Halloween 2012.

We've settled into a nice Halloween routine -- thanks to a fabulous neighborhood.  Once again, we celebrated with all of our neighbors on our street's Halloween street party.  It's basically a kid-friendly potluck complete with games, treats, dinner, and a costume contest.  This year we got to welcome some new neighbors to the tradition -- one family being our good friends from church -- how fun!

We walked to the party -- not a long walk, but we were pulling a wagon which was carrying a huge cooler filled with ice and drinks and Fawn.  Plus, we were also holding Small Fry.  Right when we got to the party Buck and I thought Small Fry had a stinky diaper.  Did I have the diaper bag?  Of course not!  I had my hands full, but no diaper or wipes in sight.  (You know, sippy cup, baby food, our contributions to the party, camera, pumpkins for both boys, jackets, etc...)  So back Small Fry and I hiked to our house where I changed his diaper to determine...it was clean!  Someone else's child must have been stinky.  I threw in the towel and drove down the street -- so lazy -- but Small Fry is heavy!

For the second year running Fawn won the costume contest.  While he looked cute, there were definitely cuter costumes.  I think he must have flirted with the judges!  Needless to say he is very happy with his red ribbon.

All of the family members wanted to see Fawn and Small Fry dressed up, and most came by to visit before we headed to the party.  My brother and his sweet wife stopped by after work; we called Buck and Fawn to come trick-or-treat at our house so they could see them.  Such a blessing to have family close!

We handed out Halloween themed gummies this year.  I was tempted to pass out the little bags of pretzels but Fawn really wanted to pass out gummies so I gave in.  I figure it's (maybe?!?!) a little better than candy.  At least I'm not tempted to eat the leftovers!  My smart aleck brother predicted that we would get egged or rolled for not handing out good candy.  Wrong!  In fact, one group of tweens that came by were super excited about the gummies.

Our sweet cow wasn't thrilled, but was a much better sport about his first Halloween than his brother was.  When Fawn was this age, he freaked out when we tried to put this cute cow costume on him.  So he was dressed in all red with a straw hat as a baby Nick Saban.

The easy thing about this baby is that as long as he's being held and cuddled he's pretty much fine.

Bumblee was pumped about his glow stick.  Let me just say that it never made it out of his pumpkin once the festivities began.  So much for safety.

Happy Halloween from our family to yours!

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Carving.

The weekend before Halloween we turned our pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns.  Fawn remembered pumpkin carving from last year (his memory floors me!) and was so excited for this year's festivities.  He was especially pumped because his Bumblebee (from Transformers) costume arrived; he insisted on being clad in his costume and being referred to as Bumblebee all day. 

One cool dude.  How is he old enough to have such a big boy costume?

While Daddy carved the first pumpkin, this one made a lovely perch.

Buck is surprisingly artistic -- and not just when it comes to pumpkins.  The man can draw!

Fawn is explaining that the pumpkin needs a scary face.

Love my Bumblebee.

Very proud of all his Daddy's hard work.

Mom was there too!  I had the bright idea of getting fancy and roasting the pumpkin seeds in the name of "starting a new tradition."  Of course, I chose a super-complicated recipe where I roasted, then caramelized, then seasoned the pumpkin seeds.  They were yummy, though I'm not sure they were worth an hour in the kitchen.  Next year, I'm sticking to oil and salt!

 

Sweet Small Fry was missing -- he slept through the activity.  Probably for the best.  And a great Fawn, Mommy and Daddy activity.

 

 

 

 

 

Bama Game.

Buck and I had the wild, crazy, slightly insane idea to take the boys to Tuscaloosa to tailgate before the Alabama/Mississippi State game.  We knew the boys wouldn't make it until kick-off (at 7:45 -- that's way past lights out for the kiddos in our house!).  But, we wanted to give tailgating a try since it was Homecoming.  So after nap time, we headed to Tuscaloosa.  The trip got off to a rocky start as Small Fry fussed the entire time in the car.  When we got close to Tuscaloosa the fussing got so bad that he made himself throw-up not once but twice.  Yes, both of my boys are drama kings (I can say that because I'm a drama queen).  After pulling off the side of the road to clean up baby puke, balancing precariously in the backseat to somewhat appease Small Fry for the last ten minutes into T-Town, and feigning horror but being secretly relieved when Buck ran a red light (no one was coming) we were finally there. 

