The Flavin Family '12

 Like father, like son

 Makes my heart melt every time

 Brothers

 Trying out best to get Tommy to laugh.  We had to wait 45 minutes for our appointment to start so he was starting to get fussy.

Sweet boy

Our photo shoot was at BARR systems property in the middle of Gainesville.  It is a beautiful spot and actually had some fall colors in the trees.  We did it in conjunction with a fund raiser for a friend of mine's activity center.  Hopefully this will become a tradition each year so we can capture how the boys grow.

Halloween Fun!

 Jack wanted to have a picture with his brother because they had similar hats.    Jack tried on all of his dress-up clothes this morning, trying to decide what to be.  Mama is hoping for Spiderman, but Jack is leaning towards Power Ranger.

 Here is Jack as Power Ranger Captain America.  The mask for the costume is broken so we found this one to add to it.  He loves this costume so much, all the edges are frayed and it spends a lot of time getting washed after he romps around outside in it.

 My 2 favorite super heroes:  Spiderman and Batman!  We ditched the masks because they just don't fit right.

 Jack tried on many costumes this morning, here he is as a pirate.  AAAARRRRRRR, don't take me treasure!

 Jack stirring the marshmellows and butter as we prepare our Halloween treat, Rice Crispy Pumpkins!

Jack was  a super big help while we made these pumpkins.  He helped me measure the cereal, stir the butter and marshmellows, cut the stems, and he cheered me on as I attempted to form the pumpkin shape.  These things are sooooooooooooooooooooo sticky when you take it out of the bowl I had to scramble and get some butter on my hands so I could continue.   Check out the second row, do you see one with 3 antennae?  That would be Jack's creative flair wanting a reminder of his alien birthday cakes.

We can't wait for tonight as the trick or treating gets under way!  But first we will visit Jack's class for a short party with his classmates.

Tommy all dressed up....

 I saved all of Jack's costumes, hoping we would get another chance to use them.  Tommy is just too big for the horse though.  I managed to get it on his body but there was no chance of snapping all the snaps because he very long.  He really liked this one though.

 Tommy can't stretch his legs out all the way because the costume is too short for him.  A very cute horsie though!

 So then I moved to the costume Jack wore when he was 1 year old.  It was a little small on Jack and now it is a little big on Tommy.  He definitely will not fit into in next year.  He was really excited in this picture, he was bouncing his legs around and giggling.

 Such a sweet smile from a crime fighter!

 Mask malfunction!  This mask didn't even fit on Jack's head when he wore it.  Tommy was wiggling around so much it shifted and hid his eyes.

Since we were trying things on I decided to see what the St. Patrick's Day hat would look like.  He really enjoyed wearing it.

Halloween Fun!

 The pumpkins before the carving began.  The little one is from the pumpkin patch in an earlier blog.  The bigger ones were hand selected by Jack at the local Winn Dixie.  Has anyone else noticed how weird the pumpkins are the past few years?  The texture is odd and is was really hard to carve the bigger ones.  The little one was grown locally and was what I call a "normal" pumpkin.

 Jack did not want to stick his hand into the pumpkin to get the guts out of it.  I finally talked him into it and he got brave and scooped guts out twice before he said he was done.

 We had a ton of seeds scooped out so I roasted them that evening.  So Yummy!  This picture also shows my super short hair cut!  This length is too short for Tommy to pull on my hair.

 Jack wanted 3 eyeballs like his birthday cupcakes so 2 of our pumpkins went for that design, 3 eyeballs are very popular in our house these days.  The middle one is an F for Flavin!

The final product at night.  Spooky fun!

Brothers

Tommy joined Jack in the living room to watch Saturday morning cartoons.  Such a sweet smile from both of them as they snuggle in the comfy blankets.  It was a chilly morning as we had left the windows open all night to let the cool air in.   I love my boys!

Cute times....

 Jack spontaneously decided to read Tommy the Winnie the Pooh book last week.  He showed him pictures, talked about the characters, and flipped through the entire book while Tommy listened.  I think Tommy is getting used to having his picture taken, he look directly at the camera!

Tommy showing off his stellar smile.  He was such a happy baby as we watch the Gators beat up on LSU last week.

Tommy enjoys his first swing ride at the High Springs park.  We went on a cloudy day so the boys wouldn't get too hot while they played.   Jack enjoyed going super high in his swing while Tommy preferred a slow and low swinging experience.

Tommy & Jack in Action

My two boys doing what they do best, show off their cuteness!  Tommy was talking up a storm on the day I got this.  I think he was about 9 weeks old.  Jack is dancing to the music on his new birthday bulldozer, cause you know all bulldozers are equipped with rock music.

Enjoy!

Roger's Farm Pumpkin Patch

Kevin and Jack race their yellow duckies down the stream to see whose duck wins the race.  Jack likes to put more than one duck on his ramp to watch them all swim down to the other side.

