Halloween festivities

Halloween this year consisted of many fun activities. First was Pumpkin Express with some friends from Tyler's school:

Next was Halloween on Main Street in Grapevine:

Then Tyler had his Halloween party at school. The kids were so cute. I helped out with his classroom party. We decorated pumpkins, played freeze dance to Halloween music and had a spooooky lunch!

And finally - trick or treating! We trick or treated in my parents' neighborhood and then went to a couple local houses with super spooky decorations. And we ended up back in our own neighborhood and then inside to check out our loot. A neighbor in my parents' neighborhood was really nice to take this great picture of the four of us!

Another blog

So, I'm a bit behind on this blog, and that is in large part due to the fact that I've started keeping up with another blog and have expanded my photography hobby, which is keeping me very busy. If you want to see what I've been up to, go here: http://k-photo.blogspot.com/

An exciting adventure!

Christmas is coming

The Toys R Us "Great Big Christmas Book" arrived yesterday, and this morning the boys were intently going through it, picking out what they wanted to go on their Christmas lists. I'm pretty sure they pointed to just about everything in the catalog and said, "Mom, look! I want this!" Santa shouldn't have any trouble finding things that will make them happy this year!

Happy birthday to me

Today is my birthday, and I spent the day with my family. Jeff gave me an early present last night - a new camera - so I played with it a lot today. My mom took me out for lunch this afternoon to Thai Ruby, which was really nice, and the food was delicious. Tonight my friends Kirsten & Wilson and their daughter Lorelei joined Jeff and I and the kids, and my parents for dinner at Rainforest Cafe. I had to stand on a chair when the wait staff came to sing happy birthday to me. Our waiter handed me two snowcone cups and had me put them in my mouth like a beak, and then I had to hold two to-go boxes and flap my arms like a bird. Seriously! I really think he came up with this on the spot to try to embarrass me, but I was a good sport at played along. Also because he told me if I took the beak out of my mouth while they were singing that they'd stop and start all over again. It was pretty funny. At the end of dinner a balloon lady came around and Tyler had her make me a beautiful crown (see below...) It was a fun night! Thanks go everyone who celebrated with me. I had a good day!

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch

This morning I got to accompany Tyler's class on a field trip to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. The kids went through a hay maze, played in bounce houses, went for a hay ride and got to pick a pumpkin. It was a beautiful morning, and it was nice for me to have some time with Tyler. In one picture you can see him peeking up over the maze to see where the end is. (Is that allowed? ;) ) And in another picture he is holding a pretzel to his chest as an emblem b/c he was "Super pretzel." A fun start to the day!


 

Circle of Science

I got to accompany Tyler on his first field trip for the school year. His class went to Circle of Science, where they learned about mammals and birds, and got to see and hold some animals, including a parrot, chinchilla, sugar-glider, hedgehog, guinea pig and more. It was a fun afternoon!

I love freckles

Colton ended up with a lot of freckles by the end of this summer. I was happy when I got this picture that shows them up close. I think freckles are so cute. :)

MO Preisers in TX

We were very happy to have a visit from my brother Kevin, his wife Christina and their son Alex in late September. It was so fun to have Alex, Tyler & Colton together. They played so well and were really excited to see each other. We had a blast swimming, going to the movies, watching the kids play and swimming some more. Here are some pictures from the Preisers' visit to Texas.

Baby Riley

Awhile back I had taken some photos of my friend Kirsten's daughter, Lorelei. Kirsten's co-worker Kelly saw the pictures and asked if I'd be interested in doing newborn photos for her. Kirsten got us in touch, and I had a great time photographing this family. Here are baby Riley's newborn photos...

Julia & Owen

In late August I took some maternity photos for Julia, a mom from my moms' group/playgroup here in Texas. Her son Owen was born just a few days later. Here are Julia's maternity pictures and baby Owen's newborn pics (taken when he was about three weeks old). Also pictured are big brother Alex and Julia's husband Dave.

