happy halloween

I tried really hard to get a good picture of Bryce and his costume, but I failed.  He wasn't interested in having his picture taken.  We had trunk-or-treat at church tonight and we did a golf theme.  We brought Bryce's golf things along with Jason's and he was more interested in hitting golf balls than having his picture taken.  We had about 45 minutes of good trick-or-treating before the rain started.  It didn't slow Bryce down any.  He had a ball handing out candy to the kids and would have rather done that than get his own candy.  I'm even surprised that he never asks to eat any of his candy.  Must not be my child, ha!

squirreloween

We headed out to the local baseball stadium for their Halloween event, "Squirreloween" tonight.  Chase and Bryce enjoyed petting the animals.  I was impressed how brave Bryce was.

 He was willing to pet all the animals.



Bryce was absolutely giddy tonight.  He giggled uncontrollably the whole time we were there!

The suites were open for trick or treating and other activities.  Parker the Pig happened to be in this suite. 

We headed out to the dugout to take a group shot.

It's not often we get a shot with all of us!

Afterwards we went trick-or-treating at MeMa and PaPa's house.

Then we went to Nana and Pap's to round out the night.  Bryce enjoyed dumping all his loot into his new Mickey Mouse Halloween bucket.  Now he is prepared for trunk-or-treat tomorrow night!

Bryce really enjoyed his light-up fruit snacks!

carving pumpkins

Today was cold and rainy so we stayed inside and carved a pumpkin.  Bryce wasn't very interested in cleaning out the pumpkin, but he did help with the design.

Working hard.

Bryce is going to be Mickey Mouse for Halloween so we decided to stick with the same theme for the pumpkin!

We went to a brunswick stew cook out tonight.  It was very chilly and we ended up spending most of the night inside, but Bryce was very willing to go outside for a hayride!

We have more Halloween fun planned tomorrow and Monday so stay tuned!

pumpkin patch and other halloween fun

Kelly took the kids to the pumpkin patch the other day so I borrowed a few pictures from her!

They look a little unsure about the pumpkin!

Showing off their pumpkins.

When we got home on Wednesday, I noticed this cute bucket of goodies hanging on the front door.  It appears to be a fun little thing our neighborhood does for Halloween.  We do a similar thing at school with a vampire and you get "bitten".  I feel like even though we only know a few people in the neighborhood, whoever gave us this must know us.  Bryce was thrilled with the PEZ and stickers.  Jason will enjoy the beef jerky and I guess I'll share the M&Ms with everyone so I don't gain my one pound for the week in one day!  We went out and bought a few fun Halloween goodies to "boo" someone else in the neighborhood.  I just love stuff like this!  

25 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 weeks

Maternity Clothes: Most of the time.  I'm not loving my maternity clothes right now so I'm still wearing some regular shirts.  I've never been a fan of fall/winter clothes because I can't find the right length pants and I just feel so frumpy.  It doesn't get much better when you have an extra 12 pounds to cover. 

Gender: girl

Movement: all the time

Sleep: I'm waking up between 2-4 and just wonder why in the world I'm not asleep.

Cravings: everything

Symptoms: The urge to eat like a pregnant woman.  I want to eat everything all the time and I'm trying so hard to contain myself.  I'm also going to the bathroom A LOT!

Total Weight Gain: 12 pounds.  Up another pound from last week.  It's not going to get any better with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas coming. 

What I Miss: Being able to work out like I used to.  I'm still lifting some weights, but not as much as I used to.  I can tell it's catching up with me because my thighs are getting bigger. 

Best Moment of the Week: Bryce has had some shining moments in potty training this week!

What I'm Looking Forward to: I've been talking to the lady who is making the nursery bedding and we've finally made some progress so hopefully it will be in the mail soon.

saturday

We have had a wonderful day.  I was lazy this morning and didn't go grocery shopping like I normally do on Saturday mornings.  It was nice to hang out in our pajamas and not have to rush out of the house like we do every other morning.  When Jason got home from hunting we went to Chick Fil A for breakfast, Target for a few things (including Starbucks hot chocolate), then to Home Depot. 

