October Extras

A lot happened in the month of October at our house and when we had an off day, we laid pretty low. Here are a few of the in betweens for the month. 

The Chiefs have been about as exciting to watch as paint drying---so we went with paint drying. A girlfriend mentioned they had stained their swing set and ours was in dire need so we got busy. The hard work was certainly worth it in the end. 

Boys being boys at the bus stop. 

Supporting their Freely Given Movement shirts--GO KIT GO!

Freely Given Movement shirts again---and playing so nicely with one another. 

Picture day at Kindergarten. 

And then we chopped it off and gave him a new style. Where did my baby go?

I could really just eat him. Scrumptious. 

Kaden doing his nightly reading but this time through FaceTime--technology is just the best. I love that he gets to read to his grandparents and I'm pretty sure they get a kick out of it too. 

Working on his feather for his school's turkey. 

A SUPER Halloween

Halloween weekend was one party after another---two school parties and one at our house while we watched Game 3 of the World Series and then Halloween day and game 4 of the World Series the following day, so of course I did what anyone else would, I took the day off. It was just easier that way.

Logan's party was pretty simple & it was nice and early---unwrapped a few Hostess Halloween Cakes, 3 for $5 and we were in business. The party was total chaos but Logan had so much fun and the costumes were so cute. The best costume didn't belong to my son either---I know, shocker. There were actually two, one little girl was a taco and it was made out of felt, a yellow felt shell with lots of toppings! The other was our friend Abby, she was Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon and I looked and looked for a cute Toothless costume but couldn't find one, her mom sure did and it was darling! Don't get me wrong, Logie is as cute as ever but costumes just haven't been as much fun as they once were.

After Logan's party finished up I dropped him off at Ms. Brenda's and was off to do a few errands, bake a few cupcakes & get everything ready to go for Kaden's party. You see, I was somewhat nervous for Kaden's party--I am co-room parent for Kaden's class and this was our first rodeo. Fingers and toes were crossed for a fun yet uneventful party!

Like Logan, Kaden just had to be a superhero, he picked Flash. His costume ended up being a little small but way better than the 14-16 in boys that was sent to us the first time around. He was so excited to kick off his party with a school parade and of course the kindergarten classes led it off.

After the parade it was back to the classroom for Kaden's class party. They had treats---popcorn hands & chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles. They did a cute little craft and made a little Halloween dude to go either around their necks or on the backpack and then they turned each other into mummies. Kaden loved this game.

But our fun didn't end there. We still had a full night ahead of us with a little Halloween shindig at our house with all our friends and their littles. Oh and a Royal's game too--game 3 of the World Series. It was destined to be a great night.

When I first threw out the idea of a party at the house I had suggested doing one on Saturday around noon so that all the kiddos could see each other in their costumes and then they could head back home and tricker treat their own neighborhood. Then I thought, why not Friday night, guys and some of the mom's could watch the Royals, the kids could play and hopefully all sleep in on Saturday morning! So we moved it and everyone was still able to come.

I started looking at Pinterest for a few food ideas and the next thing I knew I was knee deep in an entire Pinterest menu. I worked in a few healthy options--banana ghosts, some pumpkin cuties & celery, witches brooms made of string cheese and pretzels. And then we had the other stuff---mummy dogs (a Halloween tradition at our house), monster pudding, Jello worms in Oreo dirt, & mummy cupcakes. & I found these cute orange skeleton goblets at Target in the $1 bin and Becky put together a fun little fuzzy drink for the kiddos. (& it's pretty tasty when you add a little vodka to it!)

These worms proved to be the most challenging part of the menu & not to mention time consuming. You basically take 100 bending straws, tie them together and then pour jello with a touch of whip cream into the straws and let them set up. I kept thinking I wasn't doing it right because the liquid would start oozing out of the straw so I finally threw up my hands and just said let's see what happens. The next day I found them in okay condition & as I started to squeeze the jello out of all 100 straws I noticed that they weren't as long as I anticipated and didn't get the whole earthworm look I was going for. So if you plan on making these anytime soon---next Halloween---put the bending part of the straw at the bottom so you can get the rings on the neck of the worms.