There being our parking spot a solid ten plus minute walk from the fraternity house.  Y'all, we were a sight to behold.  There was absolutely no way Small Fry was going to stroll happily after the "trauma" of the car ride so Buck and I traded off carrying his 22-pound self.  Fawn walked some and rode some on Buck's shoulders.  And whoever had an extra hand pushed the stroller -- because we had to have somewhere to put the kid stuff!  It was super-windy and chilly so we had jackets, along with Small Fry's diaper bag, dinner for the boys, and a small cooler.  Sight to behold.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the fraternity house, where I was referred to as "ma'am" more times than I would like to acknowledge.  Unfortunately, we didn't really see any of Buck's college friends.  But, Buck's family was there and we ran into some church friends.  The boys had a great time playing on the front lawn and it was nice for us to get to visit with some of Buck's extended family who we rarely see.

On the walk back to the car, Fawn pretended to shoot people with a shaker he stole from Buck's mom.  Lovely.  Glad he's young and cute.  Thankfully, he agreed to ride in the stroller while Buck carried Small Fry.  So it was an easier walk and we didn't look nearly as ridiculous.  Fawn was mad that we weren't going into the game (which is comical because he and Buck went to a football game earlier this season and Fawn came home utterly exhausted telling me he was never going back to Tuscaloosa).  He was content once we turned on his DVD player for the ride home and agreed to stop for Chick-Fil-A.  I nursed Small Fry in the parking lot and we changed him into pajamas.  Sweet thing crashed before we pulled out of the parking lot.  RTR -- we love you Tuscaloosa but we will not be bringing our children back until 2013!

He was such a happy guy once we got him out of the car!

He loved crawling around while Fawn ran around like a crazy man.

I love this picture...maybe Christmas card worthy?!?

You can see a bit of Fawn running around behind us.  He was much too busy to be bothered with family picture taking.

Y'all, my sweet sister-in-law tried and tried to get a family picture for us.  Most look like this.  The boys just weren't feeling it, despite our offers to bribe Fawn.

He was being so silly!

 

 

 

 

 



Month Nine Update.

You know your baby is turning into a toddler when you start thinking about their first birthday party!  But, we're that close folks.  Cannot believe how quickly it's gone -- and I know that the next six weeks will fly by with the holidays.

Our boy continues to be happy, healthy and thriving!  What a blessing!  He is an absolute joy -- such a happy little guy who loves to smile and laugh.  He also really likes to show off his new tricks -- waving (though not necessarily on cue, he really loves to wave at himself in the mirror), giving high fives, and clapping (it's not a typical clap yet -- his hands are horizontal instead of vertical -- but when he can accomplish the feat he is so proud). 

Small Fry hasn't taken any steps -- but continues to cruise with more confidence and balance.  He's still a ways off in the balance department so I don't expect walking too soon.  That said, he loves to hold onto your hands and walk around the room -- and will sometimes let go of one hand.  He also has attempted the pushing walker toy, and seems to enjoy it.

Speaking of toys, his favorite thing in the world are our assortment of toy balls.  He loves to play with balls and will throw them and then crawl after them repeatedly for long periods of time.  Our balls are stored in a wooden chicken on the lowest shelf of our baker's rack in our kitchen -- and Small Fry knows it!  So much for out of sight out of mind.  The little guy will go seek them out if we have not provided them for his entertainment.  Small Fry lets his big brother in on the fun and he and Fawn love throwing balls back and forth.  It's been a great way for them to interact and play together. 

He's babbling up a storm and is very communicative even though he's not yet talking (besides the occasional mama and dada).  When he wants something, he makes it clear with a combination of vocals and gestures.  He's still a loud kid -- so we've got a pretty loud house these days.  But it's a happy loud.

He continues to be a great eater -- we've pretty much abandoned purees for "real" food and he continues to do great.  This month we've expanded to ground beef (both taco meat and hamburger meat -- he loved both), BBQ pork, chicken salad, black beans, sweet potato "fries", very ripe pear chunks, and pineapple.  I've also introduced grown-up oatmeal instead of baby oatmeal and he seems to really be enjoying it.  The bottom line is that he's a super-easy baby to feed which makes meal time pretty simple!

