the corn maze

We are so lucky to have met this family. They are such great people, and their kids are pretty awesome too. A. has been a great friend to me, and we like to do stuff together with our kids, so of course we had to go to the corn maze. :)

Ready to get lost? Apparently that was their goal when we started. 

Elliott didn't want to have his picture with the big kids, but was fine taking one with me. 

A. thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of me taking a picture of me. Ha.  

The big kids ran ahead as fast as they could. Before we were done, Elliott was right with them. 

We found the bridge! Yay us! 

I think Elliott preferred the mini maze.  

Then there was the hay. Oh my. The kids could have played in the hay and on the bales all night long. 

Elliott liked just running and jumping into it. 

Ethan liked jumping from bale to bale.  

Then the big boys got to do the sky jumper thing. Ethan was a little more brave this time, but didn't get all crazy with flips or anything. 

Little A., decided it would be funny to throw hay at me.

Little did she know, I don't mind a little hay in my hair (on my sweater, down my bra, in my pants, etc).

It was war! Me vs 4 kids in a big pile of hay.

So much fun. 

My sweater collected at least a half of a bale of hay.  

Totally worth it though. And don't worry A. I got most of it out.  

Ready for our hay ride behind the tractor.  

I'm so glad we all went together. It was a great time. 

a little more hockey

This will be short and sweet.

First, a short video of Ethan skating.

And of course a couple Instagrams (assuming that is a word, and if it's not, I'm using it anyway). 

Ethan can't be bothered for pictures while he's practicing. I'm sad to think we might be getting to that age where I get told "MOM. Ugh! Stop!".

Unfortunately for him, I would laugh and continue being my annoying "mom" self. :) 

This kid, on the other hand, is a HAM!

We were rolling a ball back and forth on the bleachers, and I said " Elliott, smile" and this is what I got.

Damn! He's cute! Don't tell him I said so though. :)  

Ok, that's all. Happy Friday (in a couple hours). 

my new love and hockey

Introducing, Instagram.

It's my favorite app on my iPhone.

For whatever reason, it makes every single picture look amazing, and of course my kids look adorable as ever too. :) 

Elliott loves taking pictures with me.  

This is one of the best. Elliott walking to school. Isn't he cute?!?! 

Ethan at soccer. Reminds me of The Wonder Years. :) 

Even "spaceships" look so cool. 

Ok enough with my fun pictures (there's more!). This was our view on the drive home a couple days ago. SNOW! Fall is here! I'm so happy. I love the cool days and cooler nights, the gorgeous trees, and the crisp air in the mornings. It's my favorite time of year. Plus, with a view like this, who could be angry? 

Yesterday we spent with our friends, carving pumpkins (thank you Jen). Elliott had a great time and even decided what his pumpkin was going to look like. (I told you there were more Instagram pics)

Ethan got to use the drill with the "pumpkin gutter" on it. He thought that was pretty awesome. 

And.......ta-da!

From left to right, Ethan's Spider, my crazy face and Elliott's goofy face. :)

We need another one for Jason.  

Tonight was hockey! I'm not kidding, I was excited. 

Ethan basically gets himself ready (makes me kind of sad to see how big he's getting). 

He's so cute (pretty sure he wouldn't want me to use that word). 

Ethan told me tonight he is glad it's his last year of Mites. He said it feels like he's been a Mite for FOREVER! I guess 5 seasons is a long time when you're 7 years old. :)

I cannot wait to see what kind of leader he can be this season. He's a "big kid" now.  

Elliott got to bring his ball and stick of course. It didn't keep him as occupied as I would have liked, but I can definitely tell he's more mature. He didn't cause me any trouble at all. 

Ethan worked his butt off, and it was fun watching him skate. 

Elliott is such a goof lately. He can always make me laugh. I hope Chris is proud of this picture. 

Elliott fell then came to sit with me, after a few minutes of cuddling, he was out. It's so not like him to cuddle or fall asleep when there is fun to be had, but I enjoyed it.  

We are definitely missing Jason, and I have to hear about it daily, but we are doing good. Time is flying by, and I really hope it continues to. Thanks to everyone for all of your love and support.

catching up from the visit

Jason got to come home on Sept 16th. We had 2 full weeks with him, and we loved every minute of it. 

I picked him up in the middle of the night, so the kids woke up to him being home. They were surprised and so happy to see him. There was a lot of cuddling.

The second day, they decided to make a spaceship. I really love that we didn't have to rush around for anything. We got to enjoy our time together with simple things. 

They went to the moon, to Jupiter, and even got stuck in outer space. :) 

Jason got to come home to this. A yellow flag painted with his name on it, hung up on our main street in our town. This is not a very good picture, but it is nice to see it hanging there when we drive through.  

On Thursday, we left for a long trip to Fort Collins to visit Abby, Chris, Tucker and their newest addition, Henrik. 

On the drive, Ethan pointed out this rainbow. It was the weirdest thing. It was just that little piece in the sky. It didn't go any further than that.  

Meet our new nephew, Henrik. He is such a sweet boy. 

Saturday, we headed into Denver to get some real Chicago style lunch.  

Then we hit up the mall. 

Chris treated Ethan and Jason to a "Hurricane Experience". The wind went up to 80mph. 

Then we let Ethan try the sky jumper. He was kind of scared of it. 

Then we just hung out and loved on Henrik. 

Tucker got some lovin' too.  

And, Uncle Crash. 

Ethan loves being silly with Chris. 

Sunday we headed to Sheridan, spent the night with Joe and Tyler, then came home Monday.

The boys are getting so big. They love helping Daddy. 

We were seeing if we had hockey gear for Elliott, and he thought it was more fun to put it on and pose for the camera.  

Jason got his tattoo to match mine while he was home. There is a tree to represent each of us, and the boys' initials in the branches. Chris designed it for us.  

On Thursday we took the boys to see The Lion King 3D. Jason and I still knew all the words, and could sing all of the songs. It was fun to share that with the boys.  

Friday night, our friend Laura was in town and offered to take the boys for us. They went to IHop for dinner and Jason and I went to Applebee's. We were going to watch a hockey game, but they weren't in town, so instead we did some shopping. It was nice to have some adult time. 

Jason left Helena on Saturday morning, It's been kind of lonely without him, and we can't wait for the rest of this deployment to be over. 

I might just be "Hockey Mom of the Year". Ethan got to order a new helmet and pick out the color he wanted. He chose maroon, and I was able to take the cage off of another helmet we had and put it onto his new helmet. I didn't even have to google it. :) He is very excited for hockey season to begin. 

Before Jason left, he took us shopping for our Halloween decorations. 

We put them up without him, but I think we did a good job. 

I even made the furry wreath with eyeballs on it. 

This morning, Elliott and I headed to the Dr bright and early to get his cast taken off. 

She said it looks like it healed up great, and he should be back to normal in no time. He is still holding it at an angle, and telling me he can't use it, but I'm sure that he will be over it soon. 

Now that I have this caught up, I need to get back to reality. Elliott needs picked up from pre-school, laundry needs finished, groceries need bought, and I'm sure a hundred other things will come to mind. 

Have a great week.