Kaden asked how I got them to be this color, I used purple jello and added a little green food coloring so that they turned a little brownish-grey. And although they don't look too appetizing, they were prett yummy.

And look at this crew, we had---Diamond Steve from Minecraft, we had a little cowgirl who actually wore her mom's old costume, a cute little pink flamingo, a Minion, Minnie Mouse, Leonardo, two Super Girls, Flash and Green Lantern. What a cute bunch of kiddos!  

Cousin Colton's mom and dad built his costume, pretty sure it was one of the best looking costumes I had seen all day, even after seeing Kaden's school parade! 

The rest of the evening was spent with kids playing in the toy room, in the basement with the guys, upstairs with us moms, they were everywhere but surprisingly we didn't really have too many issues, they were so good. The only time we had a slight issue was when Kaden and Lilly ran into each other, she stopped short, he kept going and poor girl hit her head. I immediately thought Kaden wasn't being careful and kind of sent him to his room but Tiffany assured me that it was a complete accident, so I talked with Kaden and he went and checked on Lilly. Thankfully she was fine, just a little bump but in a matter of time, she was up and back at it. 

Tiffany took care of a few games for the kiddos and brought over Ghost bowling and Witches Hat Toss. It took a while for the kids to roll the pumpkin on the ground versus throwing it but either way it was so very cute to watch. 

But the biggest hit of the evening was probably with our never-ending supply of superhero masks. Over the past 2 or 3 birthdays they boys have been able to compile quite the collection and the good news, each kiddo had their own and there was no fighting over which kiddo got what mask. Amazing. They seriously followed each other around for multiple hours, saving one another from the bad guys.

The only sad part of the evening, besides when everyone had to say goodbye was when the Royals fell to the Mets, game three went to NY but we still had a one game lead in the series---till tomorrow, we come back stronger.

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The boys didn't really sleep in too much but then again, they never do. So we got up and decided to take care of a few errands & then make a special visit to a special friend. You see, we took our Superheroes to meet a few REAL superheroes, specifically our dear friend Scott.

Scott gave the boys, Justin and I a tour of his home away from home. He even let the boys hop up into the firetruck and turn on a few lights. Their favorite part of the whole tour, opening the garage door by tugging on a little rope that dangled in the middle of the room. You could tell as they made their way through the fire station that they were looking for something---a fire pole and they quickly learned that not everything is as it appears on TV. Mind blown.

The rest of the day was spent resting up, we had SOME trick or treating to do and then a HUGE game to watch--game 4 of the World Series and yes, game 4 was trumping trick or treating.

The day seemed to drag on for like EVER---kind of like this post---but finally it was time to head out to the neighborhood. The plan, stay in our little area of the neighborhood & be back by first pitch.

We ended up with the perfect amount of trick or treating. The boys seem to get into it more and more each year and although we didn't go to 30+ house, probably not even 15, they were beyond excited with the amount of candy they received. We did have a little mishap while trick or treating---Kaden forgot to say "thank you" so I told them both that if I didn't hear them say it, they would have to skip the next house. Well, Kaden forgot at one house so he had to stay back with me at the next house. As Logan was getting his candy and thanking the home owners, they told Kaden he could come up as well and he said, "no, I can't." and they looked at me a little puzzled. I explained the situation and they gave me an "Awesome, Mom. Way to go.".  And you know what, Kaden didn't forget again!

Once we returned home the boys told Justin, Janet and I that we could watch the game and they would handle the candy when trick or treaters came by. I honestly believe they enjoyed this part more than anything…they were on the look out.

Since it had been a long night the boys only stayed up for a portion of the game, it wasn't looking all that great anyways but I promised that I would wake both boys up if we pulled ahead or if they woke up from us screaming they could come down. 

