Great Blog

I was reading a comment on my sister-in-law's blog and started reading it. It looks like a great resource for food storage and the like. Take a look!

http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/

October

I have been meaning to blog about our fun adventures all month now. Since I didn't get it done as it went by it gets to be put all together now.

We carved our pumpkins early this year, too early. We went away for a few days and left them in the house. Mia's was very moldy on the inside and Jack's was starting to wilt. They had a great time carving though. Mia helped Colin pick out all the pumpkin seeds to toast. The kids loved to snack on them. They did a great job!

We then went out of town to Virginia. We love it there! Matt and Crystal blessed sweet baby Asher. I have no idea how my sister-in-law does it. She is a mother of two and teaches at two different higher learning institutions. My brother-in-law works nights at a very difficult job and they hardly get to be together as a family. They are great at making it work!! I really commend them on their efforts. We were also with Abby and Mom and Dad Croshaw. Colin and I took Jack and Mia to a children's museum, met some friends from Blacksburg at an apple orchard, visited and stopped at IKEA on the way home. It was so nice to get away for a few days and even better to see family. The longer we are away the more I want to get back to Idaho to be close to most of our family members.

Another weekend we went with our friends to a haunted hayride. Mia was soooo excited and Jack didn't. He was nervous/scared and so he had his hands over his ears the whole time. They had a Curl up and Dye tent and Mia thought it was DIE. We were 3/4 of the way through and she didn't want to go any farther. We went through and she was okay. It took a lot of explaining when it came to the dye part. I really think she thought she might die. It was cute and I am so glad we have had no nightmares because of it.

Our church puts on a Halloween party. It was a week before the 31st. The kids loaded up on candy, ate on it for a week and then went trick or treating and reloaded. They really haven't asked for much lately. I think the novelty wore off. I am going to throw the rest away in a day or two.

Aunt Leslie came out for a few days. It was very nice to see her, we missed Uncle Alex! Seeing so many family members so close together made me homesick when Leslie left. It was very relaxing and always great to have another set of hands. Who wants to come next? We are waiting.

Can you guess who?

I have been thinking a lot about when Jack was a baby and how much harder it seemed to be than it does now. I am finding that despite what so many people have told me the transition to 2 was much harder than the transition to 3. Crazy, I know. I suppose it is different for everyone. I just can't believe how my boys look so alike. Jack hardly looks like he was when he was a baby and Cole looks just Jack did. So, who do you think is Jack and who do you think is Cole?

2 months and growing

Our little Cole is just growing like a weed. He is in the 90% for his weight. He is 12 pounds 11 ounces and 22.5 inches long. He is filling out and fun and squishy. He is smiling like crazy, sleeping pretty well and Colin said he thought Mia made him laugh last night. He is easy going and loves, loves, loves to be held. I finally found a pacifier he will take, thank you MAM, and figured out he will actually sleep on his back if I swaddle him tightly and give him the binky he likes. I know that sounds like a no brainer but before the new "suckie" as Mia calles it, he wouldn't sleep unless I put him on his tummy. I know, spare the lectures and gasps, I slept Mia on her tummy too and guess what, I even slept on my tummy as a baby. Can you believe we survived?

Fall Festivities

Cole was very attentive to the camera. He was so good!
3 peas in a pod
Our own little zombie!
Here we are waiting to watch a group of dancers that dress in black and put
glow sticks on their clothes and dance around. It was certainly entertaining!
I love Jack's smile in this picture. He was swinging in this great big tire swing with his friends.

We had a busy weekend this past one. Friday night we joined our good friends at the Haunted Hay Ride. I was so excited about it all day that I forgot to go to a doctors appointment. They had some fun creative things to partcipate in. Mia loved it, Jack covered his ears the whole ride. There was a tractor pulling the wagon but it really wasn't loud. I think it was his way of saying he didn't like it. It was really a good time.

Saturday we went to a fall festival, again with our close friends and ate apples, got pumpkins and enjoyed the warm fall weather. It was over 75 degrees. Colin had to work and I had help thankfully. Jack likes to run off and never while I am paying enough attention to notice. It happens frequently. Thankfully he doesn't like other people or people he doesn't know I should say. It can be very stressful for me. He's such a sweet guy though when he wants to be and watch out he can be terribly two and usually when we are in public.

Fall is just so much fun!

The things Jack says

One night, of many, Jack kept getting out of bed and coming down stairs. I think he had been down about 3 times at least. He peeked his head around the corner from the kitchen. Because we get exhausted taking him back up to bed again and again Colin said, "Go back to bed or I will take your butt back to bed." We don't use that word and usually say bum. Jack, not know what a butt is said, "I don't have a butt" in his high pitched voice. He said it so cute and so innocently that we just had to laugh.

Jack picks up many things from Mia and she likes to say that certain things are her "favorite" as all kids do. Today I heard Jack say to Colin, " your my favorite daddy!" Later today he said, "your my favorite mommy!" He's so sweet! He uses that sweetness to get what he wants from me and it almost always works.

Playing Mia's games

Mia made up this obstacle course tonight all by herself. She walked us through the course then Colin had his turn. He had to sing the ABCs at the very end, he timed each of us and we had some good laughs. I have to compliment Mia on her creativity!! Colin didn't get a recording of me but the pictures show that I am singing "I'm A Little Tea Pot". Jack played a bit but as usual he only wanted to do his own thing and kept trying to mutilate the course. He is the typical younger brother torturing his older sister. I have a feeling it will take about 20 years for him to stop doing that.

Oh the things you do for your kids!

I'm in LOVE!

Cole just started smiling last week and I got lucky and shot these pictures today. It just melts my heart every time I get him to smile at me. He is even starting to coo. He loves to talk to Colin. This is my favorite stage I have to admit!

Sweet Relief

For 4 nights in a row Cole has slept from 10 or 11 pm to 5 am. He then eats and goes back to sleep until about 8 or 8:30. It has been GREAT!! I hope he keeps it up. He is now in size 2 diapers. He will only be 7 weeks tomorrow but the time sure has flown by. He's such a sweet baby. I think he is learning to like the car a little more. That makes me happy considering we are headed out of town in a few weeks and will be driving for about 6 hours one way. It should be fun!

Catching up with some photos