Fall Fun

It was a perfectly fall day Saturday - the air was cool and crisp and the sun was shining which made it feel warm. And since I had been out of town all week, we just HAD to take advantage of this wonderful day for some fall family time.

We headed out to Heritage Farms for some fall fun.

We got lost in the corn maze and Tony quickly made a note to self, not to offer to push a stroller through a corn maze!

Hannah enjoyed her time in the corn pit and straw maze.

She made sure everyone there knew we had been there

We were all measured by the giant pumpkin

We went on a hayride. Nicholas enjoyed the tractor so much!

The scenery was great too.

We had a little lunch and then played in a leaf pile.

We went back around to a few more things to enjoy the day a little longer.

Pumpkins were a little pricey here, so we stopped at another place on our way home and Hannah picked a pumpkin out for herself and for Nicholas.

Oh, and here's a few funny pictures Tony took while I was out of town last week!

Meeting Ryan

We met new baby Ryan Sweeney tonight!!!

Mr. Ryan is not gaining weight like he should, so his mommy Erin needed to stop over tonight to pick up my breastpump to try to see if feeding him a bottle might help matters a little. We're sorry they're having trouble, but we were happy it gave us a reason to arrange a meeting.....see, it's really not that hard!!!

Anyway, he's SO tiny!!! He still hasn't gotten back to his birthweight yet and is a very tiny 6.6 pounds. He's got a ton of hair and looks like a little man! Hannah thought it was so great to hold him and did so for quite a while.

Nicholas looked like a giant next to him!!!

Not the greatest picture, but here I am holding baby Ryan....sure feels different than holding my little one!!!

Hannah and Nicholas enjoyed playing with another new-to-Nicholas toy. They have a great time playing together and just love one another so much!

We went to Reese's Christian Dedication ceremony this past Sunday. Here are all the girls playing in a fountain before the ceremony started.

And here is the Grammes family afterward.

And my little princess of a 4-1/2 year old! Love this little girl!

And the little monster mash is just getting bigger and bigger! He's cutting more teeth on top (the top four are coming in) and he's into everything! We had to put up pictures that were at his level, we have to barricade the dog bowl and are prepared for a soon-to-be-walker! He's so much fun though!

It's Done!

Yay! The deck is done!

They poured the concrete last Thursday and then came back Friday to power wash and seal it and install the railings. A guy came again Saturday to seal it again.

So now that summer is officially over, our deck is done....odd timing, I know! Maybe we can have a few nice fall evenings to enjoy sitting out there before old man winter makes his appearance!

I'm very happy with the way it turned out and it is really a great outdoor space. We'll need to do a little landscaping and flower potting next spring, but it really did improve our yard drastically!

Nicholas is now clapping/doing pat-a-cake! It was so cute yesterday morning when Hannah went into his room to wake him up in the morning. He popped up from his slumber when she called for him to wake up and when he saw her, he sat right up and had a huge smile and started to clap with excitement! It was awesome! Now he's starting to do it on command a little bit. He claps with one hand in a fist and the other open and has the biggest grin on his face! So stinkin' cute!

I had my first Tastefully Simple party last Friday night!! Although it was a small turnout, it was a great first run at it! I certainly learned that I need to figure out how to plan a little better and how to make it run a little more smoothly, but I guess in some more time, I'll figure that out! Thanks Maggie for hosting again!!! Unfortunately, my next party looks like it will need to be rescheduled, but it's still on, just for a date yet to be chosen.

I hit some of the second hand stores for clohtes for the kids for fall and winter and made out really well! $114 went a long way:

I got 15 things for Nicholas including a London Fog winter coat

And I got 16 things for Hannah

Most of this stuff is Carters, Old Navy, Childrens Place, Gap & Gymboree! Not bad for about $3.67 per item!!! Gives you sticker shock though when you go into a store and buy something new! Especially now that both kids need new clothes each season and Hannah's stuff is starting to get more expensive!!

I'm also proud to report that I've started my Christmas shopping!!! I've got both "big gifts" from Santa for the kids already!!! Man, where do I find the time???

I'm back on the poker run!!! Our poker league started again earlier this month. The first tournament started the year out well. Tony and I both made the final table, getting points in our league, but unfortunately no money. Last night we played again and we both made the final table again and both got points and this time I was in the money placing 3rd. It's so fun to be playing again and sure nice to be winning!!! Hopefully we can keep this streak going and play the rest of the year with our winnings!!!

More Deck Progress

The guys came back Monday morning and just about finished the retaining walls. They must have worked until dark again because I think I passed their truck on the way home from gymnastics around 8:10 that night (when it was completely dark)! Here's what they had done by the end of day 4:

And then today, they were done by mid-day. They had finished the retaining wall portion and cleaned up all of their mess. They reseeded the grass around the deck, but I think we'll be ripping that out and mulching that area, but at least they cleaned up what they had done. Here's what their finished base looks like - looks great!

There are a few issues that we'll have to wait to see how they work out as the next crew comes in. We have a wooden post from the old deck still sticking out of the ground that has electrical run to it. That can't stay, so hopefully they reroute it some how to the new deck. Also, they may be leaving the huge pile of old wood they tore out.....that's going to suck to haul away, but we may be doing it - we'll see.

We're hoping they come pour the concrete tomorrow, but we'll see!

Nicholas is 7 months

Another month flew by! Unbelievable that Nicholas is 7 months old already. Another few months until he's a year and I'll also have a 5 year old by then! CRAZY!

So anyway, Nicholas is developing quite a personality, so different from Hannah....all boy for sure! He's always on the move and wants to be doing something at all times. He's really into playing with all the toys we brought down from the attic. He's mastered crawling and is quite fast now. He pulls himself up on furniture, my pantlegs or anything else he can get his hands on! He's even starting to furniture walk a little. He loves to bounce and jump and is generally very happy. He does, however, show a very angry temper when he doesn't get his way. He can scream very loudly and can really be a little monster! His smile lights up the room and Hannah can still make him smile and laugh more than anyone else.

He's doing great on regular formula now and is also eating rice cereal and all the stage one fruits and vegetables. We've started giving him puffs, but he still has trouble getting them into his own mouth, but is like a little birdie when I give them to him. Sleeping at night is still a challenge, but he is doing better. We still get up 2-4 times a night to give him his binky or to rock him. He's coming to our bed less and less, but still ends up there every so often. He's quite attached to his binky. His top two teeth have broken through the gums this past week and are working their way down to go along with his two bottom teeth. He still has pretty sensitive skin, but we've been doing good since we've figured out what soaps and lotions to use and not to use.

Here he is the morning he turned 7 months, happy to be standing.

And again so happy playing toys

Here is his 7 month picture

And a little taste of his temper when he was done being in his crib at naptime and was upset that it took me so long to come to his rescue!