Happy Halloween

Well, our night of Trick-or-Treating is officially over now that Sam's sugar high has worn off. He's off to sleep with a little face paint and chocolate left on him, but we can take care of that in the morning. Even at two, it was a lot for him to take in. With one stop to go, Sam told us, "Don't like anymore."

Sam enjoyed getting to see everyone and showing off his cowboy words. Bailey tried to act her part by curling up in my arms and sleeping most of the night. She made a few noises, which we suspect were supposed to be "Trick or Treat."

Halloween Fun

Last night we carved our pumpkins. Sam and Daddy worked on the big one while Mom worked on the little one. Hers is supposed to look like candy corn eyes and nose with a smile.We have some more pictures that we'll post soon of the actual carving. Sam was able to almost crawl inside the big pumpkin.Here's some pictures that we were able to get on Sunday of Sam in his costume. He's a cowboy and says:

Howdy Partner

Giddy Up

Get along little doggie

Adios

And riding his great pumpkin...We'll get pictures of Bailey tomorrow in her little cat suit and ears.
Here's a picture of Sam holding Bailey on the couch this weekend too.

Because...

Sam's speech is ever changing! His latest word is because.

For example:

"I want to brush my teeth because... because... I want.. to brush.. my new teeth!"

"I want water because I am hungry!"

Sam gets one vitamin "because I get sick tummy"

I just love listening to him talk and watching his face as he tries to come up with the words that he wants to say and putting them together!

Bailey's starting to really babble now too. We went to the Halloween parade on Monday. She was soo cute all bundled up in her little bunting. Every time there was a band she would start making all sorts of noises. Unfortunately she has learned the ultimate kid trick, to immediately stop once the camera is on. Hopefully we'll be able to catch her soon. I'll be sure to post it when we do.

Fall Has Arrived!

Yesterday morning we finally had to bundle the kids up. We got Bailey's carseat cover out of the closet and found Sam's mittens at his request. Good thing we did though as they are forecasting snow for Sunday!

Tuesday Sam got to go up to the big church parking lot to ride his bike. It has a slight slope to it, so it was really good for learning on. He did really good at steering and keeping his feet on the pedals. He loves his new bike and he'll tell anyone that asks!

Sam got to play with his new bath paints on Sunday. Dad was tired and needed a nap, so Mom kept him occupied upstairs. We wrote his name, Bailey's name, drew flowers, a tree, sun, Elmo, and Cookie Monster. He wouldn't stick his fingers in the paint at first, but eventually he did.Here's Sam in his pumpkin underwear trying on his "new" (to him) cowboy boots. He's going to be a cowboy for Halloween and it was the last thing that we needed.
We're going to take the kids to Trick or Treating at the museum on Sunday, so we'll be sure to post picture of them in their costumes! Bailey is going to be a cat and I just finished her ears last night. Can't wait to see them all put together!

Pictures for the Week

Here's Bailey in her new seat. She seems to like it much better as she can sit up.

This one is of Sam in his new pajamas with his Mickey Mouse balloon from his birthday.

Lots of Shots

Yesterday Sam and Bailey both got shots. Sam got his flu shot and Bailey had her two month check up and had three shots.

Sam went first. I told him we had to take his pants off to show the nurse his Mickey undies and he was eager to lay on the table. When the nurse was ready I gave him a big kiss, he made a little sound, and it was over. NO CRYING! I was so proud!

Next up was Bailey. She weighed 11 pounds and 11 ounces and was 22 inches long. Dr. Hartmann first checked her over and said that she is doing great. Then two nurses came in and gave her two shots at the same time, and then the third right after. She cried of course, but settled down very quickly.

The next appointment is in December when both Sam and Bailey have check ups (and shots I think). I think that we're going to see if Dad can help next time. Sam was very good, but it was hard to keep him under control while taking care of Bailey. Sam helped push the stroller the whole way, pushed the elevator buttons, and was a great big brother.

Our Trip to Gays Mills

On our way to Gays Mills, we took a different route than normal. On the way, we found a farm with a cart full of pumpkins in the front yard. We decided to stop and Andy and Sam picked out a HUGE pumpkin. Andy weighed it and it is at least 130 pounds! Luckily it fit in the back of the van.

The farmer let us get out and go out into the field and see if there are any more that we like. On our way back, we found chickens and pigs. Sam really liked getting to see them. He kept running back and forth between the pens.

