New Arrival

Who would guess that after going into labor on my own twice, my third baby would be a 41 week induction? It was a little odd to drive to the hospital and sit around waiting for things to begin, but, as I've been reminded quite a bit lately, nothing with babies goes as planned! Even so, after seven hours of labor, we were holding our son! We decided to let the gender be a surprise this time, and it was so much fun. Speaking of surprise, this one was our biggest yet at 8lbs 8oz, and was born with a head full of blonde hair! P's first name is after my Granny's father, and his middle name is after my Grandad. My Mom's parents are two of the most important people in my life, so I was thrilled that we agreed on a name that honored both of them. 

first snuggles

family of five

early morning chat

ready to go home

the welcoming committee

big sister's favorite part of the day

blondie

October

It's no secret that October is my favorite month - all things pumpkin, cooler weather, gorgeous colors, not to mention my birthday :) When we found out that our new little one was due at the beginning of November, I crossed my fingers that it might share my birthday month, but no such luck. After being on bed rest for several weeks and praying that the baby would wait to be born, I decided to make the most of this month and have some pumpkin fun with my soon-to-be "big kids"...

Before I was "in the clear", R took the kids to his parents' farm for the day. R and his dad decided to plant pumpkins this year, so they got to visit PaPa's Pumpkin Patch and pick their very own pumpkins! I think a new tradition was officially born :)

Fun at home - Owl S'mores

Felt Jack-O-Lanterns

 Potato Head Pumpkins

 Carving pumpkins with Daddy

 A trip to Hall's Pumpkin Farm in Grapevine
(I was so sad that the kids chose kettle corn as their treat - my favorite!)

After a CRAZY Halloween (I had one of those days when things just can't seem to go right), we were invited for dinner and Trick or Treating with sweet friends in Fort Worth. It was a great end to our day, and the kids enjoyed seeing all of the other kids in costume (except for the creepy ones, which they are still talking about). Can someone initiate a "fun costumes only" block somewhere?

Apple Orchard

One of my favorite fall activities is a trip to Henrietta Creek Apple Orchard! I was introduced to them while teaching kindergarten, and it's one of my favorite places. Mr Ray and Miss Sue are two of the sweetest people you'll meet, and they love hosting children during apple season to teach about their orchard. Last fall, their orchard was struggling due to the summer drought, and it made my heart happy to see things going so much better for them this year. The kids had a great time exploring the orchard, and of course, picking and eating their own apples!

 Miss Sue, teaching about Johnny Appleseed

 Smelling herbs in the pizza garden

 Monarchs in the butterfly garden

 It's finally time to pick an apple!

 The children were asked to pick only one apple and to hold it until it had been washed... Not only did Jackson's apple did not make it that far, he ate the ENTIRE thing, core and all! He ate it so quickly that by the time I realized what was going on, he handed me a stem and a few seeds.

Tink doesn't typically like apple peel, but these apples are so sweet from ripening on the tree, that she dug right in!

A rare occurance - a picture with me in it! We joined some friends for our trip, and one of them brilliantly suggested that we take pictures of each other (no idea why we don't do it more often). Thanks, Melissa!

Summer Fun Part 2

Another great part of summer is taking trips to see Nana and Papa! The kids enjoy trips to Cherry Berry and Kiddie Park, visiting Grandad, and playing with their cousins.

Nana and Papa also came to our house for a visit! The kids love having them here and soak up every minute. Nana always brings fun things like beads and snake bubbles!

We spent quite a bit of time in the water! We played in the baby pool and sprinkler and met friends at the splash pad and Trophy Club pool.

 Summer afternoons are perfect for tea parties :)

 Tink got to visit the American Girl cafe with her friend, S! They had a great time and Tink has been busy planning her 5th birthday party :)

Tink also tackled swim lessons - this was a challenge for her for the last two summers, and the teachers at Carroll Aquatics Center took extra time to work with her. She made great strides and we were really proud of her and thankful for their extra time and effort.

 Summer toes :)

 Around here, it doesn't get much better than spending the day in your PJs and turning up the music!

Now that Bug is potty trained, he is convinced that pants are overrated (which could have something to do with making the bathroom process more complicated, but he is a boy, so it could be personal preference). Either way, rain boots are a must!

R and I have made an effort lately to bring one of the kids along on evening or weekend errands, and they love spending time with us one-on-one. Tink and I happened to pass a snow ball stand one afternoon, and couldn't resist. Such a fun Mommy Daughter treat!

Summer Fun Part 1

We had such a wonderful summer! I didn't capture as much on camera as I hoped, but here are some of the highlights:

One of our favorite summer days was "kids' choice day" - we woke up one Saturday with no plans and decided that it would be fun to let the kids call the shots for the day. We started with breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, continued to Founders Plaza to see some airplanes, visited the crocodile at Rainforest Cafe, got drinks at Sonic, had pizza for lunch, and grilled hot dogs for dinner before playing in the water in the backyard... such simple requests for such a great family day :)

One of Tink's milestones this summer was saving her own money to buy a Squinkies set! She earns money by cleaning sinks and occasionally gets money from her grandparents, and was very proud to make the purchase on her own.

 We beat the Texas heat by making several Slurpee runs - I'll admit that this was mostly my idea :)

One of Bug's major milestones this summer was sleeping in a toddler bed! We had a few hiccups, but overall, he has done great.

We also beat the Texas heat with lots of trips to the library - both of my kids could sit forever with a pile of books, and who am I to deprive them?

We had a very special and unexpected visit from the fire department one afternoon! The firemen came by to check on a fire hydrant, and Bug and I decided to go outside to watch. After they were finished, they came into our driveway to invite us to see the inside of the truck. Bug and Tink happily explored the inside of the truck, and the firemen sent them away with hats, coloring books, and stickers - such a fun surprise!

We took advantage of the member appreciation morings at the zoo, arriving an hour before they opened to the public. Mommy didn't last long, but the kids were great and enjoyed the time we were able to be there. As long as we saw the crocodile and the snakes, they were happy :)

We watched quite a bit of the Olympics! We had fun pointing out the flags and clothing of the athletes from different countries, learned about different sports, and even did some fun "Olympic O" (Fruit Loop) activities. When R asked Tink what olympic sport she might like to try, she responded, "Remember at the beginning when those kids were jumping on the beds? I want to do that one."

While getting things together for the local consignment sale, I asked R to get our baby gear out of the attic. Bug was really interested in everything and had fun pulling things out and asking what they were for. A few hours later, I heard him calling for help and found him in the bassinet! He looked WAY too big squeezed in the bed that I remember him sleeping in not so long ago...

Another of Bug's summer milestones - potty training! I resisted the idea at first, but R convinced me that having only one kid in diapers was worth a try. He did AMAZINGLY well, and was having a celebratory "clean and dry all day" ice cream cone on the fourth day!

One of Tink's favorite things this summer was spending time with her Daddy outside. She often came in with flowers for me, and was excited to learn that a hibiscus fit perfectly behind her ear :)