Five on Friday

I'm jumping on board this Five on Friday thing - only about two years late.  Because sometimes a random blog post is where it's at.  Am I right?

This weekend, we're headed to Iowa for our first Iowa football game in a few years!  Craig and I used to go to each home opener, but honestly, I can't even remember the last time we set foot in Kinnick Stadium!  Three years ago, perhaps?  I wish we could take Brantley...he thinks it's hilarious that the stadium has our dog's name...and I know he would love it.  But considering each body that enters requires a ticket, and the cheapest ticket is $60, I think we'll pass this year.  Besides, it's a 7pm kickoff (a rarity for Iowa football), so needless to say, we have a good excuse to leave the kiddos with Gramma and Papa.  I am so excited to see Kinnick Stadium striped in black and gold...something I've seen on t.v. a number of times, but never in real life!  Go Hawks!  

Speaking of football...remember when all I ever wanted was a little girl to dress in frills and bows? Yeah, well, I have completely changed my mind on that and realized I was *made* to be a boy mom!! Dressing these boys in their jerseys and sports apparel on game days = heart melted.  I've also taught Brantley both the Iowa and Mill Valley fight songs and it's the cutest thing ever listening to him sing both!

  

Halloween is, oh, only about six weeks away and I've been trying to come up with some costume ideas for the boys.  Brantley has made it very obvious that he wants to be a snowman (Olaf, specifically) and of course, I wanted something similarly themed for Holden.  As of yesterday, I got it.  I have always loved penguins and how adorable is this one??

This week is Homecoming at my school.  You better believe that teachers enjoy dressing up as much as the kids!  Wednesday was Decade Day, so myself a few other A-hallway teachers donned our best 80s gear!  I even crimped my hair......with the crimper I had as a child.

This morning, I walked into school expecting a normal Homecoming Friday, but found myself a dance party instead.  The seniors arrived super early and decorated every square inch of the foyer in our school colors: midnight blue and silver.  Students from all classes were dancing, laughing, and have an all-out grand time....at 7am.  It's crazy how much this school climate has changed in my nine years.  The school spirit has increased exponentially, and I finally feel like students know what Homecoming is all about.  Go Jags!

And because I'm too lazy to write anything else, I'll leave you with a photo of my handsome Holden.

Happy Friday, friends! 

Linking Up With:

Momfessionals and A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites 
September F A R M for Oh, Hey Friday

A.Liz Adventures for Five on Friday

 

Dancing King

We attended a family wedding over the weekend.  To say Brantley had a blast {at the reception} would be an understatement.  The kid tore up the dance floor and didn't stop moving until it was time to leave.

Here are my kids post-ceremony and pre-reception.  Are they adorable, or what??

Brantley did great during the ceremony except at one point, he farted and exclaimed "I tooted!"  Apparently, the lady next to him was dying of laughter, but I missed it because I was in the foyer of the church with Holden.  Like I said, he didn't step foot off the dance floor until we told him it was time to go.  Not only that but anytime Craig and I joined him, he pushed us off the dance floor while saying "Noooooooo dance!"  He's only two and already embarrassed by his parents...

And Holden?  Well, he was a ham himself posing for the photographer.  Why doesn't he ever do this for me?

And because pictures just don't do it justice, here is video of our dancing king himself and another proving just how embarrassed he was of me on the dance floor.

Our Easter 2015

Easter is always a hard holiday to travel for.  We don't get any extra time off of work (why is that??) and we always feel obligated to stick around after lunch a little later than we do on a normal weekend away.  Of course, that puts us back home later than we'd prefer, and then to get up and resume life normally the following day can make for a rough start to the week.  So sometimes we travel for the holiday, but often times we just stay put in Kansas City.  This year, however, we decided to head to Iowa.  The Easter holiday meant we'd see lots of extended family, but also my sister just had a baby last Monday, so it was a good weekend to go meet the little guy! 

Anyway, back to Easter.  On Saturday evening, Gramma hid some Easter eggs for Brantley, Holden, and their cousin Kellen.  Holden didn't participate, so Brantley enjoyed finding double the eggs for his brother.

Easter Sunday was gorgeous!  Sunny, 65, and just perfect.  I tried to get a picture of the boys, but it didn't go so well.  This was the best I got in 12 takes...

We spent some time at Gramma and Papa's before heading to my Grandma Fritz's farm for Easter lunch.

We were lucky to get a couple of good decent family pictures at my Grandma's.  And one more semi-cooperative photo of the boys.

Back home tonight, the boys discovered what the Easter Bunny had left in their Easter baskets.  As expected, Brantley loved the tennis balls more than anything.  Holden was just happy to be home and out of his carseat.

It was a pretty fabulous Easter weekend!  We enjoyed the extra family time and the amazing Easter weather, even if it makes for a long week ahead.

Christmas in Iowa

Christmas 2014 is in the books!  We celebrated no fewer than five times this year - twice in Iowa, twice in Wichita, and once with our immediately family at home in Olathe.  To say the boys were spoiled would be a huge understatement.  I think we doubled tripled the amount of toys we own.  But that's okay, because seeing the joy and excitement on Brantley's face makes it all worth it!  (I would say Holden's, too, but let's be honest, until they are older, they just don't get it.)  I saw a quote on Facebook on Christmas morning that read "I used to think being a kid on Christmas was the best thing ever but it turns out having kids on Christmas is!"  Isn't that the truth?!  I think this Christmas was my favorite to date in my 31 years of life!  Brantley is finally old enough to understand and it was so much fun to experience the magic of Christmas through his eyes.

This year, we spent Christmas Day in Wichita, which meant the weekend before, we headed to Iowa to celebrate with my family.  Brantley loves staying at Grandma and Papa's house and playing with his cousin Kellen, so I'm glad we were able to go, even if for less than 48 hours.
 
On Friday night, my grandparents came over to give the boys their presents.  Holden couldn't have cared less about his (he enjoyed climbing on the boxes), but Brantley was more than happy to help him open.

On Saturday, we went to my sister's house so that Brantley and Kellen could play for awhile, headed back to my parents for naps, and then celebrated our Christmas on Saturday evening.  I tried to get one decent photo of the cousins, but you can see how that went...

#MaybeNextYear 

#OrNotBecauseThereWillBeAnotherBaby

Gift opening was pretty much the same.  Brantley tore into his gifts; Holden was more like "whatevs."  But both made out like a bandit - a workbench, a Thomas the Train set, "Slugger" Build-a-Bears, an activity cube, a fishing toy, pajamas, some clothes, a shopping cart, a cash register, and a Jayhawk pillow pet.  And remember - we still had three Christmases to go!

 

And finally - a picture of my family.  Somewhat of a Christmas miracle if you ask me because all nine of us are looking!!

That pretty much sums up our Christmas in Iowa.  Next up, Christmas in Wichita!