Halloween School Party!

This morning, Grant had his "Celebration of Autumn" party at school. It was so fun watching them sing their seasonal songs and look at all their artwork displayed around the Big Room. They had fun treats and crowns too! Wyatt got to join in the fun as well! After some yummy snacks and some outside time, the party was over! Super quick- just how we like them! 

The bottom left picture is Grant and his little friend, Gracie Beth. She's the only girl Grant ever really talks about, so she must be kinda special! :) 

Carving Pumpkins

We had to squeeze in some time to carve pumpkins, because honestly, we almost ran out of it!! Time has been something kind of hard to come by these past few weeks! Luckily we had about an hour between church and naptime to carve out two pumpkins! We normally carve a pumpkin for each of us, but since time was of the essence, we only bought two pumpkins to carve!

Grant has changed his mind all season about what kind of jack o lantern he wanted- scary, silly, regular, Power Ranger, and ultimately decided on a werewolf. So Levi got to drawing and it turns out he draws werewolves that look like dragons, so we just went with that! Levi's squadron is the Dragons, so it almost made sense! Wyatt chose an owl for his pumpkin because, "Mimi likes owls." 

I love Grant's face on the far right as Levi started scooping the pumpkin guts out. I'm pretty sure Grant even gagged a bit. Then the picture on the left as Levi hung the guts in front of his face just makes me smile! Wyatt was more concerned about watching Halloween shows on  Disney Jr, but he did make a short appearance to give Grant some snuggles!

Once again, it was a successful year for pumpkin carving!! Levi knows how to work that knife! 

Now, if only we had people to actually see our pumpkins!

Happy Halloween!

Mommy Moment

Wyatt has said some silly things the last few days that I just have to write down!

- He loves playing games on my phone, one being Letter School, where you practice writing letters. It's one of his favorites but when he asks to play it, he says, "Can I play Butter School?" I say, "Oh, you want to play  Letter School?"  And he says, "No Mom, its called BUTTER School!" 

-He loves Little Debbie snacks! His favorite are Oatmeal Cream Pies. But to him, they are called Lego Cream Pies. Not sure where that connection was made, but he will not let you call them OATMEAL cream pies!!

-This morning for breakfast, we had some pumpkin muffins with some powdered sugar on top. Both boys love Pumpkin Muffies from Panera and since there is no Panera near us, we have to made do. So after one helping of muffins, Wyatt asked, "Can I have more chicken muffins?"

-We bought some caramel popcorn from my nephew's boy scout troop and Wyatt asks for Carmel Copcorn!

-After picking Grant up from school last week, Wyatt asked, "Did you have a good day at preschool Bubba? Did you make good choices and not get in trouble?" For being a little brother, he definitely likes to make sure Grant stays in check! (Which, let's face it, sometimes it does take more than one person to keep Grant in check!)

-After going to timeout for not listening, he sadly came up to my leg, hugged me, and said, "I'm sorry Mom. I forgive you."

Wyatt has such a sensitive heart, funny sense of humor, and an amazing character!! I love all the little things he says from day to day. I almost get sad that I can't capture his entirety on film because I know one day his little voice and little sayings will escape my memory! I already don't remember what he was like before he started talking! I know I'll be so grateful to come back to this blog and as I read these quotes, I know his little voice will come right back to me!

Randomness

I've been using my phone more and more for pictures- not because it takes great pictures, but its just handy!! So here is a randomness post of pictures, in all its glory!

 One morning, trying to stay busy, we did a Skeleton Hunt. Just like an Easter Egg Hunt, but with stretchy skeletons!! The boys LOVED this and we probably did this for an hour! Grant loved hiding them for me too! I love spending those little moments making memories with my boys!

 Wyatt came down with croup last week and he spent many many hours watching Max and Ruby in my bed. Naps were hard to come by for this little guy, so we spent lots of time just snuggling together!! Not a highlight of our week, but lots of snuggles came out of it, so I guess I can't complain!

 Wyatt is still obsessed with doing "homework" and asks me for it at every opportunity! I gladly oblige when the time allows, because it does take some time to pool the activities together. He loves all things tracing and spent some time last week tracing letters and his name! He is remarkably great at this type of activity! 

 We made a few Halloween projects! One being this chain because I would get the "Is it time to go trick-or-treating yet?" question 5 times a day! Since we made this, there's been no question!! Probably have to do it for Christmas too! We also painted some big pumpkins and made some spooky ghosts!

