*fall break*

This was the boys' first break from school and it was welcomed wholeheartedly.

I think I look forward to these breaks more than the boys do. But now that Liam has had a taste of a long weekend, he tells me quite frequently "Mom, I need a fall break." We just had UEA, parent teacher conferences, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up so I think he will be pleased that his wish will come true.

Nick went fishing with friends on Thursday and slept over while the other boys went to various friends' homes to play. The next morning Luke had a scout activity at the zoo and since Andrew, Liam, and I didn't have any plans, we decided to tag along.

There aren't very many animals left at the zoo. But the ones that are there were active and enjoying the beautiful late fall weather.

This monkey was swinging everywhere and carried his baby doll in his toes.


The boys rode the merry go round.




Went into the stinky reptile house.




Watched the tigers for a while. It was feeding time so this one was gnawing on some bloodied limb of what looked like a rabbit. It actually made me a little nauseous so I went to take pictures of the other cats hanging around.




We told Liam that giraffes have purple tongues so he wanted me to take pictures of it.






That night Andrew and Liam had a dress up Halloween party at their friend's house and they both had a fantastic time.

The next day we filled our time with football games. Nick played against Stansbury and Andrew's opponent was Hillcrest.

Nick's game gave me heartburn. It was a well played game for both teams and we went into overtime with a score of 0-0. We were able to score on our second play of overtime and hold Stansbury to win the game 7-0.

A great catch by Nick.










Andrew's team beat Hillcrest. They have been playing so well lately!



It is crazy to me that there is just one more week of football season left! But after today's wins, both of the boys will be in the playoffs so we have at least one extra week if not two. I love football but I am ready to have my family get back to normal and have our weeknights and Saturdays back for a little while until spring.

Justin took the older three boys hunting after the game so Liam and I hung out at my parent's house for the night.

There is only 10 more days until the next break. I think we can make it.

*creatures of the night*

Creative genius(es) at work.

I am too OCD to make cookies look kooky but I love the boys' creations this year.



From the looks of it, someone couldn't wait to see if they tasted as good as they looked.

*cornbellies*

We always love our annual trip to Cornbellies.

The past couple years have been fun but with the older boys getting well, older, the little extras that they promote become more appealing. And the little extras add up pretty darn fast.

I was so happy this year that all those little extras were included in a nifty little wristband and the boys could play to their hearts content and I didn't have to say no so often.

The free activities were still a hit too.

Like tetherball,


a big pirate ship playground,



and roping stationary cattle.



Nick brought his good friend Nick along to hang out with. I love Nick's friends and I hope that he continues to find good boys to be with.


Justin was the first one of the day to make it to the top of the rock climbing wall. We got there around 5ish so I guess we can consider that a good accomplishment.


Luke was the second one of the day. He was super proud.





Then came the corn maze.



And paintball.


And the highlight of my evening was watching everyone ride the bull.


Oh. My. Goodness. Watching Liam with his little arm in the air holding on for dear life as a string of spit followed him as the bull spun him around and around could keep me smiling for days. He did not fall off once and that earned him bragging rights since his older brothers did.





Luke opted to pan for rocks instead of riding the bull. If I would have thought ahead I would have bought myself a wristband and just given my extra ticket to him to ride the bull as Justin gave Liam his extra one to pan for rocks. Oh well, there is always next year.

*vs riverton & vs olympus*

Both boys had such good games!

Herriman slaughtered Riverton. It was fantastic.

Nick played a phenomenal game. He blocked like crazy and caught four passes.



Sorry #86, you won't be getting that guy.


I know this is way blurry but I love how hard Nick is working.


There was a little bit of excitement on the field during this game. Scary excitement. One of the boys from Riverton received a tackle from one of our bigger players and we thought his leg was broken. He was even taken off the field in an ambulance. Luckily, the only injury received was a bruise and was totally fine.

Awesome catch.


After Nick's game we drove up to Albion Middle school to see Andrew tear it up.


Andrew was a tackling machine. He also blocked well and even got an interception!



The little boy in green is not hurt, just really bummed that they were shut out.


What a cute boy.