Carving Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins has been a tradition for us since the kids were little. I wish I had a scanner to post a funny photo of Megan as an infant next to a big carved pumpkin. Maybe I'll put a scanner on my Christmas list. Anyway, I think that's how she got the nickname "pumpkin" which we still call her sometimes :)

The carving process has gotten much easier for me. I just cut the top off & the kids do the rest. Megan is the gut scooper since Ryan won't do it. Meg picked out a cute ghost pattern with Boo on it & Ryan did a tigerhawk (again!) with the words IOWA! He's definitely a creature of habit. He's going to dress as a football player (again!) to trick or treat.

I'll post a picture of our pumpkins glowing once it get's dark tonight.

Happy Ending....

Yea! It was a season ending win for Ryan's team. This made a winning season at 5-3. The teams were evenly matched with a final score of 14-12. We made one of our 2 point conversions and held them on both of their attempts.

This picture is cheerleaders handing out candy to the players after the game.

Ryan & his happy teammates below:

Ryan and his happy dad/coach below:

It was super cold at the fields today - really windy!! I forgot my camera so luckily Megan had her new phone with her & took these pictures for me.

Going for a stroll...

Cooper came over the other night so we took a quick stroll. It was a little chilly but I think I went a bit far in keeping him warm : )

He's wearing Ryan's old Iowa hoodie which was huge on him & I packed a fleece blanket in there too. He was packed tight. His expression is funny. He's thinking hard trying to figure out what's going on. I think he's wondering "Where is my left hand?"

Football under the Lights

Ryan's team played under the lights on Saturday night. They love a night game since it feels like the big time. Here's the team huddling up for a big cheer before the game. Ryan is #52 by the coaches on the left.

Here's Ryan on the sidelines. He really does play. I just can't seem to get a picture of him in the action so I get him on the sidelines.
The boys lost a hard fought game against Gardner 14-6. They grow boys big in Gardner! Ryan's team was driving at the end of the game and it looked promising. They could have tied it with a touchdown and 2 point conversion. But, the QB got sacked on a 4th & 1. Ry was sad. He's used to being on the winning end.

Hopefully this Sunday's game will go better but it's against a hard team. We'll see.

Happy 9th Birthday Mikiah!

Look out Mikiah - another birthday (or shark) is about to get you!!!

We hope you have a fun birthday today :)

We always enjoy hanging out with you like these pictures from our trips to the KC Zoo.

Spring trip to the zoo with Megan & Ryan playing hookey.

Mikiah trying to decide if she wants to feed the Lorikeets her cup of nectar.

She found a nice Lorikeet to feed.

Happy Birthday! We love you!

Another one for the win column

No pictures from Ryan's game this week - sorry! Bruce had a co-worker come to the game so I was busy chatting with him & had to leave early to pick up Megan at work.

Anyway...Ryan's team beat our arch-rival the SME Lancers 18 - 6. That makes the team 4-1 in league play. We now go into a playoff series of 3 games where we play teams from the other 6th grade league. The games will get much tougher. We finished 2nd in our league so we'll play the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place teams from the other league. It's complicated.

So, hang on football fans...the season isn't over yet! Ryan hurt his ankle at recess on Friday and was "on ice" until game time Saturday. Didn't seem to make a big difference but he was right back "on ice" after the game :)

Good Football Photos

We always appreciate when Derek takes pictures at Ryan's game. He has the fast shutter camera and can take great action shots.

Ryan loved checking out his moves as he rushed the quarterback on this play Derek recorded via pictures:

Ready for the snap - he's # 52

There he goes. Charge!

Almost there...

Got him but he threw the ball first.

Ryan is wishing he would have grabbed his arm rather than try to sack him. We were playing Blue Valley West and their quarterback's last name is Quinn. His dad was a back-up QB for the Chiefs a couple of years ago.

Can't forget the coach. Here's Bruce giving instruction to his troops: