Pumpkin patch with Tommy 2015

Both of my kiddos are in preschool this year, so I got to go to the pumpkin patch with each of their classes! A little repetitive, but fun to spend one on one time with each of them and watch them interact with their friends.

Last year's pumpkin patch experience was.......okay. Tommy was super shy still and didn't want to talk to anyone in his class or ride any of the rides. We pretty much walked around and did nothing :) But that was okay.

THIS year was a whole other ballgame. He had FUN! Like, talked to other kids, went on the zip line, went down the slide (so did mom!), played on the swing set kind of fun. I was so happy to see him enjoying himself. I've never cared that he's a shy child as long as he doesn't let his shyness/fear keep him from doing things he thinks would be fun but is too scared to try. And last year, I felt like that's what he was doing--WANTING to join in, but being too afraid to do it. So my mama-heart was so happy that he was relaxing and being a four year old!

When we first got there, the whole class rode the hay rack ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins.

Waiting patiently for the tractor to come pick them up...

 He was SO excited to be on a "REAL TRACTOR!!" He wanted to sit right behind the tractor. He thought it was magical. I thought it was fumey. But how could I say no to that face?!?

 Once we got to the actual pumpkin patch, Tommy was a man on a mission. He walked directly to a certain pumpkin, picked it up and said, "This is it, mom!" And that was it. Then he helped me pick out mine.

 It was SUPER sunny out, so this is the best we got :)

We went back to the tractor and put our pumpkins down and then played on the swing set for awhile until everyone was done in the patch.

 I just kept thinking how much he's grown since last year! He would NOT leave my side to play on the swing set last time we came and this time, he ran over there without a second thought. Preschool has helped my guy grow up so much!

They took a class photo and I have to say, there are the CUTEST kids in that class! They're all so sweet and their voices are so little. They were all super spread out and nobody looked at the same camera the whole time, but dang they're cute!

After we were done getting pumpkins, we did all the other fun stuff.

Played in the corn...

 

"Rode" a cow (statue).....

 

Fed the sheep and goats....

 

Climbed a ladder swing.....

 

 Ran the "rat race"......

 

Rode the train........ 

Went through the maze house (just LOOKING at this thing made me so claustrophobic)...

 Hung out with the minions......

Rode the zip line........

 Played on tractors and trikes.....

It was such a good time and I'm so glad I'm able to go on field trips with my sweet guy!

The 7 year itch

September 6th was our 7th anniversary! We made it SEVEN years. I'm sure to some that seems like a very short time, but I'm so glad I found a man who's been able to tolerate me for seven years (and hopefully, many more).

We had a great anniversary weekend. It was on Labor Day weekend and we had my family over for a BBQ that Saturday. We ate a ton of food and hung out.

Short story--we bought a bunch of chicks earlier in the spring and they've recently gotten really big. One of them was pure white, so Tommy named it Little Dove (his idea, not ours!). Well, Little Dove is not so little anymore. He turned out to be a rooster and was starting to get really mean. One day I was sitting on the porch and Tommy went running by screaming at the top of his lungs. Hot on his trail was Little Dove! He ended up jumping on Tommy and pecking him on the back and Tommy cried like there was no tomorrow. Hilarious to see the chicken chasing Tommy, but sad that he ended up getting hurt. So Nick decided to serve "dove" with our Labor Day BBQ! He came in during the kids' nap time and said, "The problem has been dealt with." I assumed he just let Little Dove run free and was going to not let him back in the coop at night. And then he walked in with this beer can chicken. And I knew. And I gagged.

 

Most people tried it and said it tasted okay, but the smell alone was killin' me. It smelled very gamey. Yuck. And I couldn't wrap the mind around the fact that we cooked our pet (sort of. Albeit a very MEAN pet). So there's that. 

Anyways, we ate and everyone hung out until late in the night. We just bought some patio furniture, so it was nice to sit outside in the cooler weather and enjoy everyone's company!

This spot on my porch makes me swoon! I'm LOVING having outdoor furniture. I can lay on the daybed and read while the kids are playing. It's a win-win!

