Halloween

I love Halloween--always have. Are you kidding me? I get to dress up in whatever costume I want, eat a bunch of candy, stay up late, and watch a scary movie? Uh, yes please. :)

This year, I made hot dog mummies.

I also made bloody monster toes.

And my precious, creative momma made Frankenstein cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Yuuum.

Last night, the toddler was a little surgeon at Boo at the Zoo, and tonight he was an Irish soccer player. His costume is actually from Ireland (where my husband's family is from)!

The hubbs was Rafael Nadal, and I was a bat (not, ahem, to be confused with batty).

The little man was so excited to go trick-or-treating. He would run up to the doors shouting, "Bucket! Bucket!" And then, as soon as a person would put a piece of candy in his bucket, he would take a piece of candy out and try to give it to the person. (We've been working on sharing lately.) Such a sweetie. :)

I'm glad that the toddler isn't at the age yet when he wants to (or can) eat his candy. The hubbs and I have happily chowed down on it for the past two years. (Yes, that's right, we did take our four month old trick-or-treating last year.)

When we got back home, the toddler had fun throwing all the candy out of his bucket and then carefully putting it all back in. Over. And over. And over. Preciousness.

And one of the best things about today was that I finished all my work by 2:00 PM, so after we put the little dude to bed, I ate Halloween candy and watched Night of the Living Dead until I remembered that there was a new episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Zombies from the sixties or watching fabulous, ridiculous kajillionaires on Bravo? No contest.

Happy Halloween! Boo, y'all! :)

Fire-tee

Today, my precious angel got to fulfill his greatest dream: being inside of a "fire-tee." He obsesses over fire, firetrucks, sirens, the color red, drawing fire, candles, fireworks, eating at Firehouse Subs, and reading books about firetrucks. I'm gunna' give it to you straight: My son is a bit of a pyro, and I may or may not be a bit concerned. ;)

Of course Bear Bear was invited along for the adventure. Duh.

And how did he celebrate this momentous experience? The same way everyone in my family celebrates: with food. He gobbled down some of my corndog, and I gave him a couple bites of cotton candy (don't judge). What a big dude! :)

The Pumpkin Patch

If I said this was our first trip to a pumpkin patch this autumn, I'd be lying. The truth is that I've been all over the place checking out playdate places for my book. But today was laid-back family pumpkin patch day. And it was perfect. We went with some of our closest friends (who we went to the pumpkin patch last year with as well). Here is a picture of the boys one year ago.

And here are some pictures of the boys today.

What a difference a year makes! Last year when we went, I was breastfeeding, exhausted, and it was a million degrees outside. Today, we just let the boys run around in the very cold weather and enjoyed chatting. It was much more fun, considering last year when we left, I was hauling a screaming infant, a stroller I didn't yet know how to work, and (what seemed like) a million other things.

We got two cute pumpkins to add to the three that we already have on our front step. One we will carve, and one we will have for decor.

Overall, we had such a fun time! The toddler was surrounded by rocks, dirt, pumpkins, and tractors. What more could a little boy want!?

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What is your favorite pumpkin patch in Arkansas?

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

It's hard to come up with just one catch phrase that personifies the craziness of little boys. And this little trouble maker of mine is all boy, as they say.

For instance, you might see the entrance way in my house.

But I see that my son has parked one of his cars in the house. Again. This could become a problem when he gets older.

OR just this morning, look what I found between my mouth wash and root booster.

AND, of course, no one can fix a skinned knee (which is a daily occurrence) like Momma Spider Man can.

AND having sons certainly has its advantages. At times, their fearlessness is called upon as an absolute necessity. For instance, when there is a snake in the driveway.

"Look! Momma! 'Nake'!"

"Oh, thank you son! Is it a dangerous snake? Nope, I don't think so. You've always got to look to see if it has a frayed end. Remember: Frayed and black, friend of Jack."

OR, on Sunday, while the hubbs and I were getting ready for church, the toddler got into a goody bag he'd received from a friend's birthday party and decided to do sidewalk chalk all over himself (just bathed) and our not-even-two-years-old hardwood floors! Yippee!

