It is all Super Heroes all the time at our house lately!  The boys are either dressed up in full costume or they are flying around in the new super hero capes that Austin got for his birthday!  Zoey and Charlee were over on Tuesday and all four kiddos ran around the house with capes on, and whatever else they could find to use as props.  The above shot is Colton running around the house and posing as Superman!

On a sad note, Tiger and Cheetah Boy have already died.  I'm not sure what the deal is with the fish but apparently we need to figure it out and invest in some new goldfish.  Austin was slightly concerned yesterday telling me, "Mommy, he is not dead, he is sleeping."  I told him that was unfortunately not how fish sleep.  "Mommy, he is just swimming at the top with his belly up . . . like when I do the back float!"  I had to talk him through this one too, explaining that he was not actually swimming.  He told me he really liked Tiger and didn't want him to be dead.  Then I got that mess all taken care of and Cheetah Boy dies 6 hours later.  The fish saga will continue, I'm sure.   Hopefully Fin can hang on.

Austin is 4!!

Austin had a great birthday and birthday weekend!  Every day he woke up and wanted to know if it was still his birthday . . . so, of course it was!  First his birthday eve, then birthday, then birthday weekend!  We got him a fish tank so, Austin and Brian headed out to the store to buy a few fish and all the fish tank supplies.  Austin picked out three fish and named them;  Fin (which is an excellent fish name), Tiger, and Cheetah Boy.  Austin is so far excited to get to feed them everyday. 

 

On Saturday we went to Comfort Suites, where the grandparents were staying, and swam in the pool.  Austin was in the pool from 3:15 until 7:15.  Four non-stop hours of fun!  A few friends were able to make it too.  Aiden came and so did Charlee.  We also got to meet a distant cousin on the Kliegl side who came as well, his name was Alex and him and Austin were great little buddies right off the bat!

 Colton and Daddy

 Alex and Austin playing under the waterfall

 Colton, taking it easy in the little part of the pool.  This pool is fantastic for kids because it has a zero entry area as well as a waterfall for all the kids to enjoy.  Nate and his friend Cory came swimming as well.  Austin and Colton loved jumping in the deep end where Nate and Cory would catch them and run them back and forth along the length of the pool.  It was a great day and the boys were very worn out when we got home.  They slept hard Saturday night and they slept really well on Sunday night too!

 Austin requested a superhero themed birthday party!  He picked out special superhero cups for the punch, Batman plates for lunch, and a HULK cake.  I didn't know how I was going to make it happen but Austin knew what his cake was right away and was very excited to show it off to everyone when they arrived for the weekend. 

 Zoey, Austin, and Charlee!  Annie made four super hero capes for Austin.  They were immediately put on by the four kiddos at the party!  These four then zoomed all over the house chasing the bad guy . . . who was Nick. 

Colton!

 Austin and Courtney

 

By the time everyone cleared out, the boys were exhausted and so were Brian and I. We got the house straightened up and the boys were definitely ready for bed when the time came.  We woke up on Sunday to a pretty terrible ice storm.  The roads were covered in ice and about half of the guests ended up cancelling.  I didn't now how the party was going to turn out but it turned out GREAT!  Austin had a fun time and last night he asked me again, "How many minutes until I am five?"  I would say the entire weekend was a success!

Busy Boys!

Austin is 4 years old today!!!  It is hard to believe that he is already four.  I will get some good pictures tonight and hopefully have more great shots after his birthday party on Sunday!! 

 

 Pictures of the boys enjoying the sled out in the side yard.  Austin was very good about giving Colton rides.  Of course, he did need to "take a rest" everything they made it around the house.  They both had a lot of fun.  Plus, Brian enjoyed the break while Austin was doing the work!

 Colton and Austin love dressing up.  Colton is getting into the Superhero masks but his favorite so far seems to be the cowboy gear.  He especially loves the bandana around his neck.  We have been telling him to say "yehaw" but mostly he just growls at us!  Well, we laugh every time he does it, which of course encourages him to keep growling.  It's pretty cute!!

 Last weekend we went to Remsen, where Rick took us down to the fire station.  The boys got to climb up into all of the firetrucks and pretend they were driving.  Colton loved pushing all the buttons and wanted to be in the cab, driving, all by himself.  Austin posed for me next to Rick's locker.  Austin and I both tried on the helmet.  Austin also tried on the oxygen mask, which was pretty funny looking.  Colton preferred just to watch us, he was not interested in trying anything on.  Pretty cool day for all of us!