My mom took the kids home with her Saturday night after the BBQ, so we got to sleep in Sunday. Nick started a project that ended up taking much longer than he thought early that morning, so I met the kids and my mom at church. After church, the kids came home and we ate lunch and hung out with them for 3-4 hours. Then we took them back to my mom! They stayed the night again with her on Sunday night. It was a nice little mini vacation but without having to be away from the kids TOO long. I start to get antsy if I don't at least lay eyes on them for more than 24 hours :)

We went to see a movie on Sunday (our actual anniversary). We always have the hardest time finding movies we agree on and almost every time we go to a movie, we BOTH end up hating it. We've had better luck lately than in the past, but we're still a little leery every time we try. But we decided on No Escape and we both really liked it! It had a super good plot, but the content is very heavy. So if you want to laugh and have a good time....I'd pick something else. If you want a really thought-provoking movie, No Escape is it!

After the movie we went to Red Rock and ate outside on the patio. It was a little warm, but it was quiet and the food was great! After dinner, we just came home and relaxed and enjoyed each other. We had originally said no gifts, but a few days before our anniversary, my husband let it slip that he had, in fact, gotten me a gift. Which I was excited about, but then went into a mad scramble trying to find HIM something! He completely shocked me and got me this beauty.........

 

I'd been wanting a right hand ring for awhile, but could never bring myself to spend the money. But my husband did it for me! And who could say no to that?!? He knows me so well :) I felt pretty lame when I gave him his gift of jeans, deer urine for hunting and two body pillow covers.........But in all fairness, he WANTED deer urine and body pillow covers and the jeans I just threw in for an extra little SURPRISE factor! So.......yeah.

Our seventh anniversary was wonderful and I'm excited to do the rest of life with Nick by my side. Love you honey!

My little man's 2nd year!

We made it through our first year of preschool and now we're heading into the second year! I'm not NEAR the basket case this year as I was last year. Tommy is so much more confident in himself and slightly more open and friendly than he was last year, so I'm hoping he warms up quickly to everyone in his class! I feel like he was juuuuuust getting there at the end of school last year, so I hope he didn't regress over the summer.

He was excited to get to Noah's Ark this morning!

  

I think he felt really cool being the "seasoned veteran" instead of the "little kids," as he likes to call them. I dropped him off and he seemed just the slightest bit nervous, but walked right in and put his bag up. I watched him through the window and he was wandering around a little bit, looking lost. Still broke my heart just a little bit. He's so hesitant to just jump in and start playing with other kids. He found an airplane and started playing with that by himself. I was so hoping he would join the other kids soon!

When I went to pick him up, they were sitting in circle time and he was smiling and talking, so that made me feel better! He talked about all the kids that were there last year and let me know that a few new kids had come this year.   I kept trying to get him to take another picture but he kept saying, "I'm not facing the sun, mom!" So we walked away with this squinty picture :) This boy melts my heart!

I let him choose where to eat lunch and he picked Fazzoli's (truly a child after my own heart!). He had about 2 bites of spaghetti and 3 breadsticks--he's a carbatarian, just like me!! It was nice to just sit and chat, one on one with no distractions. I even let him talk me into a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.

On they way home, he pulled this cute snack out of his book bag...

 

 (Ignore the chocolate on his chin in the picture above :)

He did so good and I'm glad it was easier than last year! He was SOOOOO nervous last year and hesitant to leave me, but there's definitely been some improvement! 

Love you, bubs!

Tessa Grace is in preschool!

Tessa has been SO excited because she gets to go to preschool this year, just like bubby! She got a postcard in the mail a few weeks before school started. She felt like such a big girl!

Last night, she asked if I could paint her fingernails so she would "look pwetty at school." Of course, I obliged. I can't pass up painting my daughter's fingernails hot pink (isn't that what all mom's dream of when they dream of having little girls?!?)! We picked out her dress and shoes and got everything all laid out for the next morning.

And just like that, she woke up and was a preschooler! She was excited and said she wasn't nervous at all. She was excited to see Mrs. Schiesser and Mrs. Ralston (who she knew from Tommy having them as teachers and from church) and she was excited to meet new friends! Can I just note right now how EXTREMELY different my children are?!

