Fall Fun

Fall is by far my favorite time of year. I love everything about it....the cooler temperatures, the colors, smells, activities, foods......i L.O.V.E. fall! We've been busy enjoying lots of fall activities this year as a family so i thought i would share a few of them today!

We made time to carve one of our pumpkins one night last week. The boys were so excited and then they spent the whole time cutting up the pieces of the pumpkin that were going to go in the trash! But they had fun and every once in a while would glance up to see how the carving was going!

The pta at Colby's school holds a fall festival every year with games and candy and fun giveaways. We have attended every year and it is always so fun to see all of the kids and to watch Colby interact with his school friends! We didn't win anything in the giveaways this year but they boys had a blast and left with tons of candy!

Colby & friends!

Colby doing the bean bag toss!

Daddy and Brayden taking a break from all the action!

And then on Sunday we headed to the south end of the island with some friends to the M Bar C ranch. It was gorgeous and alot of fun. The ranch holds camps to benefit children with various disabilities so the money spent went to a great cause and we had such a good time! We played games, went on a hayride, picked a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, and had a good 'ole ranch style dinner!

The boys w/ the pumpkin they chose

Isn't it beautiful?

The kids thought this sign was great!

On the hayride wagon

cute rocking horses

Colby playing a little twister

So, fall is my favorite season and these are a few of the things we've been doing to enjoy it! What is your favorite season?? And what sorts of things do you do to enjoy that season??

Another one bites the dust.....

This last weekend Colby played in his last soccer game here. He has played 6 seasons while we have lived here. All with the same coaches. This soccer league has been a huge part of our lives while here. Two of my very best friends i met the first season of soccer and they have become like sisters to me. My eyes fill with tears as i write this knowing that its over.....as of 5pm on Saturday that part of our lives was over. That realization has hit me harder than i expected it to. And it has hit Colby pretty hard as well. But he played amazing and we couldn't be prouder of how hard he has worked and how much he has grown in discipline, sportsmanship, and game play.

Here is a picture of our lil man at the end of his 1st season.....soooo stinkin' cute!! =)

And here are a few from this season!!

(Colby is #7!)

These 3 have played together all 6 seasons!

We will always have such fond memories from our time on the soccer field here on Whidbey Island. And while i know there will be soccer wherever we go it just doesn't make it any easier to bid farewell to a part of our lives we've truly come to cherish. To all of those who have touched our lives the last 6 seasons...(you know who you are)....Thank you just doesn't seem like enough. Tears stream down my face as i type....there just aren't words to tell you how much each of you has meant to us as a family. You will all be so very missed. Good luck in seasons to come!

(why can't crying just burn like massive amounts of fat??!! i'd be one skinny chica i swear!) ;)

Campout....kind of....

Tonight while the boys were in the shower, Daddy was busy setting up a surprise for them! He moved some furniture around in Brayden's room and set up a tent for them!! They were so excited....they loved it! They love to sleep together but when they do it takes an average of an hour to an hour and a half longer for them to actually go to sleep so we only allow it on friday and saturday nights. They talk and laugh and we absolutely love to listen to them! Here are a few pictures we took while hanging out w/ them in their tent before bed!

Silly Boys

The whole family!

All ready for sleepy time!

While it might not be a real campout, it's close enough for us!! These two lil guys are so much fun! Hope ya'll are having a wonderful weekend!!

Punkin' Patch

Sunday after a wonderful message at church we headed out to the local punkin' patch so the boys could pick pumpkins for carving later this week! We had a great time being together and watching the boys together!

This is one of our favorite things to do as a family each fall! What are some of your favorite fall family traditions??

Good for the soul.....Bad for the diet!

Guess what we're doing tonight.......






Yummy!! The last batch is baking and after dinner we will be decorating!! More pictures to come later tonight of our masterpieces!! Cause ya know...they WILL be masterpieces! ;) Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday evening!!

******Pictures as promised!******

Oh how these two lil men bring me so much joy! We had a great time as a family mixing, baking, cutting and decorating halloween cookies tonight.

Brayden's Creations.....notice the bite out of one of them....lil stinker!

Colby's masterpieces.......

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Mommy & Me

My wonderful bloggy friend, Erin, tagged me a LONG time ago with this fun Mommy and Me meme! Erin~sorry it took so long to get around to it but thanks for the tag! I enjoyed this one!

First, post a picture of you and your kids!

