Ahh, Fall

We've actually had some fall around here this year.  Usually we get about two days of fall, then dive straight into winter blah, but not this time!

(I'm going to pretend that I didn't just have a 4 month hiatus from this blog, because nobody likes to read the "sorry I'm a bad blogger" posts)

Today we got to hang with some great friends, get some fresh air, eat fantastic food, and have LM reaching for his crib at bed time.  WIN, WIN, WIN, and WIN.

We started the day with a trip to a farm to pick pumpkins.  LM and JR go to run around a lot, which was great!  There were various farm animals around that the kids could pet, including a cow!

After wandering around for a while, we loaded up for the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch.  The ride was nice and the kiddos seemed to really get a kick out of it.

Once in the pumpkin patch the kiddos got to do some more exploring.  I think they really enjoyed the freedom!  They were like little adventurers tromping through the jungle.

After nap time we all reconvened at another friend's house for more play time and dinner.  The dinner was ah-mazing (green beans & pancetta?  why, yes, thank you!) and it was fun to have the kids all in one place.  We spent a lot of time laughing at ourselves, too - only 33 months ago, our dinners together were beginning at 8pm and lasting into the following day, and now everyone has to be headed home by 8pm to make bed time!

Anyway, we got to eat outside and the company was wonderful.  I hope you're all (whoever is left of you) having a great fall, too!

Every boy needs a Fort

Our house isn't very big, so Little Man's play space is limited.  That being said, every boy needs a fort.

Little Man began trying to fit on the lower shelf of an end table the other week, so during nap time on Saturday I removed the middle shelf that was making it impossible for him to sit up.

Here are the results.

"For me, mom?"

"Let's see, how should I work this?"

"Got it."

Fort accomplished.

12 Months

 Little Man turned one on 3/30/12.  We can hardly believe it has already been a year!  We're so grateful for our son, so grateful that he was such a happy baby.  Now we're praying that he'll continue on to be a happy (and compliant) toddler!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

This is my new favorite picture of him (below) - captures his wonderful little face just perfectly!

"We made it, Andrew!  We're 1!"

Rollin' With My Homie

Little Man's friend, JR, came over a few Sundays ago. They are both pulling up and standing now, which made play time more fun for everyone!

After a while, they asked to head down to the neighborhood park, so we busted out the double stroller. I think it took us 20 minutes to walk 4 blocks because we were taking so many pictures!

The dads had fun, too - it was a fabulous spring day! Hooray for friends, parks, and sunshine!

You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

At least, that is what I think he is going for....

...not really working. It's too cute! And it is accompanied by a lengthy huff and puff and a more furrowed brow.

On A Boat

While in FL, Little Man took his first ride on a boat! We took the water taxi from our hotel over to the Universal property.




He really enjoyed the wind in his face! I love this age, where he so clearly experiences new things but still doesn't have words, only expressions!

Third Cousins

I looked it up online, and apparently, if you share great-great-grandparents you are third cousins.

This is Little Man's third cousin, Not-As-Little Man.


NSLM has an older sister and twin older brothers.


They all sat nicely for a few shots, then LM made a break for it. They had a great time playing, and their mom and I (Second Cousins) had a great time catching up!


We're hoping to get to see more of them before they ship out to Alabama. So grateful for the time we go to spend together, so fun to introduce LM to his family - no matter the degree!

Family Time

I had a conference in Orlando last week and it was like we took off from winter and landed in summer. It was awesome.

We got to spend time with Frank's parents, and his aunts and uncle, and his grandmother, too!



With all of the family in town, Frank and I got to spend some fantastic time with each other (sans baby!). Including an afternoon at Universal's Islands of Adventure!

Little Man had quite a bond with his Grampa by the end of the week.


It was so fun to get to spend time with Frank's family - I'm so glad they got so much good time with Little Man, too!

Teeth!

Little Man has two teeth. Trying to get a picture of them can be dicey...





He is officially a carnivore now, too. He has had turkey, chicken, and beef. LM is quite adventurous - he even tried Thai the other night!

11 Months

This was tough - Little Man was born on March 30th, so we always (or nearly always) took his picture on the 30th of each month.

February, even this year, doesn't have a 30th. So we felt that gave us license to be really late - I think we took these on March 3rd. Oops.



Sitting still is not one of his things right now. But furniture surfing, and walking with minor assistance are his things.

He even started to stand without holding anything - for as many as 5 seconds!

Boo & Paco

Little Man and I took a quick trip down south last week to visit with Boo & Paco. LM has been doing more and more crawling and pulling up, so Paco decided to help him do some solo standing.


The knobs on the kitchen cabinets proved to be just the right height for holding on! And please excuse the bright red cheeks - LM had a bit of a cold/teething and was on a steroid to help with his cough. This lead to red cheeks, a little fussiness, and some good eating!


LM also got to play with lots of 'vintage' toys. Mom has held on to all of the classics, and LM took full advantage.


All that play meant a dirty little boy, so into the tub...er, sink he went! He really enjoyed the rubber duckies, and laughed as he splashed water all over me!


He is still a good travel buddy - making friends at the airport is his specialty, and he does well on flights, even when he doesn't sleep.