Leaves Are Falling

This was the scene at my house on Saturday morning.


It was actually a lot of work. I could have cared less if our yard had leaves in it, but Kenny really wanted a leaf pile. He wanted it bad enough he stood outside my bathroom door waiting for me to finish showering.

He wanted it bad enough he even found his very own stick rake to help make the pile. It was very cute!

Everything was well worth the effort. The boys laughed and jumped and threw leaves all over the place. They had just about as much fun a two little munchkins can have!

Happy Fall!

Family

The Fab Four!
Nathan, Landan, Kenny, and Avery

Kenny singing a song to Avery.These two never get into mischief together.

I have no words for the cuteness of this picture. And that goes for both the subjects!

Feeding the fish.
Papa and Nathan

The Dog Ate My Homework...I Mean Dinner.

Kenny is a non-eater.

I mean that with total respect, but the boy eats the same amount of food as an anorexic super model on a diet.

But we have rules in this house and we enforce them with iron fists. One of these rules is that no one is allowed to eat nothing for meals. Ken and I have no trouble with this rule as is evidenced by our waistlines. And Nathan likes food. But poor Kenny is CONSTANTLY being reminded to eat.

"Very nice song, now eat."
"Yes, I like you spoon, now eat."
"Please stop screaming and eat."
"Heavenly Father made forks for a reason, please use it."

Yesterday I made tacos with ground turkey and whole wheat tortillas (we are dieting here). Halfway through the meal, Kenny gets up and pushes the empty chair next to him clear across the room. He calmly returns to his chair and resumes eating. I stare at him with a baffled expression that is often seen in this house but I do not speak to him because he is voluntarily putting food in his mouth and I don't want to jinx anything. About 2 minutes later, I notice him slowly scrap his ground turkey meat off his tortilla and ever so slowly, so as to not attract attention, place his tortilla in the now-vacant spot next to him.

But I'm a Mom and I see everything.

I casually asked him what he was doing. He politely responded he had moved the chair so that when he accidentally put his tortilla on table, Piper would have a clear space to steal his dinner.

I told him he is a very clever boy to have thought of such an elaborate plan.

Now put the tortilla back on your plate and EAT!

Getting Haircuts

This is my son at the haircutting salon. Lounging on the floor.

And yes, this is my other son at the haircutting salon. Gnawing on the chair.

Makes you proud!

Helicopters

This is my hubby's new toy. I mean, my kids new toy that my husband plays with while they watch. It is a small remote control helicopter.

Because apparently this was not enough helicopter for him.
Nor was this one.
So now I have to dodge a little zooming mosquito helicopter when I walk around the house. The boys LOVE it. The dog...not so much.

Kenny The Photographer

I had a busy weekend. Some of my family came into town and I was spending time with them. We saw Mike, Ashlyn, Avery, Marissa, and Landan. We had a wonderful time seeing everyone and relaxing. We had everyone over for dinner at our house on Sunday and Kenny got a hold of a few cameras. We are so impressed. He taught himself how to zoom in and out, change the settings to fit the activity, and he even arranged the family photo. He told us to "stick together close so I can take a picture. Now say cheese everyone!"

He is a sample of some of his photos taken that night.

Tagged

Cassie tagged me ans I guess I am supposed to write 6 things about myself. So here it is. Be prepared to be scared.

1. I may have a mild form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. I have these things that I must do and in a certain way. For example, I cannot get into bed and go to sleep if the covers aren't straight. If my poor husband goes to bed before me (which rarely happens, he's a night owl) I wake him up and make him get out of bed so I can straighten the covers. I also have to check the alarm clock three times in a a row each night. There are many more things, but I will spare you the details lest you think I am a total nut case.

2. I like chapstick. This is not a secret to anyone who knows me. My chapstick use stems from this little issue I have. It is my safety net, my control. Whenever I feel stressed or nervous, I use more chapstick than usual. I started my freshman year of high school with Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers. Now I use an entire tub of chapstick every two weeks. My preferred brand is the green Blistex. I spend about 25-30 dollars a year on chapstick. Gross, huh.

3. My favorite word is sparkle. Hence my screen name. I know it is a little weird to have a favorite word, but seeing as I am a little weird, it's okay. Sparkle is fun to say and it it has a grand meaning. Glittery and shiny things. What could be better than that! It is also a phonetically great word. It has a blend at the beginning, an R-controlled vowel in the middle, and that odd little "le" ending. Cool!! PS- My second favorite word is pumpkin. What a fun word and it reminds me of fall.

4. I have this thing for vampire books. I always have. I remember my first vampire book. It was called "My Friend the Vampire." I got it in the children's section of the public library when I was about 8. I've been hooked ever since. I read the full unabridged edition of Dracula when I was 12-13. I wrote my high school research paper on real historical figures who were considered to be "vampires." Though my interest wanned a bit in collage (mostly because I was reading text books) it never went away. I recently got hooked on the Twilight series. I read the first book in a day and a half. I was so into it that I drove to the bookstore in a tropical storm to get the rest of the series (there are three so far.) Oddly enough, I am not into vampire movies. They are always really gross. But I LOVE books!

5. My favorite color is purple. I know most of you know that and most people have a favorite color, but mine, like most things, is an obsession. I would paint my entire house various shades of purple if I could. I own about 10 different purple shirts. I have been known to buy something just because it is purple. And my love for purple is followed closely by pink and yellow.

6. I like butterflies. If I were the type of person who would tattoo themselves, (I won't because I am terrified of pain and I don't want to deface my body anymore than my stretch marks already have), it would be a butterfly. They are so pretty and delicate. And the metamorphosis that a caterpillar experiences is remarkable.

So, there you have it. These are the most interesting things I could think of about myself (which is actually a little pathetic). If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!