Boys, Boys, Boys!

We are expecting Baby Key number 3 and we found out the other day that it is another little boy! We are pretty excited. Zack really had his heart set on a girl, so we have had to convince him what fun it will be to have another little guy around. Someone he can teach to play baseball and soccer and someone to show how to intertube with Dad. I think he is slowly coming around. We don't have a name yet, sorry. Almost everyone we know has weighed in on the name issue though. Unfortunately everyone agrees that it needs to be another Z name. The Z thing happened by accident and I am not really fond of the idea of three Z names. But I think I am losing this battle!

Boys are so weird!

I posted this on Facebook, but I thought it was TOO cute so I wanted to put it on the blog too!

Reason number 582 why boys are weird. Zack (2) took off his pants to go TT and this is where I found his underwear (after an extensive search might I add)...in the doors to the refrigerator. Gracious!

Zeph played T-ball this year and had a blast. (So did Mommy and Daddy!) Below is a picture of Zeph in his T-ball uniform and both boys at Easter.

Play Ball!

Ok, it's February. Can you feel it in the air? It's almost baseball season! I am so excited. Zeph is 4, so he will get to play T-ball for the first time this year and I am WAY more excited than he is! They haven't even started practicing yet but I can't wait! I grew up playing softball and I am looking forward to being back at a ballpark. Having two boys, I guess I will live at some sort of ballpark from now on and that is just fine with me!

My guess is that Zeph will be the kid standing in the outfied looking for bugs and wearing the glove on his head, but that's ok too. I have such great memories of playing sports growing up and I want my boys to have those opportunities too.

On another note, the other day the boys were playing outside in the backyard and I was reading a book on my swing. Honestly I was more into the book than the boys so I wasn't paying that much attention. I finally looked over and they had taken the old baby slide and put it on two chairs. (Picture below) I think it looks more dangerous than it really was. I asked Zeph what they were doing and he said they were "building a contraption." Boys, Boys, Boys.

The Polar Express

My boys LOVE the movie The Polar Express! I am amazed at how they will sit mesmerized over and over again while watching it. We watch it the day after Thanksgiving and don't stop until Christmas! So this year we decided to take the boys to The Polar Express Train Ride in Calera, Alabama. Brian's brother Jim and his family live in Birmingham, so they went with us. It was GREAT! You ride the train while they read the book and sing Christmas carols. Then you stop at the North Pole and meet Santa and a few Elvs. Then you have cookies and chocolate milk! Who could not love that?!?! And did I mention that the kids wear their favorite Christmas pajamas? What FUN!! I hope we will make this a yearly tradition!

Waiting outside to board the train...Brian and Zack; Zeph Chandler and Alex

Zeph getting his ticket punched; Uncle Jim drew the short straw and had to sit with the wild indians!

Brian and the boys with their bells; family picture

Thanksgiving

I am very thankful that we live close enough that we get to visit with both sides of our family at Thanksgiving. We spend Thanksgiving day with Brian's family in Troy and then we spend the day after with my family in Montgomery. For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated Thanksgiving the day AFTER. This may sound crazy but it works so well for us. I know a lot of people who are forced to choose between families or switch back and forth from year to year. Brian and I are so blessed that we don't have to deal with all that.

Quick funny story: We have a tradition with Brian's family that we always go to Mossy Grove to eat dinner on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. They give you corn bread and white beans as an "appetizer". Zeph is such a picky eater and would not touch the white beans. We were trying to convinve him to try one and he just wouldn't have any of it. So I said I'll give you five dollars if you'll eat one bean. He immediately stuck a bean in his mouth and grabbed his milk and downed it. Then he looked up at us and said "the milk chased the bean." The entire table died laughing and I PAID UP! I won't make that bet again!

Below are some pictures from our Thanksgiving this year.







Brian and Uncle Kenny carving the turkey.




How adorable is Zack? I could just eat him up. The other is Presley, Zeph and Zack playing the piano at Aunt Debra's house.

The Twilight Zone

Ok, so it has been a MONTH since my last post. Facebook has consumed most of my online time lately. That is sad, sad, sad I know. I have vowed to do a better job posting!

For a couple of months my friend Holly has been telling me that I have to read the Twilight book series. Yes, the books written for teenagers about vampires--that Twilight series. Well the whole vampire thing was not really appealing to me so I didn't really run out to get the books. But when the movie came out Holly and several others wanted to have a girls night out to see the movie. I'm all about a girls night out--no matter what movie we're seeing! So I tagged along NEVER expecting that I would LOVE the movie! I went to Target the very next day and bought the books! I say don't knock it until you read it! Below is a picture of the Twilight Gang.

Halloween with the Keys

Does anyone else but me remember when Halloween was just ONE day? You went trick or treating and it was over. That was that. Halloween with small children is now a week long event. We had a fun week, but it has been so busy. We haven't had a single night to just relax. Below are the highlights...

Sunday was the Fall Festival at our church. Zeph went as a pirate--a nice pirate, not a mean pirate he likes to say. Well thank goodness for that. I think he looks more like Christopher Columbus, but he was happy. Zack went as Nemo. Is that not the cutest Nemo you have ever seen?!?! Adorable! Look at that little tail!

Then Monday night the boys went to Bailey Grace's birthday party. It was appropriately a carnival and all the kids dressed up. There were balloon animals, games, face painting, the works. What a fun party! Happy Birthday Bailey Grace!

Birthday Girl Bailey Grace as Dorothy. You can't see her ruby red slippers!

Zack and his balloon sword with Ms. Kelsey.

I just put this picture in here because I know Holly will hate it! She will pay me back I am sure! :) Love you Holly!

Zeph with his painted face.

Then Friday was the Fall Festival at Zeph's school. They played games, got to jump in the Big Green Bus, went on a hayride and got MORE candy. Followed by Trick or Treating Friday night and MORE candy. All in all it was such a fun week!

Zeph throwing the football into the Auburn hole. I am thinking about disowning him.

Zeph playing pin the nose on the pumpkin.

While we were out trick or treating the boys finally just sat down on the curb. I think we were all pooped!