Night Eyes...

was a BIG success this evening and the kiddos really enjoyed walking around and checking everything out at the zoo here in Des Moines. It was small enough to be a fun Sunday night activity, yet big enough to burn off some energy!!

My Little Devil, Fat Pink Kitty Cat, and Scary Zombie.....So. Cute.

Trey, Tylee, Taylen and I all hit the Blank Park Zoo with Mindy and her two girls, Brooklynn & Jordin. Funny thing is...I remember striking out against Mindy when SIU played Creighton (multiple times, I believe..on a WICKED drop ball...one Blaylock even prepped us for in the days leading up to the game) and here we are now, years later, side by side walking our kiddos around together for some Halloween fun. SO crazy just how small of a world we live in!!! The kiddos are loving her because she's got quite the Fall Festive schedule planned for us over the next two weeks. Being new to the area, I put her in charge of filling me in on the "ins" and "outs" up here and, I have to say, she's doing quite a fabulous job!!!

I went a little picture crazy (I know...NOTHING new!!!) but I just couldn't help it...everyone looked so stinkin' cute in their costumes!!! And, I have to say....the ZOO did a super job setting up for the event!!!!

Trey and Ty talked non-stop about all the cool stuff the entire way home....so, you know it was a fun night!!!

Jordin, Trey, Brooklynn, Taylen, and Tylee posing before heading into the zoo....

My Smiley girl...loving her puffy belly ;)

Strolling around....I can't believe how big my Little Man is getting. It seems like just yesterday he was walking around as a Little Stinker, enjoying his 1st trick-or-treating experience!!! (and....THANKS for the buckets, Stremy!!! They were a HIT!!!)

Sweet Little Devil....

And...the SCARY Zombie!!!

Trey talked to Luigi the most....GO Mario Brothers!!!

Looking for the big cat....

LOVED this Where the Wild Things Are set-up!!!

And...the kids LOVED this monster mouth!!!

Ty and Jordin

The crew posing in the pumpkin patch set-up....

Pumpkin Heaven....

Pumpkin Heaven times 2....

Fun, Fun!!!

Tractor time...I think he was racing the pirate, lion, cowboy, and firefighter....FUN!

Tylee enjoying her own little tractor time!!!

Taylen still loving that belly...the perfect hand rest!!!

And....one last Night Eyes pose!! He was excited about this all day long and I believe it lived up to all his expectations!!! Glad you had fun, Trey J!!!

Thanks Mindy for letting us tag along with you guys and thanks to the Blank Park Zoo for putting on this fun little Halloween walk around!!!

This Momma is off to bed and is sooooo ready to sleep up after such a fun weekend!!!! Too bad tomorrow is a "back to work, Monday!!!!"

Have a fabulous week!!!!

I actually DID it!!!

It never happens....

It's one of my MAJOR pit-falls as a human being.....

BUT...today, I pulled it off!!!

I SURPRISED both Tylee and Trey with a fun-filled day!!

You see, I have the HARDEST time KEEPING SURPRISES secret!!! I ALWAYS have...ever since I was little...NOT been able to wait to spill the beans. I get so excited about what's to come or what I've planned or what someone has waiting around the corner for them, that it just spills out...and if it doesn't spill out of me I find some way of tipping someone off...just like I did with Jason's surprise 30th party!!!!

Well...I was lucky enough to get a hold of three tickets to Disney's Phineas & Ferb show up here at the Wells Fargo Event Center. The tickets were a last minute thing, so maybe that's why I was able to keep it a secret. It's not like I had to live with knowing the surprise for, say, three weeks, or even three DAYS. I was lucky enough not to blow it before we pulled out of the garage....

Anyway...

The kids and I had a fun-filled day and EVERY part of it was a surprise to them.

I am REALLY proud of myself....if you can't tell. Let's see if I can do it again next time. Surprising them was so much fun and their genuine excitement was the best thing ever, so I think the odds are in my favor!!!

Trey & Ty....look back at these photos one day and see that I can't hide my excitement... I LOVED surprising you and spending the day with ya!!!

Ty's first go-round with minature golf...fun, fun!!!

Grubbin'....this was before they even knew that we were heading to the Phineas & Ferb show!! (Trey hasn't seen Brayden since Hills back in O'Town...it's been at least 5 months. Buddies!!! That was another reason it was soooo hard to keep the secret...I knew Trey would be excited to see him again!!!)

We made it!!! (And I didn't tell them until we got to the parking lot...and even then, I could have kept it a secret a little longer...but I was toooo excited to tell them!!!)

All ready for the show...favorite characters and all!!!

The stage...I seriously didn't even notice that the borders of the screen were Phineas & Ferb themselves until I uploaded the pics tonight!!!) Duh....