You will notice the Mickey Mouse in Bryce's arms.  Today while Jason was shopping at Home Depot, Bryce and I tested out all the singing Christmas toys.  One of the workers took a liking to Bryce and told him he could have the Mickey doll.  I was very surprised and thrilled.  We were very appreciative of his generosity.  We are working on a thank you note to take to the store.

I spent the rest of the morning switching over Bryce's clothes and getting the nursery cleaned out while Jason moved the cable line in Bryce's bedroom.  I rearranged some things in Bryce's room today and now he has a little reading nook in his room.  He's very excited about his new bean bag chair he can sit in while he reads.  We had such a productive day today and it was so nice.  We even cooked dinner at home, which is rare for a Saturday and then we went out for ice cream......pumpkin gingersnap! 

trying to do better

With a week between my last posts, I'm trying to get back on track.  Each Thursday night our small group meets at church.  This week the guys went and helped a family within the church move so instead of a study tonight, the girls had a nice fellowship time with the kids and some snacks.  The boys enjoyed playing in the big kids class at church because there were different toys than they are used to in their regular classroom.  Towards the end, they got into the butterfly dress up headbands and I just had to snap a picture! 

I went to a Thirty-One party a few weeks ago and I got my order today!  I ordered this fun organization tote to use as a diaper bag.  I wasn't a fan of the shape of the diaper bag I had with Bryce so I'm hoping this one will do the trick.  

24 weeks

*Don't tell my photographer, but the picture quality this week wasn't that great.  I had a hard time a choosing a picture.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 24 weeks

Maternity Clothes: Most of the time.  Yesterday I wore a regular dress and leggings and today I wore a regular pair of capri pants.  However, I had to put a belly band on to keep everything in and it was a little too tight.  I got a couple pair of new pants tonight because I can't torture myself another day with the belly band!

Gender: Girl.  We looked through the name book again last night and we are not making any progress.  Bryce is having fun coming up with names too.  He started with Zoe (a friend from Sunday school), then moved to Rosie (Cailou's sister), and now it's Camille.  We're not sure where he came up with that one.

Movement: All the time.  She seems to wake up with me in the morning.  It's kind of fun!

Sleep: not too bad.  However, I'm coming down with yet another cold and I'm getting a bit stuffy which makes falling asleep and waking up in the morning not so fun.

Cravings: Pumpkin Pie Pop-tarts.  These were a seasonal item last year and I never got my hands on a box.  A friend of mine was visiting family in Pennsylvania last weeks and she brought me home 2 boxes.  I can't wait to try them, but I'm going to wait since I can't taste anything with this cold.

Symptoms: nothing you want to hear about.....

Total weight gain: 11 pounds (I'm kind of hoping I'm not gaining a pound a week yet).  

What I miss: Nothing really

Best Moment of the week: Went to the doctor yesterday and got a good report.  My weight and blood pressure were good.  The baby's heart rate was 145 and I'm measuring right on schedule.  

What I'm looking forward to: I'm still waiting to hear back from the lady I ordered the bedding from to make sure she can do everything I requested.  

On a different note, you've probably been wondering where I've been this past week.  I've been around, just busy and without my camera.  Last Saturday I babysat Bryce's friend Aiden and his baby sister Maggie.  I didn't get any pictures.  It was fun having a baby around to see how Bryce is going to act.  It wasn't terribly difficult which makes me feel a little better about preparing for the baby.  We went to IKEA on Saturday night to get the dresser for Bryce's room.  Now I just need to order him a new bookshelf and work on wall decorations.  Potty training has taken a step back.  Last week Bryce stopped telling us when he needed to go to the bathroom.  He's still good about going when we ask him or just make him g, but he isn't as independent anymore.  He is also having a hard time with pooping on the potty which causes him to have a few accidents.  We just started off so strong, it's hard going backwards, but I know he'll get there and I can't complain about the progress he's made.  Hopefully I won't be such a stranger to the blog this week.

  

23 weeks

*Bryce barely got in the picture this week!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 23 weeks

Maternity clothes: pants and dresses are maternity, but still able to wear my regular shirts.  I really need to buy a few more pair or pants or some things to wear with my leggings now that it is getting cooler.

