Happy Halloween

The pile of candy in my sons' Halloween buckets confirms that Halloween has already come and gone.  Here's what the holiday looked like in our house:

We carved this pumpkin for the decorating contest at LT's school library.  We added a fire fighter's helmet and had a perfect representation of Curious George and the Fire Fighters, a favorite in our house.

 

And this was our "standard" pumpkin.  The boys couldn't decide whether we should make a friendly pumpkin or a spooky pumpkin. As the carver, mom cast the deciding vote.

 

Meet Tony Stewart and Raphael.  This was before we headed out.  For about two weeks, they've been talking about going trick-or-treating.  Naturally, they were eager to ring door bells and collect candy.  

  

This guy was a little reluctant to put on his costume.  Once he was persuaded to dress up, he had a blast (even though he's looking over my shoulder right now, telling me that he didn't like his costume at all . . . )

See LT's tipped hat?  He tipped his hat at every home and for every baby.  Naturally, he was a hit with the moms who were handing out candy.

Plans are already in the works for next year's festivities.  I've been informed that we need more yard decorations and have been told who will be wearing what costumes.  So, if you'll excuse me, I need to get on that!

REAL Halloween Decorations

Who needs Halloween decorations when you have critters like these hanging around your home?  Meet the orb spider - at least that's what I think this is. He's taken up residence outside the boys' playroom, which makes him a good object for observation.  Every morning, we find a brand new, Halloween style web ready to catch the day's meals.

This critter is actually smaller than most of the orb spiders we've seen around here.  In truth, our yard sometimes feels like the wilderness.  We've watched roadrunners capture lizzards in the backyard and discovered other creepy-crawlies like tarantulas and scorpions.  While not generally considered welcome company, these critters fit in during Halloween . . . I guess . . .

The Big Kid

I can hardly believe this is my second grader.  When did he get so big???

Conversation

 

Gabe: Are you a princess, mommy???

Mommy (internally): Why yes, yes I am . . .

School Fundraiser

LT's school is in the middle of it's annual Fun Run fundraiser.  If you're interested in contributing, you can visit www.crowdrise.com/Lieck.  Send me an email to get the name of LT's teacher.  All donations are due by Sept. 15, and the Fun Run will take place on Sept. 16.

Thanks, in advance, for your support!

Turning Two!

I know this is technically old news, but I haven't blogged about it yet, so maybe it's new to you.

Our spunky toddler turned two this past April.  It hardly seems like two years have passed since the stormy spring day he was born, but I guess the time has flown by because he keeps us so entertained.

If you've never met our big boy, you're missing out.  Gabriel is full of personality and has his own style.  He is independent, outspoken, and down right silly.  Just like his big brother, he loves trains, dinosaurs, and superheroes.  

Gabriel is also a budding scholar.  He likes watching dinosaur documentaries as much as he likes watching cartoons.  He follows along with stories that are read to him, and he always wants to know what's going to happen next and why.  

He balances his brains with athleticism.  Gabriel has a wicked arm and can kick a ball like it's nothing.  He would spend all day every day outside playing ball or swinging on the play set if we let him.

We can't wait to see what the next year has in store for our big boy!

Coming Up for Air

I can hardly believe we're nearing the end of June.  A lot has happened around here, and I have a lot of catching up to do - in terms of posting updates, that is.  So let's do a little rewind, shall we?

I think Easter is a good place to start.  Grandma & Grandpa Gonzalez and cousin Matt visited, which made the holiday all the more fun.  Grandma organized a scavenger hunt and led the charge on the Easter egg hunt.  As you can see, the boys really enjoyed themselves:

Next post: Gabe turns 2!

Our Feelings about our Alma Mater, in a Nutshell

http://www2.baylor.edu/baylorproud/2016/05/what-it-means-to-be-baylorproud-even-in-disappointment/

Springtime Fun

LT chose this car at the dealer on a recent visit for a repair.

See the butterfly?  LT sat perfectly still while it climbed up his leg and arm and then around his neck before it flew away.

The T-Rex is a good buddy to sit with you at the top of the swing set.

The tire swing is always entertaining.

And so is the rope ladder

Gabriel wishes his legs would move faster.

A rare pause at the top of the slide

And our budding Nascar fan, with his latest mini Nascars to add to his collection

One More from Apple . . .

. . . to honor Autism Acceptance Month:

Me Want Cookie!

This commercial is a favorite in our house:



These outtakes are pretty funny, too:

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

 May the leprechauns be near you,
To spread luck along your way.
And may all the Irish angels,
Smile upon you St. Patrick's Day.

Wear Green with Us!

We will be wearing green on March 24 for LT's classmate, Adam.  Who will you wear green for?

Field Trip Fun

We spent a fun afternoon tagging along with LT's 1st grade class at the zoo on Thursday. 

If you've never followed 15 1st graders around at the zoo, it is quite an experience. First, they ooze around all over the place. Mostly, they stayed together, but there was always two or three on the fringes of the group that needed to be corralled. Add to that the fact that there were about 2,000 students at the zoo that day.  It was a bit chaotic at times. 

Watching 6 & 7 year olds interact with the animals was the best part. They are really adept at mimicking the noises the animals make, and at times it seemed like the animals enjoyed watching them as much as the kids enjoyed doing the same. 

Case in point: we arrived at a monkey habitat that was full of ropes and hammocks - and monkeys. It was designed in such a way that you almost felt like you were in the habitat with the monkeys. When we walked up, the monkeys were swinging from rope to rope, just like you'd imagine Tarzan doing. The kids squealed when they saw this, which made the monkeys squeal, which made the kids squeal louder . . . You get the idea. It was a pretty funny sight, and for a moment, we all felt like we were residents at the zoo. 

They look so sweet when you can get them to all stay in one place.  (Please excuse the foggy photo - that's what I get for letting a toddler play with my phone during dinner.)

Milestone

LT lost his first tooth over the weekend. Six months ago, he would have told you he absolutely did not want to lose any teeth. Now, he thinks it's not that bad and proudly displays the gap between his lower teeth. It's been the topic of conversation for two days now, and I don't believe we'll be talking about much else in the near future. 

Last Christmas

Winter has been less wintry than expected.  Really, most of winter has felt like spring, so now seems like as good a time as any to recount our Christmas and New Year holidays. 

The holidays began with the annual Christmas party at Christus:

 

What a cute reindeer

Gabe kept pointing to Shamu & saying "Shark! Shark!"  He liked Shamu even better than he liked Santa . . .

Then, we spent time decorating the house - and the kids.

 

 

We spent Christmas itself in Corpus.

And had Christmas, Part 2, here at home ('cause Santa always delivers presents to your house, no matter where you are for Christmas).

We also did our own little fireworks show in the backyard for New Years.  It was a big hit - even for the neighbor's kids.

Then, we headed out to our old stomping grounds for work meetings.

 

No, this is not the work meeting.  This is the fun that was had in-between meetings.

 Christmas was a great time for us to get a much needed break.  And now I have just one question - is the next holiday in sight yet???

Fall Fun

This review of all the fun we had this past fall is long overdue. It was a busy time for us, including

Book character day. Say hello to mouse, and be careful if you give him a cookie. He'll need a few other things, too.  

Halloween! The Gonzalez grandparents helped us celebrate. This year, the boys all opted to be cartoon characters. 

Quiet reading was also a favorite activity, 

And so was planning the next adventure. 

LT has also developed an interest in baseball. He's been practicing his batting skills. 

Here he is running our imaginary bases. 

Holiday photos are soon to follow!