Wyatt had spikey hair out to dinner one night!

  Grant had to do a little maintenance on the Gator!

Grant can't keep shoes or a coat on, even in 40 degree weather!! My poor Florida boy!!

And there you have it...randomness from the Broeckelman household!!

Picking Pumpkins, Oklahoma Style

Today we adventured out to our very first pumpkin patch experience as a family! In years past, in Texas and in Florida, we have always had to pick our pumpkins in a church parking lot! And as fun and festive as those were, they just didn't compare to an actual pumpkin patch! Growing up, we always went to beautiful pumpkin farms with beautiful scenery and loads and loads of pumpkins!

This morning, we went to Frontier Farms in Kingfisher, OK, which is about 30 miles from us. When we drove up, I wasn't overwhelmed with the amount of pumpkins, but it turned out to be a great place with lots of little things for the kids to do! They had a small animal petting area with a pig, goats, llamas, donkeys, and a baby cow. They had a big swing set, tricycles and a path, hay bale slide, hay bale maze, a tractor hay ride around the farm, and at the end- pig races!! Yep, we did this pumpkin patch Oklahoma style!! Wyatt's pig- Mater- won 2 out of 3 races and Grant's pig- Cookie Monster- won the other! My pig- Miss Piggy- came in dead last each race! But it was entertaining!!

It was still a little warm for my liking this time of year, but I made sure the boys wore pants and long sleeves anyway- just because I feel like it should be in the 60s instead of the 80s! But at least we weren't dripping in sweat like our past pumpkin experiences!!

We bought two big pumpkins, and got to pick 4 "pie" pumpkins for free! Grant is already deciding how to carve his jack-o-lantern!! Wyatt says he wants his pumpkin to look like him!

It was a fun fall morning with my family!!

 

House Tour, Part 3

So I do realize that we have been living in this house for going on 7 months now, and I STILL have not posted pics of our bedroom. I know, you've all been on the edge of your seat....or not! But if you have, you're in luck!! I have an immaculately clean house today (Barb and Summer are coming this weekend!) so I thought it was the perfect time to take pictures that I haven't taken! So, here you go...

 Our bedroom is probably one of the most unused spaces in our house. Sure, we sleep there, and Wyatt loves watching Max and Ruby there, but nothing is ever done or even really cared for in that space! We always have clothes and shoes on the floor and our bed is only made about 2% of the year (the 2% when company comes!). But it is a space we like, although haven't devoted too much attention to! One of my favorite things is the collage frame my mom gave us a housewarming gift! I filled with candid pictures of my boys and as Levi and I say goodnight to each other each night, I look at their faces one more time! (Why is it you miss your kids when they're sleeping, but you can't wait to actually put them to sleep!?!?) 

We have a beautiful master bathroom, which I love!! Extra large storage cabinet, double sinks, jetted soaker tub, big shower, his/her closets- doesn't get much better!! Maybe someday my bedroom will become an oasis for me, but for now, it is what it is!

And I know I've already posted pics of our living room and kitchen, but we have a few new additions to the spaces that have changed their looks! Levi and I like a good project, and now that we are no longer home-owners, we like to busy ourselves with small projects! One project Levi worked on was turning an old small pub table into a bar cabinet (the piece to the left of the back door)! He did an amazing job and we are super happy with how it looks in our kitchen! Now, all we need is to stock it and enjoy it!!

Our other project was refinishing and old set of lockers we got at a salvage yard- they were a flat army green, and now a glowing pale yellow. Our intention was to put it in the entry way as a coat closet, but it didn't quite fit the space, so we had to rethink things. We wound up putting it where our desk cabinet used to be, and put the desk cabinet in the entry. Unconventional, right?? Well, no one uses our front door- hardly ever. I mean, like once a month at most! But even with the desk there, the door still opens with ease. And now we have our own little "office" space! I love the pop of color the lockers give to the living room! Plus, now that its getting cooler, we have a perfect spot for coats, hats, and boots!

The only thing I'm waiting on still are some photo ledges for either side of the TV. But all good things come to those who wait, right?!?

Hope you've enjoyed my tour!!!

Eel in Training

Grant had his last swimming lesson last night! I got to swim with him on the last day and he proudly showed off all his cool moves!! He swam the length of the pool freestyle, jumped off the diving board 3 times, and swam back. Then he swam the length of the pool backstroke, jumped off the diving board 3 times, and swam back. He back floated ALL BY HIMSELF! He did "rockets", which is where they kick off the wall, either on their back or their front, then turn around and swim back to the wall. He smiled through all of it and looked at me, with eyes seeking approval! Of course, my eyes showed more than that!! I was so proud of him!! I'm glad I got to spend those 30 minutes just devoted to him alone!! It was awesome!!

