Can You Smell Them?

MMMMMM....Don't they smell good?  No it's not one of my famous dinners, it's these three cute boys after they've had a bath and are in their snuggly warm jammies! Bath time is so much fun at our house.  Lots of toys, soap, and splashing around make for a good time.  You can't believe how black the water is after these three monkeys are done.  It's like the whole day's been washed away...literally!

Neighborhood Fun

How lucky are we that we have such fun, nice neighborhood friends?  One of the highlights of our day is going out front and playing in the driveway with anyone who comes by and asks if they can play (I'm serious!) The boys love driving The Quad, The Escalade, riding their bikes, scooters, skateboards, and playing make-believe with all their friends.  It's so fun watching how kids interact with each other and especially how they solve problems when others are around.  We are so so lucky to have such a great group of neighborhood friends.  

A Day with Dad Doing Guy Stuff!

On Saturday, Jeremy took Brody and Case to Flagstaff to scout for deer.  After several trips to the hunting stores, the boys were fully geared with backpacks, hats, binoculars and hiking boots, all in camouflage patterns!  The boys were so excited for this day with Dad, they could hardly stand it! Ledger and I stayed home to try and get some things accomplished which was perfectly fine with these 2 big boys!  They reminded me all week about the big day trip with Dad in which Ledger and I would not attend!  I packed them several snacks and juice boxes and they were off!  Of course Brody was in heaven driving around in the Ranger all day. Case loved the Ranger too and even fell asleep in it while going on the bumpiest, rockiest road they had ever been on.  The best part of the trip were the two times Case had to go to the bathroom.  When the kid has to go, he has to go!  Jeremy grabbed the spare tire off the trailer, threw it on the ground and told Case to go.  He simply pulled down his pants and sat right down in the middle of  that tire and took care of  business, not once...but twice!  Thank goodness it wasn't Brody who had to go.  He would have held it all day until he got home!  The boys haven't stopped talking about their day with Dad and keep asking when they can do that again.  Jeremy was so good to take them even though they didn't see a deer...or any animal at that!  Jeremy is in for many more "Days with Dad!" The best part is, I think he had just as much fun as they did!

No Deer Here Dad!

It's so like Brody to find a path to follow in the middle of a dead grass field.  I'm sure he was wondering where it went, and what was at the top of the hill, and who made the path, and on and on and on!  He's such an adventurer!

What Boy Doesn't Like Throwing Rocks into a Muddy Lake?

Case was having a ball throwing rocks or should I say small boulders into the muddy lake! 

I'm actually really surprised he didn't throw himself in!!

A Rough and Bumpy Ride in the Ranger

The best part about scouting with Dad is riding in the Ranger! 

One Proud Kindergarten Mom!

So today Jeremy and I attended our first parent-teacher conference for Brody.  I have to say that I was little nervous to meet with the teacher.  Not because I was worried about what she would say about Brody (what could you say other then he is AWESOME!) but because as a former teacher, I'm used to being on the other end of things.  I'm usually the one talking to the parents about their little darlings.  Anyhow, the conference was great and Brody is doing super in kindergarten!  He made honor roll for having a 95% or higher GPA.  He is so smart!  He loves to learn and do homework.  As the teacher was showing us his report card, Jeremy and I were more concerned about him socially...Does he have friends? Who are his friends? What does he do on the playground? Does he seem happy? It's so hard to tell with him. Sometimes he can't stop talking about school, and other times he has nothing to say at all.  My hope for him is that he continues to learn in an environment that is positive and enriching.  I hope that he has lots of friends and has fun with them.  I am so proud of this little kindergartner! 

Guess what we did yesterday?

Looked at some very weird art work,

played in the pretend kitchen,

drew pictures and wrote stories about them,

and drove the big wooden car!

Yesterday Brody had a half day due to Parent-Teacher Conferences.  Since he got out at 12:20 I asked him what fun thing he would like to do.  He decided that he wanted to go to the AZ Museum For Youth. The museum is tons of fun cause it is like a big indoor playground with arts and crafts!  We were the only ones there for a while which was a lot of fun!  I loved having all three boys together just playing and laughing like we used to before Brody started kindergarten.  I wish everyday was half day!  

Jack-O-Lanterns Everywhere!

