Three things that made me smile today

1.)  Daddy's boots

2.) My little pot head

3.) Goofy Smiles

Jumping for Joy

 on your mark....get set......

 Jump!

 and again.....

and again...

he's only managed to get off the ground a handful of times, but that doesn't stop him trying...just another thing he does to put a smile on my face.

Fall Update

• Now that most of our traveling for the year is over we've settled into a nice routine.  Ivan works four days (one of them a double) and then has three days off.  So now we have lots of time for hanging out and family activities.  We've been busy with trips to the zoo, the aquarium, the children's museum and every park or playground within a 30 minute radius.  Thankfully the weather has been gorgeous and we're more than happy to be outside enjoying the sunshine.

• G is growing up so fast!  His vocabulary (though still small) grows everyday, his most recent new words have been "grape" and "peek-a-boo" and he has even expanded his repertoire of animal sounds (things now say woof, roar and quack!).  He is definitely in a stage where he is asserting his independence, even to the point of refusing to do things he likes just because we want him to!  His newest form of entertainment comes from raiding my cabinets and playing with all my pots and pans and has recently taken up residence in one of my cupboards.  He's getting fifty billion four teeth in which has made him a bit cranky, but also a bit more cuddly....so I guess that's an even exchange

• I'm still loving being at home!  my favorite part of this endeavor is being able to cook and bake more often.  I love being able to plan out all my meals for the week and try out new recipes.....and let me tell you we've been eating good!  things like pot roast, beef stroganoff, chicken with garlic cream sauce and many other amazing meals have graced our table in the last week...mmm mmm.

• I've discovered Pinterest! (need I say more?) so now I've got new recipes, crafts and alot more wasted time :) also a strong desire to find a sewing machine and try out some super cute patterns I've found. (so if you have one lying around unused...please think of me!)

• We've got one more trip planned for this year - off to England again to spend time with Ivan's family as well as meet our new niece, Miriam.  I think we're also going to go up to Scotland this trip and do a bit of Edinburgh, which I'm super excited about!

and last but now least a few pics of our recent outings.....

 playing in the dirt at the park

 one of his favorite animals at the zoo

 our little sunflower

Pumpkin Patch

last week saturday Ivan picked up some overtime so G and I decided to make the best of a lonely day and take a trip out to the pumpkin patch at a local orchard.  The weather was gorgeous and G loved being outside and going on his first hayride.  He was less than enthused about the actual pumpkin patch what with all the tall grass and bumpy ground, although he did pat a few pumpkins to humor his mother. 

"this is gross"

 "there ya go...happy now?"

 still disgusted and unhappy I stole his binky

 he did however love the tractors and the hayride

first hayride (had I know how sweaty and disheveled I 

looked I might have rethought taking this photo)

A Walk in the Park

The weather has recently turned gorgeous, and we've been out almost everyday to enjoy it.  Here are a few pictures of some of our recent outings

October 15 - Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day

I have not lost a baby of my own, but my niece, Hope, was stillborn at 37 weeks on my birthday.  I never got to hold her, or meet her, but I still think about her almost every day.  One of the blogs I read is doing a video project to commemorate Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, (the author of this blog lost her son when he was only 2 weeks old).  So if you or someone you know has lost a baby, please check out her blog and her upcoming video project!!