Frye Fam Happenings

Oh, Eli, you are a crazy one! I cannot believe you're almost a year old! I love how you are beginning to copy all kinds of noises and attempting to say words. I had forgotten how cute those sounds were:) Now for 10 fun things about you...and 10 not-so-fun things!! Fun Things about Eli ... 1. You can do crafts with us now . More like, I'm doing them TO you, but today we used yours and your brothers' footprints to make ghosts for Halloween decorations. You flashed your gigantic full-face smile when we painted your foot and put it on the paper. Justus thought that was hilarious that you were doing the craft with us. 2. You make cute little noises to be like your brothers . The other day, you were making a car noise (vrmmmmmmmmmm) with a car while I was changing your diaper. 3. You love to eat . It seems like that's all you do some days! You weigh 20 lbs. if not more, which is more than your brothers weighed at this age. (You have almost caught up to Titus.) My favorite thi...

The annual Pumpkin Carving fun was at our house this year. We got together for some ham, hashbrown casserole, green bean casserole, pumpkin bread, and of course PUMPKIN CARVING!! We chose our patterns (some of us choosing more difficult patterns than others...HAHA), cleaned out our pumpkins, and got to carving. We didn't finish until 10:00 pm, but it was well worth it. I look forward to this event every year, but I'm hoping that one day, maybe our kids will carve their own pumpkins and we can just watch them do all the work while we eat and hang out:)

Justus and Titus had picture day a couple weeks ago, and the pictures come back tomorrow! They were so excited to have their pictures done, because the school does sibling pictures as well as individual...so they knew they would get to see each other and get a picture made TOGETHER!! Last year, Justus did NOT want his picture taken. He teared up and wouldn't "let" them take a picture, but they snapped one anyway. They ended up giving it to me for free, for which I am thankful. (I mean, how classic is a school picture with a tear running down your cheek...sad at the time, but we will laugh about it one day...I already do:)) I don't remember if we talked much about it beforehand last year, but I guess I should have prepped him more. (sorry for the bad quality. This is a picture of the picture!:)) I made sure to do that this year, but I wasn't worried about anything since they both seemed so excited about it. Justus told me he was going to make a mean face and then a...

Pumpkin Bread, Roasted pumpkin seeds, Candy corn, Hot apple cider...I've always loved this time of year...not the weather so much, but the holidays! (I have to admit, though, that I actually had some love in my heart when I stepped outside the other night and felt the cool, crisp air....not to mention hearing Titus laugh hysterically when he and Justus crunched through a sidewalk full of leaves on a walk the other day.) This year, I think it's starting even earlier, because I have a new-found love for the "holiday" (is it even considered a holiday??) Halloween!!! I see my kids getting excited about getting new costumes, dressing up, decorating the house, and going trick-or-treating for candy, and it just makes me HAPPY:) I am also in love with TRADITIONS, and I've already started planning Halloween events and our annual advent calendar . Derek and I love doing things with our kids, but we often are at a loss for free or cheap ideas. At Halloween and Christmas, tho...

Playing T-Ball at the park (Baseball will be so fun when all 3 of the boys can run around and participate!!!!) Eli found some leaves to snack on while he watched us play Back home to wrestle (Eli will attack anyone sitting on the floor, and he always comes from behind...so watch out!)

For my beloved friends who are concerned about getting sick this awful flu season:) 1. The H1N1 virus is not even as serious as the "common" flu! They actually said this on the news the other night. 2. Most, if not all, of the people who have died from the flu had underlying causes. (pneumonia, a compromised immune system b/c of a disease or other illness, etc.) 3. A fever is present because it is FIGHTING off the sickness. Please do not freak out about it, and PLEASE do not try to "bring it down." God is amazing, and he created this miraculous body to heal itself. Allow the fever to do its job. Help the fever do the work by resting and letting your body do what it needs to do to kill the virus. 4. The flu vaccine (those presently being given and those to come) might possibly do more harm than good. I'm not saying don't get it. I'm just saying, do your research. And know this: You can request a flu vaccine without the eggs, preservatives and other nasty ...

The other day, J called me out to the garage. "Mom, come see this bug! It's a WORM!!!!!" I go out, expecting to see a tiny, little worm and oooooohhh no...it was a fat, red worm (or slug, I guess?!) I kept my composure, quietly praising the Lord that Eli (who was sitting right beside us watching the "worm") did not catch and eat this disgusting creature. I grabbed a shoe box, we caught the "worm," and J and T insisted that we keep him. Justus wanted to see the nasty thing eat, so while explaining that he probably would not just eat on command so we could watch him (bleh!!!), we went out front for J and T to collect some dirt, grass, and leaves to complete their new pet's home. I guess I am glad the boys are not scared of bugs and worms. They love dirt and all that, so I suppose I am proud of that:) And it turns out, the "worm" didn't remain in our family very long anyway. (Maybe slugs don't eat grass and leaves?!) And I must say, ...

The fam and I went to eat and play at ChickFilthe other day (or "Chickila" as Titus calls it.) Now, when we go to "Chickila," we like to milk it for all its worth. By that, I mean we go around 4/4:30 in the afternoon and take advantage of the free play both before and after we eat dinner there. Anyway, there was a family of at least 3 little girls there, and this one girl (probably about 2-3 years old) was sooooooo whiny. We deal with plenty of whine here at our house, believe me...but there's just something different about a whine coming from a little girl. Aside from the whining, this family of girls along with the girlfriend(s) they were with were squealing and screaming their little hearts out. Derek and I kept looking at each other, and I finally said, "You think the whining is bad at our house...Can you imagine if we had THREE GIRLS!!!???" Anyway, it got me thinking...What if God could hear our whiny thoughts as adults. And that is obviously a si...

Football season is officially in full swing. Have you noticed? I think for the first time ever, I'm beginning to realize why so many moms struggle through these months with gritted teeth... We don't want our hubby's yelling and turning up the TV with each and every replay and foul called to wake up our sleeping children on what has the potential to be a quiet afternoon filled with napping. For some reason, whenever sports are on, I always think I hear a baby crying, a child calling my name, or someone yelling out for something. I guess it's just noises in the crowd, but it drives me crazy. (And probably drives Derek crazy, too, since I'm always saying, "Will you mute it for a second?" :) ) Husband watching football on the couch=Husband eating on the couch=Kids wanting to eat on the couch (not an easy battle) There's something about watching grown men play football that makes our grown husbands want to wrestle more, be more manly, and yell louder and mo...