 Jack is an old pro when it comes to riding the ponies at the farm.  He knows he has to hold on and not to spook the horse.

 On the hay ride we got to see a huge patch of sunflowers.  Roger's farm always grows something seasonal in these areas for the visitors to enjoy on the ride.  We enjoyed the beautiful day even though it was a little hot still.  We all had red cheeks at the end of the day.

 Jack, Becca, and Jolene all hold their pumpkins they got from the patch.   The drivers makes sure to tell them to pick it up by the base, not the stem.  Do they kids listen?  No.  Jack at first chose an itty bitty pumpkin but decided to go for a big one before he got back on the hay ride.

Jack and I had fun picking up corn pieces and putting them in the bowl ramp system that feeds the billy goats on the roof of this little barn.  

We got to this pumpkin patch every year and always enjoy it.  Tommy went too but ended up spending  most of his time under the tent since the sun was so bright and hot.

Jack's 4th Birthday Party!!

Jack had been anticipating his birthday, knowing presents were on the horizon!  We were amazed at how many presents he got and he quickly charged through unwrapping everything.  It took 3 garbage bags to pack away all the wrapping paper, bags, and boxes.

 I have set a goal for myself to make the cake or cupcakes that the boys have each year for their birthday.  This year Jack wanted a Toy Story themed party so I quickly found an idea online on how to recreate the little green aliens from Pizza Planet.  The only thing I changed was using mini marsh mellows for the eyes instead of Mentos, way cheaper and more kid friendly.  We were lucky to have found green licorice at the Dollar Tree and Aunt Gail was a master chef in preparing them for the antennae and the ears.

 The outside festivities included a Buzz Lightyear pinata that had a pull-string instead of bashing it in.  The little kids took turns pulling a string until finally they found the one that opened the prize door.  The kids grabbed Smarties, lollipops, and a bunch of noisemakers. The backyard was soon full of very noisy children.  Then Kevin offered the bigger kids an opportunity to hit the pinata with a bat.  It was soon destroyed.

 Jack and Abby enjoying the very noisy noise makers that were in the pinata.  Each little kid also got a gift bag with funny glasses, play-doh, a bouncy ball, and stickers.

 Family shot!  We tried 7 shots and this was the best one.  Hopefully we can get some professional shots taken this year and we can all be looking at the camera and having our eyes open.

Jack was delighted to see all of his friends and had a blast playing with his new toys.  We can't believe he is 4 already!

Now that's a BIG baby!

We visited our pediatrician on Monday for Tommy's 2 month well-check.  We love this doctor!  She is amazing and always gives us the best advice about our boys.  We hadn't gotten to see her yet because she was out when Tommy was born.
The biggest part of the visit is the measuring of head, length, and weight.  Memories of Jack always measuring big were rattling around in my mind as we began to measure Tommy.  I guessed he was around 14, maybe 15 pounds but was startled to hear he weighs a whopping 16 pounds, 12 ounces!  He has gained 6.6 pounds since birth.  WOW!  He is also 25 inches long now too.

Dr. Grooms just smiled at us and said to keep doing what we're doing.  At this rate he'll be bigger than Jack soon!

Watching some football

 Tommy practicing his stare that he plans to use later in life in his role as a defensive lineman for the Florida Gators.

 Tommy's smile gets bigger and bigger each day.  He is so happy he gets to watch the Gators play football today!

Chunky boy is almost 14 pounds (we think) and is sleeping through the night!  He is wearing 6 month old outfits and is starting to make lots of fun noises while he plays each day.

Hanging out at the house...

 Tommy practices sitting up using his Bumbo seat.  These seats were recalled nationally because some parents left their kids propped up in the seat on tables and counters and then the kids fell out.  As you can see, Tommy is safely on the floor with Mama close by to catch him, just in case he decides to jump out.

 A common siting in our house is Tommy relaxing on the boppy pillow while he chugs down his bottle.  Such a rough life this little guy has to endure each day.

 Sharing a rare smile.

Jack shares a rocket he built from his blocks.  He enjoys blasting around the house and then destroying the rocket to show it had a crash landing.

Boys at Home

 Here is Tommy giving us a better view at his adorableness.  It seems he always has his mouth open.  I named this shot, "What do you mean I'm only 3 weeks old?  I'm bigger than a 3 month old!"

 One of his favorite activities is sticking his tongue out.  This is cute, by far the cutest shot yet!

 Getting some tummy time to practice holding his head up.  Not really interested in getting his head up today though, I think he was busy looking at the bright sunshine coming in through the window.

Jack being a goofball by sleeping in his toybox.  Hard to believe he can fit in there, I'm sure in a few more months he won't fit at all.

Moustache

Jack moustache you a question!  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Why?

He is very curious and wants to know the "why" about everything!

I'm Outnumbered!

With the total number of boys in the house reaching 3 with the arrival of Tommy, I am realizing I am definitely outnumbered with so many boys!  Here they are enjoying some Saturday morning cartoons.