Halloween

We had trick-or-treat Halloween night and again went with our good friends (same as last year).  Little e's best buddy H and his family.

Last year - Alfalfa and and Owl

This year - Curious George and an Engineer

I can't believe how much they have grown and changed in just a year!!

Eric made e's wagon into Thomas the Train - which was really the biggest hit of the night with both of them.  I'm not sure the dads loved dragging them around in the wagon all night - but it beats carrying them I guess.  They both did pretty good saying "Trick or Treat" and "Happy Halloween" and H was cute bringing his candy back each time saying 'treat! treat!'  I have never seen e run so much - he was so excited and loving it once he got the idea.  He also wanted to get the treat (or more than one) out of the baskets himself.  Too funny.

This year I decided with my craft room being converted to a nursery (and having a 2 yr old and being pregnant) it was a better idea to aim at some part of his costume being homemade vs. all of it (like last year's masterpiece!)  I made his hat (actually in time for the fall festival at church I already posted about a week ago) and bought overalls (and had a bandana).  I did help Eric paint the train but we didn't overshoot this year.

Totally homemade - crocheted hat, hand-dyed shirt,  each feather sewn on

This year - only his hat is homemade

We also took some 'family photos' when we stopped by Lenny's house.  (He has a good setup for it with a nice bench on his front porch so you get a little more light).  e wasn't feeling the picture so its just Eric and I (and #2 - who is making her photographic debut with a smile and a pink bow on her head - lol!)  My friend Lydia gave me this shirt and I love it!!  Too bad Halloween is the only acceptable day for me to walk around wearing it.  (24 weeks)

Oh Yeah!!  Did I forget to mention the H's dad dressed up as The Man in the Yellow Hat so you knew exactly which monkey H was?!?  Too funny!  H's mom made both of their costumes as well. 

I would say all in all, it was a great Halloween.  The weather was amazing - 70 and breezy - the boys had fun, the parents have baskets of candy their 2 yr olds can't eat yet (well certainly not all of it!) and we all have some great memories (and adorable pictures).

Lunch Date Round 2

This post.... is still one of my favorites.  About how happy I was to be home while looking at my 'lunch date' that day.  It happened again this week.  I think it was the tomato soup.  :)

One day while we were gone last week Mom asked e what he wanted for lunch - and he promptly replied "soup!"  She had no idea what kind of soup he might like so she called.  He loves this roasted red pepper tomato soup we buy.  He dunks goldfish crackers in it (like mommy and daddy) and dips his grilled cheese sandwich (like mommy).  We had it again the other day for lunch and he was cracking me up saying 'yum!' when he ate it and 'screaming' as he dropped the fish into the soup 'ahhhh!' he would say.

Dropping the goldfish into his soup

I am still a pretty lucky gal to get to spend my days and lunches with this handsome guy.  He tests me a lot more than he used to (and he normally doesn't eat a good lunch like this) but there are days with the sun shining in the back window, with tomato soup all over the place and goldfish screaming for their lives, that you just can't replace the memories and fun we are having.  I wouldn't trade it.

If you're happy and you know it...

Sunny. 70 degrees.  No humidity.  Fall tights and boots.  On the back deck.  Knitting.  Watching my son play with his dog.  Feeling my baby girl kick in my belly.  I'm not sure how many more blessings a girl could take at one time.

*that was earlier this week - its been a MONSOON all day - but still a great week*

End of a Fun Week

Well our time with Grammie (very sadly) had to come to an end.  The night before she went back to Ohio we went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom.  I had planned to take her out just the two of us to a fun place downtown, but when MM came up she got so excited (and I don't think she wanted to leave e out of her sight for even a second once her time in SC was coming to a close).  So we met Eric near his work and had pizza - and a good time.

I don't think e sat down for one second the whole night.  He ate his meatballs pacing in the booth and 'jumping' off his booster seat.  He played with straws and flicked rolled up balls of paper.  We contained him (barely) but he is really quite the fireball to be taking to a restaurant at all anymore.  We need to find babysitters - STAT!  :)

The Zoo

While Mom was in town we used our zoo pass and met friends in Cola on Monday.  It was perfect weather and we thoroughly wore little e out!  (he was quite literally asleep BEFORE we left the parking lot)  We have used our pass enough times now that as soon as he saw the Tiger he went over, posed with it and said 'CHEESE!' :)

This particular trip to the zoo was really great.  The animals were very fun and active (I think because it has cooled off a bit) and we met friends with a zoo pass that gives you wrist bands for feeding the birds, giraffes, riding the choo-choo and other fun things.  The tiger was even roaring for us - right on cue!  I asked e "what does the tiger say?"and almost immediately you start to hear a roar for real.  (not a scary one, more of a yawny one... but still!)  We heard him a few times while we were in the area and it was super awesome!
While e (and Grammie) weren't real sure about feeding the birds (they screech and land on you to eat - which is why Mommy sent Grammie in with him in the first place) but we all loved feeding the giraffes and of course the train rides (we had to do that a few times!)

It was a really wonderful day to add to our great week with Grammie in town.  We sure miss her bunches already!

Fall Carnival

Our church held a Fall Carnival this weekend while Mom was in town.  We got home Sunday just in time for me to FRANTICALLY make e's hat for his costume.  Good news is that I got it done, bad news is he didn't want to wear it (or the overalls or the bandana - AT ALL!)  Eric had to put his overalls on at the house and convince e it was an okay thing to be wearing.  (even his Mickey Mouse shoes didn't help me!!) I wish I had a picture of Eric in his overalls, the hat and bandana walking around going 'chop-choo!' - what a great dad!!
After we got to the festival he was so busy watching all the kids and their costumes he didn't notice the bandana or the hat and he looked pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. :)

He played lots of fun games and we ran into this adorable fisherman too!

Surprise - Golf was his favorite - though we hadn't done much 'putting' before

He caught a fish!!

I love that our church has these events.  They are great for the little kids, the HS/MS youth run all the games and the $ goes to their fundraiser.  It just is all around good stuff and fun to do with friends.

Buddies!

Of course, it was really nice that Mom got to see e dressed for Halloween (even though its not Halloween yet) and that I don't have to worry about getting his costume finished in a panic next week.  :)

23 Weeks

Mom was here this week and took my 23 week photo for me.  We also created a pretty great fall mantle (check that one off the bucket list) and decided to take my picture in front of it.

I am feeling pretty good still.  Some lower back pain and increasing heartburn (oh no!) but otherwise good.  I swear e weighs 15 lbs more than he used to.  I can't hardly pick him up or carry him 10 feet to the car.  Up the stairs for bedtime is a workout in itself and I'm trying to get him to 'walk holding mommy's hand like a big boy' but sometimes that just not what he wants to do.  

Oh - I also cut my hair!! (which you might have noticed already).  I love it!!  I think it is a bit lighter in person than it photographs and angles up to the back.  I am still hoping the face doesn't balloon up during the rest of the pregnancy and make it a bad choice - but for now I'm really happy with it.  Love the change.

Really hoping this isn't the last picture of mom and me before Little Miss arrives.  Not sure we will be able to travel home for Christmas and otherwise we don't have plans to see each other again until the birth.  Makes me sad :(  Hoping maybe we find a really inexpensive flight over a long weekend and get her (and maybe dad next time too!) here one more time before February.