There's a New Sheriff in Town!

And his name is Sheriff Brody!
Reese dressed up for the Halloween parade at school today. He wore his Sheriff costume, complete with a leather vest that his daddy once wore as a child. Too cute!

This little sheriff has more than just a quick draw and a fast punch. He also has learned to read this week! Last night, while he was at the table practicing writing the letter 'j' he surprised us all when he began to sound out words on his own! "J-A-M....jam!" "J-U-G...jug!" We were so thrilled at this little guy's accomplishment! Now he's ready to take on the world, and has the sheriff badge to prove it.

Newlywed shopping...

I was doing my weekly grocery shopping last night. And as I was browsing the paper products, a very young looking couple passed by. They looked so young that the wedding rings on their fingers must have hardly been legal. They seemed to be struggling to figure out just what to purchase. As they passed, the girl stopped short, touched a package of paper plates, and asked her young counterpart, "should we get plates?"

He quickly replied with a laugh, "we have plates. I mean, PLATES plates."

She shot back with a creative line that almost made me bust out laughing, "Yeah, but if we use paper plates we'll save on our water bill."

Oh my word! That's a new one.
Girlfriend! Just stick your hands in that dishwater and wash your plates!

Celebrating Reese's birthday

Friday night, we celebrated Reese's birthday with the Brody family and the Grove's. Miss Kristi helped Mommy make the Thomas the Train cake! I think it turned out well & Reese was certainly thrilled!

Reese had that shy little smile on his face while we sang happy birthday to him. I know he was loving every single moment of it!

At bedtime, I snuggled in bed with Reese and showed him the photos on my camera from that evening. The cake. The candles. The birthday boy. But, before I could kiss him goodnight, he asked in the sweetest little voice, "Mommy, can you sing 'Happy Birfday' to me one more time?" So, we sang it together. It was so precious. Well...it was precious until about halfway thru when he let one rip! Aye! Such a Brody!

Reese Turns Six!

My sweet little Reese turns 6 today! I cannot believe how quickly time has flown! There was a time I thought we'd never get through those terrible two's (and three's). LOL. But since he has developed in his vocabulary and has grown in his temperment, he has become such a fun, sweet kid. He has hit milestones so quickly that it feels time has just flown by!

Now he is in kindergarten. He is acceling beyond our expectations. And he is an awesome big brother to Marina, while looking up greatly to his big brother, Mark.

He was thrilled, this morning, to bring treat bags to share with his kindergarten class. And he is anxious to get home after school to play with his gift from Mommy and Daddy...the Thomas the Train table (which I have to quickly assemble before he gets home!)

Kids these days!

Friday night we were treated to a special surprise visit by one of our fave babysitters (and our good friend!) Francesca, who was home from college on fall break. We have missed her so much since she left for school right after Kid's Camp in August. In fact, Kid's Camp is one of the last memories my kids have of her. So, it was extra funny to hear Marina's greeting to Francesca Friday night:

Rina: "Hey, do you remember YOU from camp?"

A couple weeks ago, Ryan was speaking to the 2nd and 3rd graders in the Jungle Room. He was telling a story of King David:

Ryan: "Who can raise their hand and tell me who King David was?"
Kid in the 3rd row: "He's the guy who defeated the Giant Pickle!"
(Those of you who are familiar with Veggie Tales will understand why that is hilarious!)

O-Town Smackdown

High hopes. Preparation. Dedication. Perseverance. These adjectives describe the Panther White Lightweights today as they entered round 2 of the playoffs vs. Frankfurt. It was their chance to beat this undefeated team after such a close call earlier in the season.

But, yet again, Frankfurt pulled off a win. The final score was 6-0. And thus ends our 2008 season. But what a great season it has been! As parents, we have literally watched this team grow and develop at a rapid pace right before our eyes. And it has been an amazing thing to witness.

Can't wait til next year.
Meantime, we get a couple weeks off. Then wrestling season begins! Which equals more cheering from the bleachers!

Hide and Seek

Yeah, they are cute alright. But they are also little stinkers! Partners in crime! Their newest antic: hiding silently from Mommy until she goes into panic mode, searching every floor of the house.

It's happened twice now. I'll come downstairs to a silent family room. No kids in sight. The back sliding door is cracked open to allow a breeze. And I'll call for Reese and Marina, receiving no answer. I'll call louder. Nothing. I'll peek outside, check the basement, look back upstairs, EVERYWHERE. And just when I'm ready to call the cops, I hear little giggles behind he couch. In a spot that only little munchkins like them could actually fit into. Relief! Then anger! Then laughs, because they are so adorable, crouching into that small spot. Like two little peas in a pod. Luckily, they haven't figured out any other spots to hide. So now I know to always check there first. Stinkers!