My Little Pumpkin

We got back to Virginia from Florida Georgia a few hours before hurricane Sandy's winds picked up.


I think we survived the hurricane better than the football game. But thanks to four grand parents, hotel suites, an RV, a fleece halloween costume brought out a few days early and mommy's watchful eye. Our family made it out of Jacksonville better than the football team.


This week we had big plans celebrating James first Halloween. Hurricane Sandy put a little spoiler on our costume playgroup today.



I hope we still get to dress up for music class tomorrow and our very first Halloween party in the afternoon.



Today we are home with daddy, reading our favorite Halloween books.



And enjoying our time as a family.



Grateful that we fell asleep without power and woke up with it.



We are off to 'Find Baby's Pumpkin'!



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Pumpkin Patch 2.0

James and I had a fun afternoon at the pumpkin patch, a beautiful fall day in Virginia.  There are way too may pictures because I can't decide which I like the most-he's just so cute and so fun. 

A little distracted by a crying baby, but wanted to share these fun pictures.  Can't wait to celebrate the holidays with my little guy

 Of course he was mostly interested in hay.

 trying out standing with the help of a pumpkin and some hay bales.

Pumpkin Patch 1.0

We had our very first trip to the Pumpkin Patch this past weekend.  It was a little more than a pumpkin patch - maybe more of a fall festival at Cox Farms.  I should have realized when I hit bumper to bumper traffic a mile out on a 2 lane country road that what was in store was much more than pumpkins in a field...

I've been dying to go with my bestie Jen every since I saw her son's pumpkin patch pictures years ago, so we joined a few thousand (yes thousand) other families on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  A little overwhelmed by the swarms of people I left my good camera in the car, that in addition to our pumpkin outfit not in just yet and daddy being at the Redskins Games, our first visit to the pumpkin patch, most certainty won't be the last.

The pictures I did capture on my cracked and fading faster than I can update my apps iphone were pretty darn cute.

We baby bijorned through the corn maze.

 James was a little uncertain at first on the hayride.

How do I get off this thing?!

 He hung onto momma pretty tight

 My new facebook profile picture - thanks to our fall adventures

 James started to warm up to the hay- he had lots of fun playing with it.

 Hey, I like hay.

 Despite all the fun around him, what was the only thing he was interested in?  Hay.

 He finally found the pumpkins to be slightly amusing.

 Then the pumpkin hat got passed on from Jen

 I died a little bit

 We both had so much fun

 I love this profile.  He just has every last bit of my heart

Can't wait for more fun at our next adventure...
Pumpkin Patch 2.0

Family Game Day

I'm really loving game days with my family.

 A few weeks ago, while watching a game at a friends house, I commented how you really can't beat watching a game lounging on a sofa, sitting in AC, hearing what happened during the play on the hi-def TV and eating ice cream. 

My younger self WOULD HAVE DIED.  I can't believe how things have changed.  When we are at games, we usually are in the shade, have a TV to look at and even ice cream during the third quarter - thanks champions club.  Still I can't believe I actually said out loud that I really like watching games on TV in the comfort of home (at someone's house vs a game viewing party). 

The social aspect of going to games and tailgating all over the SEC, has always been my favorite pastime of mine and Josh-heck it's how we met and fell in love. There hasn't even been a time in my life until now that I haven't been on the board of the Gator Club in whatever city we were living in-which entails watching games with all the other Gator fans in the geographic region.

But things change...

Babies don't go to bars, and jet setting throughout the south eastern (and now kind of western) conference seems a little more daunting with a baby on board.

Although my taste in game-viewing has matured evolved, one thing is still the same.  The Gator Games I've enjoyed the most are the ones watched with my very best friends.

I'm glad James has already learned this lesson.

Editors note: they were not actually watching the game, we still honor the "no TV for babies" guidelines at our house.  Luckily bed time was about 30 minutes after kick-off so mommy only missed the fist quarter, and daddy "owes me one."

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Between my attempts to be 'unplugged' whiles James is awake, a shattered iPhone screen (when will my 5 get here?) and all our fun activities. I have not devoted any time to blogging.

Exhibit A Fun times in the park.


I'm trying to make quiet time with my bible and prayer journal happen more often AND it's just making the biggest difference in my life. While I'm very glad to fill my time this way, something g had to go and that something was writing here.

I can't tell you how many places I've read to get up before everyone else and it makes the day run so much smoother. I really want to do this, so I'm not playing catch up all day (speaking of which I need to change out of my yoga pants-right now!)

I've been able to add lots of Tweeks that are improving our lives, and I hope this wake up early one will be the addition for next week.

It's officially fall with cooler temps and my first pumpkin spice latte under my belt (I have temperature requirements of 60 or below).

A new cute hair-do, smaller sized jeans (yay) and some more "mom" cloths ordered. I have found a mom style blog I love that I want to share with hopefully a post and ideas with what I'm doing to figure out how to dress when playing on the floor is my main daily activity.

Need to finish James 8 month post (how is this possible) and about a million other things on my very long to do list.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Ours will be full of picnics, football, tailgating, pumpkin patching, musical play dates, lots of laughing, hugs, kisses and one very runny nose.

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My mostly happy guy

James has a new love, actually two, one in the form of Colby Jack cheese, the other in the form of swinging.

I mean in a real swing at the playground.

I can't believe it.

Now that I think about it he is still quite fond of his baby swing, as I have turned to it a few times when going down for a nap was taking an hour plus.

An hour plus of crying every time I walk out of the nursery isn't fun.

I just hate to hear him cry. He's normally just so happy, like people come up to me at the grocery store to tell me I have the happiest baby they've ever seen, happy.

He has started to cry a bit more now because he cries when any of his baby friends cry. James of course usually ends up crying longer and harder than them. Empathy is an important skill for him to have according to Brain Rules for Babies, glad we've got that one down.

I just think this is the most precious picture I've ever seen, it literally melts my heart.

We've been visiting lots of swings and lots of parks, I even found our own private playground in our neighborhood, as the main neighborhood park is totally WILD. Which makes for a terrified swinging baby.

Luckily he recovered.

And is happily swinging again.

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