OR when he does something especially precious, like walk all over the house grasping tightly to the picture that he and Pops (Grandpa) drew of an "eh-plane" and a "heh-caw."

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me--but I think she enjoyed it." -Mark Twain



Say A Little Prayer

Yesterday, the toddler and I were rushing out the door on our way to the library to return our Halloween books and pick up some new ones (yes, at this point, I'm pretty sure we've read nearly every Halloween book that our local library has). I buckled him into his car seat and was just getting ready to push the garage door opener when I got a text from a dear friend asking me to pray for a specific thing.

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." -Matthew 18:20

I took the keys out of the ignition and said, "Okay, we're going to say a prayer to Jesus." I turned around as best as I could, folded my hands together, bowed my head, and began to pray with my son. The only thing he understands about prayer is that you say "Amen" at the end. So while I prayed for my friend, the toddler repeated "Amen" over and over.

Afterward, we went on our way to the library. After spending half an hour picking out books, chasing the little guy around, and apologizing to parents for my son throwing books at their kids while screaming, "BOOK!" at them, we got back in the car. Just as I got ready to start the car, a text popped up on my phone. It was from my friend, letting me know that she had just gotten good news and that God had answered her prayer.

"Little man! Jesus answered our prayer!" I said excitedly to my sixteen month old, to which he replied, "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!"

How amazing it was that I was able to share that moment with my son! We prayed together for a very specific need, and a short while later, God answered our prayer. I hope that moments like this teach my son that prayer is powerful and that God is mighty.

This morning at Bible study, we were given this verse, and I know it was no coincidence:

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." -Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Pumpkin Craft

This is a great craft to do if you have little ones with very short attention spans.

You will need:

• Orange construction paper
• Green ribbon
• Scissors
• Hole puncher
• Crayons, paint, or markers

1. Cut out a pumpkin shape in the construction paper.

2. Punch two holes in the top of the pumpkin by the stem.

3. Thread the ribbon through the holes so that both ends of the ribbon are at the front of the pumpkin. Tie a knot.

4. Take the scissors and curl the ribbon. Now you have cute vines!

5. Let your little ones decorate the pumpkin any way they see fit!

6. Display it proudly on your fridge! :)

The Long Winter

Lately, it has been a bit chilly to be playing outside for hours on end. I had to bring the toddler inside today after I froze for thirty minutes.

He wasn't happy.

At all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder said, "Home is the nicest word there is." If only I could convince my son of that.

Little Moments

"Yeah, I live for little moments like that." -Brad Paisley

Little Moment #1

The toddler has been having a lot of trouble sleeping the last few nights. I'm not sure what's causing this. Is his room getting cold? Is he having bad dreams? Who knows. But I haven't been getting much sleep lately.

Last night, around 4 AM, he was screaming and so upset. So, I gave in, which I occasionally do when I'm just too tired to fight a battle. I gave him some milk and put him in bed between the hubbs and I. He finished his milk, snuggled into the sheets, and let out a relaxed sigh. I was drifting off, and silence sat gloriously in the bedroom for sixty whole sections.

Then, two words pierced the quiet of our dark bedroom.

"Kitty cat." And right after kitty cat, "Flower," and "Pumpkin." He proceeded to repeat those words over and over. Can you tell we've been reading some fallish/Halloween books? :)

As tired as I was, it made me laugh and it warmed my heart. 

Little Moment #2

When the hubbs got home from the hospital today, the three of us sat down on the front step so that the toddler could play with the pumpkins and the hubbs and I could chat about our days.

Little man picked up a pumpkin and brought it straight to me. "Pumpkin, Momma." "Thank you!" I exclaimed.

Then, he picked up a second pumpkin and brought it to the hubby. "Dada."

After that, he picked up the last pumpkin and brought it to me. It made me smile.

But as soon as he had released the pumpkin into my hands, he said, "No, no, no." He immediately plucked the pumpkin out of my hands, shouted "Dada," and placed the pumpkin in Dada's hands.

We cracked up laughing. I guess we know who the favorite is. ;)

My Lil' Razorback

My little Razorback is keeping me busy, busy! And I'm loving it. His personality is blooming more and more each day. I can't believe that this was the little guy just one year ago!