 Austin is THOR!  He got this great costume for his birthday from Judy and he has been wearing it around the house this week.  It has a cape and since he already has the hammer . . . he runs around the house saying "Avengers Assemble" and sings the theme song to their cartoon show.  The costume has built in muslces.  Colton has been wearing the Spiderman costume around the house, that also has built in muscles.  We have two little super heroes ready for action at our house.  Another cute phrase from Austin this week is "I am here, have no fear" and then he runs up the stairs!  So cute.

Here is a picture of Mallory and Austin being silly. They were wrestling around on the floor and then made funny faces at me for a picture.

Happy New Year!

The boys received some fun new hats this year for Christmas!!  Austin is above in a reindeer hat from Aaron and Becca, Colton is wearing a penguin hat from Judy!  These hats are both adorable and the boys actually left them on.  I was not sure what they would think but so far, so good!! 
We had an exciting weekend as Colton moved from his crib to his toddler bed.  Brian took one side off of his crib.  So he is adjusting to his new freedom and doing a great job so far of sleeping in his bed.  This morning I went in to check on him and he was sleeping on the floor with one of his pillow pets.  So, I'm not sure when he rolled out of bed but it apparently didn't bother him too much.  We have a line of pillow pets to soften his 12" drop when he does roll out.  We will keep you posted on the progress of tranformation to a big boy bed!!! 
Colton also went potty in the potty chair yesterday!!  We had a tootsie pop to celebrate and hopefully we are heading in the right direction with potty training!  Austin is a great cheerleader for Colton and helps him to know how exciting it is that he can go potty all by himself. 
Our NYE was fairly uneventful.  I was in bed by 10:30 and Brian came to bed shortly after that.  The boys got to stay up until about 9 so they slept in the next morning!  Yesterday was a lot of fun playing and spending the day together.  Seems like it's been awhile since the four of us have had an entire day together.  Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas!!

We arrived in Emmetsburg on Friday evening, December 21st. We were all together to celebrate April Corley's wedding and the boys partied like rockstars. They danced on the dance floor and Colton was completely mesmerized by the real live band that was playing all the music. He could not get enough of it! It was very cute and the guitar player even waved at him because Colton's intense gaze did not waiver from the lead singer/guitar player the entire night. There was also a 'Candy Table' for kids at this wedding which was a huge hit for both of the boys. Austin loved going up to the table and filling baskets with popcorn, candy and other goodies. Colton loved eating the baskets of goodies!

On Saturday afternoon the uncles and daddy took the little guys out to sled in the backyard at grandma and grandpa's house.  They even built up a ramp!  Colton really enjoyed building the ramp and then he just sat down so he could watch.  Austin on the other hand could not get his uncles to run fast enough!  He loved being pulled on the sled and jumping the ramp.

 

Saturday evening we opened gifts and the boys had a lot of great things to say.  Everything Austin opened was what he's always wanted!  So, watching him open gifts was a lot of fun.  Colton wanted to help open every gift . . . his or not!  Which worked out fine and kept him busy.  Austin did a pretty good job of waiting his turn, although he did get to help out mom and dad a couple times.  The boys had a wonderful time!

 Austin received these hulk gloves and coulen't wait to get them on and start pretending he was a real Avenger!  "Avengers Assemble!" and "Hulk Smash!" became two of his new sayings over the weekend.

We headed to Fort Dodge on Sunday evening and on Monday Nick took the boys outside to play in the snow.  Which led to Nick and Brian tying the sled up to Nick's dog Hunk!  Hunk pulled Colton on the sled and Colton fell out of the back so he was then done sledding.  Austin jumped on the sled and was flying all around the yard behind the dog!  It was so funny to watch and Austin had the best time!  I didn't get any pictures of it because it was freezing outside so I was watching from the windows but Brian did capture the moment on video.  I will have to watch that and try to send that out soon!!

Here is Colton opening a Team Umi Zoomi game! He was so excited . . . this was another gift he couldn't get out of the box fast enough. He calls it 'Colton's game' and he really enjoys having a game that is just his!

 On Christmas Eve Colton received hulk gloves and a hulk mask!!!  He put these on and left the mask on for about 2 seconds. . . just long enough for me to get a quick picture.  He liked seeing everyone else with the mask on but wasn't too sure about wearing it himself. . . I'm sure that will change very soon! 

 The boys also received cowboy dress up clothes from Jon and Clare.  From the picture below you can see that these dress up items were a big hit with the "big kids" too!  Nick, Brian, Dad, and Courtney played cards with these costumes on . . . although I think the two cowboys took it a little more serious than the Superheroes did! 

