A Very Happy Halloween!

This Halloween we were haunted...by cuteness! We stocked up on the Halloween costumes before we left Boston last year. The boys not only donned pumpkin costumes, but they were cows as well. I guess this was the agrarian-themed Halloween, in keeping with Indiana! And as you can imagine, we did take tons of pictures.

Earlier in the week we went to a pumpkin patch right near our house to pick out our special Halloween pumpkin. They had a petting zoo of sorts set up in the barn, so we took the opportunity to introduce the triplets to some large smelly animals.

Alex meets a real cow...

Grandma Burkett and Jody in the pumpkin patch (err, hay field)...

Another hay field/pumpkin patch shot...

Of course we had to try on the costumes ahead of time to make sure they fit (and to get some pictures!).

Our first jack-o-lantern!



Jacen says "Mmmmm, pumpkins are yummy!"



The whole gang and the pumpkin...



Three little pumpkins in a patch...



Matt's raided the pumpkin patch...he must be out of his gourd!



Ty in pumpkin form...

Alex as a laughing cow...

Jacen giving us a load of bull...

Ty looks like disco calf...

-

On Thursday, October 30th, the boys went trick or treating at the law school. Here are the highlights!

Here are the pumpkins, all loaded in the trick-or-treat wagon...



Navigating the hallway in the wagon was lots of fun...we were kind of like a traffic jam for the other trick-or-treaters!



Alex gets the hang of this "candy" thing...



On Friday, Oct. 31st, the boys went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. This time they were dressed as cows. Here's Grandma Madeira posing with the boys on the porch...

We thought we'd round up the cows for another family picture...

Here we are on the big adventure...

Playing until the cows come home!

t

er

Life after Turning 1...

Since the boys turned 1, life has become a lot more fun--and hectic! Alex started to walk on September 28th and now his little world has no bounds. Jacen began to walk about two weeks later on October 17th. The boys are now into anything and everything. To defend prized possessions, we have been forced to finally babyproof cabinets with magnetic tot locks. They were the only locks that we could find that weren't adult-proof as well as child-proof!

Household objects that before held no appeal are now objects of great fascination. The dishwasher is especially awesome for Alex and Jacen...note that Jacen is toting along a red dog pull toy. These also are wonderful toys for the boys, who greatly prefer them to their own toys!


Alex loved his birthday balloons until they were all deflated. He would grab them and shake them to hear them rustle...


No one thinks that the vacuum cleaner is particularly interesting, however. Jacen and Alex seemed to find it downright terrifying.



The boys also love riding around on their fire trucks. Ty in particular
loves to race around the center island, and laughs if you chase him.



Jacen loves to hold a foam swimming noodle as he races around on his fire truck...he looks as if he is jousting.



The boys love a giant stuffed bear that Jody has had for ages. We recently brought the bear out to see how the boys would react to it. Here are all three posing with Mr. Bear...



Oh no! Jacen has to endure a bear hug!

Alex wants to bite Mr. Bear back...

We've also unearthed some very cute octopus chairs that we bought in Boston while the boys were just home from the hospital. The kids don't seem to really be into the chairs, but the dogs sure think that they are pretty nifty!

Grandma and Grandpa Madeira visited for almost two weeks in the middle of October. In addition to just hanging around the house and outnumbering the boys for a change, we all went to Nashville, Indiana, which is a "crafty" type of town. It gets pretty crowded in the fall because people visit not only shop but to see the leaves at the height of "leaf season." Here is the whole crew, strollers and all...

Jody and Jacen showing off a very cute horse tire swing...


Here's Grandma Madeira playing with the boys...



Alex loves pushing Ty in a wagon...and Ty is all for it!



We also finally upgraded the boys' carseats from the baby Graco SnugRides to "big" Sunshine Kids Radian 80s. These supposedly are the only car seats they will ever need. We certainly hope so...they were expensive! They have a "super cool" fabric on the seat to prevent the boys from getting too sweaty in the car. So far, everyone seems to like their new rides!

We are One!!

On September 15th, Alex, Jacen, and Ty turned one!! Preparations were all set for a groovy outdoor party in a local park with a tot playground, but the party had to be moved indoors because the remnants of Hurricane Ike came through Bloomington. Luckily, the faculty lounge at the law school was free, and it made an excellent party site. With decorations and ribs from Texas Roadhouse, we couldn't go wrong!

Here are a some pictures from the big event!

Grandma and Ty are excited about turning 1!



The party action is hot (but the weather outside is not)...

We ordered a special cake for the day, and it was still cute, although our bug theme didn't make quite as much sense indoors as it would have in the park!

Everyone thought the ribs were yummy...

Jody's fellow professor Aviva and Alex are getting into some mischief...

Alex loves his birthday ballooons.

Time to demolish the cake!

Ty gets his first taste of icing...


Alex just grabs a handful and looks mystified at what it is...

Ty is worn down from all the partying!


Back at home, it's time to unwrap presents...but first, it's time to put on birthday hats!

Birthday hats are more fun when they're OFF your head!


YEAH! Bring on the presents!


Ok, it's time for the smash cake. Everyone ready? What? No one likes to SMASH???



Ty apparently is Mr. Clean!


Then again, Jacen and Alex aren't too keen on mess either.


Daddy shows them how it's done...