Here Comes Halloween, Here Comes Halloween!

We've been trying to get into the Halloween mood at our house! These are some of the crafts ideas of I got of Pinterest: The Ribbon banner-the lady actually used tissue streamers, but I opted for ribbon hoping it'll last a while longer. The "BOO" letters in the middle are paper mache letters covered in ribbon, they are really cute! Maeli and I did the eye ball frames together during our girls weekend.

Its not Halloween without candy corn!
And for weeks Maeli has wanted to be an evil witch. We had trouble finding a costume that was modest and in our price range, so we pieced it together from a few different places.
Riker can't voice his opinion so the other kids voted for him to be a Handy Many/Bob the Builder kind of guy. This was what we came up with:
And had there ever been a more excited Buzz Lightyear any where in the world? Tuck got the wings for his birthday, so we only had to buy the official jumpsuit. He looks awesome and is so ready to rescue everyone!
The only thing we're missing is Pumpkins. Somehow this year the pumpkins just didn't make it to our house.

Just Some Pics

Maeli was very concerned about Riker falling asleep during lunch, on this particular occasion he actually was snoring and I had this vision of years and years to come in church.

Sometimes Maeli and Tucker are just the best friends in the whole world. Sometimes.

All Aboard!

For about an hour, with a ton of team effort and being lead by their fearless sister--The McLain Kids were able to successfully build and ride on their own Dinosaur train.

Props to my handy man

Despite his best efforts to spend the summer fishing, Jeremy did manage to sneak in a few projects here and there. He ripped out the carpet in our dining room and replaced it with this hardwood that matches our entry way and hall. Awesome! I don't know why thought carpet under the table was a good idea.
He did a few jobs off my honey-do list (I really do have a list for Jeremy on the fridge where I put the things that are bugging me so I don't have to nag, I just keep making his list longer...He's okay with it...I am super glad he doesn't have one for me though). On the list: replace broken fan in bathroom-CHECK!

And he made this awesome beachy fence for my sister's wedding. I'm waiting for the real photos from the reception and I'll post the finished product. This doesn't do it justice at all. It was a ton of work, and he really stressed about making it perfect for her on her special day. It meant so much to me that cared so much for my sister, and he did an amazing job! This was the "see if my idea would work" trial run. The actual fence was in two chunks and went all the way across the gym. The boxes were full of beach sand and had tall wild grass coming out. Looked awesome!

Harvest on the Palouse!

True Story

So I spent a morning cleaning the boys room. Really cleaning-dumped out every bin, cleaned the bins, resorted every single item in their room into the bin...a big deal. So I get everything put away and go to get the vacuum. Down the hall, to the closet, back to the boys room...maybe 45 seconds, and this is what I return to:

Now as soon as I said , "Are you kidding me?!" (and went to get the camera to prove my exasperation to Jeremy) Tucker puts his hands on his hips (just like me) and says, "oh, Riker, why did you make this mess?" Cute. Maeli comes running in to see why mom is mad, and she puts her hand on my arm, nodding in disbelief and says as she shrugs her shoulders, "A boys gunna do what a boys guuna do." Clicks her tongue and walks off.

18 Months!

Our "Baby" isn't a baby at all anymore .
weight: 24.5 lbs (30%)
height: 32 in (42%)
head: 19.9in (98%)
All About Riker!
Riker is an early bird. He's a light sleeper, so any noise after 5am and he's ready to play. Luckily, Tucker is also an early bird, and they're pretty content to watch cartoons together for a little bit while Mom wakes up. He still naps, and prefers a mid-morning nap unless there is something really exciting going on, then he won't miss out for anything. He has no problem sleeping in the car, but isn't great at transitioning from a car into the house. If he can get 2 hours in around 10:30 he's good to go for the rest of the day. Bedtime at 7. He's very silly and loves to play! He'd prefer it if Maeli and Tucker would let him participate in their game without making him the "bad guy" or the "monster" or the "evil witch." But when they're not including him, he's pretty good at entertaining himself. He does LOVE an audience though and is happy to hide and flirt all afternoon if you let him. His favorite thing is the bath. He can't wait to get in! If anyone is in the bath or shower, he'll join you if you leave the door open. He doesn't usually sleep through the night yet, so Riker ends up snuggling with Dad in our Bed (Dad loves this and will be really sad when no one gets in our bed anymore). Mom does not love this. Riker recently saw the ocean for the first time ever. He liked digging in the sand, but didn't like touching the sand. He hated the water and once he got his feet wet he was ready to be done with the whole situation. He is such a great helper! One thing I have noticed and just love about Riker is that he doesn't ask to help, or wait until you ask him to do a specific job. If I'm unloading the dishwasher, he starts handing me plates. If we're picking up blocks, he starts scooping them into the block box. He pays a lot of attention to how other people are doing things, but gets super mad if he can't do it the same way. He's always happy when his helping goes well, and you can tell by the silverware, he's a very organized little guy. We love our sweet Riker and I am thankful every day that he is part of our family. I thought Heavenly Father was crazy for sending these boys so close together, but if he hadn't taken matters into his own hands I don't know that I'll every reach the point with Tucker where another one seems like a good idea. Riker is always at 100%. If he's playing its 100%, if he's mad its 100%, and if he's hugging its 100%, maybe 110%. The boy gives a great hug.