Happy (first) Halloween!

Adam's first Halloween!

The official unveiling of the costume - Rarrrrrrrrrrrrr!
We're all ready to go for some selective trick-or-treating (we just took him around to a few friends' houses).

Adam's first trick-or-treat

He was not overly thrilled about going in his car seat with his costume on. What a trooper.

Stopping off to see Ms. Janice and Jackson.

Making his selection at Ms. Susy's house.

The fam.

Adam was very excited to examine his stash once we got home. You'll notice he went right for the animal crackers - he must recognize the package.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a cute tiger."

Ok, so trick-or-treating started at our house at about 6:00. It was the MOST INSANE thing I've ever experienced. Seriously, about 200 kids came. Phil and I went to answer the first door bell ring and we noticed that everyone else was sitting in lawn chairs on their driveways. We figured out why pretty quickly - the kids just keep coming one after another. So, we quickly put Adam back in his costume so he would be warm (and festive) and camped out ourselves. It was pretty fun to watch all the peeps in costumes swarming around the neighborhood. Adam was very entertained.

This pair of brothers (our neighbor friends) win the prize for the best costume! This is way too awesome not to share with you all.

Happy Halloween everybody!

Unagi

One of my favorite episodes of Friends is "The One with Unagi." Ross tries to explain the concept of Unagi as a "state of total awareness," while everyone else thinks it's a kind of eel served at sushi restaurants. I'll admit, however, that a couple of the jokes didn't quite make sense to me since I had never had sushi and was actually a little afraid to try it. My friend Shannon was always trying to get me to go get sushi with her, but I stood my ground and always refused.

THEN...Phil and I went out for date night to a Thai restaurant that also has an extensive sushi bar. UNAGI was actually on the menu! This was exciting enough to me that Phil was actually able to convince me to try some sushi for my very first time. I started out wimpy with a California roll...and liked it!

THE NEXT STEP...Last weekend, Phil and I returned to the restaurant for-----an entire dinner of sushi!!! This was a huge step for me, and you can see I was a little unsure at the beginning. Here I am with our "boat for two" in front of me (that's unagi on the back end of the boat!)

The story has a happy ending, and now, Shannon, I will go for sushi with you the next time we are together!

And yes, of course I went home and watched "The One with Unagi" with new appreciation.

Fall Fun

I really wanted to get some pictures of Adam in the leaves, but we don't have any big trees in our yard. So, we took a little walk a couple of days ago and had some play time in the leaves. Just a couple of pics for you...

This fall has been so fun, and very interesting for me. I've been thinking a lot about what my life was like this time last year, in the last weeks leading up to Adam's birth. I've often been pausing in the middle of an activity, suddenly reminded that the last time I was doing this or in this place, my belly was significantly bigger and I had Adam growing inside of me. Strange and wonderful to think about!

Carve 'em Up!

Hmm, this is different. I wonder what's in here.

I'd better get it out...There clearly isn't enough pumpkin on this floor. I'll fix that...

Mama and Daddy hard at work.

Adam actually wasn't terribly interested in the goo, but we did manage to get a couple of shots.

He WAS interested in eating the chunks of pumpkin that we had cut out. Gross! Sometimes I just don't get this kid.

I don't think this photo really captures just how messy his face was after gnawing on pumpkin.

He liked Daddy's since it was just the right height.

Adam and his pumpkin friends. You'll notice I opted for "cute" this year, while Phil stuck with his "scary and slightly disturbing."

Our pumpkins in their new home out in front of the house.

Rainy Day Playdate

It was a rainy day here in Dayton. Adam and I wanted to get out of the house, so we got together with some friends. I had so much fun chatting with my mama friends while Adam had tons of fun catching up with his buddies Eliana and Josiah. Adam and Eliana are just a day apart in age, and Josiah was born just a couple weeks later.

FUN!

Thanks (Mamas AND Babies) for a great day of play!

New Hiding Spot

Someone thinks he's so sneaky...

Picking our Pumpkins

Once again, we stopped by Young's Dairy Farm to pick out our pumpkins. Phil and I were sharing memories of our trip here last year when I was pregnant. Phil made his *hilarious* joke that they must have thought I was trying to steal a pumpkin from the patch last year. I know, so funny.

Phil usually launches rockets, but today he tried launching pumpkins! There was a big dumpster out in the field. Phil had great distance, and actually came pretty close to getting it in. I was a little worried for the cows out there, but they didn't seem too concerned.

The fam on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. Adam liked watching the tractor.

Daddy and Adam picked out this pumpkin.

Here is Mama with hers. This one will probably actually be Adam's pumpkin.

Stay tuned for carving pictures next weekend!

Kelly's Tea Party

My friend Kelly is expecting her third baby girl to arrive in just a few weeks, so we wanted to give her a "diapers and wipes" shower (since she already has everything else she needs to welcome her new little girl). So, Susie invited Kelly and her two girls over for a tea party so that we could keep the shower a surprise. (PS, Susie took most of these photos.)

The girls were so excited for the tea party! Here they are, complete with princess dresses and tiaras. This is why I hope there is a little girl in our home someday.

Like I said...the girls were VERY excited. How sweet is this?

Susie made a beautiful diaper cake for Kelly.

Kelly giving Adam some love. Kelly has been such a huge support to me, and Adam loves playing over at her house.

Kelly and her girls - new addition coming soon!

Here's a quick shot of Adam and me that Susie snapped. Adam is fascinated by her fancy camera!

Thanks for a lovely tea party, Susie! Kelly, we are so excited to welcome your new little girl!

What do you do when life gives you apples?

You make apple pie! I suppose this post is a logical follow-up to the last. I have never made an apple pie, as I do not particularly care for it, but my husband LOVES it. So, with freshly picked apples in the house, I decided to give it a try.

It came out pretty well!

Probably the happiest I've seen Phil in quite a while.

It was love at first sniff. (I know this photo is a little creepy...)

Phil had his first taste this morning and gave it his official stamp of approval!

Tukens Orchard and Farm Market

It was a beautiful fall day today, so we decided to go apple picking at a little farm near out house - Tukens Orchard and Farm Market. It was such a fun little place!

Adam inspected this apple for most of our time in the orchard. He had a couple of little bites and then proceeded to suck the juice out.

There was a petting zoo, which Adam enjoyed very much.

"Hello, Mr. Llama."

He really liked the baby goats...just his size.

We played in the little pumpkin patch. We'll probably go get our pumpkins next weekend.

I really like this picture for some reason, even though he isn't looking at the camera.

They had a store with lots of yummy treats as well as arts and crafts. I picked out this hand painted gourd. I'm pretty excited to incorporate it into my Thanksgiving centerpiece. Stay tuned...

I'm also going to try making an apple pie for Phil with the apples we picked today. Wish me luck!

Some News to Share!

Adam has some GREAT news to share with you!

He actually slept through the night for the very first time in his whole life on Friday, October 2 (but hey, who's keeping track?) However, we celebrated extra hard last night because he slept all night without even waking up to cry for a while! There is still room for improvement, but I think we are FINALLY coming out of Adam's sleeping troubles and we are so glad!

Dear Everybody,

Thanks for praying for me!

Love,

Adam