My (Picture) Take on Life...: Flashback to November

Since I was absent for the entire month of November... here is the month in review...

I was FINALLY able to have some of Jake's play date friends over to celebrate his 2nd birthday!!! I decided to do their big 1st birthday parties then 'lay as low as possible' for as many subsequent years that I can... I think this idea may have only lasted a couple of years, because Sam has been planning his birthday party for the last 6 months!!! BUT... I've tried to just keep it small and low profile since their first birthdays! Poor Jake - we didn't get to have play date for about a month because SOMEONE was sick and I had to reschedule for one reason or another for FOUR WEEKS straight!!!! What great friends that are so understanding with all our rescheduling!!!

This is actually a really great picture of the two of them... Sam has a somewhat normal smile... and they're both looking at the camera! So rare!

Being that one or both kids have pretty much been sick for the last couple of months, this is what Jake has ended up with... we call it his 'dinosaur nose.' He has to do breathing treatments every night for a month. We're almost done now, and it has really helped... although he has a cold... again...

This is Jake staying OUT of the street... the 'white' is the CURB, and the 'black' is the STREET! He stayed here like this until I came to set him back up!

Sam got himself dressed... yes, that is shorts on his head, and yes, he picked out shorts to wear in November --- I made him put on pants... on his legs instead of his head!

This is Sam's Thanksgiving party at school... there's Jake back there at 'his own big boy seat' at the table! He felt so special!

Daddy helping Jake!

Jake on the way home... feeling pretty proud of himself!!!

This is what Sam made at school for his place mat and 'prizes' to show his mommy and daddy!

I put our Christmas tree up a couple weeks before Thanksgiving this year... for many reasons - but the main one was that we wouldn't have gotten another chance until 2 or 3 weeks AFTER Thanksgiving! That being said... the kids (mainly Sam - Jake feeds off of Sam) have been terrors because they can't control their excitement!!! I styled Sam's hair to fit his mood...

We went to "Chicken-fil-A" (as Jake likes to call it) the night before Thanksgiving to let the kids get some energy out... This reminds me of the signs at the zoo that say, "Don't tap the glass or feed the animals..."

Let Thanksgiving begin.... and you wonder why the kids would rather be at Mimi and Pop Pop's!!!! Look at Jake's mouth - it's STUFFED!!!!

Another reason Mimi and Pop Pop's is so much cooler... they get to ride their 4-wheelers!

Nanny even came out and 'played' on her ATV!!!!!!

Can you see that RED SPECK up at the top of the driveway? That's Sam's 4-wheeler up there. He picked up rocks, but instead of driving them back down, he had to run them back down... then go back and get his 4-wheeler!?!?! (actually the red 4-wheeler is Jake's NEW one he got for his birthday. Jake and Sam had to trade because the red one was too big for Jake to ride... we are just so thankful that Sam was so gracious to trade his 'old' blue one for the 'new' red one!!! **insert sarcasm**)

Here's Jake running to find us... he had to leave his 4-wheeler too...

because he stuck it in a tree. He grabbed Pop's hand and took him to where "it's stuck Pop!"

Here he is bravely driving it out!

Sam is collecting rocks, sticks and flowers to give to Mimi!!!!

Photo op...

Another favorite activity at Mimi and Pop's is riding the Mule and/or Gator up to feed the horses... yes - those are DOTS crammed into Jake's mouth!

Jake trying to sneak up to drive!

Sam ready to go!

He's ready for Christmas... what can I say? (Although now the antlers get put around his waist and are 'dragon wings' so he can fly around the house!)