Who's happier?!?!! Love you Ty!!!

One of the best parts of the show!!!

Great times. Great FUN.

Love you Munchkins!!! And, Momma CAN keep a SURPRISE a SECRET!!! I just LOVE telling you so much that it's hard for me to wait...although I know SURPRISES are what make your world so exciting!!!

THANK YOU, Sonja, for the tickets and for inviting us to spend the day with you guys!!! We had a BLAST!!!

Many THANKS...

to everyone who sent Tylee Jean cards, packages, and voice mails for her birthday!!!

My little, sweet, adorable 3 year-old listened on the phone as at least 6 people sang her "Happy Birthday" (and acted like she was hearing it over again for the first time each and every time), opened three packages she found waiting for her after school, opened many cards, and got to add five more golden dollars to her piggy bank, (which just happens to be one of her favorite things to do) on HER special days. I seriously have not seen someone's face light up as many times as I did hers. And, I know it wasn't because of all the "things" but more because of the fact that it was all solely for HER, to HER, and because of HER.

I have said this over and over, but we TRULY are BLESSED to have such wonderful families...all sides of mine and Jason's are full of truly AMAZING people that always find a way to brighten our days. Life is full of many wonderful things, but NOTHING tops FAMILY!!! They always seem to be there...no matter what and that has to be one of the best feelings in the world!!!

As we wrap up her birthday week, Tylee is finally used to telling and showing people that she's THREE! She's lovin' life and everything that comes along with being a year older. And, each of you have helped make that little girl's week!!!

THANK YOU and LOVE you LOTS!!!

Lots of Hugs & Kisses!!!!

Here are a few pics that I captured of her sweetness....

After a loooong birthday day...(and yes...that was the biggest wad of gum I made her take out of her mouth for the picture :)

Diggin' in....

LOVES making all things BEADS!

She read this envelope at least 15 times :) And, kept telling me how she's THREE now!!!!

First thing she did was get the scissors out....then I explained the concept of a pull tab to her ;)

Excitement written all over her face....

MORE beads!!!

Happy Birthday Week, Tylee Jean....and THANKS everyone for making her feel SO SPECIAL!!!

GUESS who's THREE?!?!

(Well, not officially until the 19th) but it's Tylee Jean of course, and today we had a little b-day party day to help her celebrate!! It was her day and we were ALL things PINK and HELLO KITTY!! I tried to get a little "crafty" and put together a little set-up for her. Jason drew his own version of a Hello Kitty and we decorated just about everything. What a fun time....

Tylee all ready...

Sneaking a little Jelly Belly....

Giving Daddy lots o' hugs...

I can't believe my baby girl is already THREE!!!

Lovin' her Hello Kitty clothes!!!

Testing out her new Big Girl Bike....now she can keep up with Trey. That little pink trike just was no longer getting the job done!!!

Trey was the BEST helper...getting her presents off the table and being so nice to his sister...ALL DAY!!

Lovin' the shirt I put together for her. It was nothing fancy, but she thought it was perfect!!!

Blowing out her THREE candles. And, yes...she put them in the cake all be herself!!! (Grandma Marcia made the cake it was definitely a hit!)

Cutting her cake...she waited ALL day to use that this little plastic alligator knife. Great job!!

Showing off her "three" fingers she's been working on....

Taylen with cousin Titan...two cuties!!!

A tired birthday girl getting ready for bed...with her new Hello Kitty slippers, of course!!!

Ready for bed and hanging with Daddy!!!

Miss Tylee!!! You are THREE and I seriously cannot believe it....You have an absolute love for life and the ability to be more patient than I ever thought was possible. You LOVE getting in your little sister's face and telling her how much you love her. Snuggling with your blankie, Polkie, is a must each and every night. You are the biggest helper in the whole wide world and are so proud of all the cool things you can do....like writing your version of your name and singing "You Are My Sunshine!!!" You can make the funniest faces and don't ever get too mad about anything. You LOVE going to your daddy's football games and would ride circles around the driveway on your bike all night long if I'd let you. Sidewalk chalk is your favorite and white milk is what you always choose to drink. You'd eat 20 Twizzlers and tell us it was only "two" and are always leaving apples in the crisper with the cutest little bites out of them. The expression on your face when you figure out where the Dora puzzle pieces go absolutely melts my heart!!! I'm so glad you had an ab fab day and I'm so stinkin' proud to be your mommy! Continue to dream big, laugh loud, and love much. We are all lucky to have you in our lives!!!

xxx's and ooo's.....

And...here's one of my favorite pics of the day!! Trey Jacob just can't get enough of his Little Sis....Happy 3rd Birthday, Tylee Jean!!!