out and about

Sometimes I wish I was Canadian so that I could say "out and about" like they do...

But I guess I'll just stick to writing it out and thinking it in my head... :)

Anyway...I took the boys out today to see some big, wild cats at Cat Tales and then took them up to Greenbluff to pick strawberries. The boys, of course, didn't put any in the box...they just stuffed them in their mouths and tried to look innocent!

There are some really great things about having two kids at these specific ages. It is so much more simple now to try to go somewhere. I actually don't even pack a change of clothes or more than one diaper anymore...so great. And they actually listen to what I ask them to do about 50% of the time...okay sometimes less with Griff but we're getting there.

Here are some pictures from our day...

train ride...

We went on a super-fun train ride with the family last Sunday. I forgot my camera...but thank goodness for sisters! My sister posted all of her pictures on facebook. Come and look You wanna be friends? I'll totally be your friend:)

Here is one funny picture from the chaos of four kiddos, 3 and under! You might notice that I cropped myself out of the picture because I had a wretched expression on my face. Sometimes this happens...

Fun In September Sun

I am battling a bit of a cold or something and feel just slightly under the weather...but I don't mind at all. Being a tad sick physically is so much better than feeling anxiety ridden. Oh, so much better. Thank you for all of the words of encouragement and for your prayer. I promise you...I've felt it. While on Friday I felt as though I couldn't see beyond my little world inside my head...I now feel as though I have my vision back.

We spent Sunday afternoon helping my dad celebrate his birthday. Last year we went up north to pick blackberries and we did it again this year. I hope that it is now set in stone to be tradition. The grandkids were "helping" my parents pick berries and push the wagon so I was able to spend some time alone hunting down the good ones. I could hear my loved ones chattering away as I filled my box. It was therapeutic and nice. After picking all of my berries, I realized I didn't know what I was going to do with them. I guess I got carried away. Remember, I don't bake. I made jam last year but I'm not sure if I want to do that again. I'm tempted to try something simple....but even "simple" can turn into a disaster. So....I let Parker eat blackberries for lunch today. He had other food but he only at the berries. I hope his system likes them:)

Griffin loves his baths with Parker. I am beginning to think that pictures in the mirror are going to be our thing...since they started while he was in utero:)

In other news, Griffin turned seven months on Friday. I need to record it here because I'm better at keeping this blog up than I am at keeping up the baby book. SEVEN MONTHS! He's practically a preschooler now:) I was just telling Joel yesterday that I believe that Griffin is such an answer to prayer. Along with praying for his character and such while I was pregnant, I begged God to allow me to have a baby that didn't spit up. You see, Parker didn't spit up...he tossed up his meals 20-30 times a day. It was really fun. Really, I was terrified of that happening again because it made Parker's first year quite challenging. Anyway, Griffin barely spits up and he's is such a happy baby. He soooo social, but he also doesn't mind playing on his own. He is very sensitive, but he also has a strong will...which is pretty cute right now. He really is a delight and the perfect fit for our family. He sits up and is working on crawling. He plays with toys, plays in his walker and squeals when he's happy...or frustrated. He loooooves to eat....everything. Oh, and he still sleeps like a dream child. Griffin continues to be so easy to love. I love you Baby Griffin!

edited for the record: 17 lbs, 13 oz....27 inches. Began crawling on 9.20. Well, scooting...but he gets from A to B like none other:)

our holiday weekend...

We actually didn't have a Labor Day weekend because Joel worked yesterday...however, it was "our holiday", as we celebrated our 6th anniversary! Here are some pictures from the weekend...

*edit* I added in the photo I used to make the anniversary card. It is the only one I have scanned in. We look like kids....we were!

Our anniversary gift to ourselves. It is hanging in our living room.

My attempt to take a picture of us at lunch. Next time I’ll ask the waiter...:)

Griffin is always laughing! I have no idea why the sky was so funny:)


Daddy and his big boy...the most tenderhearted little boy I’ve ever met.

The chicken marsala at DRG. Simply amazing.


Aren‘t they so precious?.

lazy days of summer?

Whatever happened to the lazy days of summer? I think we left them in the years before we had kids! We have been so busy and I am tired, people! I am ready for Fall to come...not because I'm tired of the beautiful weather, but because I'm ready to stay home more and take it easy. I have had one full weekend home since the beginning of July and we are going to be away again this coming weekend. Now, I want to be clear--we've had an amazing summer and I wouldn't do anything different. We've enjoyed all of the time we've spent with family and friends, but I'm ready to spend some time at home with our little family of four. I'm getting a bit weary of packing and unpacking, never having a clean house, tired kiddos...and parents!

I think I wrote a post about this feeling last August. I really love summer, but my very favorite time of the year is Fall around here. It is so beautiful and still warm during the day, but really cools down at night--so cozy! I love watching the kids around the neighborhood come back to the school near us. We enjoy taking family trips up north to pick berries, apples, and pumpkins. I love how life settles down into a predictable rhythm after the exciting days of summer. The colors, the scents the food, the feelings of it all...so great!

But, I need to be patient. We still have a lot of good summer left here. So I'm going to try to keep my head in August...full of hot weather, beach days, picnics, trips, sunscreen...the works! It really is so fun and our next season will come soon enough.

We spent another weekend at the lake and had so much fun...again! We loved spending more time with our family! The above picture was another attempt at a family photo. Griffin is always staring in the wrong direction...he he:)

Fire House Mini-Disaster

While staying home with the kiddos is pretty challenging at times, I sure do have opportunity to experience so many cool things with the boys. Today was supposed to be so good as we had big plans to go with some others to tour a fire house.

