Happy Halloween 2011

click on this picture for link to recipe!

Candy Corn Cookies I made for the kids friends/teachers at Concordia

Monday evening we took the kids trick or treating around the neighborhood. Josh had it down pat...he knew to say "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you" and wanted to visit EVERY house that had someone outside. His bucket was FULL by the end of the night, but he had a great time!

Josh was ready to 'race' out & fill his bucket with goodies!

My cute lil' pumpkin!

Walkin' the neighborhood...

 After making our loop around the neighborhood, Josh was ready to shed the car & eat some candy!!  Addie was ready to eat & go to bed...  Josh was running laps around the picnic table on the driveway...it was hilarious!  We let him stay up a little later than normal, but when it came bedtime, he layed down fine, but would NOT go to sleep.  In fact, he was in his bed talking well past 10 pm last night.  Not fussing, just talking...  Needless to say, this morning he told Mike "Daddy, I tired!"  No kidding....it'll probably be an early night tonight :)

We had a very busy weekend!!!

We had a very busy weekend, but we had a lot of fun & did some exciting things!  This post is picture heavy...FYI :)

First, Saturday we had portraits taken for the Church directory.  Although the morning didn't exactly get off on the right foot, the session went great & we did find a family picture that we really liked :)

Saturday after naps, we took the kids downtown to the Auto Show at the convention center.  Josh had a good time looking at the BIG trucks & fancy cars (and let's face it...he's 2, he loved just being able to run around like a crazy kid!)  Afterwards, we walked up the river walk to the Rainforest Cafe.  I had forgotten it was Halloween weekend, so the Riverwalk was crowded, but we got to see a Halloween Riverboat parade.  Addie fell asleep pretty quickly after getting seated, but Josh was very intrigued by the atmosphere and the moving panda bears we sat next to.  The only thing he wasn't crazy about were the "thunderstorms" that happened every so often (where they dim the lights & have thunder & lightning). 

Sunday, Mike made an early morning trip to the dear lease to get some work done out there.  I enlisted the help of our friend Laura to take the kids to the pumpkin patch.  We went to St. Thomas Episcopal School and it was great!  The people there were so nice & the kids really seemed to like it!

He could NOT decide which pumpkin he wanted...I think he picked 3-4 different ones before he finally decided on one :)

Our beautiful babies!

I really like this backdrop...made for a cute picture!

This is the pumpkin Addie wanted...this girl knows what she wants!!!

The funniest part was Josh's fascination with the rotten & broken pumpkins in the woods.  He kept saying "Oh no, pumpkin's broken" LOL

After the pumpkin patch, we went home & carved our pumpkin.  This was the first time for Josh (and it had been a LONG time since I had carved one).  We started with the obvious....cutting the top off & getting the seeds out!  I am going to roast the pumpkin seeds so we can snack on them as well...waste not, want not! :)

Josh diving in to retrieve some pumpkin seeds and some "gluey" stuff as he called it :)

Our finished product!!!

Sunday, after naps, we headed to the Concordia Fall Festival.  This was our first time to go & it was pretty fun!  They had pony rides, a train ride, bouncing houses, slides, bingo, snacks...you name it :)  Josh got to see acouple of his friends...Anna & Ella but he missed Reese & Kayla too!

 

Josh enjoying the 'bouncing' house!

Addie enjoying the stroll outside!

Josh hugging Anna...he loves his friends!

Josh riding a pony...should've worn his cowboy hat!!!

Josh & Daddy riding the train!  CHOO CHOO....

Both kiddos were exhausted by Sunday evening & went to bed early....so they could be well rested for Halloween festivities! :)

another first....

Josh started running a fever on Friday and complaining that his mouth was hurting.  We kept an eye on him and started alternating Tylenol & Motrin for pain.  He seemed okay and was eating good until yesterday.  He was drinking okay (as long as the liquids were cold) but he complained everytime he tried to eat anything.  Last night he was up every 1-2 hours crying because his mouth hurt, so needless to say, neither Mike nor I got much sleep. 

