Trick or treat again

It was a whole Halloween weekend. It started Thursday with Owens Halloween parade. Many consider Owen tough and a little wild, and someone who just has no fear. He can be at times, yet he is also this very shy and sweet boy who looks out for TJ and just always wants to be with "his" Joey and Ryley. Owen proudly put on his monkey costume and danced his way to school. Parade time was a different story. As you can see from the pictures, being the center of attention is not Owen's cup of tea!

Trick or Treat

Halloween seems to be a very exciting time in our house! It appears that it lasts weeks now. We started off with a very cold trick or treating at Zoo Boo at Van Saun Park. The cold wind and 40 degree night didn't stop my kids from smiling and saying trick or treat. Owen and TJ were warm in their animal costumes. Ryley, as a butterfly princess, was bundled in a coat. Joey, the bravest, in his Spider man costume proudly walked through the zoo with all smiles. I saw him shaking and heard his teeth chattering, but he didn't care how cold he was. He wanted everyone to see his Spider man costume. What a great night! And daddy was there!

My heart melts

I have to say that the Dargan boys make my heart melt. Joey always says he wants to live with me always or live in a house right next to me. When Joey goes to school, he always says "I love you mommy." Owen always says "my mommy." He climbs into my bed in the night and snuggles so close. TJ gives me what we call a "wrap hug." It's the most amazing hug where he takes his arms, wraps them around my neck, puts his cheek next to mine and just holds me. I could stay that way for hours. They are all just too cute for words.

On Thursday, there was a storm coming, but we knew we could sneak a hike in for an hour. We missed Ryley of course. We always do! With Ryley in school, we still need to have some adventures.

Our nature hike started with some peacocks which the boys always go crazy for. Joey and Owen led the way and TJ followed behind as usual trying to catch up. At some point, Joey and Owen always turn around, go back, and grab TJ's hand and say "come on TJ." It makes my heart melt. They look out for each other and it's so sweet. The trail we followed was filled with the colors of fall and the smiling faces of the Dargan boys who were enjoying the outdoors!

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Daddy would be proud

All of you who know "daddy" understand by this picture why he would be so proud! The Dargan kids sit on the front porch of their home in Hillsdale waving American flags. Joe is very patriotic and is always talking to the kids about heroes and how proud we should all be to have what we have. Every day, he tells the kids how lucky we are. Yes, at times he is talking about living in America and having freedom. He talks about his Grandpa Joe who fought in the war.

Aside from freedom and waving American flags, what he is really proud of in this picture are those 4 wonders that look up to him with such admiration and listen so intently to every word he says. He tells me every day how fortunate our family is to have each other. He says "We are lucky. We have a wonderful family and we have something special." I wish Grandpa Joe and Gram could see what a wonderful father and husband he is. I wish they could see how much he adores his family and how much more his family adores him. Every day at 5:30, those 4 cuties stare out the window just waiting for their hero to come home. First they yell 20 times as loud as they can "daddy's home". Next, they say "daddy, how was your day?" Then there are lots of hugs and kisses and of course more questions.

We are lucky in so many ways. Most importatntly, we have our family which is healthy, happy and filled with love.

Keeping it simple

I have not been adding too much lately. It's not that I don't want to. I think am just enjoying my time with my family. Our days are now broken up by school schedules which I am not happy about. Lately, when Ryley gets out of school, we sometimes just sit on our deck and talk about our day or head to a local park. It's tough to go on daily adventures. That's OK though. My kids are perfectly happy staying local sometimes. The other day I set up a blanket on the front porch for lunch and they were so excited. They are easy to please. They still enjoy stroller walks where we have funny conversations. Fall is now here which gave us the opportunity to collect leaves. Sometimes the most simple ideas turn out to be the most exciting. Last weekend, it was a spontaneous hike behind the high school in Hillsdale. All the Dargan kids needed was a mysterious path, some great walking sticks and seeing a few deer along the way!

Just a thought

School has started and we are all trying to adjust. I already miss the lazy summer days of doing whatever we want. I miss all of us being together all day. We still manage to fill our days with fun and excitement. I have some one on on time with the kids which is great. They enjoy it, but what they love even more is all of us just being together. Fall is here and with that comes our outdoor adventures. TJ has just become one of the gang now. His sister and brothers adore him and he adores them as well. He imitates everything they do and will do anything to make them laugh. They are all so different yet share the same spirit and love in their hearts. I am so proud of them.