Birthday Festivities!

Yesterday, we started the day with Ethan's basketball game.  All 4 grandparents made the trip up, as well as Uncle Dustin and Aunt Amanda.  Abby and Alex would have been here, but they were busy with this, and I'm very proud of them both.  And, a happy birthday to Alex also!

Nora got some popcorn and M&M's as her treat during the game.

Love watching this kid play :)!

After the games, we headed back to our house to open presents.  I'm pretty sure Ethan was more impatient about this than Nora was.  He was so excited to help her!

Getting started!

Such a helpful brother.

This is the gift he picked out at the store for her.  It's a LEGO set :).

Nora got a pillow and some homemade pillow cases from my mom.  When she got the pillow cases out, she laid them out on the floor and said "Nora lay down" and laid down!  Silly girl!  When she opened the pillow, she got up, ran to her room and put it in her bed :).

After presents, it was lunch time!

So thankful for our guests!

And cake!!

That's 1 bright cake :).  31 candles

"2" Sprinkle Cake

She was so happy :)!

2 candles for her.  I think she looks so pretty and grown up in the picture.

Enjoying her birthday sprinkle cake!

Ethan and the chocolate cake.  He said all the boys could eat chocolate and all the girls had to have the white one :).

After nap time, Mrs. Sandra came to bring Nora a birthday gift.  Nora loves Sandra (we all do)!  She stayed for a piece of cake too!

Our adopted grandma!

I didn't get a good picture of the birthday 'kids' yesterday, so I took one today after church.

Love these 2 (and the 4 year old boy) more than words!

Thanks to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes to Jared and Nora.  We had a great day!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Jared and Nora!  Sharing a birthday, is something special for these 2.  I look forward to lots and lots more birthday celebrations with them!

Birthday dinner at Ruby Tuesday.
(Phone picture=not the best quality. And, Nora learned to put her own bows in her hair...)

More on birthday fun coming soon :).

Boo at the Zoo 2013

Last night was the annual Tate & Lyle night at Boo at the Zoo.  It is a great event, and the people at the zoo as well as Tate & Lyle put in a lot of work to make it great!  Our tickets included dinner, trick or treating at 10 stations, a train ride, carousel ride and seeing all the animals at the zoo!  It's a good deal!  Also, our zoo's penguin exhibit is open!  All in all, it was a great night!  We started with trick or treating/looking at the animals.
This was new...a corn pit to play in.  They loved it!

He's intent on getting to the next station!

They figured it out...heading to the next station.

Nora did great, giving her tickets to the people at each station.

Checking out the pumpkin head.

Ethan and the penguins

They did a great job on the penguin exhibit!  I'm impressed :).

The camels were out!  So were the cheetah's, but my picture didn't turn out.  But they were actually up, walking around.  I've never seen them do anything but lay around!

Eww!  They always make me come in here.

Family train ride!  

Nora loved it

Ethan on a warthog

Nora on the manatee 

Dinner for the police man!

Happy Halloween from the Cardinal fan, owl, police man and me :)!

Pumpkin Patch 2013

We went to the pumpkin patch on Sunday.  It was a beautiful day for it and we had a nice time! We went to a different patch than in the past.  (I must admit, I was a little disappointed, especially since the other one had become a tradition.)  The kids and I will be going to The Great Pumpkin Patch (the one we usually go to) on Friday for a field trip for Ethan's school, so we picked a different one.  We went to Black Barts Pumpkin Patch, which is very nice.  It's smaller, with less to see and do, than the one in Arthur, but they have great pumpkins!!

Silly, excited boy!

She kept gravitating to the warty ones, so that's what she got :).

How tall this fall collage!

We went on a hay ride through the pumpkin patch.  It was a big hit!

A couple of good looking, matching guys!

She loved it!

Ethan and Daddy with his pumpkin!

Riding in the wagon

Nora enjoyed the ride too.

Nora with her little pumpkin.

2 cute kids!

There were a couple hay bale slides that the kids had fun on.

Mama and her sweet girl in the covered wagon

Our family at the pumpkin patch.  (It was bright)

Previous pumpkin patch trips...2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Basketball Joy

Ethan had another basketball game this morning.  I'll let the pictures do the talking...he smiled the whole time he was on the floor!  He enjoys it so much and I enjoy watching him :)!

This girl enjoys watching him too!  Or maybe she just enjoys the snacks and concession stand :).