Pumpkin Carving!

Max has been obsessed with pumpkins this year. He wants to take his little pumpkin everywhere and thinks that Jack-O-Lanterns are the coolest thing out there. So today, Grandma and Grandpa decided to treat him to his first pumpkin carving ever!! The theme of the day: Let's not take this too seriously. I thought Max would be way more excited about seeing the pumpkin carving process. The icky goo that came out of the inside held his interest, but once Grandpa started carving, Max had more important things to do. Namely having Grandma push him (and his cars) around the house in the rolly chair. I sure do love this crazy kid and all of his crazy facial expressions. But my favorite face of the day was the one Grandpa had while concentrating on his carving. It still makes me giggle.

Halloween Potluck

This has to be my favorite playgroup of the whole year! Great food, more sweets than even I can handle, adorable kiddos dressed up in awesome costumes, and an amazing group of people to share the day with. I think my favorite part of the day was actually on the way there. Max says, "I want to show Conner my hat!" I say, "I'm sure Conner would love to see your hat." He asks me if Conner is dressing up like Lightening McQueen too and I tell him that I'm pretty sure he will be the only Lightening McQueen there. Totally hilarious because I was wrong!! Conner really did dress up as Lightening McQueen too and wanted to race Max because, well, what else would two race cars do? Max was so excited to celebrate Halloween with his friends and today's potluck definitely lived up to his high expectation. On the way home I asked him what his favorite part of today was and he said, "Playing with my friends." Me too kid!

Baby Max

I think Max is starting to understand that a new baby will be here soon, and that he will no longer be our baby. He keeps telling me, "Mama, I'm the baby." And then he will start to do the fakest little cry I've ever heard. So I told him that if he wants to be a baby that he can only drink milk and he has to nap all the time. He happily took a glass of milk from me, but drew the line at napping all day. It's true that my Baby Max is going to be a big brother soon, which is so hard for me to even imagine. And every day he's growing and learning in new and exciting ways. But every once in a while, I'll catch moments that remind me of the baby he once was and it reminds me that although he's no longer a baby, we will always be our first baby. The other day I came down stairs and found him snuggling on the couch watching cartoons with Daddy. He looked so small and babyish cuddled under the blankets, the site just melted my heart.

Wednesday Story Time

Wednesdays are quickly becoming one of my favorite days of the week. Max loves books, so going to story time at our local public libraries was easily a big hit with my little nerd. Not only that, he gets to spend time with one of his favorite friends, Ms. Juliet Williams. He adores her and would spend every day with her if that were at all possible. Last week, Isabel (Juliet's mommy) and I took the kids to a different library. It's much smaller than the one we've been going to, but it's by far a better story time experience. While coloring her blue horse (the craft that accompanied Eric Carle's newest book, "The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse") Juliet said to Isabel, "Mom, I like this library better than the other one." So of course we had to come back this week. And I am so happy that we did! This week's story time was hosted by some very nice firefighters who read the kids a story, shared fire safety with them, and showed the kids their gear. Of course, the day ended with a thorough tour of their engine and some very nice little gifts for all of the kids. Here are some pictures of Max and his Juju:



Anyone who knows Max knows this is one of his favorite things to say to me when he's mad. I can't take credit for finding this book. It was all Isabel!

Little Miss Mia

Some of my favorite childhood memories are spent with Miss Mia's mommy, Manda. Watching Full House on TGIF, rollerskating rinks, listening to KIIS, chocolate muffins, relaxing in the spa in the pouring down rain... the list goes on and on. She always has been and always will be one of the nicest people I know and it's always fun hanging out with her. Seeing her as Mom to this adorable little girl is just another wonderful memory I can add to my list, a list I hope will continue growing throughout the years.

Max is so in love with Miss Mia, he kept referring to her as "my baby". Either that or baby Manda. Haha! Close enough kiddo! While Manda and Mia were visiting, Max had to take his nap, and by the time he woke up they were already gone. His poor little face when he woke up and discovered his baby was gone, it broke my heart. We can't wait until we get another chance to visit with them again!

How could I resist taking some pictures of this adorable pair? Mia is such a pleasure to be around and is always so happy... just like her mommy! Here are a few pictures I took from yesterday. Enjoy!

Avery is 1 Month!

Oh my poor neglected blog! It's been so long since I've posted anything, I'm surprised it still exists. Recently, I was lucky enough to take some photos of the adorable Ms. Avery Bohnen, and she is just too cute not to share.

Avery's mom, Amanda, and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. It is so great to see what an amazing person and mom she has grown up to be. As a little girl, Amanda was always fantastic with kids. Now that she's all grown up, not much has changed. It's crazy to see how much energy this woman has for her family. I know how hard it is to take care of a newborn, and she seems to rise effortlessly to the challenge. I also know how challenging toddlers can be, and 20 month old Gavin is all toddler! I can't even imagine how tough it must be taking care of a newborn and a toddler!! Thank goodness for Skylar, who is so the apple that didn't fall far from her mommy's tree. I have never seen a more sweet, responsible, and helpful girl. And while 3 kids may not be the 20 that everyone imagined her with, she's still built one of the largest families I know.

It's always a pleasure to hang out with little Avery. She's an amazing sleeper! In fact, the majority of the time I have spent with her, she has been asleep. But when she's awake, she is such a cuddler and absolutely adores her mommy. Sweet as can be, she is an adorable combination of her mom and her dad, but mostly she looks just like her big sister. With such wonderful parents and siblings, I know she is going to grow up to be just as sweet and caring as the rest of her family.