch just like this and sit shoulder to shoulder.
Grace and Grant have learned to blow bubbles. The only problem is that they actually press the wand against their lips leaving a bubble mustache. It doesn't seem to bother them in the least though. I guess they are desensitized to the soapy taste due to the many foreign objects they place in their mouth daily!

On the Hunt

Henry was on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin at the pumpkin patch this weekend. It was so hot that I could not even dress the kids in their precious matching long sleeved pumpkin outfits! (The ultimate stresser for the mom of course!) Our church had a preschool play date at the pumpkin patch, and it was fun to spend time with so many friends. Mimi, Papa, Uncle Wes & Grandmother also joined us, so we had many sets of hands!
Grace was hot & tired, but she was a trooper as we rode the tractor out to the pumpkin patch!
Grant, of course, insisted on climbing the hay bales after he saw his big brother do it!

Grace liked checking out the animals at the petting farm from a distance.
Henry and his sweet friend, Taylor
Grant was fascinated with the animals. I think he wanted to bring them home. He loved petting them!

Weekend Wrap Up!

Grace loves swinging on the big kid swings at the park. She kicks if you try to put her in a baby swing. Surprisingly, she hangs on and does quite well in the big swings. I have learned to trust her not to let go.

We had a great weekend enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Last Thursday, we met friends at the park for lunch. Of course Grant could not sit still long enough to eat, hence the reason he has a sandwich in his hands, his mouth full, and peanut butter all over his face in all the pics!

On Friday night, we went to Aunt Karen & Uncle Keith's house for dinner. Kendra came home from college, and Kori & Konnor were there too. They were brave enough to let G & G spend the night. Henry enjoyed having his parents' undivided attention!

Grant loved the cake at Aunt Karen & Uncle Keith's house. I think Grace liked Konnor's drum set the best!

Saturday morning, we headed to Henry's soccer practice & game, and then later that afternoon we went to the Bluff Park Art Show. Then, Saturday night we went over to Carter & Hudson's house for a cookout! Grant, Grace and Hudson love to play together, and Carter & Henry love to play together. Hudson kept saying, "Gace nice" (Grace is nice). How cute is that?

And, on Sunday night we found Henry cleaning out the toy chest and using it as a boat. He'd even gotten silicone spatulas out of the kitchen for oars!