Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has a spook-tacular day celebrating with family & friends. And, of course, the happiest of birthdays to the world's newest 5 year old! We love you, Hampton!

Hampton's Birthday Eve

Well, it's here. A bittersweet day that Tanner has been dreading for a while ....Hampton's last day of being 4. Tomorrow Hampton will be a 5-year-old, and Five is such a big deal! He'll graduate preschool and start kindergarten this year. He's no longer a baby, but a little boy. 

He's growing into a such a good boy, too. He's smart (sometimes too smart), funny & loving. He's got strong personality traits from both of us, that are both awesome & frustrating. He loves his friends, animals, and doing his own thing.  That's may be his best trait...beating to his own drum. 

When he was a baby, we used to joke that we were going to put him in a bubble to protect him from everything. Now, we're excited to watch him learn & grow. (But his Mommy would still like to have a bubble on standby!)

So, we're wishing the happiest of birthdays to boy who started us on this parenting journey. We love you, Hampton! 

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be

MDO Party Day

Today was the MDO Halloween party day. Tanner volunteered to host Hamp's party, because it was originally going to be on his birthday. That changed, but it was still a fun time for the kiddos. They made a cute bat craft, then had a yummy lunch of pizza, goldfish, fruit cups and rice crispy treats that looked like pumpkins, courtesy of Grandi. It was a fun time, and Hayden Kate seemed to enjoy herself as much as the big kids! 

Foley Halloween Party

On Thursday night, Foley had a downtown Halloween party. We'd never been before, so we thought it would be a great time to check it out. It was so cute...filled with fun carnival games, bounce houses, and lots of candy. The boys loved the ball throw games, which were like inflatable arcade games. It was a great night & a fun kickoff to Halloweem week!

Boo at the Zoo

Saturday was one of our favorite events of the year....the annual Boo at the Zoo. It was the first time they'd ever had it on a Saturday, and the turnout was massive!  We had a great time trick-or-treating, jumping in the bounce house, and seeing all the animals. Our little storybook trio needed a treat time out, so we snapped pics of The Big Bad Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, and her not-so-well-known furry dog Thomas. 

Scenes Around The Howard House

We have been so busy in the last few weeks, that we haven't had much time to blog. But here are some pics from daily life around the Howard house!

4 Year Old Parents Tea

Yesterday was the Parents' Tea at Mom's Day Out. It's an annual thing for the 4 year olds, as a way to meet the other families and kiddos. It was very cute & sweet, especially when they sang "You Are My Sunshine". Of course, Mommy had to get a little misty-eyed when they started talking about Graduation. Right now, we are SO not ready for big-boy school! Luckily, some of the other mommies felt the exact same way! 

Here's a photo of Hampton pre-performance, as well as one with his little classmates. We know that some of these kids will be our friends for a very, very long time!

Field Trip Fun

Today was Hampton's first school field trip. They went to the zoo, which couldn't be more up Hampton's alley. His favorite part was seeing the lions, and he said he heard the Daddy Lion roar. He also liked the animal show with the owl & the snake (which he wisely chose not to touch!). They seemed to have a great time, and he gets to go on another trip in a couple of weeks! 

Movie Night

Last Friday night, we were still recouping from the bug that got us. We still wanted to have a little fun, though, so we decided to enjoy a movie night. The boys love it when we do this, and this week was no exception. It did get a little interesting when Hayden Kate puked all over Mommy in the middle of the film, but otherwise, it was great! 

Pumpkin Patch Pics

Happy 10-Month Birthday, Hayden Kate!

Happy 10 months to the sweetest girl on the planet! She's cruising & trying to walk so badly, along with saying "hi!" To everyone & everything. She loves the remote control, Mommy's phone, and her play frying pan. She's quiet & mostly happy, but if she gets to jabbering or crying, watch out! Her hair is long enough for a little ponytail on the top, but still no teeth. However, that doesn't stop her with fries, pizza crust, animal crackers & Cheerios. We're crazy about her & couldn't imagine being without her! We love you, baby girl! 

What A Week!

This was not our best week. It started last Saturday night with a phone call from Paul saying that Harrison was throwing up. Since there's been an awful stomach bug going around MDO, we knew immediately what we were up against. We picked up the boys, trying to shield Bo from them as much as possible because of his scheduled colonoscopy on Tuesday. No one was sick Sunday, so we thought we'd dogged a bullet. Ha! Notsomuch.

Monday morning, Harrison started throwing up again. Followed by Hayden Kate on Tuesday, Tanner on Wednesday & Hampton on Thursday. Last night, Hayden Kate threw up again, so we aren't really sure what's still on store. Bo has luckily avoided it so far, so we'll take any good news we can get! 

We've spent the week laying around, being cranky, eating almost nothing, and cleaning up vomit (sorry, but it's true). We're hoping that this sickness moves out & we can get outside and enjoy the fall weather that will be here this weekend!