Fall in Full Swing

I'm loving this season right now! The leaves, the coziness, the grey skies. For some reason I'm embracing the rain and wind this year. Maybe it's because I feel fulfilled by how much time we spent outdoors in the summer. I'm sure by January I'll be clawing to get out and feel sunshine again but for now I'll enjoy what's left of the golden leaves on the trees and pumpkins on our doorstep.

Our front porch. Patrick and I had so much fun sipping hot cocoa and coffee while we decorated the morning after we went to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago.

When there is a break in the weather we still get outside for a walk or just to play in the yard. Yesterday we had that very opportunity so we brought out Miles' new Little Tikes car (Thanks Grandma Di and Nono for the early birthday gift!). Miles ran the entire time we were out there. I can't blame him! It felt great to get fresh air for more than the minute it takes to load into the car. Grant had the BEST time in the backpack watching Miles run around.

Tomorrow is Halloween and we'll be dressing the boys up and hitting up a few houses for candy. I should see if I can get Miles to say Trick or Treat. He's going to be a Green Bay Packers football player thanks to Patrick's Uncle Mark who got him the outfit. He can finally fit it now! Grant will be a biker baby. He'll wear a bandana and a skeleton shirt that is a hand-me-down from his Mallahan cousins.

Sweet Potato face

I'm also really looking forward to the other holidays coming up. I think it's because Miles is older and will get more out of it this year than he did last year. For instance, we made clay Christmas ornaments yesterday with his handprint. I remember the ones my mom made when I was little and want to carry on the tradition, plus, they're kid friendly so if Miles bites them or takes them off the tree I won't have to worry.

Waving to a car.

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend our little family went to Schilter Farm. It was SO much fun! We are planning on going to the farm with my cousin Ashley and her husband Alex later this month but when we woke up to clear skies only one thought entered our minds: we'd better take advantage incase the weather isn't nice the weekend we go with Ashley and Alex. So, out we went, taking the scenic route.

We've heard the farm can be crowded during this time of year and there seemed to be quite a few people there this time but the farm is so spread out that it doesn't feel cramped. We took our time walking around and doing the different activities. They have a children's hay maze, petting zoo, pumpkin and corn cannons, corn maze, hay ride, pony ride, hay jump, two hay forts, little peddle tractors for kids, the huge pumpkin patch, produce, grilled corn dipped in melted butter, and some more food that we didn't get a chance to check out (maybe next year we'll have lunch there). We didn't do everything. That would have taken all day! This goes without saying that we'll definitely make this a tradition.

Miles is sitting on top of the hay bale is the hay maze. He was a little weary because he couldn't see out. It's a cool maze though because it's about 3 bales high so kids can't see out but parents can see in. It's in their beautiful bar where they hold weddings.

This is all white-washed and absolutely stunning. Many couples get pictures taken here when they're getting married in the barn.

They have an awesome petting zoo area with baby pigs, ducks, kitten, goats, sheep, alpacas, and ponies. I wanted to tuck this little kitten in my pocket and sneak it home!

The ducklings were really cute!

Let's see how much he grows over the next year.

Patrick and I decided to have Miles go on the Pony ride. Our expectations were that of a scared and squirmy Miles where he either wouldn't go on the pony or wouldn't be able to stay on. Well, he completely blew those expectations out of the water! He LOVED it! He held on really well, sat still, and halfway through was waving to onlookers and laughing the entire time. It was so funny. I'll post the video later.

This was the best picture we could get where both boys were sitting somewhat still. The camera moved so that's why we're not centered but you know what? I don't care, because it captures the moment and how our family is in real life. It's not perfect, there are struggles to get something simple accomplished but in the end it's ok, everyone safe, everyone is lookin' good, and we're together having fun.

You Know You're a Mom When...

You know you're a mom when:

... you see a guy in a low-cut V-neck tee shirt and think 'that'd be a great shirt to nurse in.'

... you are so relieved and glad when the kiddos are finally in bed for the night and have some time to sit down only to find yourself watching a few videos of them from earlier in the day.

... your heart is warmed by the little footprints you see in the carpet.

... you find yourself saying things like 'no, don't put the cheese on the TV' and 'get back or you'll get brother's poop all over your face!'

... when the most silence you get during your day is because the kids fell asleep in the car.

... fingerprints on the windows make you smile but then you immediately clean them off because it's sooooper annoying to have fingerprints on the windows.

.... there's nothing more satisfying than when your toddler FINALLY lays still during a diaper change, and willingly lays down for one too.

