Zane and Abi - November 22

We took these pictures of Zane and Abi on Thanksgiving Day. As soon as we sat Abi beside him, Zane reached over and grabbed her hand. He's already being protective!

Colter's Birthday Party, Part 2 - Nov. 21

As everyone knows, one birthday party is just not enough! We had Colter's "family" party later that evening after all of the aunts and uncles arrived from Lubbock. He had an airplane cake and...
opened presents (this was his favorite - an airplane, of course!).
After opening his presents, Colter went back to finish his cake while everyone else... played with (or put together) his presents! (Noni and Papa are putting together the airplane, Aunt Cathryn, Aunt Kim and Wyatt are boxing with his "socker boppers", Uncle Jerod is putting together his basketball goal, Daddy is reading his airplane book, and Aunt Megan and Uncle Craig are observing all of the action.)

Colter's Birthday Party, Part 1 - November 21

We had Colter's 3rd birthday party a couple of days early this year so that we could work in around Thanksgiving. He wanted a "sharp-nose airplane" party. So...I made airplane cookies...

he and his friends searched for airplanes hidden in the "clouds"...
ate all of Colter's favorite foods...
and opened presents. It was a fun morning!

Big Bend National Park - November 15-18

We spent a long weekend down at Big Bend National Park. You can see more pictures of our desert adventure on Danny's blog www.griffisfamilyoutdoors.blogspot.com.

Colter's Choo-Choo Shirt - November 15

This is Colter's favorite shirt. We didn't buy it; he found it in a box of hand-me-downs someone sent us and quickly claimed it as his own. It has trains (and trucks, but he just cares about the trains!) on it, so he calls it his choo-choo shirt. He would wear it everyday if he could!

Almost Four Months Old - November 14

Here is Zane at almost four months old. He has discovered his hands and loves to play with them and suck on them. He is also full of smiles for anyone who takes a minute to talk to him!

Mirror Fun - November 7

This is one of Zane's favorite toys. I actually have pictures of Wyatt and Colter playing with this same mirror!

Enjoying Fall - November 7

Wyatt is spending entire afternoons outside enjoying our beautiful fall weather. He stays busy climbing trees and just exploring around our yard. He loves looking at all the different colors our leaves are turning and has learned exactly why leaves change colors and what chemicals that make them those colors!

Fireplace Weather - November 5

There's a chill in the air and we have lots of wood for the fireplace! One of our favorite cold weather activities is reading bedtime stories by the fire.

Time for More Space! - November 3

We waited as long as we could, but the need for more space finally won us over. In September we traded Jen's Honda CRV for a Honda Odyssey. The extra space has been wonderful and it has made road trips much more enjoyable!

Trunk or Treat - October 31

Our church hosts the "Trunk or Treat" for the town every year. The boys were excited about getting to dress-up like trees again, but what they were really excited about was the candy!

Here they are, making the rounds and collecting their loot!

As soon as they made it back around to our car they started giving out the candy. They both decided that was almost as fun as getting it for themselves!

Corn Maize - October 28

One of our favorite fall traditions is going to the corn maize. It really is a great family outing! So in case your family ever decides to head to a corn maize, here are some helpful tips...

How To Do a Corn Maize

First take a picture by the sign (that way you can compare it to last year's picture and see how much everyone has grown!).

Then you head to the beginning of the maize where you can pick up your "cheat sheets" (helpful little quizzes that let you know which direction to turn at certain pointes in the maize!).

Next you start walking...

or running...

or pulling the wagon...

or (if you're lucky) being carried...

through the maize.

But don't forget to take time to play with the corn stalks...

collect some corn (Wyatt said he was going to plant this corn at our house so that we can have a corn maize next year!)...

or just play in the dirt!

Before you know it you will be finished with the maize and ready for your next adventure!

Zane and Abi's Baptism - October 28

We continued a family tradition by having Zane and Abi baptized by Dad. It was a special celebration on a day that was perfect in every way. As you can tell by Dad's smile in the picture above, the only thing better than sharing this moment with one grandchild is sharing it with two!

Wyatt, Danny, Colter, Zane, Jen, Kim, Abigail and Craig

Colter, DeJoyce, Abi, Zane, Dedaddy (my grandfather) and Wyatt

Danny, Jen, Zane, Colter, Jerod, Wyatt, Cathryn, Megan, Abi, Craig and Kim

Papa, Zane, Noni, Abi, Colter and Wyatt

Halloween Carnival - October 27

The Halloween Carnival at the elementary school is always a well attended event. We went last year, but the boys definitely had more fun this year. Here are some of the highlights...Games...

prizes...

friends...

jumping...

and just hanging out!

Three Autumn Trees - October 27

Our boys dressed up as autumn trees for Halloween this year. It was Wyatt's idea, but Colter didn't want to be left out so he asked to be a tree also. Wyatt told anyone who would listen that he was a Bur Oak, Colter was a Maple and Zane was a Red Oak.

The New Swing Set - October 26

We finally splurged and bought the boys a new swing set (it's really an early Christmas present, they just don't know that!). They have always been "outside boys", but since we got the swing set I haven't been able to keep them inside! The day we got it we had some of the strongest winds we've had in a long time (35 mph!) and it stayed pretty windy for the next several days. Usually, strong winds are enough to keep the boys inside, but not with the new swing set in the backyard. They would head outside the moment we got home from preschool, reluctantly come in for lunch and naps and then head back out in the afternoon. When Danny came home we would join them outside until supper was ready!

An additional note: If you look closely at the top picture (if you click on it you can see a larger version) you will see Wyatt climbing ON TOP of the monkey bars. It took him only a couple of days to figure out that he could get up there by using the handles as additional ladder rungs, then climb across the monkey bars to the fort, and then slide down the slide! He is quite the climber!

Friday Night Lights - October 26

Danny had "team doc" duty at the football game this week. The boys love to go to the football games, but it was going to be a little too chilly for me to take Zane. Not wanting to go to the football game without his boys, Danny got permission for the boys to sit with him on the sideline. It was quite an experience being so close to the action! Colter said it was "not too loud" and Wyatt said they liked it "expect when Daddy had to go out on the field." Go Bobcats!

Gourd Family - October 25

We decided to make a family of gourds to decorate our front porch. The boys and I went to our local pumpkin patch and picked out our favorite gourds. Then they collected leaves, sticks and acorns for us to use on our "gourd people." One afternoon when Danny was home we took all of our materials outside and made our own "gourd family." It was lots of fun and looks really cute outside on our bench!