Peddler's Village

We went to see the scarecrows and sadly they were all taken down already. The kids weren't thrilled, but we still had a decent time and then had dinner at Perkins and kids ate free and Dora was there! Suddenly everything was right in the world (in the minds of the Mangin kids)...

I took a few pics, but honestly not many good ones because 4 kids still just has us too busy for pics

I love Cal's little lip in this b/c he makes this face a lot.

There are many people that read this blog that hate his collar and I just want you to know that I thought of each of you as I took this picture :) Hehe

Silly little boy

Even without Scarecrows, Peddler's Village is so beautiful!

I just love that he thinks he's big stuff and just takes off for a little stroll on his own...

Oh miss Kira, you have my heart-and you just might make me lose my mind too!

Callen won't smile with me b/c Daddy's around... Grrr... he is in a total Daddy phase and I'm over it :)

Kaden is always good for a smile for me. Check out all the signatures on the cast!

"Hey Mama (as she calls me lately- not sure why, and actually it makes me feel like something out of little house on the prairie) wanna hear a secret??"
Those big eyes may be adorable, but don't take your eyes off of her for one second!

This is my life... Attempts at taking a picture of 4 kids...
Kenzie thinks it's funny to give a freaky smile face, Kaden is smiling nicely, Kira- well who knows what was so exciting up in the sky, and Cal might be about to fall off the rock wall...

Kenz- same freaky face, Now Kaden's still holding the smile, but thinks his sister is funny, Kira hmm Kira looks like she's up to something, and Cal, well, he didn't fall, but no smile either...

Yes, we're seriously in trouble with this girl... Anyone know of a good all- girls boarding school?

Wait, almost there- Kenzie is semi laughing, but still looking goofy and Kira went from naked to into a trance...

If only the oldest could look AT the camera

And if any of you taught your kids sign language... you'll know what Callen is signing? (All done!)
I Quit- I guess pictures of all your kids are overrated anyhow :)

10/29/10 Happy Birthday Boys

5 Years tomorrow. Jackson and Carter would be five years old this year.

There are many memories from my life that have faded over time, but their birth and the time we spent with them is as clear as can be. October 29th is a love hate day for me. It's a day where I can completely let myself remember and also think about what my life would be like if Jackson and Carter were still a part of it, but it's not easy to do that and it still hurts even after five years.

I don't have too much to say this year, but I miss our little boys and love them more than I can explain.

"Room Rooms"

Callen is in love with "RoomRooms" aka Tractors or equipment of any type. The poor kid probably could learn all the names, but if it's big and yellow, or green for that matter, I tell him it's a tractor. Hmm... maybe time to learn some of the names. I think there was something like a "skid steer??" here the other night and I only know that b/c David used some fancy name for it.
Anyhow, whatever they're called, Cal loves that they still have work to do in our yard.

And Cal has started the "cheese" phase and I love it! He's my last baby to give me the squinty-eyed cheeezzzz!

Can't get enough of it!

Also, we're totally loving the foliage on our property. Next year, when we have a yard full of grass it's going to look awesome. We're going to have a lot of leaves to deal with, but our kids love a good leaf pile.

Kaden's Big Break!

The Mangin family has now made our first ER trip and experienced our first broken bone. Poor Kaden broke his right wrist on Monday night. We were outside playing tag on the very rough ground and he tripped and fell into a big rock and caught himself (thankfully) with his hands. I won't mention that this mommy was perhaps chasing him at the time of the incident. I definitely felt awful, but was kindly reminded that "Good moms play tag" by a friend, so that made me feel a little better, although I might add, "Good moms play tag on level ground" :)
He's doing okay now and got through his first day at school and finally understands why Kenzie is super jealous of the cast... it makes you a rockstar a school for a little bit! She actually told us, she was going to go outside and trip just like Kaden did! :) She kills me.
Cast or no cast, he's a sweet boy and I love him broken Radius and all. ;)

Matt Campione came over to bring Kaden a treat and balloon to help him feel better and got to be the first signature. Kade still hasn't let me sign!

This was the face he had before Jackson Mott arrived and assured Kaden it was "Super Cool" :)

Home

Thanks to so many of our family and friends, we were able to move in this weekend! Friday night the guys moved the heavy stuff and then Saturday came all the rest of the boxes. We had a really busy weekend, so we're not totally unpacked, but tonight is our first night "at home" and it's really nice to be able to say that. I didn't take a lot of pictures, well actually none because my camera was MIA, but I took a few with my phone and this is one. I do have more and I promise to all the girls that care, I will post a lot of pics especially as I start to design and decorate rooms. So far I've painted 2 kids rooms, but they're not done with all their little accents, so you'll have to wait and see. You can tell in this pic that I've been trying paint colors for the family room and on the 5th sample, I think I've found the right one (and it's neither of the ones in the pic) Just have to wait and see.
A few things to note really quickly-
1- I'm going to have to get used to having a lot of land. I called Eric and the kids in for dinner tonight and it took like 7 minutes for them to walk back in from the woods! They love it out there!
2-The most exciting thing I unpacked was my grey, fall coat! I was so excited when I unpacked it!
3- Speaking of grey, if I had my way I'd paint my entire house grey :) I'm in love with the color right now.

Ok that's all for now. Lots more to come soon!

Boston in the Fall...

Boston in the fall is one of my favorite things of all time. The more I go back and visit the more I realize just how lucky I was to grow up in one of the most beautiful places ever! If only I knew that and appreciated it when I was growing up. :) This trip was wonderful! We had awesome weather, got to see lots of old friends, and as always had a blast with family. This was the first time in ten years that I went back to the area where I grew up... I drove past my old middle and high school, I drove around Wheaton college where I played so many basketball games, and then actually went to see the house I grew up in (it was crazy because I actually was able to meet the homeowner and it ended up that it was the neighbor I grew up next to. He had bought the house and rents it out and uses the property for huge gardens- he remembered me and it was so neat to chat with him. It was a really neat surprise!) With all that, I ended up as one homesick girl! Really, it was funny b/c it was the first time in years I realized how much I miss being a New England girl. Eric and I do love it there and who knows, maybe we'll retire there someday :) for now, I have a new home in PA that I'm pretty excited about.
Here's the crew of kids getting ready to go apple picking! It's an awesome tradition!

We were so excited that the Bengtsons drove down from NH to visit with us on Saturday! Thanks guys! Shauna and Ben, we missed you, and hope to see you soon!

Silly Boy

Love this silly smile

These two look like they could be sister! (Lauren and Kenz)

Cute

Silly Kade and Daddy... I love that Callen is like "my turn, my turn!"

Jacqui and Ben- too cute!

Sarah and Sadie

Mother and Daughter

Mom and Dad

The hayride trail

There were pumpkins hidden throughout the woods... when the kids spotted them they had to yell "Pumpkins!" They LOVED it! This was the final tower of pumpkins on the ride