Pumpkins!

Charlie and I had our first (hopefully just one of many!) trip to the pumpkin patch this year.  Although the little guy was more clingy than usual for a while, he warmed up once he got used to all the big orange pumpkins (which he insisted were "apples"??) scattered around.

My little fall fellow...

I can't get over how big he looks!

We met up with some of Charlie's friends at the pumpkin patch.  Lincoln and Chloe were happy to pose for a photo, but Charlie had not quite gotten out of his clingy phase yet.  I know it's bad, but I had to snap a pic of that adorable little mad face before I rescued him. :)

Charlie recovered once I introduced him to the pumpkin houses.  He loved sitting in the little kid-sized chairs and examining the small pumpkins.

Those pumpkins looked too yummy...Charlie just had to have a taste. :)

Our trip to the pumpkin patch brought back memories of how little Charlie was at this time last year.  I remember taking him to see pumpkins and having to prop him up with pumpkins in order to get a good sitting pic.  He looks so little to me here!!

Speaking of little, Baby Colin (or "Ca," as Charlie calls him) joined us at the pumpkin patch as well.  Isn't he a cutie??  He behaved beautifully the entire time!

Snazzy New 'Do

Charlie had his third haircut (first paci-free haircut!) recently and did so well!  He looked very nervous the entire time, but sat perfectly still and did not cry.  I have not figured out a way to get him to EVER sit still, so I was very impressed with his behavior.  As a result, he has a snazzy new haircut that is pretty cute--but makes him look so much older!  I know a post about the third haircut is a bit of a yawn, but I just never get tired of these sweet little haircut pictures. :)

The Big Move

Thanks to our growing family, need for a yard, and desire to be closer to the lake, we decided to move a few miles east to Lakewood (still in Dallas, for those of you non-Dallasites).  Since we sold our first house without having found a new one to move into, we spent 2 1/2 months in an apartment before The Big Move into our new place.  Two moves was not fun, although I didn't really realize what we were getting into.  The first move lulled me into a false sense of security, and I somehow forgot how much stuff we moved into storage at the beginning of the summer.  When box after box of stuff (that we had clearly survived just fine without for 2 1/2 months) kept coming off the moving truck, I felt a bit faint.  But thanks to my tireless, sweet husband, amazing (and also tireless) parents, and cheery little boy (ok, not really thanks to him, but he did make it all fun), we got completely moved in and unpacked over Labor Day weekend.  I still cannot believe how much we got done--we even got the house child-proofed, hung paintings and photos, and installed cool little organizational things like lazy susans, a pot rack, extra pantry shelves, and a pull-out pot lid shelf. :)  My parents really were incredible--I woke up one morning to find that my mom had stayed up until 3:00 a.m. getting my kitchen completely organized!  I am LOVING our new house, new yard, and new neighborhood.  If you ask me, the move was worth it...just don't ask my parents... :)


The apartment on the night before The Big Move.  I was not in a good place when I took this. :)

Poor Charlie was a trooper for the week leading up to the move.  There was LOTS of time spent packing and running between the apartment and the house to meet repair people, a handyman, painters, etc.  Charlie liked observing (and assisting with) all the work, but was exhausted by our busy schedule.  He hasn't fallen asleep in his car seat since he was about 3 months old, but I found him like this 3 times during our move week. :)

We made it to the house bright and early on Friday morning...

Charlie's favorite part of the move was the truck.  He LOVES trucks right now and was so excited to have one at our house that he could not relax unless he was outside exploring the moving truck (it didn't help that you could see it from the windows inside).  We were so happy when Uncle Sam came over.  The two boys share a love of trucks, and so Sam patiently stayed outside with Charlie until he had gotten his fill.

There was also some fun with bubbles in the backyard.  LOVE having Uncle Sam around! :)

Once Sam left, the fun was over.  We put Charlie to work!

Here's Charlie "fixing" the microwave.  He developed a love of stepladders during the move, and has fully mastered the concepts "up" and "down."  He spent a lot of time on that stepladder during the move--especially when he was "helping" Papa fix and install things.  Poor Papa somehow managed to complete a huge number of tasks despite all the "help" he was getting. :)  Charlie hasn't yet let me put the stepladder away--it is a favorite new toy.

I will post more pics of the new house when we are fully settled, but here's a sneak peak.  Can you find Charlie?  :)

Baby Girl: 30 Weeks (and Counting)

I cannot believe that I am already 31.5 weeks pregnant.  This pregnancy is truly flying by.  Second pregnancies are different from the first in so many ways, but the speed at which they move is the most shocking!  I had my last checkup, with a sonogram (!), at 30 weeks and everything was just perfect.  The baby girl was so adorable on the sonogram and was just as active and wild as her brother (the sonogram tech said that at least she comes by it honestly).   She is BIG--at 30 weeks, she is estimated at 3 lbs., 12 oz. (average is 3 lbs.).  She has a big noggin', long legs, and a (relatively) small belly.  I am eager to see this oddly proportioned kid. :)  And although she appears to be as busy as Charlie, she is a much more cooperative fetus.  She was perfectly positioned (head down).  We are relieved to not have another stubbornly breech baby (I am hoping for a VBAC with this one).  She also had plenty of amniotic fluid, so everything seems to be proceeding perfectly.  The sonogram made me so excited to meet this little girl.  Now I just need to get started on her nursery--eeeek!