Now, fire trucks are just about Parker's favorite thing so I built it up to be the most amazing thing ever. Well, we were late because Parker would not walk to the car because he kept stopping in our yard to talk about fire trucks. Why can't he walk and talk at the same time? I had heard that little kids have a hard time saying "fire truck", but I never realized it could be this hideous. The word "fire" sounds much like the word "garbage", but truck is just as bad as you can imagine. Put the two words together and it sounds like we are very bad parents:) Once we got to the fire house, Parker wanted to be held because he was scared of the big trucks and the other kids that he didn't know. And then when the fireman put on the big suit...it was all over. I couldn't carry him because I had Griffin in the Baby Bjorn. Aaaaghhh! He wouldn't sit in the truck, he wouldn't get near the big suits, or touch anything cool...all he wanted to do was play with flashlights laying on the floor. Then, to top it all off, Parker wouldn't play on the playground with the other kids and threw a tantrum when it was time to leave. Beautiful two year old behavior! However, Parker did tell me on the way home that he had fun with the fire truck. What? I think toddlers are like mini-teenagers...so emotional and unpredictable! I guess the trip to the fire house was worth a try. Maybe better luck next year...

divide and conquer...

Things are starting to feel a little more normal around here...but, really, what is our normal anymore? Joel and Parker just returned home from a five day trip down in Arizona to visit my grandparents. We had planned this months ago with the thought that it would be good timing for Parker to have some special time with Daddy and his Oma and Opa and for Joel to get away on a bit of a vacation. We also thought that it would allow me to have a break and be able to focus on just the baby for a while. Well, it certainly was just what the doctor ordered for all of us!

Joel and Parker had so much fun in the sun and sharing special moments with Oma and Opa. I think that Parker greatly benefited from getting away from here for a while and receiving some focused attention from three adults. And Joel came back feeling refreshed and feeling more ready to get back into the groove. They enjoyed swimming, hiking, walks, eating, playing shuffle board, Bocce ball, cards...and so much more.

Griffin and I, on the other had, did a whole lot of nothing! It was so wonderful to be able to sit and just enjoy my little boy instead of sitting him in a bouncy seat while I tend to Parker's needs! We spent a lot of time in the rocking chair, which was just lovely. I was able to find out more about what makes Griffin tick and I also learned some tricks to help calm him down when he's grumpy! I even got my first smile on Saturday! I really did...my dad was even a witness! When Griffin smiles, my heart just melts because he gives this shy little grin and he even has two dimples! Definitely a heart-breaker like his brother:)

This past week has been such a blessing for this new family of four! I am finally starting to feel well and hopefully will be done with this cold in a few days. I even went walking with a group from my MOMS club yesterday! I was sore, but it was certainly a confidence booster and it sure felt good to get moving again. I think we're all starting to feel like we're ready to go out and join the rest of society now!

Griffin had his one month birthday yesterday, which is just crazy! Tomorrow I plan on posting some pictures from the c-section because I've been meaning to write a bit about the experience. Beware! If you don't appreciate graphic pictures, then don't visit on Friday:)

a special day

We decided to go get our pictures taken the day before Griffin was born. We just wanted to do something fun and capture the moment before our family changed. It was actually a lot of fun and it is neat to be able to look back on that day! It is hard to imagine that this was just a week and a half ago--things are so different now! There are many more cute shots of Parker, but these are a few that I really like today...tomorrow it will be different, I suppose:)

What a little pumpkin...

Last week we went up north again to enjoy some fall fun. It is hard to imagine that this is the same place that we picked berries just over a month ago. The seasons have certainly changed! Now there are pumpkins and gourds all over the place! Parker had fun riding in the big wagon and we only told him to sit down on his bottom 10 or 15 times! We enjoyed the trip with my mom and my grandma...how special is that?! After going through a little maze and picking out pumpkins, we went to another farm to eat some yummy fall treats--including some pumpkin ice cream. I like pumpkin anything and I wait all year for the the flavor to come back into season. Today, some friends brought us pumpkin doughnuts...yum! Maybe this is not such a good time of the year to be pregnant...this baby may be huge because I'm enjoying so many treats:)

Go Cougs...but please don't take me in the water!

Parker had his first swimming lesson yesterday and, as you can see from his face in this picture, he enjoyed it quite a lot! He was the only kid in the class that was upset but I attribute that to his little fall into the lake this summer:) It actually got better as the lesson went on and I think he might have smiled a couple of times. I'm just glad that he was with Daddy and not me--he might have persuaded me to take him out of the pool!
The day got much better, though, and Parker experienced his very first Cougar football game. We traveled to see Kelsey and joined her to watch her beloved Cougs. It was so fun! It was a close game and very intense. Parker learned how to root for the team and really joined in on the action. He ate the majority of our bag of kettle corn...see the above picture of Parker and Kels! Gotta give up good nutrition when you're at a game!

blackberries and the fair

Of course...more pictures to share! We've done a lot of fun things lately. To celebrate my dad's 51'st birthday, we went up north to take a drive and we ended up picking blackberries. Parker was not dressed for the occasion but he certainly dug right in! He was literally eating the (unripe) berries off of the vine. He was just in heaven! When he realized that Grandpa had perfectly ripe berries in his basket, he found an easier way to get the good stuff. He was covered in blackberries and, then later, dirt--because a little boy must sit down in a dirt pile on every occasion possible!

To celebrate my parent's 30th anniversary, they invited us to go to the fair! We saw all the animals, ate the very healthy fair food, and enjoyed watching Parker boogy to the fair music coming from all directions. Parker can't help but dance when he hears music. He would just stop in the middle of the walkway and begin to really feel the music. My mom actually has some great pictures of this happening. Being a little kid must be so fun!