PaPa's Surprise...

PaPa told Brayden he had a special surprise for him when we got back from apple picking.

A gun! Brayden was so excited. It is a simple suction gun, but you have to start somewhere. PaPa taught him how he needed to load it and how to position it to shoot.

When he hit the target they celebrated!

We in turn surprised PaPa by celebrating his birthday (a little belated) by getting him an iPad. He was so surprised. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of him with it.

Happy Birthday to you!

Some of his favorite people.

Apple Picking and Pumpkin Patch...

Two weeks ago while PaPa & MeMe were here they went with Brayden and I apple picking in Warwick, New York. Sarah had just gotten back from youth retreat the night before, so we decided to let her stay at home with Daddy to sleep in and relax.

It was a beautiful crisp morning and we got a FULL bag of apples.

We found a tree full of beautiful red apples and PaPa tried to hoist Brayden on a limb to grab them, but he was a little unsure so down he came.

I was determined to get these red beauties, so I hopped up and picked them myself.

Love spending time with my parents.

MeMe, does this look like a good one?

We all tried our fair share of apples to see if we liked the variety.

PaPa, MeMe and Brayden with our wagon full of apples and a pumpkin for Sarah.

The fall colors just starting to pop.

A couple of days later Brayden and I went on his class hayride and pumpkin picking field trip at a local farm.

It was a chilly and rainy day, but thankfully it stopped raining for us to pick our pumpkins.

Brayden and a couple of his classmates talking about the big pile of dirt they saw across the field. Boys. : )

Love, love being able to share times like these with my boy.

Afterwards enjoying cider donuts with the class.

A fun day for my preschooler.

Spiderman Birthday...

We celebrated Brayden's 5th birthday with a Spiderman party on Thursday night.

The Birthday Boy...

Brayden and his favorite Superhero.

Decorations...

Brayden's personal Spiderman cake

Fellow Spidey Friends...

Aunt Michelle, Grace and Claire arrived from Florida that very day. They each wore their favorite superhero shirt in honor of the birthday boy.

PaPa & MeMe

Aunt Susie, Uncle John, Sammy and Stephen

FaFa & Grandma

Todd and Samantha

Daddy & Mommy

Sarah

The Smith family was also there with Brayden's friends Levi, Ella and Trinity. We somehow missed getting pictures of them.

So many fun gifts...

Happy Birthday Boy...

Brayden had a fun night and loved all his gifts. He is already talking about his next birthday party. This mom just wants to enjoy this year of being 5.

Breaking News: Friendly neighborhood Spider-Boy turns Five

Brayden a.k.a Spider-Man turned 5 yesterday. This year it is all about Spidey, from gifts, to cakes, to parties, to what we wear. You could say Spider-Man runs through his veins.

Things Brayden has said to me and others...
My name is really Spider-Man.
Did you know I can shoot real webs?
I can climb walls.

We started off the morning with one last spider-web Krispy Kreme donut. Yes, the last Krispy Kreme in the house and Brayden got it. I really wanted a bite, but didn't think it would be good to give him a donut with a bite taken out of it. Until we meet again Krispy Kreme I will think of you fondly.

I love the look on his face. Seems like he is in a far off place thinking of Spider-Man.

The first present of the day was from PaPa & MeMe.

A Spider-Man Racer Transformer. He LOVES this toy and took it with him everywhere we went yesterday. He had to show everyone how it transforms when you race it.

We spent the rest our morning at bible study, the grocery store and then starting to decorate a bit for his party. I know, not much fun on your birthday especially to go to the grocery store but PaPa & MeMe are gone to Boston until Wednesday night so I wanted to get as much done while they were gone so we could spend Thursday with them.

Brayden's choice for dinner was Chick-Fil-A. I couldn't believe it, it beat out McDonald's. Jason and I weren't complaining since we love us some Chick-Fil-A. He wanted to open his presents before we ate so, his wish was our command.

He is a Superhero and CUTE! What a combination.

What's inside?

A Spider-Man costume

Spider-Man sheets

A yummy Chocolate Shake for the Birthday Boy

Of course when we got home he had to try on the suit

Spider-Man definitely now lives in our house.

Lots of questions from this Spider-Boy this Mom now has to research such as...
How do spiders make webs?
What is a web made out of?
How does Spider-Man swing from building to building?
How did Spider-Man become Spider-Man?

Ahhhhh. I think being the mother of a Superhero will come in handy on occasion.

Be watching for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man party coming to a blog near you on Friday.

Full of special treats...

This morning Brayden was surprised by a special treat from his Daddy.

Krispy Kreme donuts. Yum! We don't have these goodies around us, so Jason picked them up on his way home last night from Scranton. 

A special spider web donut for our Spider-Man

Sarah got to enjoy one tonight after getting home from youth retreat, which by the way she had a BLAST!!

Another special treat is PaPa and MeMe arriving this afternoon for a visit. Aunt Michelle, Grace and Claire will be arriving on Thursday afternoon. We can hardly wait!

Off to a great start....

We are one month into our school year and we are all doing great.

Sarah and Brayden are both enjoying school. Sarah's favorite subject at school right now is Language Arts/Literature. Brayden's favorite part of preschool is the playground. LOL! Oh, and playing with the iPads when they have time.

Enjoying smoothies for breakfast before school.

What's a boy to do...

...while at the mall waiting for his family to decide what store their going to next?

Find a place to PLANK.

Love this little guy. He cracks me up!