 On Christmas day we travelled to Remsen to see Grandma Sally and the some more of our family in NW Iowa!  It was a great trip and well worth it to get to watch Colton help Grandma open her gifts.  She was happy to have him help and he was VERY eager to be of assistance!  He wasn't as interested in these gifts once they were opened but he did enjoy showing her how to rip the paper off of them!

 

The below picture is as close as we could get to a family Christmas photo.  The boys were very interested in Rick's new puppy and didn't want to cooperate for the picture.  At least everyone's eyes are open!!  We had a wonderful holiday season and got to see so much family and some friends too!  It is hard to believe that it is over already and we have to take our tree down soon!! 

 Merry Christmas!

Boys being boys!

 

There has been a lot of wrestling at our house lately.  Every night it seems to be the finale of our evening before bedtime.  These two think it is great to wrestle and also just roll around on the floor together.  They also spend most evenings chasing eachother around the kitchen and living room.  They pretend to be super heroes and run from the bad guys OR they run at the bad guys and tackle them.  The bad guy is usually me or Brian!  So, we all keep pretty busy most nights.

 

 Here Austin and Colton are "Shoe Man" and "Shoe Boy".  Each night a new superhero is invented.  Austin does a good job of giving everyone a name so that we all have our own special power. 

 Colton is sporting a hat pretty much all the time these days.  He wears his stocking cap as much as we let him and he also enjoys wearing anyone's shoes that he can find.  He is definitely an accessories guy!  His wrists usually have some sort of bracelet on them or something wrapped around his arm.

Austin is dressed up in elf pajama's.  He loves them because he thinks he looks like Robin from Batman and Robin.  I'm not sure he would be too excited if he knew they were elf pj's.  But, since he loves them so much it was not hard to get him to wear them.  Santa Claus came to our house last Saturday night and Sunday morning was a blast!  Austin woke me up at 6am to ask if we could go see if Santa came.  We crept downstairs and sure enough there were presents from Santa so we ran back upstairs so he could wake up Brian and Colton.  Colton was a little confused but he did get up to see what all the commotion was about. 
Austin tore right into his gifts and everything was "Awesome".  He pulled a batman t-shirt out of his stocking and said,  "Mommy, look this is so awesome.  I've wanted one of these for my whole life!"  It was the cutest thing.  His Batman Scooter was apparently something else he wanted pretty badly so he was excited when he got that open as well.  Colton opened his "Team Umizoomi" car and knew what it was right away.  He was very excited and kept saying "Team Umi, Team Umi".  It was fun watching them open things that they were excited to receive.  We spent the morning putting toys together and playing with everything we had received.  What a wonderful morning.  The only thing I think that would have made it better for Austin would have been a little snow.  He runs to the window every morning in anticipation of a snowfall.  So far he has been disappointed.  We are hopeful for some snow over Christmas so that both boys can go sledding!

First Snow of the year!

We had a fun filled weekend!  Annie and Papa came to our house on Friday evening so Brian and I went to an ungly Christmas Sweater Party!  Austin told us that our sweaters were sooo ugly.  And he thought it was so silly that Brian was going to wear a Santa necklace somewhere!  Saturday we did a lot of Christmas shopping!!  Sunday morning Austin woke me up at 7am to tell me that it was snowing and he asked if he could please go outside.  So, we didn't go outside right away but the boys did get all geared up so they could head outside with Brian around 10:30.  Below are pictures of each of them showing me the snow ball they made.  As you can see in the photo there was not much snow and by three o'clock it was completely melted so I'm glad they got out there in the morning while they could. 

 

Last night as Austin was climbing in the bubble bath he said, "Thanks for letting us go outisde and play in the snow today, it was so much fun. Thank-you mommy!" They were only outside for about 10 minutes and then they wanted to come in and have hot cocoa. Austin says "hot cocoa". Colton says "co co meas" . . . Cocoa please!! Hopefully we have more snowy days coming up so that they can have a real snowball fight. I think that is what Austin is most excited for. He talked about throwing snowballs at his friend Chris at school so I told him that he was only allowed to throw snowballs at his Daddy and his Uncles!!!  I also had more help than I needed wrapping presents.  Austin handed me pieces of tape while Colton helped hold the paper in place.  After a present was wrapped they would argue over whose turn it was to carry the present over and place it under the tree!  It took a little while but we did get all the gifts wrapped and spent the afternoon playing toys and watching The Polar Express.