When we got to the pumpkin patch, he ran from one pumpkin to the next yelling "Here's another one, here's another one. The patch ran as long as we could see. Sam and Andy walked down quite a way to see if there were any other big ones that he liked, but couldn't find any. I put Bailey down to see the pumpkins, but she didn't seem too impressed.

It took Sam some time to walk back as he was insistant on walking in the tall brush instead of where it was short. He must have fallen 5 times trying to get back, but he had to be independent. It was such a fun time that we'll have to make the stop part of the annual trip.

After that, it was off to Gays Mills. First we stopped at the pumpkin stand by the river and picked out a few big ears of Indian corn. Sam had a fun time helping Dad pick out the pretty ones. The two of them walked down to the river to look while Mom stayed back to feed Bailey.

From there it was up to the orchards. Sam really like the first one. There were samples of cider. He would finish the cider and then kept trying to lick the inside of the cup to get what might have been left. That is also the place with the famous cider donuts. By time Sam was done with his, he was covered in sugar and crumbs. He was a regular "donut monster".

From there we went to the next orchard which had baby pot-bellied pigs, chickens, rabbits, and ducks. They also have goats that Sam enjoyed feeding corn to.

It was a beautiful day and the kids were so good. They handled riding in the car very well, as it was quite a long trip.

Sam's Second Birthday

This weekend we had Sam's second birthday party. The weather was great, especially for it being October. Everyone was able to sit outside and enjoy the activities. Sam had a Mickey cake, balloons and pinata. He was happily surprised when he came downstairs from his nap. We were lucky have a lot of friends and family there to help celebrate.

The highlight of the day was watching the kids hit the pinata. As I've shared, we couldn't find anything with Mickey Mouse at the store, so Mom and Dad made one. It took us one punching balloon, two regular
balloons, three newspapers, tons of flour
and water, probably six hours, but a lifetime of memories. Sam started out with a plastic bat, which didn't get him far. Not that he didn't give it a good effort, he was hitting the pinata repeatedly. Then Dad found him a wooden dowel that he was able to make a little progress with. Sam and each of his three cousins were able to get 2 rounds of hits before Mickey was finally empty.


Sam got lots of birthday wishes and presents. We actually had to save the presents from Mom and Dad as he was just too overwhelmed. He was so polite and said thank you to each person with a hug as he opened his presents. He also found that if he took them to Papa TJ, he would get them open so that he could play with them.

Bailey also enjoyed the extra attention. She got to see everyone, a few people for the first time. Of course, she had to greet Grandpa Mike by spitting up all over him, but he took it well. I felt really bad! She had a little Minnie Mouse outfit to go with the occasion, which didn't make it past that incident. She looked really cute in it while it lasted.

Thank you to everyone for wishing Sam a Happy Birthday!

New Website Feature!!!

I am really starting to enjoy this new website! I have found a service that I can use to load audio clips. It’s really easy to use so hopefully I’ll have some new audio tomorrow. You can find it in the right column under Bailey’s picture. Three cheers for the new website!!

New Pictures

Last week we got Sam's pictures taken for his 2nd birthday. Luckily we did them a little early as this week he has a lot more scrapes and bumps. He got a new scratch on his eye from wearing an ice cream bucket on his head. He got another scratch on his leg while helping us in the yard this week. He's definately a little boy.

Bailey is doing well and is making more noises each day. She definately does not like her carseat or her bouncy seat as she doesn't enjoy laying down. She enjoys her baths, especially when she can take them with her brother. She really likes moving around in the water. Her swing is the other thing that we can count on to make her happy. Sam is really good about giving her easy pushes on it too.

This week we are working on Sam's birthday party. He is going to have a Mickey Mouse birthday. He even has a homemade Mickey pinata. We will be sure to post pictures of it once it's complete. It has taken us about five hours to make and lots of patience. It's been a lot of fun for Mom and Dad. It might even be so durable that the adults can have a shot at hitting it.

This week we're also going to go to Gays Mills to get apples with "Pap Pap" and Dee. So long as Bailey can tolerate the car ride for an hour and a half, it should be a wonderful time with stories to post I'm sure.

Silly Sam

We are pretty amazed by how much Sam understands things.  Last night we were sitting down to dinner. He always has his Superman plate when he eats. I had set down my plate on the table. He reaches over and grabs it and starts saying “Sam’s plate, Sam’s plate”. I told him “No, that’s Mom’s plate, here’s Sam’s plate”.  He then grabs his plate, smiles real big, and says “Mom’s plate”.

 

I can’t believe that he was able to tease me like that! Lord knows what we’re in for with that prankster!