It's Halloween... almost!

We LOVE halloween! Really, we do! We can't wait for all the festivities tomorrow... We're doing the Black Cat 5k in the morning (and a kids 1mile fun run) and then the kids have a costume birthday party, and then pizza and trick-or-treating with friends and family! Our kids are on cloud nine!!

Oh and Eric and Eric S. are super excited for halloween, but I kinda think it has something to do with Game 3 of the World Series! Go Phills!

Have a wonderful halloween!

{Thanks}

Just wanted to give a great big thank you to all my friends and family that just showed such an outpouring of love to me yesterday. Sorry for the transparent blog post the other night :) Note to self: high emotion and blogging don't mix! Yesterday was a good day and as my friend Becca reminded me it is nice to have a day to remember our boys and take some time to reflect. So many of you reached out in such neat ways and I really appreciated it. It reminds me that I have the best friends and family in the world and I am really blessed. So thanks again!

-Also, I must mention that Eric is/was wonderful to me. He put up with random, misplaced emotion :) and he is such an encouragement and comfort. He also got me a fun Wonder Woman Card (which was hysterical Steph, after our emails this week!)

Happy Birthday Jackson & Carter 10/29/05

Not much to say this year. It's a hard one. It pretty much stinks. It will pass, it always does. Not hopeless, still confidently hopefull, but hurts none the less.
Here are the posts from the last few years http://manginfamily.blogspot.com/2008/10/jackson-and-carter-3-years-later.html
http://manginfamily.blogspot.com/2007/10/october-29th.html
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/monicamangin

Mini Shoot this Morning

We had a "No Plans Saturday" (except for an afternoon birthday party) so I decided to try and get a few pics of the little kids. I don't have time to edit them all now, but I did play around with just a few. I always forget how much I enjoy taking pictures and playing around with them when I finally get a chance to!

I love this one of Kira. It was the lost shot of our mini shoot. She was starting to cry b/c she banged her nose. Of course I shot it and then comforted! Bad Mommy!
I played around with the color and added some grain. Eric says I made her look hairy!

My silly man just wanted to bang on the glass door!

Daddy got both of them to make silly, happy faces! Thanks Daddy!

Kira's trademark Nukie

Cal enjoyed eating the flower...

My babies!

{No Reason}

Just had a few random pics...
We went to Peddler's Village with my parents about 3 weeks ago... the camera wasn't working, but we took a few before it really acted up.
Does anyone else see how fas she's growing up? This is my FAVORITE age for girls, so I want to freeze time!

I can't believe they're all mine! I love them!

Best Daddy Ever

I love that my dad is terrible at smiling for pictures, but everytime I say "Dad that's not a smile" and then he authentically laughs and smiles. Got it! Perfect. Our kids absolutely LOVE their Papa!

SYTYCD- Youtube

This is the actual audition from the SYTYCS episode a few weeks ago when I found the song "Your Hands" that I loved. Songs like that are really easy to casually listen to when all is well and they kind of really test you when things aren't so picture perfect.

"Your Hands" by JJ Heller
I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn't there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
That You would take my pain away
I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

Kills Me

This video absolutely kills me! I showed it to 125 of my students this week and they were losing it. We talked about the music we listen to and how we're so much more aware of the lyrics and content when it's presented in a different way. It was a great discussion, but I think mostly they just died laughing. I must have gotten 20 emails after class about it! :) Enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1kjkUAA9VM

Pumpkin Classic

{Punkin'}

Today was a GREAT day! We all ran in the PCS fun run and 5k (more to follow about that tomorrow) then we went pumpkin picking, and finished the night with dinner and a bonfire with friends. What a fun, fall day!
I just took the older two pumpkin picking. The little ones needed their naps since we knew it would be a long night of fun. We missed Daddy, Kira, and Cal, but we still had an awesome time! We went to the same place that we cut our xmas trees each year and it's my favorite place ever!! We took a free hayride out to the pumpkin patch and then walked through the HUGE fields to find our perfect pumpkins. The kids had lots of fun looking with all the Mott and Fuentes kids and the adults had a blast too!
On a sidenote... have you noticed how many people say "punkin" rather than "pumpkin?" It's actually shocking and now that I've heard it once, I feel like it's all I hear. Strange.

I love spending time with these two! I also love watching then have fun and play with their friends. We're so blessed by all the wonderful friends they have in their lives!

It's the other half of wata-farm. Jess- you need to take Cam. It's awesome and cheap. 30 cents a lb. I paid a total of 5.00 for two great pumpkins!

The hayride...

The big kids
Kenzie, Micky, and Liv

the little kids

I love this pic... the hayride was so fun! I was completely decorated for halloween with fake black cats, rubber spiders, etc. I forgot to get a pic of that, but it was so fun!

Off to find the perfect pumpkin

Missy, Jen, and Me
(the wind was a wee bit strong, but apparently it only made my hair look crazy!)

Love Missy's face in this one

Ta-da!

Jaden, Jack, and Kade

Kaden
(and yes, Eric is going to clean my lens... ugh)

Kenzie
(isn't she just getting so big?)

Look at these awesome pumpkins!!
I love the white one Missy found... it's soooo Martha Stewart!
Kaden picked the one in front. I thought it was a cool choice!

The whole gang! (Minus Jay and Malachi that stayed back near the front of the farm)
What a fun fall activity!

This is Eric. A rare blog appearance, but two quick things.

First, the first song on the blog is for a dear friend of mine. I recently discovered during a 75-mile bike ride with him that he was previously a member of the flobots and the lyrics of the song are written about him - well, only the first half... the second half are written by someone very dark and troubled. Oh, and the second two songs are just songs that remind me of Monica.

Second, I don't always keep up on our own blog (shame on me), and I just listened to that singer who was on SYTYCD. When did it become so hip to abbreviate things? I had NO idea what the heck SYTYCD stood for (and I'm sure a whole lot of other people don't either). I thought it was some sort of compact disc... hence the "CD" at the end of it. So I google SYTYCD and it is a TV SHOW!?!? So You Think You Can Dance. WTH (what the heck). TSD (That's so dumb). WAWAE,ETVS (why are we abbreviating everything, even TV (television) shows). RTGODWWTTTTWWWAWTS (Remember the good old days when we took the time to write what we wanted to say).

Good thing I have songs like "peaches" and "undone" to remind me why I love my wife!

Me and My Boy

There aren't many good pics of me and my kiddos (at least in my opinion) but we got a decent one this week at Kaden's school trip. But of course the sun had to reflect off something behind us and a beautiful sun streak landed right on my face! Ugh.
I still love that I have a nice pic of me and Kade... sun streak and all :)

{today}

Today I took a few pics of the kids while we were coloring together. I am/was furious with our camera- it's not focusing right and it's making me nuts! Time for a visit to the camera doctor!
However, I did get a few shots that I really liked. For some reason when I upload them they're a little blurry, but not on blogger they're nice and crisp.

Cute Little Man!

Love this kid!

this apple was the size of her head! She takes random bites all over! I love it!

Silly Girl