A night around the backyard campfire!

After a few weeks of collecting sticks and cleaning out flower beds in the yard for the fall that is upon us, we decided to burn our first fire of the season. I debated on whether or not to watch Alabama whip Tennessee on the new big screen I built the basement or light the fire...and because the kids were insistent on a fire and because I have been promising them for weeks now that we would have a fire, I chose to light it up. Now we are enjoying some heat, marshmallows and stick-burning fun on a cool fall night in the backyard! The neighbor kids are even hanging out and partaking in the fun! Although I know there's a good game on I could be watching in HD on the big screen, I think sitting by the fire with the kids definitely wins out. I just hope no one gets burned 'cause then mommy will put the kibosh on the fires!

Lanie's first Bucs football game

Lanie is sporting her first Bucs apparel and is really enjoying her first football game. It's the last of the Bucs regular season so we decided to come out as a family and enjoy the game. The weather is bit cool, but perfect for a night of football!

Chubby Babies

I wanted to share this picture of Lanie... I know she'll hate me for it later, but for now it's my current favorite photo. If you think she's a chub chub just check out the picture of Clay below, he was the pillsbury dough baby. Turner was also plump, but his baby days were pre digital cameras at our house so I don't have photo handy to share.

Lanie is changing and growing so quickly. She's trying to pull up and crawl and has mastered 'mama'. It is nice to hear my name first this time since the boys both started with 'dada'. She's a busy little thing who would prefer to not slow down *ever* and naptimes are a battle. Once we get her to sleep, she is a light sleeper, which is not a good fit for a house with pets and wild boys running around! Now I realize what good sleepers Turner & Clay have been when I compare them with her and I'm thankful for how easy they were!

As for the boys... well, school is going great this year. They both have awesome teachers. Turner now knows how to do more on the computer than I do, which freaks me out a little! He has taken up piano and loves it. He's always been musical but this is our first venture into formal lessons. He has learned to read music, which is something Jeff & I can't do, so we're impressed!

Clay started his first season of flag football this fall and thinks he is big stuff now. I had no idea how complicated football can be... I may need a 'football for dummies' course if he decides this is his sport, but he seems to be learning pretty quickly how the game works. And even at 6 & 7 years old football is serious business around these parts.