Jack-o-lanterns everywhere!  When you have three boys,... you need to keep the knives sharp.  After selecting the perfect pumpkins, we spent the afternoon carving them up.  Case's jack-o-lantern is on the left with the flaming eyes!  He wanted a scary pumpkin and we think he got it.  Ledger's is the obvious one in the middle,.. easy going, just like him.  And the one on the right is Brody's.  He wanted to have a happy pumpkin, just like him.  Jeremy and I had to laugh when we lit these cute pumpkins up cause we think they look just like the personalities of each of our boys.  By the way, can you believe how incredibly talented my husband is?  I think these pumpkins are so cute, I just wish they would last until Halloween.  

Pick a pick a pumpkin patch!

Today we actually left the cabin and drove to Snowflake, AZ to pick pumpkins at The Willis Farm.  The boys loved finding "The perfect pumpkin" and picking corn off the corn stalks.  Of course we had to get the biggest weirdest looking pumpkins!  Some of the pumpkins were still on the vine which was fun when it came time to pick them!  Ledger had fun getting a wheelbarrow ride while Brody and Case enjoyed the different colored pumpkins and the green ladybugs (I guess that's what they were).    The weather was very fall like which was a big change from Schnepf Farms last year (Can we say 100 degrees...YUCK!)  What a fun time we had picking pumpkins today!   

Ledger Felstead

Is this the cutest kid ever?  This is our baby, Ledger.  He is 15 months old going on 3!  I say that because this kid tries to do anything and everything his big brothers do. He likes to be in the middle of every wrestling match, light saber fight and conversation (even though his vocabulary is still really limited!) He is into every cupboard, drawer and niche in the house.  He especially loves to get into the pantry and pull out cheese crackers, graham crackers, and fruit snacks.  It is not unusual for me to find him on the floor of the pantry eating whatever he pulled off the shelf.  He wants to eat all day long...he's such a pig!  Ledger is so happy and loving.  He loves all thing soft and snuggly including stuffed animals.  Truthfully I think I'm his favorite thing to snuggle!  We have a special bond (possibly due to our birthday's being a day apart). I feel so lucky to be the Mom of this cute kiddo!

Case Felstead

So here is our little Case Felstead.  I took this photo last Saturday when we were out front planting our winter lawn.  The weather was so perfect and the boys were having so much fun pushing their lawn mowers around the grass like Dad! In between helping Dad, the boys ran back and forth from our house and our neighbors, The Bishops.  Brody and Case love playing with Rylee and Luke who are around the same age as them.  The next thing I knew, Brody came running over yelling, "We can't find Case Mom!"  Rylee, Luke, and their Dad Jon were frantically looking for Case who was no where to be found.  Jeremy started yelling for Case as he ran up and down the street.  I ran around the block screaming Case's name and enlisting help from any neighbor who happened to be outside like us. My heart was heavy and I was scared and sick to my stomach.  The search continued for about 15 minutes before Jeremy and I looked at each other and said, "Call the police!"  I'm not sure I have ever been so scared in my life!  Not knowing what to do, I ran to the Bishop's garage and screamed, "Case Felstead get out here right now!!"  All of a sudden I heard Case say, "o.k. mom" and he started crying.  I yelled to everyone frantically looking for him that I had found him.  It was one of those times where you don't know if you should hug your kid or spank him!  I was so relieved but so mad at him. He spent the next hour in his room getting lectured by both jeremy and I.  We tried to explain how much we love him and how sad we would be if something happened to him.  I can't imagine life without Case.  He is so fun to be around with his funny voice and cute personality.  I love Case so much!  I'm so lucky this story had a happy ending.

Brody Felstead

So this is our Brody man.  It's hard to believe he started kindergarten this year.  He loves school but I hate having him gone all day.  I miss him so much.  I can hardly wait until 2:50 when he gets out of school and he is home with me!  Brody did Mesa Country Club swim team this summer and loved it!  He struggled at first with the swim meets but eventually got used to the cold water and the fear of competing.  Jeremy and I were so proud of him.  We loved going to his swim meets each week... talk about bringing back memories for the both of us!   Did I mention how cute he looked in the knee length Speedo swim suit he had to wear to the meets?  Let's just say he has his Dad's body!! Brody is such a sweet, kind boy.  He is super smart and loves to learn.  He makes me happy and proud! 

The Felsteads

So here we are... The Felstead Five!! 

We are the lucky parents to 3 cute boys ages, 5, 3 and 1.  Jeremy and I were both raised here in Mesa, AZ.  As a family we love to eat out, go to the movies, and vacation.  We will try to use this blog to keep you updated on what is going on in our hectic lives.  We feel like the luckiest family on earth!