1. How many children do you have?
Two

2. What are their ages?
Colby is 7 and Brayden is 3

3. What time do you start your day?
Workout days (which are mon, thur, & fri) i get up at 4:30 to get a workout out in before daddy leaves for work and the other 2 days i get up at 6:45

4. What do you eat for breakfast?
gosh.....a bowl of cereal, or some fruit, or a bagel and ALWAYS washed down with a nice warm cup of coffee!

5. Do your kids watch TV?
That would be a definite yes......i do my best to encourage activities other than tv and Brayden definitely watches more than Colby since he is home with me all day. Living in a fairly isolated area where about 9 months out of the year are cold, wet and nasty it becomes harder and harder to find things to do that keep them entertained! Colby loves watching the discovery channel or animal planet and Brayden's favorites are Super Why, Word World, Wonder Pets, and Backyardigans!

6. What are their favorite activities?
Colby enjoys reading, soccer, football-both playing it and watching it w/ Dad!, anything related to science or nature, Awana, playing his nintendo ds, computer games and both card and board games. Brayden loves being outside, building things with legos and blocks, Cubbies, anything w/ his brother, "reading" books(more like making up the story as he flips the pages and looks at the pictures), and coloring or painting pictures!

7. Do you get a break during the day for some you time?
I am very blessed in this regard! Brayden does nap in the afternoons and i do get some time to myself. I am working on making it a priority to start this time each day studying the Bible and soaking in God's word, then followed by cleaning, organizing, laundry, stamping, phone calls, blogging and/or reading......i usually just prioritize what needs to be done and get as much of it done as i can!

8. How do you end your day?
Most importantly w/ my hubby! The majority of our "just us" time happens after the kiddos are in bed each evening! We talk, laugh, prepare for the next day, watch tv, play computer games....or whatever else we decide but we do it together as much as possible!

9. What is your best parenting advice or tip?
Cherish each and every moment! Find reason to be thankful in every situation you are blessed to experience with your children....fun or not, easy or hard....its all such a blessing and goes by so fast! And network with other mommies! This has been such an encouragement for me......nobody understands like someone who is doing it too!!

Tagging 5 people:
*Scrapper Mom @ My Yesterdays, Todays, & Tomorrows

*Lainey @ Life is Just so Daily

*Janine @ Family Toole-Box

*Erin C. @ Crumpton Classics

*Jean @ A Testimony of God's Providence

Yes Yes.....

I am indeed still alive!! To say the least life has been just a little crazy in the Miculka's corner of existence! Can anybody sympathize with me on how much goes into a cross country move??? Holy moly.......i just did this 3 years ago and yet it is so completely unfamiliar!?! This time is very different as the kids are both at very different places in their lil lives than they were 3 years ago. And this i'm sure contributes to the vast differences between the last move and this one. Either way.....time is moving faster than i ever dreamed it would and we are now 7 weeks away from the movers knocking on the door. WOW....how did that happen?

There are so many things i want to get done in that 7 weeks in addition to the "normal" things we always have on our plate. I want to slow down time and take in every minute i have left here on this island that has become home for the last 3 years. I want to memorize every moment i can spend with my amazing friends that God has so graciously blessed me with while here. I want to take time to notice every little thing that has become "normal" to me while here and enjoy them like i used to....like seeing bald eagles in flight, the snow capped mountains beyond the gorgeous bay, Angelo's....my favorite spot to meet with girlfriends and enjoy coffee and breakfast, the deer who roam freely nearby and always want to take their time crossing the street when i'm running late, and so many more. I cherish every memory made and the emotions are already beginning to take over knowing that time is running out for us here. This chapter of our life is almost over. God is so good and i have come to know so much more of Him as He has been my strength and companion through lonely deployments, my hope and comforter through trials of my own and those i have experienced with friends, and my joy through all he has blessed me with the last 3 years.

I know God has great plans for our family as we move on to the next chapter. And i know He will continue to be my strength over the next 7 weeks as well as my comfort as i say goodbye to everything that has been home for the last several years. Please pray for our family as we prepare for this move. Pray for continued strength for John and me as we work through all the details....logistical and financial. Pray for guidance for me and John as we strive to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to teach the boys to rely on the Lord and to find strength in him. And pray that all will work out on the other end.....there are so many unknowns for us right now when we get to florida so just pray that it will all work out.

Pictures and fun updates to follow soon! Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!!