Well in typically Royals fashion, we mounted a come from behind and our house got a little loud as we were just one, ONE, win away from being World Series Champions. Little Logie hadn't fallen asleep yet and rejoined us for the last inning as Wade Davis closed the game out for us, yet again. Kaden slept through the whole thing, couldn't wake the kid--I tried. But this kid, well, he was just as excited as we were---he knew what this win meant. 

Sliders

You know those times when you have an idea to do something but you just can't figure it out until something else happens that basically hits you in the head and your like, DUH, why didn't I think about this earlier. You know that moment. Well, that's how this project all started. 

I have always wanted some sort of sliding barn door in our home. By always, I mean, since like day 65 of moving into our house---a long time though. 

Anyways, I just couldn't think of a place to put one. It wouldn't work in our master bedroom because the double doors to our bathroom are set back from the wall. It wouldn't work in the kids rooms, they'll eventually need their privacy. We don't have an office space at home because I don't typically work from home and we are using what would be the office as a playroom and the layout of the door frame once again wouldn't work. 

I had come to the decision that it just wasn't meant to be. 

& then Kaden did me a favor, unintentionally of course. 

The day before he turned six he was running through the kitchen---running isn't at the top of my favorite things for them to do in the house---as he was running, he turned to look behind him to see if Logan was chasing him---chasing is even further down on the list of things I like to see in our house. 

Since he wasn't looking in front of him, he didn't see that the pantry door was open & SMACK, he ran right into the door. It instantly split into two and he just looked up at his dad and asked if he was in trouble. Somehow Justin stayed calmed and shook his head no and told him that accidents happen but that he needs to pay more attention. He then came to get me. & then my BIL proceeded to take the rest of the door off. 

So, there we were with a one door pantry and all eyes on our food. My first thought was just to call the builders and ask where they got the cabinets and place an order for another door but I kept forgetting. Then Justin made the comment about liking the opening and how nice it was not to open the doors when he needed to come in and out multiple times---he was right, it was a pain and when they were open, it took up walk space in the kitchen. 

LIGHT BULB. A sliding barn door. What I have always wanted. I found someone on Craigslist that was local and who had a price that I didn't think could be beat and reached out. Because of the location of our pantry door I thought it would make sense to do two smaller doors instead of one large door so they could slide apart from each other and still look balanced on the wall. 

Of course, I was the first person to request two small doors and they were honest with me and told me they weren't sure how they would look hung up but I moved forward with it anyways. I totally got what they were saying but it was the same with with our bar wall made of penny tiles and it worked out perfectly. 

On installation day they brought the doors in and in a matter of 15 minutes had them hung. They looked perfect, even with the wall be unfinished. It took me a few more weeks to sand down the wall and repaint and in the end, I couldn't be happier. They added the perfect amount of character in the home.

If you are searching for something similar, I highly recommend ThornCreek Interiors. You can check them out on Facebook by clicking here. The craftsmanship is top notch, their customer service was top notch and their prices were great too. 

Thanks again Kaden. Now about the carpet in our master bedroom!  

The Great Pumpkin 2015

The last couple of weekends have been pretty quiet and we have been able to get a number of projects done around the house but the one thing we hadn't done yet was visit the pumpkin patch. & we still haven't. Justin isn't the biggest fan of the pumpkin patch and knowing this, I just kind of skipped over it. With that being said, he did give into a night in the Enchanted Forest at Sar Ko Park in Lenexa.

I had heard wonderful things about the event from Ms. Brenda as she had been going for a couple years now so we thought we would try it out. We got the kids in their costumes, loaded them up in the car and took off to the park.

I figured that we wouldn't have a hard time finding parking but as we pulled up we saw the massive amount of people who were also heading towards the park---this wasn't what I was expecting.

We finally found a spot to park and made our way across the street where we were greeted with massive lines to do basically anything. So we bypassed the vendors and the free candy and started making our way around the park.

Once we made it to the other side of the lake we found a table where the boys could decorate paper lanterns to set free in the lake. The donations where for a good cause so we handed over a few dollars and the boys got to work on decorating their lanterns.

They finished them a short while later, we lit them, placed them into the lake and Justin and I watched as they tried to blow them away from the side into the middle---it was so cute & thankfully, they didn't fall in.