I called the pediatrician today & took him in.  Dr. Fitch confirmed within a minute that Josh in fact did have the Hand-Foot-Mouth (HFM) virus :(   Today his nap was pretty much the same....1 hour, when normally at home he naps from 3-4 hours.

The good part is that typically it lasts 3-5 days and he felt like it probably started on Friday, so we should be on the downhill stretch.  Dr. Fitch also asked about the rest of us.  I told him that Addie & Mike were fine, but that I had a sore throat.  He checked me out & said it looked like I had it as well.  I didn't know adults could even get HFM, but he said it was possible.  He also said that its typically worse in kids than adults for some reason and most adults discount it as sinuses, allergies or a cold.  So, now we just pray that Addie & Mike stay symptom free!!!  Oh & that we all can get some rest tonight!!!

Weekend festivities

We replaced our fence this weekend...  It was a rough weekend (due to some Home Depot shortcomings), but it got done & looks great!  I am very pleased!

Our 5th Anniversary!

Mike & I both agree that on one hand, the past 5 years has flown by....but on the other hand, it seems like we've been married for more than 5 years since so much has changed in our lives.  All good, of course! :)

We enlisted Grammy & Poppy to come to San Antonio to watch Josh & Addie while we 'escaped' the city for a couple of days.  We rented a "little house" on the Blanco River in Wimberley, TX.  It was called Shade Ranch (www.shaderanch.com).

Friday night (our actual anniversary), we opted to eat at the Gristmill in Gruene, TX.  It was where we ate the night Mike proposed to me 6 years ago :) 

Saturday, we were able to wander around the 25 acres that the "little house" was located on & hung out down by the river too in between rain showers.

While it was raining, we enjoyed some uninterrupted college football on the couch & even got to enjoy a nap! :)  Saturday night, Mike grilled some amazing ribeyes...so we ate, drank & we watched the A&M vs. Tech game (both wearing our alumni t-shirts in silent support of our respective team!)

We got up & headed back home Sunday morning...  The weekend couldn't have been more perfect and to top it off...we were greeted by a HUGE hug from Josh, a toothless grin from Addie & a very hyper chocolate lab.  As much as we enjoyed our time together, we know that part of what makes us who we are today is our children!



Too cute not to share

Addie isn't the only one growing up too fast.  Josh surprises us every day with his new expressions, statements (some good, some not so good) and his actions.  He is quite the character though!  Here are a few cute updated pictures that I can't help but share :)

...eating edamame.  He does love to get the beans out of the pod!

...watching Shrek 2 in the Expedition

...just lookin' cute :)

...relaxing on Greer's recliner watching football

...hiding behind his 'cape'

...being 100% ALL boy playing outside!

Addie is 5 months old!

Addie turned 5 months old yesterday!  I cannot believe how fast time is going by...seems like only yesterday when I first held her! 

We made a trip to Rosenberg this past weekend to celebrate Taylor & Bryce's birthdays.  Addie did MUCH better on this road trip!!!!  Thank goodness! :)

She still loves to smile and "talk", but this girl knows what she's wants.  She gets frustrated and lets you know if things aren't going the way she thinks they should.  *Sigh* Unfortunately, I know where she gets this from and I have a feeling this will be the case for some time to come! LOL

She is sitting up with the assistance of the Bumbo and loves to see what's around her!  She's found her toes & even managed to get them into her mouth.  She is not sucking her thumb as adamantly as Josh did at this age, but constantly has her fingers/hand in her mouth.  I suspect we'll be seeing some teeth emerge in the near future.

She is still sleeping 11 1/2 - 12 hours at night and taking 1 decent nap (1+hour) and 2-3 short cap naps (30-45 min) during the day.  She's happy & it's not affecting her nighttime sleep, so I don't worry too much about it.  She is really moving around in her crib....back to tummy to side and spinning around the crib.  And much to my dislike, she's found a new sleeping position that she seems to really like :-/

A couple of firsts happened this week too.... 

Addie took a bath with Josh in the "big tub" and...

she ate dinner with us at the table last night.  She loved the cereal!!  She was ready & willing & ate the whole bowl of rice cereal!