Snuggles...

He is one very loved little boy and now he is adjusting to not being held all the time after the weekend!

He Might Have an Addiction.

After pleading with him to stop making pumpkin pies, I woke up last Sunday morning to this. 6 pies in 3 weeks! For some reason Benjy all of the sudden loves to make pumpkin pies! He doesn't even eat the pumpkin, he scrapes half of it off! Guess who eats way too much of it?

Feeding

For a Stake Relief Society, (Women's Group at Church) service project, we went to Feed My Starving Children in Coon Rapids.

We had a jam packed weekend so I kept thinking I wouldn't be able to fit it all in but I couldn't shake the "feeling," that I needed to go.

I had wanted to go many times in the past however it seems like there were always reasons that it just didn't work out. I have to admit it was a lot of fun and we will be going here soon as a family. I really want the girls to have this experience and understand the things that we take for granted, like food.
I just cried when they shared some stories of some of the children that are thriving now that they are receiving meals from Feed My Starving Children. Now I find myself visualizing this picture of a 6 year old boy weighing 19 pounds when I start worrying about my own children being under weight. I realize how much I shouldn't be worrying. It was an unbelievable experience that I needed to have. Often I find that service projects really FEED our spiritual needs as well as someone else's physical/temporal needs.

My

birthday cupcake and candle

presents and balloons

dirty hands

and little buddies that are....

going,

going,

gone.

Do you know how hard it is to get 5 little boys to sit for a picture?

Guess

why I am a happy little boy
and why I get this yummy dessert all to myself

and why they are singing and clapping for me.

I am....ONE!

Hippies in 2010 Gray Ghost 5K

I really want to make running my "thing." It hasn't been easy transitioning from a sprinter to a longer distance runner, but I am enjoying it. They encourage costumes so we decided to run as hippies. I am a little more motivated now that Kaydree is one of my running partners.It's always more fun to run with friends!

Lakin (Karsyn's soccer coach) and Kaydree beat me by 2 minutes! Come on.. they are half and a third of my age! Melissa ran along side of me, but I think she could have kept up with the young whipper snappers.

Benjy said that she sprinted to the finish line. He told me, "I was such a proud daddy!"
It was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to our next run! Anyone want to join us?
At the last minute, the guys decided to run! (about 10 feet.)
They even sprinted to the finish line.
And the winners are...............our cheerleaders!

Fall Festival

Our church had another fun Fall Festival.

Our friends came...and we were so thankful. It made it that much more fun. I am bummed that some of them didn't get in this picture. (Kelzenbergs)
Kyce got hot so he went around in his little onsie.We became friends with the Dammers, when Troy and Laiken coached Karsyn. They kept Kyce entertained while we ate. It was so nice....

Carving Time...

The girls drew the faces.The guys did the cutting.

The girls did the cleaning out.

The finished products.

We Needed a Little... Pick Me Up Pumpkin Patch!

Everyone was a little crabby by the time we finally got out the door and to the patch. Kaydree wasn't happy about Kyce being so squirmy in the wagon.

It was very cold and windy so the girls thought they would just pick a pumpkin from inside, but Benjy had one of those, "We could have done that at Wal-Mart!" moments.
How do you keep an almost 1 year old and a 9 year old happy? Give them a dum dum sucker, of course!
Karsyn was pleasant and happy to be there, the entire time.

Kaydree kept the sucker in her mouth the whole time and her mood improved the longer we were there. Must have been the sugar.

I don't know exactly what Kyce is thinking half the time.
I think Dum Dum Suckers should hire this girl to do their advertisements. I am sure our Dentist is going to love us in a couple of weeks.

It was a cute little pumpkin patch and by the time we left, everyone was happy. Mission accomplished!