My cute little airplane

Well, Tyler's games seem to get more entertaining with each one. All the kids are playing really well, and Tyler helps with the entertainment value. During his second game he decided it would be fun to run around like an airplane (top right). I am reminded that he is only four, and this is not unusual behavior for a four-year-old sporting event... He may not be all that competitive with the game, but he sure looks cute out there, doesn't he?

This is what happens when...

This is what happens when you leave a silly daddy and two silly kids alone with a dry erase marker. Thank goodness it was just a dry erase marker. We all had some good laughs at home this night.

Tyler's first soccer game

Tyler's first soccer game was Saturday, September 11th. He played against his friend Trevor's team, the Tigers. Tyler isn't the most aggressive player, but I am positive that he is by far the happiest little soccer player I've ever seen. He always has a smile on his face when he's running around out there (see bottom three photos...), and he's usually giggling as he chases the ball around, too. It was a surprisingly good game. I wasn't expecting to see so much real soccer playing, but those boys seemed to really know what they were doing. They won their first game 19 to 4. Tyler didn't score, but I'm sure he will before the season is over!

New 'do

I just cut about 8 inches off my hair!!! It was getting so long and I just didn't know what to do with it anymore, and I decided it needed a change. It is now slightly stacked in back and angled forward in the front. Hoping it will work with my curls - the stylist said it would, so we'll see.

First day of school

Today is Tyler's first day of school. He's in the 4-year old preschool class this year. He met his teacher on Friday and they really hit it off. I'm excited for him - I think he's going to have a great year!

A visit from Uncle Scott

My Uncle Scott came from Wisconsin to Texas to visit for a week. We've had a fun-filled week with him. He is always a pleasure to be with. Thursday my Mom, Uncle Scott, Tyler, Colton and I spent the day at the zoo. We had perfect weather and stayed all day. Here are some pics from our fun day with Uncle Scott.

Today I became a soccer mom

Today I officially became a soccer mom. Tyler had his first soccer practice. We were all really excited for it. His team has six 4-year old boys on it, and their team is called the Pirates. They did some pirate-themed activities and practiced their "Arrrrgggghhh" sounds. I learned today that I have a lot to learn through this as well - about sitting on the sidelines and JUST sitting on the sidelines. At next week's practice I will be praciticing zipping my lips! The boys had fun and did great - really great considering this was a first experience for them all. Looking forward to a fun season!

Saving the planet, one lunch at a time

Tyler's reusable lunch containers

I think there may be something in the air there, but when I lived in California, I became somewhat of a recycling fanatic, and the "save the planet" bug definitely got me. So one day I came across a site, reusies.com, and saw this: "They stick to our fences; Alight in our trees, drift down our sidewalks, and swirl in our seas. They're a pollutant on which our sea creatures feed. They are plastic bags, our urban tumbleweeds." Reusies are reusable snack and lunch bags, and seeing this got me thinking about how many plastic bags I waste from snacks, storing things in the fridge, etc., and I decided to take our household conservation efforts to another level - cut back on waste from school lunches. Tyler will be going three days a week this year, so I purchased some sandwich containers, snack-size containers, and divided containers, all sizes that will fit in his lunch box. I've also cut back on the amount of bags I use for storing leftovers, etc. I only use them now if there is no other reasonable option. I know it's not much, but at least maybe we can lessen our family carbon footprint a little.

Backyard waterpark

It was a lazy afternoon, and we were looking for something to do, so we set up all the kids' pools and water toys we've collected over the years. It was a perfect way to beat the heat. We'll definitely be doing this again soon - the kids loved it. Next time I'm getting in, too!

Baby Carson @ 10 days old

Since taking pictures for a friend of mine a couple months ago, I've been wanting to do it again and have been thinking it would be a lot of fun to photograph a newborn. A friend from my moms' group welcomed a new son into the world on August 2nd, and I asked her if I could take some pictures for her. I had the privilege of photographing Carson at just 10 days old on Thursday. He is such a cutie and was awake the whole time I was there - sweet, content and relaxed throughout it all.  This was my first time photographing a newborn, and he made it really easy on me. Here are some of my favorite pics from the morning. I loved doing this and am hoping to do photos for some more friends soon!