 She looked so big and grown up! I mean, wasn't she JUST born?!? I dropped her off and she went right in. We love Noah's Ark!!

  It helped that her cousin was there with her! She actually has TWO of her cousins in her class. I love that they all get to go to school together!

I went back to pick her up when the morning was over and she was happy as could be! I asked what she did that day and all I got was, "I don't know!" Soooooo, there's that. I thought for sure she'd be the child that spilled the beans every time they got in the car, but I got NOTHING out of her! Except that it was fun! We went to Applebee's for lunch afterwards so I could have some one-on-one time to make her feel special. It was so nice just sitting and relaxing with my goofy girl!

I can't believe I officially have TWO babies in preschool! Thank God I love our school and trust the teachers there or it would be a lot harder to leave them behind!

Love you, sweet Tess!

My little walking accident

Tommy is the most accident prone child I have ever encountered. I know every kid runs into (literally) their fair share of bumps and bruises, but my goodness! This kid has a knack for it. He's so good at it that I would almost consider it a talent. Unfortunately, the injured area is almost always his head.

So far, he's fallen and hit his mouth on a plastic storage tub and that chipped a tooth (which resulted in him needing it pulled). He's pulled a dining room table over and it hit and bust open his forehead (which you can read about in one of my previous blog posts). And now.........we have three more to add that have happened in the last two weeks.

A few weeks ago, my mom and cousin took Tommy to Chuck E Cheese. He was running and one of his flip flops got tucked under his foot somehow and he tripped and smacked his head right on the edge of a ski ball machine. My cousin called me and said, "Tommy hit his head and we're taking him to the ER." And I was all, "Haha, okaaaayyy!" She said, "Brady! I'm not joking! I wouldn't joke about something like that. Meet us there!" I could hear Tommy screaming in the back ground, so I knew she was serious. My heart was breaking not to be with him because he kept yelling, "Moooooommmmmy!! I want moooommmmmyyyyyy!" So sad :(

Nick, Tessa and I scrambled around and got in the car and made it to the Andover ER before they did.

I hate that we've had to go there so many times, but I am SO glad that hospital is there. I wouldn't go there for anything life threatening (just because they're a smaller hospital, not because of lack of confidence in the doctors!), but they are excellent for things like this. My mom and cousin showed up and we were put in a room in less than 5 minutes. We were seen in less than 10. And the ER doctor was Tommy's PCP, so he felt comfortable with him.

The doctor said to just monitor him for concussion symptoms and to use ice and ibuprofen. I hate paying $100 copay to hear that, but sure am glad for the peace of mind it brings. His head was CRAZY huge. Like.......crazy. He looked like an alien.Or a character off Star-Wars. Not so bad from the front.......

 GINORMOUS from the side!!

 It was seriously the weirdest thing ever. It was squishy and filled with blood, but SO. HUGE. I felt so bad for him. It hurt so much he couldn't hardly stand an ice pack, so we did lots of cold washrags. The doctor said he needed to stay upright for a few hours to help the blood drain a little, so he got ibuprofen, snuggles and TV time. It seemed to help his spirit, but not his bump. The doctor had warned us when it did start draining, his eyes would turn black. He didn't lie :)

This was just the next day.......not too bad yet.

 

This was 3-4 days later. Definitely started turning black. And his little nose was so swollen, you couldn't hardly see the bridge of it!

  

It got worse, but I somehow missed taking pictures of it. It didn't help that less than a week after he did this (and right when his bump was starting to go away), he was jumping off a couch cushion (that was on the floor that his dad had already told him to put up and stop jumping off of) and he fell and hit his forehead right on our wood floors in the exact same spot as his previous injury.

Sigh.

What am I going to do with this boy? Now, his bump is hard as a rock (three weeks later). It's mildly smaller, but the doctor said it could take 6-12 months for it to go completely away. Great. At least it doesn't seem to be hurting him as much. 

Then last weekend, he was playing outside and backed right into Nick's tail gate. We got out the ice pack again. 

 

And he got lots of snuggles again. 

He truly is a walking disaster! I hope we can make it at LEAST a month without another injury! PLEASE, TOMMY!! My wallet and my panic mode need a break!

