Family time and new traditions

So once again it's been a while, but I'm not going to stress about it! : ) We've been having tons of fun in our house as the boys are both growing and changing almost everyday! Sawyer is always adding a new word to his vocabulary and Jack has learned to sit up by himself. Before you know it, he'll be crawling! I just can't believe how quickly it's gone by this time! It feels like we just brought him home a few days ago. As a result, I'm trying to enjoy every minute with my babies since I can't get this time back. While, they won't remember these days, I know I will never forget the joy of getting to stay home with them! Anyway . . . I started this post to show you what we've been doing lately!
We had a birthday part this past week for Sawyer's friend, Sophie! We "decorated" cupcakes, which turned into the kids eating the sprinkles and m&m's while mom put on the icing : ), and then went to the playground. Jack sat and played with one of the other little babies, while the big kids had cupcakes. All in all it was a fun morning!

Our little chef!

Jack in the exersaucer. Someone found himself in the mirror!

This past weekend we had my dad's side of the family over for an early Thanksgiving brunch. It was a short visit, but we had a lot of fun seeing everyone. While the boys enjoyed seeing everyone and had fun playing and being loved on, there were two people who were still being talked about come Monday morning, Jo Jo (my cousin Joanna) and Grandpa, or as Sawyer has decided to call him, Papa. Monday morning I was changing Jack's diaper and Sawyer walked in and said "Jo Jo, go?" and then followed it with "Papa, are you?" : ) You are both loved in our house!!

Also, this year, we decided to start a new family tradition. Instead of buying each other stuff that we don't really need we decided to put all of our money together and do something for people who are really in need. Every year a different family will decide what we spend it on, but this year it will be for Samaritan's Purse. If your family is like mine, and you don't really need the gifts, why don't you try something new and help change the next generations way of doing Christmas! I want my boys to think of Christmas as a time to celebrate Christ's birth, but also his ultimate gift! Giving to others who truly need it is a good way to remind us of that. Just to give you something to think about. : )

Apparently something that Jack was doing was very funny to Aunt Hannah. : )

Jack and Aunt Elizabeth!

looking at Jo Jo's computer and helping with her homework, I'm sure!

sitting with Grandpa. Not the best picture, but I had to put it up since he was one of the highlights of the weekend for a certain little boy.

Gran loves the grandbabies and they love her!

Sawyer will try to talk anyone into reading a book with him, especially if it's Thomas the Train.

He still likes reading to brother, too.

Some evidence that Jack can sit up.

Baby dedication, we started in Daddy's arms and then fell asleep in Mommy's : )

We all went to lunch after baby dedication

The Keesey's

They Headley's

The boys dressed up for Halloween. There is a story behind this. I had grand plans of dressing us all up as characters from the Wizard of Oz (Dorothy, Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow). I knew I couldn't make the tin man costume so I bought that one, and then I was going to make the other ones. Well, that was before we all got sick with the flu!! So, I went through Sawyer's closet and found what I needed to make him a "classic golfer" and just put the tin man costume on Jack anyway. : )

At Harmon's Tree Farm to get a pumpkin and see a few animals! Sharing stuff with friends is always fun!

This little horse was a better attraction for the kids than the pumpkins or the animals. : )

sitting on the pumpkins with Bella and Sophie. This wasn't the whole group, but that was a little too hard to capture in a picture. : )

So I'm working backwards here, and I'm going to end with our trip to the zoo for Josh's birthday (yes folks, that was in September : )

Someone please tell me why my brother and soon to be sister in law can take a better picture with my boys than we can?? : )

The whole crew, and yes, Jack is there. He was asleep at the time, and I was NOT going to wake him up just to take a picture!