We continued to make our way around the lake & found a petting zoo, a play that was being put on & a few owls--which were really quite neat. We saw ghosts, goblins, zombies & lots of cute kiddos in costumes. We also ran into KC Wolf and the boys got to get their picture taken with him before the chaos ensued around him. Blurry, but a picture nonetheless.

We were able to talk the kids into heading back home by ensuring that we would have more Halloween fun over the coming days. And that we did.

It was pumpkin decorating time and the boys were excited to try something new with their pumpkins this year. They first helped me spray paint them white and while they were drying, we got to work on stripping the Crayons. It wasn't fun work but it had to be done.

After we got all the Crayons prepped we started glueing them to their pumpkins. The boys picked out their Crayons and the order and I glued them down.

And then came the fun part---the hair dryer. It took a little time to figure out just how much direct heat we need and which direction to apply the heat but through trial and error we figured it out. Most importantly, the boys loved making the Crayons melt and were pretty happy with the end result.

ALCS Game SIX

A family affair.

Or at least it was now. Justin and I were kind of in a pickle when it came to game 6 of the ALCS, we had two tickets but yet no sitter. My MIL had plans that evening and logistically it just wasn't going to work to get both the kids from two different locations at different times and get them to someone else's home who wasn't yet off work. So I suggested to Justin that he go and take someone with him and I would stay home. He suggested we just sell the tickets. I didn't like that idea so I picked up the phone and called and simply asked, "How can we make this work?" Two minutes later I was buying two standing room only tickets for our boys---and we were both so excited for them to get to experience the playoffs.

When I picked up Logan from Ms. Brenda's I told him that Daddy and I had a surprise for him but that I couldn't tell him until we got home. He tried so hard to get me to spill the beans but I held strong. When we got home, he immediately ran into the kitchen and told Kaden that we had a surprise for them. They both sat down and I hit the record button on my phone---you know like how parents record their kids reaction to the big news of Disney World...

Whomp, Whomp, Whomp. Total let down & strike one for these two. 

So then I started working on our new signs. I wasn't sure what I wanted to put on them but since Logan loves Mike Moustakas I knew I had to incorporate a Moose someway, somehow. So I got to work & half way through the MLB logo on Kaden's sign, Logan asks, "Hey, Mom. When are you going to color the duck?" 

STIKE TWO buddy. Now back off, it's not a duck, its a funny looking man, Can't you tell I am trying here!

Luckily the next morning they woke up and could hardly contain their excitement. This was going to be a good night. 

We decided to head into the game a little earlier than normal so that we could take the boys down to the field & watch a little batting practice before finding out seats for the opening ceremonies. On our way in I asked this very nice lady if she would take a picture for us & she happily did so. It wasn't until she handed my phone back that I realized she was a Toronto fan which actually means a little more that she would help us out. 

We even got lucky and got to see the Moose Mobile. I'm sure you have seen it and it's owner on TV during the playoffs---the kids thought it was the coolest jeep. It kind of is. 

The boys were excited to get to our seats but I am sure they had no idea how high they were and how many stairs they would actually be climbing so talking them into going down to the field turned into quite the challenge. I managed though. 

In my mind, I had it all planned out. We would venture down to the field, the kids would hold their signs up and they would get chosen as the "play ball" kids---I mean it was their first postseason game & they are freaking adorable! 

But of course, it didn't happen. Maybe next time. 

Once we got to our seats I started digging in my bag, Kaden's backpack. I had stuffed it full of snacks and treats so that after each inning the boys would get something new. This way, they stayed happy, we didn't have to spend a fortune on food & everyone got to watch the game without the "can I have cotton candy, frozen lemonade, peanuts..." & it worked like a charm. First up Big League Chew---we couldn't bring them to their first postseason game without some of the original! 

The boys were also fascinated by the idea of getting back on the jumbotron. They had been on it once before during the Karate Kick segment so they knew that at each half inning they had to pop up and hold their signs high. Even before the game started their faces appeared on Crown Vision. 

