Getting in the Holiday Mood

For those who have been dying to see Nathan dance, you need to check out this link:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9543195599

Decorating for Christmas

We decorated our house for Christmas today. Now our task is simply to keep Jack out of the tree. We tried to put the durable ornaments near the bottom. 

Thanksgiving

Jack smiling with Aunt Lainee

Helping Grandma with her Christmas tree

Coloring with Grandpa

Hanging out with his cousin, Wyatt

Playing the piano with Grandma

Enjoying walking in dad's shoes

Dreading the long drive home

Being silly in this dorky little hat he found in Grandma's toychest

Jack Counting

Little Man is Growing Up

Jack is sleeping in his toddler bed now. We've been trying it since summer and every time we put him in it we had to battle to get him to stay put. Our pediatrician told us just to shelf the project until he turned two. So, we put it on hold but left the bed set up in his room....and a about a month ago when I went to put Jack in his crib, he pointed to his toddler bed. Thinking there was no way he was actually going to stay in the bed, I put him in it and then went and sat by his bedroom door. He fell asleep! And has been sleeping in his big bed since then. Guess we just had to wait until he was ready. He's such an independent guy!

Sick-or-Treat

So this last picture sums up what our Halloween was like. Jack and I were both home sick during the day. When it came time to hit the streets, he didn't want anything to do with his costume. So, we snapped 3 pictures and called it a night. Jack helped Dad hand out Halloween candy to some of the neighbor kids who stopped by our house. Grumpy or not, I still think he was a cute little elephant.

Aunt Lainee and the Pumpkin Patch

Aunt Lainee came down for a visit during her fall break so we headed to the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Jack was more interested in organizing the pumpkins into groups based on size than actually looking for the "great" pumpkin...but I think he still had fun. When we went back home later that evening to carve the pumpkin, Jack would have NOTHING to do with it. He did not want to touch the inside or participate in any way. He was perfectly content just carrying around his little pumpkin.

(Thanks Lainee for the great pics!)

Train Rides & Cotton Candy

This past weekend we attended a local holiday festival in the town where we work. Jack wasn't too sure what to make of the crowds but he did have fun with all of the food! Our kid loves to eat...and when it comes to cotton candy I'm right there with him!

A sweet little old man had rigged up this train that little kids were riding so we though Jack would love it since all he talks about these days are "choo-choos". He was doing fine in his little train car until they stuck a girl in there (probably around his age) who started bawling as soon as the train began to move. Jack tolerated her tears for a few minutes but then decided he had reached his breaking point and began crying, too. From that point on, it was a long train ride for the both of them and the crowd of onlookers kept talking behind us about how sad those little kids looked. Poor Jack. Train ride gone sour. Will he ever want to ride another choo-choo?

Meeting Chuy

Nathan's friend, Chuy, spent a weekend with us recently. Jack really had a great time hanging out with him and playing soccer. We were sad to see him leave so quickly.

Cooler Weather

Finally it is starting to feel like Fall around here! And just in time to enjoy our newly landscaped yard. We have been had such fun running and playing in the new grass (it was a mess before)! Now I'm just hoping the freezing temperatures hold off until it is able to take root.

Museum Day

Okay, so let me first start by apologizing for the lack of posts recently. For those who don't know, I have started back to work full-time this year and it has been a bit crazy around our house for the past few months as we all transition to this new schedule. I will try to do better - although yesterday our digital camera quit so it looks like we'll have to get a replacement pretty soon...especially with Halloween quickly approaching.

Several weekends ago, the museums downtown offered a free day for all families. One of the museums had experts from our local zoo present showing the kids different animals. They had the normal "on the road" animal show complete with all kinds of reptils...but then they brought out a penguin. I think I was more excited about it than Jack. It was the closest I've ever been to a penguin...and I just thought he was too cute not to post.

Vacation #2: Time for a Little Texas Education

Jack - Happy to be at the Alamo...can't you tell?

The gang hanging out at the Alamo - this picture is somewhat deceiving in that we didn't tour the Alamo but thought a trip to San Antonio wouldn't be complete without pictures at this historic landmark.

Picture time on the Riverwalk. Jack loved the water and wanted to bend over and touch it. We had to keep close tabs on him because there are no railings!

We were planning one final family vacation before school started and decided it might be more fun if we invited some friends along. So, our friends Brad & Sarah and Shane & Sylvia joined us for some fun in San Antonio. We didn't do anything monumental but we did have a fun time hanging out. Makes the reality of returning to work even worse!

Vacation #1: Trip to Papaw & Nana's House

Before summer officially comes to an end, we were able to spend some quality time with Nathan's folks in Pennsylvania. Jack had such a great time.

Jack riding one of Nathan's old toys.

We went to the Pittsburgh Zoo which was actually really impressive. We went fairly early in the day so the animals were still pretty active, too. Jack loved the elephants and the aquarium.

Another fun stop was the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. I thought it might be a bit over Jack's head - but they actually had several things that he really was into such as...

a Clifford exhibit (he loves any kind of dog)...

and Mister Roger's neighborhood...

but we might have actually enjoyed that exhibit more than he did.

Someone Found My Lipstick

So, I left my purse with a tube of lipstick within reach of my son and found him like this a few minutes later. Nathan likes to wear my lipstick, too, so I guess he takes after his father.

Cooking with Jack

Jack and I made brownies the other night. As you can tell from the pictures, he had a hard time waiting until they were cooked before tasting them. But, hey, that's the best part, right? (Note: The apron he was wearing is one that I wore when I was a little girl. Found it in a box of goodies my parents brought to us when they moved. I thought it was pretty neat.)