... you see homes on HGTV and can totally tell they don't have kids by all the white furniture and vases sitting on the coffee tables.

... You wonder why all grocery carts aren't made with two child seats like the ones at Costco. (basically Costco is awesome in all ways).

Thank you, Pinterest

Forward: this is basically a post about how much I love Pinterest.com.

Most of you have heard of Pinterest and probably even dabbled with it, pinning anything and everything to your boards in hopes it'll inspire you or just to reflect on later. This is me. I've jumped on board and feel like I'm driving this fad bandwagon with all the pins I'm collecting. Recently, I decided that if I'm going to pin something I need to actually do it/ try it not just hoard pins and pretend I'm creative or a good cook. Then, after trying the new recipe or craft I'll repin it to a new board entitled "Been there, Done that" so I can see how much of my goal I'm accomplishing. (I still need to move those pins over).

Patrick and I have been really into doing things around the house this summer especially now that he has his shed built and equipped with his stereo system and power tools, oh, and lights so he can see. His first big project to test out his woodworking tools and learn some basics about woodworking was this growth chart I found on pinterest.

After a couple hours of planning, testing the tools and stains on scrap wood, he was at it sanding, carving, staining, and painting. Yes, he carved every line and number with his tools. He's a perfectionist in a good way. I would not have had the patience to do that. It turned out great!

The handful of crafty things I've made, thanks to Pinterest, are as follows: bedroom curtains for Miles (great tutorial here), funky painting on canvas, two toilet paper roll flower designs, gel ice pack, dry shampoo, tub cleaner, laundry soap, microfiber couch cleaner, measurement conversion chart for inside the cupboard, and growing green onions. Some of these were great ideas and others were not, like the green onions. They grew, but took weeks to get about 6 inches and were starting to get all slimy in the glass. Gross. I'll also be putting notes on each thing I have tried so if you want to know how this all turned out, follow me on pinterest.

Funky painting

Toilet paper roll art

I've also found great recipes through pinterest. Here's another cumulative list of what I've tried: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cake, crockpot chicken and dumplings, crockpot hawaiian chicken, crockpot cheesy chicken spaghetti, sweet and sour meatballs, pizza casserole, salsa,  grilled pulled pork pizza, cinnamon pull-apart bread, crockpot chocolate lava cake, baked doughnuts, chocolate chip peanut butter pound cake with peanut butter glaze, s'mores french toast, little debbie cookies- the oatmeal and cream filled ones, and 2 minute microwave peanut butter cake.

Spinach and mushroom stuffy shells

Grilled pulled pork pizza

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cake (very rich!)

2 minute cake (cook in the microwave!)

Basically, Pinterest is my favorite website right now and hopefully I'll be able to add my own pictures of the crafty things I come up with or bake so others can pin it. But for now I'll just hoard my pins and test out every one I can. Up next, a crocheted cowl scarf in the wheel stitch. Sounds fancy but is actually pretty easy!

Lake Pearrygin

Our little family went camping for 6 days at Lake Pearrygin, Winthrop with my parents and Zach, Cheri, and their 4 boys. It was a blast despite a few sleepless nights and chasing Miles around. I prepared myself for camping by lowering my expectations about the boys sleeping as well as at home and assuming that Miles would try to run off or get into everything. I'm so glad I prepared myself and had that frame of mind because it made the trip much more enjoyable.

Patrick and I decided to leave Friday night so the boys would sleep the most of the 5 hour drive over (my parents, Zach, and Cheri got there earlier that day). We pulled in at midnight on the dot, put the boys straight to bed which worked out really well, and crawled in to bed ourselves. The next day was spent at the beach, taking walks, spending time at the trailer while babies napped, celebrating Cheri's birthday, and indulging in junk food. I'm still detoxing from all the junk food after 3 days of being home. My favorite part of the junk food is what the boys call "candy school." All it is is a giant Costco bag of candy but the boys sure love it (as do I) and is known to be used to bribe the boys to do something such as fall asleep first or be quiet so they don't wake up sleeping babies. They'll call it double candy school meaning they get two pieces of candy if they're good.

The weather wasn't the best a couple of the days we were there which made it less desirable to hang out at the beach, although we still did a little bit, especially when the sun did come out. The boys took boat rides on my dad's new boat, were towed on the inner tube, went fishing a couple times and caught 6 fish. Uncle Don, Aunt Linda, Monica, Luke, and Luke's two buddies came out to see us. It was fun catching up with everyone. Dad, Zach, and Pat went golfing while us girls hung out at the campsite and relaxed a bit.

