Happy Halloween!

sending spooky wishes your way,

the Train Conductor, Dorothy, Twister, and Pirate Pete

get it?? get it?!? Dororthy and the TWISTER? 

Sometimes I think we're so clever no even comes close to understanding us...

Sunday Best

This past Sunday Travis declared that the boys would wear matching outfits for church.

Peter of course, loves to match Daddy.

Benji just loves wearing shoes period. Especially these Sunday loafers for some reason.

Goodness, my three men are handsome.

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

Last week Peter's preschool class took a field trip to a small pumpkin patch here in town. It had a few little rides, a bounce house and a petting zoo which Benji was especially fond of. 

It was pretty fun to see Peter interact with the kids in his class -- and his teachers. I must say he must be my kid because he is very fond of rules.

Benji so desperately wanted to join the big kids in their fun.

 Up and down the big slide.

 Then all the kids gathered for a little storytime about growing pumpkins -- and they all wore these ridiculously cute hats.

 Can you spot Pete? He's on the left in the brown jacket.

 The whole crew -- morning and afternoon classes. 

It was like herding ducks to get them all in there I tell ya.

The boys. Who really did have lots of fun despite their faces here, but I had stuck them facing the sun for a photo and this is the best I got...

Murray Family Farms

Last Saturday we went as a family to the spectacular Murray Family Farms. We had so much fun the last time we went for October Fun Fest that I have been counting down the weeks until we could go again this year.

First off, we boarded the tractor for a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick our perfectly plump pumpkins. 

I think Peter's got his all picked out...

And Benji too..

Or wait. Maybe this one is better?

I think that kid picked up like 50 different pumpkins before we made the final cut.

Trav and Pete had to go investigate the beehives in the orchards next to the pumpkin patch.

 After picking our family of pumpkins, we headed back to the farm for all the festivities. They had a bluegrass band, face painting, several corn mazes, hay bale jumping, a butterfly house, a petting zoo, and these awesome water pumping stations which Peter and Benji always love.

 The lovely gourd tunnel.

 The we had to go on the 'cow ride.'

Peter especially had a ball on this one.

And then we made our way to the giant bouncing pillow.

Which I quickly discovered was great fun, but not exactly the best idea for someone with a fractured elbow...

 Even though it was a hot and dusty day (90 degrees! in late October!!), we all had a wonderful time. The kids (and Trav) were exhausted and everybody was practically asleep before we pulled out of the parking lot.

 Happy Halloween!

Men in Tights

Awhile back Travis read Robin Hood and decided he need to own and learn how to shoot a bow and arrow. Peter has long been fascinated by Daddy's bow and so this past Sunday Travis sat down and built one for the little man. 

I'm pretty dang impressed with how well it turned out seeing how it was made of extra blinds slats and the fact that it shoots a solid 16 feet. (Any less and it would be kinda wussy, anymore and I wouldn't let him have it.)

You can't say that Trav isn't resourceful.

My favorite part of this picture? 

Besides the obvious father-son bonding moment.

The black socks with sandals. Looking good babe. 

What can I say? Socks and sandals are my typical Sunday afternoon napping attire. I'm used to my fashion sense being too avant-garde for most people. - (Travis in response)

Walking Wounded

Many adventures have come to visit the Millet's recently.

Starting with: a few weeks ago Travis finally made all his boyhood dreams come true by becoming the proud new owner of two ducks. 

Actually two dreams were fulfilled in one day as he bought them at the local livestock auction.

We're still not sure who was more fascinated by the ducks. 

Daddy or Benji.

But then a coyote came and ate our ducks (along with roughly 10 chickens and one cat) while we were on vacation so we can no longer giggle at the silly ducks. 

Sadness.

But then...We got a bike trailer! Woo-hoo!

The kids love it and we have been having the best time rolling around the neighborhood now that the nights are getting cooler. 

Until one night when I may have crashed my bike and fractured my left (luckily) elbow. Blerg.

I'm supposed to be wearing a sling for the next 4-6 weeks and not put any weight on it but who knows how long that will last.

In my defense, I was just trying to keep up with Travis who had badly jammed his finger during circuit training a few days before.

Not to be outdone by Mommy and Daddy, Peter decided to get croup. And then generously passed it on to Benji. Our nights have been filled with fevers and the wonderful sound of dry hacking coughs. Every parents dream!

So now we're a house full of sickies and gimps with only one plucky chicken to our name.

Here's hoping next week treats us a wee bit better.

DIY Ruler Growth Chart

I've been itching to make one of these ruler growth charts for a while now. I like the idea that you can rip it off the wall and take it with you as you move houses and not lose all those precious milestones. This weekend I finally got around to staining the board that had been sitting all lonely like in the garage for who knows how long. I used this tutorial for the tick marks (using a quick square -- a must for this project!) and numbers but as I didn't have a paint pen, I pulled out the handy-dandy sharpie and went to town while Trav and I watched a movie.

The stain did turn out a bit darker than I would have liked but as I already had a can leftover from a previous project, I wasn't about to go buy a new one just for this. 

All in all, I love how it all turned out.
Let the measuring begin!