They would get on two other times before the night was over too but that still wasn't the highlight of the night.

Kaden is a huge Lorenzo Cain fan--maybe it's because he's my favorite player too. Maybe it's because Kaden likes the number 6. Maybe it's because he has a pretty kick butt song that he walks up to and Kaden likes to dance. Maybe it's because Kaden likes to say his name, "Looooooorrrrrrenzo CAAAAAAAAAAIN!" Whatever it might be, every time they announced his name, Kaden turned around with the back of his shirt to the field and did a little shimmy, pointing over his back at his shirt.

As exciting as it was to have our boys there with us, the game was just as exciting. We started off scoring a run in each of the first two innings--both homers, one from my new fave guy, Ben Zobrist, the other from none other than Mike Maustakas--Logie's favorite ballplayer. We were up against Price, who hasn't had a great post season but is one of the top pitchers playing today. We all knew it was going to be a challenge but we also knew, our Boys in Blue are ALWAYS up for a challenge, the thrive when their backs are against the wall---it's when they show the world what they are truly made of.

Unfortunately, the home runs didn't stop there, Batista hit one in the 4th to make it 2-1 Royals and a few innings later we were able to add an insurance run, Royals led 3-1. The Blue Jays were quiet for a while but then Batista as up again and once again we watched as he hit one out the ballpark but this time he had a man on. Wader came into finish out the inning for us but now the game was tied. & then the rain came. 

Things weren't looking so great---game was tied, we had just given up a two run homer and the momentum was turning to Toronto. Davis had done his job in the 8th but now what---he had a 45+ minute delay to worry about.

Finally the tarp was coming off and the Royals were up to bat, we needed one. Never give up--that's been the anthem all season long so why would it change now. The stadium was on their feet with Cain on first and Hosmer up to bat, this is why he sits in the #4 position, our "clean up" hitter, to drive in runs. With a crack of the bat the ball went to right field where none other than Batista was chasing after it. Cain rounded second, headed to third and wasn't slowing down. Jerschele was waving him home---on a single--yup, Cain can fly & with one swing of the bat we were back on top, 4-3. Hosmer had no clue what had happened until he looked around to see what all the chaos was about and saw his teammate jumping up from home plate in triumph. What a play. But it still wasn't over, we had three more outs to record and Davis stepped back out on the mound.

I look over to my right and found this...

He tried so hard to hang on. How he was sleeping in a stadium of 40k+ fans is beyond me. He had just seen Cain cross home plate and was fist bumping everyone and jumping up and down with me. We decided to leave him and wake him up once we recorded the 2nd out which took a little while longer than we had expect. The 9th was full of tension as well, Toronto had two on--runners at first and third---with no one out but Wade dug deep & their hitters were no match of him. The game came to a close as Donaldson hit a ball down the third base line, Moose fielded it cleaning and fired it to Hosmer who recorded the out. Game Over. Our boys in blue were headed back to the Fall Classic & our city was erupting with celebration and pride. The stadium was rocking as the Royals flag was being waved and the make shift stands were being hauled onto the field for the presentation of the American League Pennant.

Justin and I decided that it had already been such a long night for the boys that it would probably be best to get them home and tucked into their beds. We made our way back to our car and got them loaded in. I was certain they would be asleep by the time we made it out of the parking lot but no, they were wide awake as we pulled into the garage and wanted to stay up a little longer. We told them to change into their pajamas, grab their lovies and meet us on the couch--we had some highlights to watch. And as they came back down the stairs I handed them back their signs, with one little tweak---Their first postseason game was a win!

I am sure they really don't get the magnitude of this particular game but maybe they will when they get older. I am sure Logan will have a hard time remembering it but hopefully Kaden will have some recollection of being SIX and being at game SIX of the 2015 ALCS---an instant classic. And even if they don't remember the game, I know Justin and I will never forget it. We will never forget sitting in last row of section 421 with our boys. This will easily go down as one of our best family moments & we will get to talk about this for years, scratch that, decades to come. This is why we took our boys to game 6…for smiles like this.