Another day we took a drive up to Sun Mountain Lodge. There is a gorgeous view of the Methow valley. The hotel is very unique. It's a rustic cabin lodge with really awesome game displayed down the hallways, in the lobby, and a giant buffalo when you first walk in. They have a cooled wine room that houses from 3000 to 5000 wine bottles and a table fit for a king that seats about 12 to 14 and an enormous Polar Bear. On our way back we stopped in Winthrop and had ice cream outside.

One of the struggles was getting Grant to sleep well at night. Half the nights Grant slept amazing and the other half were spent sleeping in two hour intervals and waking up for the day at 5:30. But he made up for that by napping 3 1/2 hours a couple times so I guess it turned out OK. Miles slept great! He was so worn out by end of the day that he was practically begging to go to bed. The first couple of days were a bit of a challenge keeping him within our campsite area but by the end of the trip he was obeying us when we told him not to wander too far. My mom brought a corral gate that Miles played in which was so helpful!

 Between 3 cameras we took 429 pictures. It's fun seeing what everyone captured.

Camping was like a mini wildlife adventure. This squirrel would not leave our campsite alone! He kept trying to steal food. We'd chase him away and he'd come right back. Another pesky critter that wouldn't leave us alone either was a mole. There were holes everywhere and he'd crawl out, walk across our site, and go in another hole. He was super tame and didn't mind being pushed aside or picked up with swimming flippers to be transported to some bushes. One night a deer wandered on the outskirts of our site. It watched us at the campfire for a moment and then moseyed on to find food.

They were so tuckered out that a stroller nap was exactly what they needed. See Miles draped over the side in the back?

Miles sat so well at the kid table! I was very surprised he'd sit long enough to eat without being buckled into a highchair.

This day was beautiful and we spent all afternoon at the lake building rivers and sand castles.

Grandma Di with Liam and Grant.

Nono and Grant

The boys' fishing spot.

Jammies!!

Although it doesn't look like it, Miles loved the boat.

4 Months

Four months ago I was at the hospital holding our little new born baby. He's not so baby anymore! His 20 pounds of chunk is so lovable, and squishy. I'm trying not to let those new born memories of him slip away by recalling when he couldn't even hold his head up, smile, or stay awake long enough to eat. Those moment were so precious. It seemed like his movements were in slow motion because he was so brand new. But now as I type this he's in the johnny jumper bouncing away. Those are some strong legs! Here's a little recap of what Grant is up to lately:

What makes Grant laugh: being tickled, Miles, and any funny noise.

What makes us laugh: how he startles so easily! He'll be watching Miles and then Miles will move suddenly and Grant will practically jump out of his skin.

New milestones: rolled over a couple times and not by accident! Tried rice cereal and made funny faces the entire time. I waited until 6 months with Miles to try solids and I think waiting contributed to his pickiness with certain textures. He also just started to play with his feet, well, when he can reach them.

Percentile: Completely off the charts in both height and weight. He's 27 inches tall and about 20 pounds! He's got 4 rolls on each leg. I LOVE it!

Things Grant loves doing: talking! He's really started to voice his opinion lately. He loves watching Miles and smiles at him all the time. Oh, and the drool waterfall is starting up. He sure loves to drool when he chews on his hands.

Vacations: His first vacation was to our Aunt Linda and Uncle Don's river house near Chelan. He went in the pool for the first time! Another big trip was camping with my brother Zach and sister-in-law Cheri with their 4 boys and my parents. He was a good camping baby despite a few rough nights. (I'll post about this vacation later).

Sleep: Grant is still a great sleeper. He sleeps from around 8:30 to 6:30 getting up only once between 2 and 5am to eat. His naps are either quick little cap naps (45 minutes) or 2 to 3 1/2 hours! Some days are better than others but I'll take whatever I can get since Miles used to nap 45 minutes for every single nap for 10 months.

Who he's starting to look like: Your guess is as good as mine. It's still hard to tell. Sometimes I see a little of my brothers in him and sometimes he's a dead ringer of Miles (only when he's sleeping in his car seat). But I just can't get enough of those dimples when he smiles. Who are those from?

That pretty much sums up Grant's life over the past month. I love seeing more of his personality come out everyday. I can tell in some ways he's similar to Miles but at the same time he's totally his own person. What I'm even more excited for is when he's old enough to play with Miles. It's not too far off, I mean all he really needs to do is sit up on his own and he'll be able to play.