Even though I wanted time to stop so I could process my feelings, life has kept going, which is a blessing. My boys keep joy in my life. They give me glimpses into heaven. On August 22nd we celebrated Alexander's 6th birthday. I decorated the living room after he went to bed the night before.
Alexander was so excited about his present he couldn't wait to get dressed for the day before tearing into it. This boy LOVES Legos!
Uncle Keith and Aunt Cammie let us celebrate Alexander's birthday at their home that night. Alexander had a blast wrestling his older cousins, hence the awesome hairstyle for his birthday cake picture. It couldn't have been a better day for this guy.
Alexander truly is a neat person. He is smart, kind, helpful, energetic, giving, passionate, creative, hard working, and loving. I am grateful Heavenly Father trusted him in my care. I am learning so much from Alexander. He makes me want to be better and do better in all things.
Puzzle day at our house.
8 Little kittens have blessed our home this summer and fall. I never thought I would be a cat person, but they have won me over. It has been healing to hold them and watch them grow.
I've managed to get my mind together enough to do some fun things with my boys. We made a bunch of play dough and have done glow stick in a bottle bowling for FHE activity along with building a tent out of PVC piping for the boys and let them sit in it, in the dark, with glow sticks too.
Oh ya, we had dinosaur day too. My awesome cousin Tonya sent them a bag of plastic dinosaurs along with the Melissa and Doug habitat reusable sticker book. Does she know boys or what?! They were in heaven!
We also created with mini marshmallows and tooth picks for an activity one day.
Created my own light table for my kids. I colored Epsom salt and place ocean life mini animals in the tub. This sensory tub/light table has been a hit! It is nice because I can switch up the sensory objects any time and it keeps them looking forward to the next learning activity.
We went to the Dinosaur park with our best friends on a lovely fall day.
I purchased "real" bathtub toys. My boys love to build and create. One day I had a wide, clear plastic tube that I stuck up inside the tub spout and turned the water on. A wave of tub toy ideas came to mind, so I started creating and pricing things out to make a whole water tube activity....then I discovered these toys for a whole lot cheaper then I could make "my contraption." They are really enjoying the water works toy and the foam blocks that float AND stick to the walls.
We did a TON of canning this year. Tomatoes, tomato juice, beets, salsa, peaches, pears, apple sauce, apple butter and grape juice. This picture is of the grape juice. I started mixing the concord grapes with the white which made a variety of pinkish colored grape juice. I think it looks pretty. We were also able to harvest honey from our hives again this year. Seriously, honey is liquid gold. Is any other food more beautiful than raw, fresh honey?
Finally took our boys to their first college football game. Funny thing is, that was my first college football game too!
Relaxing Sunday afternoon. The boys snuggling and chilling with dad.
MY LOVES
Our pig. I can't name him. He is going to be Christmas ham. Isn't he cute!? He will trot and jump in his pin. He has the funniest personality.
Rita, my milking goat got jealous I was taking pictures of the pig and not her. She came and gave me a pose.
First snow fall the day before Halloween. The boys were excited it was Christmas time. So we carved pumpkins while listening to Christmas music. It was rather enjoyable. :o)
William went trick-or-treating as Dracula. Alexander went as Frankenstein and Lincoln...well he wanted to be a cowboy, which is his regular everyday wear. Then he saw me painting his brother's faces and wanted painted too. So he ended up being a zombie cowboy. This year we went trick-or-treating with their cousins Dani, Matthew, Jonathon and Max up at Grandma and Grandpa Titus's neighborhood.
