{iPhone Rewind} :: October

"Mommy, take my picture!"

Introducing the kids to Monopoly!

Loving these fall days

Science class extended outdoors: Coke and Mentos explosion :)

Maddie found some fun facts about dogs in her library book, and she immediately wanted to write a letter to Grandma about what she had learned :)

Eli has found a series about dragons that he is loving, so we have found him reading often!

If there's a dog or cat around, Maddie is petting it haha

The boys wanted to try Mike's neck massager haha

We have seen lots of fox activity this month: in the cul de sac, in our backyard and even hanging out on our porch! We had several chipmunks, and we were even worried they were burrowing under our foundation. But then the fox{es} showed up, and we plugged up a hole...and well, that kind of took care of the chipmunks haha. 

Aiden enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate for working hard in school!

Getting our work done before Grandma and Papa arrive!

The CBC staff got away for a few days for a retreat. I'm so thankful for all of these faithful men and women who serve our church so faithfully!

And of course, the first night Mike heads out of town...I encounter a mouse! LOL. I headed into the basement to start cleaning before my parents came into town and encountered this little fellow just hanging out in the toilet {gross, I know. Sorry}. So perhaps he {and his friends} are the reason the fox{es} have been hanging around?? We have just had all sorts of critters at Casa McCullough!

Eli earned a trip to Sweet Frog for his hard work in school, and he chose to enjoy his time with Daddy :)  He also has been working SO incredibly hard with his eye patching. We saw his ophthalmologist this same day, and while he is making good progress, it is a slow process. But this sweet boy has the best attitude, and he is determined to persevere and do the work. We're so proud of him!

Maddie Girl has been counting down the days to when Grandma and Papa arrive!

Maddie received a letter back from Grandma, just in time before she came to visit!

She has waited patiently for her crocheted blanket!

Miss Bella came over to read to the kids for a class assignment, and they were more than happy to sit and listen to help her!

{iPhone Rewind} :: September

We introduced the kids to the greatness of Swiss Rolls! :)

Some friends from church invited us out to their farm and their "Quail Fest" - we got to tour their farm, try some quail eggs, and feed the goats! Maddie was in her little piece of heaven :)

Pretty fall flowers from my love

A sweet little note left on the board by Maddie. I take this as a tiny boost of encouragement, because we have had some rough days together. I'll take the little wins where I can...

We got to explore a new bookstore and choose a free book, a reward from the library's summer reading program!

This child has a plethora of Pooh items...this hat included. And he loves showing his Pooh items off :)

Enjoying a yummy potluck for our multicultural celebration at church!

Aiden has also been busy constructing weapons from household items haha. He's so creative!

{iPhone Rewind} :: August

Haircut day with my girl :)

"Helping" Daddy get settled in his new office

I hope I always get sweet notes from my sweet boy {Aiden} 

Mike was able to get away on the pastor's retreat again this year. I'm so glad he is able to have this time with these guys.

Aiden was so excited to finally lose another tooth! We're not exactly sure where it went...he woke up one morning and it was gone haha.

We went to Sam's, and they had this skeleton "driving" around! The kids kept trying to figure out how it was possible haha

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! :)

Yay for $1 summer movies! We got to see Despicable Me 4

The kids got a fun coupon book from the library for completing their summer reading program. First up on their list of prizes: a free Italian ice from Rita's!

I'm not exactly sure what's going on here, but it doesn't look good...

The boys have started helping make breakfast :)

Remnants of summer...

Flowers from my love :)

It's a panda bear!

After all of his hard work, this sweet boy has had to start patching again. To say that he was disappointed is an understatement, but he has dug in and had a fantastic attitude the past 3 months. He hasn't complained once, and I have not had to remind him once to patch. We had a follow up with the eye doctor, and his hard work has paid off! We're not out of the woods yet, but I am so, SO proud of this boy!

We're prepping for our fall Bible study!

A sweet church member heard that Aiden was having a Star Wars birthday and gave him a LEGO!

So grateful for how each of these ladies love and serve the women of CBC!

May the Force Be With You

This year's birthday theme was Star Wars! :)

The funny thing is that the kids haven't seen a single Star Wars movie yet, but Aiden has read multiple Star Wars books from the library, and he has fallen in love with the characters. And not seeing the movies did not diminish the fun one bit!

It was fun to decorate for him, though I managed to choose some sort of boot-leg version from Amazon, so if you looked too closely at some of the characters, you'd realize they were slightly off haha. But Aiden didn't seem to mind, and it still made the house festive :)

After a yummy breakfast, we opened presents. There was no shortage of Star Wars-themed gifts, but he has received a fun Pooh Bear hat, a fun new game, and some GI Joes! I love that the kids make cards for each other; it's such a sweet little tradition. And I love how they hide them, and how excited they get to give them to each other.

Of course, no Star Wars birthday would be complete without epic light saber battles! Aiden was excited to receive a hood {to dress up as a Jedi, of course, but he has also wanted a hood for other dress up needs as well haha}, and the light sabers he received light up and make the official sounds and everything. Every little boy's dream! :)

The rest of the day, we played at the park, played our new game {SkyJo}, played with GI Joes, brushed up on our Star Wars knowledge, and had more epic light saber battles. We got to chat with family in Texas, and even received a special message from Darth Vader {Uncle Bryan}!

And, of course, there was cake! Happy Birthday, Aiden...may the force be with you!