Tessa at 3 years old

Tessa Grace, at 3 years old you are:

*30 lbs

*36 1/2 inches

*wearing 2t shorts (and some 3t) and 3t shirts

*in a size 8 1/2-9 shoe

*hilarious. Seriously, you say the funniest things! And not just kid-funny, but truly clever and witty things! You make me laugh every day!

*still a little sassy. You have definitely backed off on the attitude (praise God!), but still have a few moments every now and then that I have to get onto you for back talking or being snotty.

*SO much better at minding. I can tell you to do something and 9 times out of 10, you do it. This is a drastic improvement in the past few months!

*such a helpful little girl. You LOVE trying to carry things for me or get things when I need them. It's so funny because I'll have my purse on my shoulder and you'll say, "I'll carry that for you mom!" You're so persistent that I eventually give it to you and even though it's super heavy, you still carry it! You're constantly saying, "I'll get that for you mom!" or "Here, I'll do it!" Love it.

*saying all your ABCs, counting to 10 or higher, know all your colors and most of your shapes.

*have a bit of a weird lisp. When you say the letter 'j' it sounds like the 'sh' sound. When you say Aunt JJ, it sounds like Aunt Shay Shay. I'm trying to work with you on it and when you really focus, you do it right, but you get really frustrated and don't want to talk about it!

*so caring. Whenever I'm upset or someone else is upset, you'll pat my back and say, "It's okay, mom. You okay." You give the best hugs and the sweetest kisses and really seem to be in tune to when people need cheering up.

*super into coloring and art projects. You looooove to color. Or cut things. Or paint. Pretty much any art.

*very dramatic. It's hilarious because 90% of the time, you're so chill and go-with-the-flow. But when you're upset, you are UPSET. You'll hang your head and flounce around and drop down to your knees and cry. It usually only lasts a minute or so and then you see you aren't getting the attention you were looking for so you hop up and smile and you're ready to go!

*becoming a daddy's girl. You were pretty attached to mama for the first few years of life, but lately you've been choosing to go with dad or do things outside with him. He loves it just as much as you do!

Her birthday  was so much fun!

This was her last night as a TWO YEAR OLD!!

The next morning, we all woke up and just hung out for a bit. Tessa and I took our time getting ready and then headed out for a girls morning!

We went and got donuts from Quik Trip (her fave!). She could pick anything she wanted to drink and she chose this juice........interesting.

 

I thought for sure she'd pick a juice with a princess head, but nope. We went with a darth vader, star wars creepy.....thing. 

Then we went and got her fingernails done. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. She's had her nails done before, so that part wasn't new to her.....

.....But the way she was walking through the store afterwards.....you could just TELL she felt like a million bucks! She had a sassy little walk and kept holding her hands out to the side so she wouldn't smear her polish. SO cute.

We did a little shopping at Wal-mart and tried on a few things (the only thing she ended up picking out was Hello Kitty band-aids and that made her day).

We got some ice cream on the way home and then picked up the boys. We all went to see the Minions movie together! It was cute and Tommy LOVED it. Tessa........she was a little more distracted and didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it. But that's okay. The experience was fun and she got to eat popcorn and snuggle with mom and dad.

After the movie, we went home and took naps. We had dinner and watched Despicable Me 2 (the kids had never seen it). It was SO cute! They loved it!

She opened presents all throughout the day. She would open one and then decide to wait to open the rest, so we pretty much opened one present every hour.  She got: a bike helmet, a huge Frozen frisbee, a Frozen shirt and skirt to go with it, 3 pairs of shoes, perfume (or beefume as she likes to call it), Despicable Me 2, a "I'm the birthday girl" shirt and a Frozen book bag on wheels! I was SO excited for her to open the book bag because she'd been asking for one forever. She'd been saving the "big" present for last and I couldn't wait to watch her open it. Then Nick and I started talking about something and when I turned around, she had already opened it, sat it on the ground and walked away. Awesome. Not only did I miss her opening it, but she was not excited in the least! But, that's my Tessa. She's not overly excited about anything except staying up late and chewing gum. True story.

She blew out a candle right before bed and then she feel asleep as a three year old, just like that. I'm so thankful every day for my sweet girl!