Early Fall Happenings

This feels like a weird fall to me. I LOVE fall! It is my favorite season by far and I love packing it full of activities. I planned this whole pregnancy around getting all the house projects, baby projects and nesting done before October so that we could enjoy the month and a half until my due date. I researched every Halloween activity and put it on my calendar. Now that we are in this month, I have been so overwhelmed with all the things to do, but I do not want to miss out on anything.

The day after Miller's birthday party, we decided to go to a pumpkin patch. We normally go to one that is a 30 minute drive north and has a corn maze but I was not up for that. I can not imagine chasing both of the kids through the maze, being 8 months pregnant. I went the easy route and went to a pumpkin patch that was 15 minutes away with no corn maze.

She was quite pleased with herself for sitting on the pumpkin.

The following weekend, we went to the Halloween festival in our town. They had a touch a truck there which was great because we kept missing all the other ones around us and my boy loves trucks. 

My three little skeletons. According to the kids, a skeleton says,"dance, dance, dance".

The next day we went to Boo at the Zoo. It was really an excuse for the kids to wear their costumes and get to do a little trick or treating.

We ran from Boo at the Zoo to Miller's soccer game. Last game, Scarlett was clamoring to get out. This week she sat happily in her stroller, babbling away.

Summer Update

I am playing catch up here but I needed to post some Summer pictures before we move onto Fall.

I make a bucket list most years and berry picking is always on it but we never do it. We took advantage of Ben's half day Fridays and went one week. It was sooooo hot and we only lasted about 30 minutes but the kids still had fun. Scarlett sees the pictures on my phone from this and says, "hot", everytime. 

I love seeing my kids play together. It has been one of my favorite parts of this whole year. They were really quiet one day and I found them under the dining room table with a snack.

He won't always smile for pictures but he is so handsome.

 

After almost 4 years, I finally released Miller into the world. We signed him up for a one day a week preschool program. He really loves it and Scarlett loves her time with just mommy. In November he starts two days a week. 

First game of the season. Go Vols!!!

My cousin, Callie, was born in Tennessee but raised in mostly Oklahoma and went there for college. It is a funny thing when we end up playing any of my cousin's alma maters because they are torn who to cheer for. They came to TN for the game so we went up that weekend and went down to campus to tailgate with them. The kids had a great time getting to be in that atmosphere and had so much fun playing with their cousins.

Miller started a small soccer program this fall. Unfortunately, most of the games have been rained out but for the two that he has had so far, he has shown improvement in following directions.

New Years 2015/ My Birthday

Years ago, I set some high standards for my birthday and I drastically lowered them after having kids. It also really helped that we had taken my birthday trip a few days before.

New Years Eve, Ben and I went to see a movie then came home to spend it with mom, my cousin Ally and the kids.  Miller kept snuggling up to me and ended up passing out at 11:15. 

The next day we got bundled up and went to the reopened park downtown.

I love the views of my hometown from here.

Scarlett got her nap in while Miller played.

We took Miller to the Sunsphere (the big gold ball in the sky that was in the above pictures) so this view is of campus.

We grabbed pizza from Tomato Head and took it back to my grandparents house. The funny this is that it is my birthday and I do not like pizza but I like this pizza.

Since we have so many birthdays at the end of the year, Miller has become an expert at blowing out candles.

And she is an expert at being cute. 

Later we went to my dad and stepmoms house and did cake there as well. It was a low key birthday but a good one.

Christmas Events

So I am WAAAAAAAAAAYYY behind and I have good reasons. Before I get started with pictures, let me recap the last few months.

 Late September we went to Disney. We came home and a week later was Miller's birthday party which I went all out for. Two weeks later, my grandmother had a stroke and we took a last minute trip up to TN to visit her. We came home and Halloween was a few days later. The next weekend my grandmother passed away and another 5 day trip to TN. We were home for 10 days and then back to TN for Thanksgiving which was extended two days because Ben had a meeting there on the following Tuesday. A week after we got home, my mom came to visit so we could do some Christmas activities. At the same time we got word that Ben's grandmother passed away so we had to push up Scarlett's birthday party a day and go to Memphis on her birthday for a 5 day trip there. We came home for two days where I frantically tried to wrap up all of our Christmas stuff. We left for TN for my sisters shower a few days before Christmas. Normally we would be there from Christmas Eve through January 2nd but again, Ben had a meeting so that got extended to the 6th. Well on Monday the 5th my sister went to her 38th week doctors appointment to be told that she needed to be induced that day. That makes our two week trip to TN grow to three weeks.

I am exhausted and just want to be home. I really want a stretch of time at home because we have a laundry list of projects we want to start on this year. In the past two months, we have only been home for 3 weeks. Ugh!

Now to pictures.

My babies in some Christmas pictures. Love them!

Our annual Christmas potluck with our friends.

While mom was at our house, we went to the Botanical Gardens. I love this event! I love going to look at Christmas lights but it is hard with kids in car seats so this is the perfect way to go look at lights with them.

This is sort of out of order but here our a couple of pictures from my sisters shower. 

My stepmom and sister, Lindsey.

 

My sister and I. 

Since we had to move Scarlett's birthday party, my parents could not come so Scarlett opened her present her. Lindsey doesn't mind sharing the spotlight with her. 

 

That is from me of course. 

 

I can not believe that my baby sister is having a baby. As this is posting, she is in labor and I am so excited for my first niece.