Happy Thanksgiving

The day started with quite a bit of excitement, when the boys realized that Elmer the scout elf had returned. He is now keeping a watchful eye on the boys during the day, and sharing what he has seen with Santa at night. So much fun!

Around lunchtime we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's for a turkey feast and playtime with cousins. They were exhausted by the time we left... bedtime was a snap!

They even got to open a present! What a day. So much to be thankful for too:)

Ryan found Elmer sitting in our tree.

Brandon is still pretty tired from surgery on Monday, so he didn't eat to much... boy did he nap though!

Ryan looks growly in this one, but he wasn't. Sean's expression says it all, good food and good times!

Brandon was on the hunt for cookies in Grandma's pantry

The tree shrunk (Grandma and Grandpa are heading south next week) but it still had some goodies under it.

Brandon was in the thick of things this year.

I didn't manage to get a picture of Sean and Ryan before they took off their (pesky) collared shirts! They did look handsome. Unfortunately there is no Staab boys group pic this year either... they didn't stop for long and Brandon was too tired to cooperate when I tried.

Brandon enjoyed watching Baby Einstein ... a little peace and quiet, away from the craziness of the bigger kids.

The Knight

Last weekend, Tony and I went to a dinner/auction to raise money for Central Catholic. We enjoyed the chance to get dressed up and get out with a great group of people.

Decking the Halls

I decided to get a jump start on holiday decorating... okay I always start at this time of year... but this year it is even more necessary as we will be gone for a good portion of the holidays. I figured if I didn't start soon... why bother!

Brandon is very curious about all of the decorating I've been doing. So far he has done a nice job of leaving things alone.

November? Really?

We've been enjoying a very mild fall here. Just a few days ago Ryan and Brandon spent some time outside during the afternoon. Brandon is actually a little overdressed in this picture. It was a fabulous day.

Ryan's 1st IP of the Season

Last weekend, Ryan had his first IP practice of the year. He was so excited to go and get back on the ice... especially after watching big bro for the last few weeks. He skated his heart out.. fell got up... skated his heart out... and so on. By the end of the hour he was whipped. As he came of he reminded me of Sean after his first IP a few years ago. He was crying... I asked "but did you have fun?" Through the tears he let out a big smile and said "YES!" Hopefully his stamina will build quickly and he won't get so exhausted:) Way to go Ryan!!

Sean's turn to be Goalie!!

Last weekend Sean had his turn being goalie. He was so excited to play AND to top it off, his teacher came to watch AND Grandma and Grandpa came too!! Unfortunately his team was defeated 10-9, however he took it well. He has a new appreciation for the position and the importance of covering the goalie when playing defense.

Happy Halloween!!

Pumpkin Carving

On Saturday we carved pumpkins. Sean really enjoyed it this year and did most of it himself.. the clean out anyway. Ryan helped too, but he ran off before pictures! They looked great when we were done.

Let the Games Begin

Last Saturday, Sean had his first hockey game... correction second... we were in NYC for the first... it was the first Mommy and Daddy got to see. He had so much fun. He even volunteered to be goalie next week. His team won 13-5!

Pumpkin Patch

Last Friday we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. This was Brandon's first "real" trip. Despite the wind and cool temperatures, fun was had by all. We even brought home a few pumpkins to carve.