He can be such a goof when we're playing "tickle spider" (my hand becomes a spider that loooves to tickle a certain little boy) and peek-a-boo. And he can be so serious when we are reading together or if someone is explaining something to him. His little face becomes so solemn, and I can see how hard he is concentrating.  He adores being the center of attention (hm...I wonder who he got that from?), and if I am talking with another adult and little man is in the room, he will start shouting out words until we stop chatting and look at him.

I'm still not sure what he's going to be for Halloween this year. Last year, he was an adorable monkey. I'm thinking...a pumpkin, maybe?

His least favorite time of day is when the hubbs leaves for the hospital. He sticks his fingers in the crack of the door, and cries, "Dada! Ah-gone! Dada!" And it breaks my heart.

His favorite time of day is when Dada comes home. Nothing can compare. He gets so excited that he runs up to the hubbs, shouting, "Dada! Dada! Dada!" As soon as Dada scoops him up, he starts shouting out every noun he sees. So, it goes something like this, "Dada! Dada! Dada! Ear! Nose! Trac-ta (tractor)! Car! Fire! Deuce (juice)! Ball!" It is hilarious.

Mr. Butch Cassidy's favorite thing in the world is to play "ah-side" (outside). He loves to pick up the "punkiss" (pumpkins) and throw "a rock." Speaking of "a rock," the little man is adding the article "a" to nearly everything. It's pretty precious. A bath. A car. A "tee" (tree). He is also starting to put words together. The other day, he walked up to "BeeGee" (my mom), and said, "Bite of yo-gur (yogurt)." And all the time, he shouts, "Up me!" This exclamation means, "Pick me up! I want to see what is going on!" The thing that is cracking me up/embarrassing me to death right now is that when he says "frog," what ends up coming out is the "f" word--crystal clear. Oh, we had an incident in Walgreen's--I won't go there. Just know that I was very red by the time we left. :)

The toddler is down to one nap a day, which works well with our hectic schedule. He usually goes to bed around 7:30 and is up anywhere from 6:45-8:00. He likes to mix things up and keep me on my toes. It always seems to work out that the mornings that I set my alarm for 6:00 or earlier, he decides to sleep in. Oh well. :)

The toddler now goes to bible school one morning a week and mother's day out one day a week. I have seen tremendous benefits from these two activities. He no longer cries when we drop him off at the nursery at church. He is even more independent around the house, which means that sometimes Momma actually gets to focus on something! Gasp!

His favorite thing in the world to eat is "pia" (pizza). Every night at dinnertime, he asks, "Pia?" And if he sees a pizza box, he will absolutely squeal with excitement. He also likes "feesh" (goldfish), "cuh-racker" (crackers), "yo-gur," "tease" (cheese), and he's not concerned about hurting his momma's feelings if he doesn't like something, which he deems, "yuck-eeeee!" His vocabulary and his ability to mimic sounds continue to astonish me.

I hope this doesn't sound mean, but little man is horrible in restaurants. The hubbs and I came to the conclusion about a month ago that we were no longer going to take him out to eat until he could behave. Like he pitches a fit. After paying about eighty dollars for a meal at Big Cedar Lodge that we each only ate a few bites of, we decided that there were lots of date nights in our future and not so many family dinners out.

Our time together consists of walks every morning, watching Super Why (his favorite show), playing "ah-side" as much as possible, trips to the library where we frustrate lots of people who are seeking quiet, trips to the park, and playdates.

I love this stage that he's in right now. I love how balanced and exciting it feels. I love that when we are out and about, he can say, "Look Mama!" And he can tell me what he wants me to look at!

I know that God has amazing plans for this sweet little angel of mine. I can't believe we're approaching a year and a half! Where did that time go? That's a rhetorical question of course, for the time has been spent in enduring sleepless nights, making endless new adjustments, waging food fights at the dinner table, chalking up the driveway, rocking a sleeping little boy in my arms while singing Billy Joel songs (don't judge), causing scenes in the middle of libraries and restaurants, laughing at tickle spider, and a million other memories that all the while are shaping and molding, blessing and teaching.