Small Fry is trouble -- so much so that it deserves an entire blog post.  He wants into everything and will muscle his way to get what he wants.  Baby proof cabinet locks can't hold a candle with this little one.  He uses his brute strength and sheer determination to overcome such nuisances.  And toilets -- why they are for splashing in?!?!  Disgusting but true that we can turn our head for a few seconds and find him splashing away.  (Now we try to always have lids down, though I'm constantly fearfully Fawn is going to smash his fingers in an attempt to help out and follow this rule.)  And, why would he play with a doorstop when he could simply rip it off the wall?  So, it looks like I will not be able to let him out of my sight until he gains a little sense.

We had his nine-month check-up last week and he continues to slow down his growth.  While weighing in at a whopping 22 pounds, that puts him in the 78th percentile.  He's still our chunky monkey but definitely not off the charts.

We love you sweet boy!  You are such an active, happy thing and you bring such joy to our lives and our house.  While it tugs at our heartstrings to see you grow so quickly, we delight in your milestones and are thrilled to enjoy your days with you.

So picture taking on a chair, sitting still, with a month sign beside him is simply no longer a possibility.  He will not sit still and will not keep his hands off the sign.  But, here he is in all of his nine-month preciousness.  Oh I love this age and this sweet angel!

Month Nine in Pictures.

Week 35.

Week 36.

Week 37.

Week 38.

Week 39.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swing and Sand.

I know I mentioned this last year, but I love fall.  I'm totally smitten with fall and would choose a crisp, October or November day over any other day in the year.  I don't remember loving fall this much when we lived in Colorado or Chicago -- perhaps it was already too cold to really enjoy.  I think my love affair with fall began during my college years in Chapel Hill.  And, as much as I marvel in fall in Alabama, nothing (and I mean nothing) compares to fall in Chapel Hill.  A glimpse of heaven on earth.  But, fall in Birmingham is pretty close -- same gorgeous scenery, pretty similar temperature...the season's just a bit shorter because summer lingers longer.  We've been soaking this fall up -- and really enjoying afternoons on our back deck.

 

This little man swings with glee.

While this busy bee creates roads for his cars and work sites for his machines in his sandbox.

Two content little ones and a mama thrilled to be soaking up these beautiful days.

 

Angry Boy, Sad Baby.

News flash: Children are not happy and smiling all the time. 

Introducing Fawn's angry face (shocker that he doesn't like it when he doesn't get his way -- and he lets you know both in his words and his face).  Watch out when you cross paths with this usually sweet, but sometimes scary three-year old.

And just to prove that wasn't a fluke:

 

And, then there's this precious angel who truly is one of the happiest babies around.  UNLESS he's tired or hungry (again, huge shocker) or having a particularly clingy day.  Then he can be quite the fussy fellow. 

Our family comments all the time that he never cries. Here's the evidence to the contrary.  (And, if you want to see for yourself, come over in the 5 to 6 pm range!  Like clockwork!)

 

Classic, post-church meltdown.  (As an aside, after a couple good Sundays in the church nursery we've had a rough go of it with Small Fry.  I've only made it to church and Sunday school back-to-back once because every other Sunday I've had to rescue a sweet baby the sweet nursery workers from his fussing.  We'll keep trying though.  Thankfully, he's perfectly content when I leave him for an hour and a half for a weekday Bible study, just can't handle Sundays.)

 

 

Still Cruising.

We're in the midst of the cruising phase, and Small Fry takes full advantage of our bannisters. 

 

 

I know his eyes are closed, but I absolutely love this picture of his cute face.

 

 

 

Hunting Season.

It's that time of year again.  My big boys were super-excited to head to the farm a couple weekends ago. 

In matching camo, of course. 

Question I hear mutliple times a week: "Is it Saturday?  Saturday is farm day."  (Saturday is definitely not always farm day, but in that respect we're lucky that Fawn doesn't know the days of the week yet.)

 

I'm happy to report they had a great first hunting weekend.  And, Small Fry and I had a marvelous, relaxing weekend at home.  I caught up on work, housework, and laundry.  While not glamorous, that made for a very content Belle!