Happy Halloween!

This year we are a bat {Miles} and a spider {Grant}, inspired by the creatures seen in our old house.

Fall Fun

We took advantage of a lovely fall day recently to go for a hike near Saylorville Lake. The fall colors were at their peak, and Grant enjoyed collecting leaves of every color. As usual, he was also on the hunt for walnuts, pinecones and sticks. He is a confident little hiker, always sure-footed and at the lead.

Miles, who is not napping much these days, seemed happy to ride in the backpack. At nearly 30 pounds, he is almost too heavy to be carried like this. 

Fan Club

It goes without saying that Ted the Hero is the most popular one in the house these days. Grant wakes up in the morning to ask, "Where's Ted?" and begs us to let him sleep with him when he goes to bed at night. The boys follow him around the house, offering toys and constantly wanting to hold and snuggle him. Sometimes a little too tightly. Miles is learning the meaning of the word "gentle."

So far, Ted doesn't seem to mind. He loves people and wants to be in someone's lap at all times, whether we are eating dinner or reading bedtime stories. 

I just realized that G is sucking his thumb in all of these pictures. There must be something about a cuddly kitten in your lap that brings out the comfort of the thumb.

Breaking Free

Miles has been working on this recently....

He walks out into the hall and announces, "I climb out of my bed!" before we walk him back in and lay him down again. Again and again and again. It's hard to be angry when he is so proud of himself. The only good news is that this development occurred in the same week that I majorly hurt my back, so it made things a little easier.

He is a boy on the move, getting bigger, faster and more independent every day.

Des Moines Half Marathon

Congratulations to Kent, who ran his first half-marathon last weekend! The boys and I {and Grandma and Grandpa} had the pleasure of seeing him a couple of times along the course. Miles thought it was fun to slap high-fives to the runners...

...while Grant insisted on bringing all of his instruments along so that he could cheer on the runners with his "beats." Our little one-man band. It was a great day for running and music-making on the streets of Des Moines.

Growing Family

We added this guy to our family over the weekend.

We picked him out at the Animal Rescue League over the weekend. Or, I should say, he picked us. While we were walking through the cat area, he tapped on the window with his paws. Within seconds, he had both boys laughing as he jumped, rolled and "high-fived" them from the other side of the glass. The boys were immediately smitten with this playful friend.

"What do you want to name him?" we asked Grant. "Ted the Hero," he told us. It seems to fit. Ted the Hero {also known as Ted the Intrepid Explorer, Ted and Teddy} is a scrawny little guy who is quite fearless. He loves to play, but he also loves to snuggle and purr.

We think he'll fit in well here.

First Hawkeye Game

Kent took Grant to his first Iowa Hawkeye game on Saturday. Not sure what to expect, we prepped him, telling him all about seeing Herky, singing the fight song and eating popcorn in the stands. He was beyond excited by Saturday morning. He told Miles, "I get to go to the Hawkeye game with Daddy. But not you."

The game did not defy his expectations. Not only did he get to eat cookies before noon at the tailgate, but he got to have popcorn during the game. 

Grant reported afterward that his favorite part was watching Herky run out of the tunnel and seeing the marching band. Oh, and some guys played football.

When he got tired, he rested his head on the neighbor's shoulder.

Kent and G made it all the way through the third quarter before deciding to go and visit Baby Theo at Aunt Kelsey and Uncle Austin's house.

All in all, it was a very special day of father-son bonding. I'm not sure who was more excited about their day when they got home -- G or Kent.