Here is the slide, which he went down by himself twice the other day!! He was so scared of this on his first day, but LOVED it the other day!! And to the right is the infamous mushroom, which earned Grant a trip to the ER on his first day. 

I enrolled him for the next session that begins in 10 days! He was so excited to know he will get the chance to swim again!! I can't wait to see his progress in the next 8 sessions!!

Way to go buddy!!!

Can I Play a Game on Your Phone?

Wyatt asks to play a game on my phone, no kidding, about ten times a day!  I don't let him play for more than 30 minutes at a time, although I know he would if I let him. (It's what gets us through Grant's 30 minute swimming lessons!) I believe that whole-hearted play comes first! And as educational as iphone/ipad apps are, they aren't the same as playing! 

With that being said, Wyatt knows his alphabet- visually and auditory, how to count to 15, all his shapes and colors (even the non-basic ones), and is phenomenal at puzzles, patterns, etc. He's a little learner, and those are just the kind of things he likes to play!! So, when he's not playing in the playroom, or doing "homework" at the kitchen table, he's off playing with my iPhone or iPod. Today, while I was cleaning the bathroom, he asked to play with my phone. He's good at navigating what games he wants to play, so he's 100% independent with it. I came out to see where he was, and I found this.....

Who can resist a cutie in footie jammies, with a stylus and iPhone?!? 

Grant's Busy Day

Grant had a super busy day yesterday! 

It all started when I dropped him off at preschool and we got this note:

All the 4+ kids at Grant's school got to go to the Enid Fire Department in their big school van! Since he doesn't go to school on Fridays or Mondays, we apparently missed the memo on this field trip! But it was well received! He said he was a little scared to leave the school without me, but he said he never cried and had a great time at the Fire Station!  He also got to be the helper of the day, which is a big deal when you're in preschool! He wore his "helper tag" proudly the rest of the day!! 

Then after some playtime at the church gym, errands, and a nap at home, it was time to gear up for swimming lessons! He's really enjoyed his lessons, other than the last two minutes of the first day which ended in a trip to the ER. The first day of lessons, he tested out of the beginners class, and one of the tests he had was to go down the long twisty slide. He didn't want anything to do with that slide! But I was hoping by the end of his session, he'd try it. However, he said he wouldn't do it til he turned seven!!! But last night- he not only did it once, but he did it twice!! You could see caution written on his face on his long walk up the ladder, and the excitement all over his face as he came down the slide! His little face popped up out of the water and he had to swim a few feet to his teacher. Then he hopped out of the pool, and ASKED to do it again!! I was so proud of him! Time was up after his second time, so who knows how many times he would've done it!! (I will take a picture of the slide at tomorrow lessons. Why don't I think about those things at the time?!)  

So, his brave adventure earned him a trip to Cherry Berry (a self-serve frozen yogurt place, that I'm kind of surprised Enid has in the first place!) He got to pick all sorts of goodies on top of his chocolate frozen yogurt- he picked chocolate rocks, Nerds, and white chocolate chips!! It was a treat for all of us!

 Another big part of Grant's day was during homework time. He's been on the verge of reading for a little while now, and last week in the car, I was asking him how to spell certain CVC words, like Dad, Mom, dog, etc. So during homework time yesterday, I let him use my phone to play a game. And he spelled and read through ALL the short A words on the game!! He thought he was pretty cool, and I was VERY proud of him!! I think I'll be having a little reader on my hands in no time!!

                     

It was a big day for my big boy and I am super proud of all his accomplishments he's made so far!! I love watching him grow and learn new things and gain confidence as he builds his skills!! He makes a mama proud!!

Sidewalk Drawings

The boys and I spent the evening outside and Grant decided to write his name! With no coersion from me, I might add! That was a first!! He is not too good at writing, let alone attempting it without the idea coming from me, so I was super happy to see him doodling away! Then he made this giant "W" as he called it (the shape on the bottom left) and I told him it looked like a monster, so we made it a monster. And the drawings went from there! Grant added his few - the top right was a robot spider, and the one to the left of that were battling bugs. It was a fun night of not-so-scary monster drawing, well and the occasional spaceship!!

Couple Clicks of My Cuties