Gender: It's a girl.  Still no progress on her name!

Movement:  All the time.  I've tried to get Bryce to feel her moving, but she never cooperates for him.  He likes to tap on my belly to get her moving.

Sleep: Depends on the night, but most often it's not bad.

Cravings: Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. YUM!

Symptoms: This may be TMI, but bladder control.  It was horrible after Bryce was born, but I got over it.  However, these days, coughing and sneezing catch me off guard!

Total weight gain: I finally hit the 10 pound mark today.  I now weigh the same as I did when I got pregnant with Bryce.  I had also gained about 20 pounds at this point of my pregnancy with Bryce.

What I miss: Wine.  Some days I just need that glass to calm me down after a long day.

Best moment of the week: Spending last weekend doing fun, fall, family stuff!

What I'm looking forward to: I ordered the bedding for the nursery last night and I can't wait for it to come in.  I hope I love it as much in person!

fall fun part 2

Our fall weekend of fun continued today with a trip to Carter Mountain to pick apples. 

Our first stop was the apple donuts.

It didn't take long to move onto apples!

Bryce posing with his apple.

Picking his very own apple.  There weren't many left at his level.

He got it!

We went with some friends from church and Bryce was very glad Aiden was there to share in the excitement. 

It was much easier getting a shot of the boys from the back.  Out of all the pictures I took of them today, they were never both looking at the camera at the same time.

Us on the hayride.

I finished decorating the front porch this morning.  I was too lazy to pot any of my flowers this year, but I still think it turned out nicely.

fall fun

We went to a local produce stand today to check out their hay maze and get some fall decor for the front porch.  Bryce had a ton of fun running through the maze.  I kept trying to imagine what it would be like to be on his level and not be able to see the correct path to get through the maze.

Bryce insisted on wearing this big brother shirt even though he's not technically a big brother yet!  It wasn't worth the fight to get him to wear something else.  I even tried to bribe him with a camo shirt so he could be like Jason! 

Bryce found himself in a dead end so he backed into the corner and just stood there.  Too funny!

After the maze, he was able to jump in the miniature bounce house they had. 

We picked up a hay bale, some corn stalks, a mum, and some funky shaped/colored gourds for the front porch.  I already had a a few things, but I still need a few more pumpkins and the front porch and steps will be all ready for fall.  Pictures to come!

The Star Spangled Banner

Bryce has been practicing the Star Spangled Banner when he is with Chase.  He will randomly start singing it in the car and I'm never prepared to video it.  Jason got a video camera the other day and convinced Bryce to help him make a video when we got home from him singing it over and over again in the car.  The first video Jason made was a little better, but Bryce left out a verse.  Bryce wiggled all over the place during this video and Jason helped him with a few verses to make sure he didn't miss anything, but it's still pretty good.  You may have to turn your volume up a bit to hear him.  Enjoy!

22 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 22 weeks

Maternity Clothes: It's gotten a bit colder and I've found that I can still wear my regular sweaters!  I'm still wearing my maternity dresses and I have gotten a couple pair of pants to wear with my ruched tops.

Gender:  Girl.  It's still so much fun telling people who haven't heard yet.

Movement: Everyday!  Last week she was really active at night, but she has settled down this week.

Sleep: No complaints.  I have had some really strange dreams though.

Cravings: This week I have been devouring tootsie rolls.  Halloween candy is such a weakness for me.  I don't need fancy candy, just some milk duds and tootsie rolls!

Symptoms: Everyday after lunch my stomach feels like it has already stretched to the max.  I can't eat that much at one time, and even after a small lunch, I feel stuffed.  I only notice it at lunch time. 

Total weight gain: none this week!  still at 9 pounds

What I miss: This is totally unrelated to pregnancy, but I'm really missing summer vacation and all the time I had with Bryce.

Best moment of the week: Bryce slept in his big boy bed last night and did great!

What I'm looking forward to: I have a vision for the nursery, but I just can't decided on something.  I'm ready to start getting it together because Bryce's room and the nursery are in total disarray with all the changes and I'm going crazy.  If you know me, I need order!