Erin's photo shoot

When Kyle was a baby we had more time to just kind of hang out with nothing to do. Erin's babyhood involves much more action because Kyle is action-oriented. As a result, looking through Kyle's scrapbook recently I realized that Kyle and I did a lot more baby photo shoots than I've done with Erin. Yesterday while Kyle napped and Erin was awake I decided to pull the camera out for some shots. The great thing about Erin and photos is that it doesn't take a lick of work to get her to smile!

And for fun, here is Kyle's naked Bumbo picture. He was a month younger than Erin is now. :-)

A trip to the pumpkin patch

Sunday we headed to Jolly Orchards to meet our friends the Kraemers. We had a great time taking a hay ride, picking pumpkins, playing in the play yard, and petting goats and sheep. We really lucked out with the weather. It rained much of the weekend, including just after we left, but the grey skies stayed dry during our fun.

The main event... PUMPKINS! Sitting by them, on them and picking them.

Family shots

Sweet Erin enjoyed most of the day from the warmth of the stroller.Kyle and his friend McKinleigh on the hayride.In the play area. There was a bouncy caterpillar that was a hit, as well as a petting area with different animals.Kyle has a Clifford the Big Red Dog book called The Costume Contest. In it Clifford uses a great big pumpkin as a costume, making holes for his legs and tail. Kyle was SOOO disappointed after running all the way to this pumpkin and realizing Clifford was not inside.And a yummy apple with carmel before leaving.Kyle and McKinleigh hug goodbye. Awwww!

Picture catch-up post

Another picture catch-up post... :-)

Sweet Erin
Kyle and his best buddy
Erin loves the exersaucer
With the recent mild weather (which is set to change!), Kyle has been working hard moving rocks in his dump trucks.
We went to our friends' house, the Brookhouses, for a fun afternoon and evening. Here Kyle sits with Morgan and Rachel, blows a dandelion, and gets a flying lesson from Daddy.
Erin got to meet Lane Stewart for the first time... what a difference five months makes in size. Little handsome Lane entered the world on Oct. 1 -- congrats Dawn and Kevin!
Erin gets some brotherly love... a common occurrence!
Erin was enjoying the mirror play.
And here's my brave boy getting his cast off on Friday. I was so proud of him! The machine that cuts it off was loud and scary, but he was a trooper through the whole thing! And he had to put up with more xrays.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Happy anniversary to my wonderful husband, Mike! Five years ago today we got married and started a wonderful life... and now wonderful family... together.Here's a very early dating picture of Mike and I...

Sweet surrender

What is it about that moment? That time when a child’s eyelids become heavy as bricks and they flit and flutter with longer and longer blinks until they finally close. Sleep is upon them and they look like angels. For me that moment swells my heart with love.

I lay down with Kyle for a few minutes when he takes his nap each afternoon and when he goes to bed at night. At naptime he falls asleep within minutes, and this is the time when I get to watch his mile-long lashes fight to stay up and then give in. I lay there wondering what it is about the moment that makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I’m not sure what it is, but it hits me each and every time.

Nighttime is different because Kyle takes longer to wind down. I set a kitchen timer for five minutes and he knows I leave when it dings. He talks to me during this time, telling me silly things, or about his day. And while I don’t get to watch that eyelid dance toward slumber, I enjoy this time just as much.

Well, almost as much. It's very close, but there’s just something that tugs at my heart during that sweet surrender to sleep.

Evolution of apple eating

There are really big signs that your child is growing up, like when they sit up or take their first steps. Those ones hit you square in the face and you can't possibly miss noticing them. Then there are small ones. The ones that on the surface are rather insignificant, but then you think about it and think about all the steps it took to get there.

Two years and fifty weeks ago Kyle's nourishment came entirely from milk I made. Then we added in some formula, some baby cereal, and around six or seven months Kyle tried some baby applesauce. Sometime around one year Kyle began getting getting pieces of actual apple cut up very tiny. From then until earlier this year those apple pieces grew in size until he was getting handed a bowl of peeled apple slices. Then I began peeling the apple and giving it to him whole.

Just recently my not-so-baby boy said, "Mommy, no peel apple, please." My little man wants it whole, just the way it came off the tree now. What a big boy.

Happy 5 months, Erin!

Happy five month birthday, Erin! It’s so hard to believe Erin is five months already, time is going so quickly. As has been the case for Erin’s life so far, there is still one word that describes her to a T: HAPPY. Erin will give a smile to anyone who gives one to her. In fact, if you just look her way she will smile. Over and over again I hear people commenting on how she is always, always happy. She really is constantly cheerful. If she fusses she really just wants some attention, and once you give it to her you will be rewarded with a grin.

Erin also laughs a lot now. She will giggle and squeal if you give her lots of kisses or blow raspberries on her. Kyle loves to blow raspberries on her bare belly when she gets her diaper changed, and he loves that he can make her laugh. He will blow on her and say, “Wow, big one, made her laugh!” The other thing Erin does that gets Kyle’s attention is talk. She will start babbling and Kyle runs over to hear the story, saying, “Tell a story, Erin? More story?” If I ask him, he will even tell me what story she is telling. (This week she has been telling a lot of stories about the animals at the zoo!)

Physically Erin is very strong. She rolls both ways easily and stands with a lot of strength when supported. We work on sitting, but she is not there yet. She is a squirmer now, and changing her diaper can be a challenge if there is anything around her that she wants to see or grab. She loves toys, and piling a bunch around her on a blanket can keep her entertained happily for a bit.

Sleep still eludes us in this house. Erin is usually up twice during the night to eat, and by the second time (around five) her brother is almost ready to get up for the day so the night is shot. Erin does, however, go to sleep easily. She amazes me when I take her up to bed awake, lay her down on her back, and she goes to sleep within minutes. This is dramatically different from our early days with Kyle. Now if she would stay sleeping through the night we’d be in great shape!

Erin continues to be a laid back, easy going baby. She happily goes along with whatever we throw her way, whether its story hour at the library, play group, or a trip to the grocery store. We’re so blessed to have such a content, sweet, beautiful baby!

Donuts with Daddy

Awwww.... Mike went in a little late this morning so he could take Kyle to school for Donuts with Daddy. They were so cute walking off together!

And it was a bonus for Mommy and Erin, too... I got an extra half hour of precious time since I didn't have to drive him there, settle him in, and drive home. Erin was sleeping when they left, and slept another hour and a half, so she lucked out that she didn't have to wake up to go along for the ride.

It's a zoo out there!

Yesterday we decided to take advantage of the BEAUTIFUL fall day and get an excursion in. We went to Binder Park Zoo, which is about 90 minutes from us. We went to breakfast first, because Kyle always falls asleep if we drive around after breakfast. We figured he'd get a nap in on the way. Nope, he slept about 30 minutes in the car. But, he was really, really good all afternoon, as was Erin.

We got to the zoo and saw some animals, hit the children's zoo, rode the train, then rode the tram to the Wild Africa section. Here is where the highlight of the zoo is, because you can actually feed the giraffes. Kyle had so much fun!

Before we left we rode the carousal, then headed out. Kyle was fast asleep before we were even to the highway. It was a really great family day. :-)

The snow leopard was born in July, so it's a pretty big centerpiece of the zoo right now. This dog hangs out with it as a play mate.
This peacock was enjoying sharing our popcorn.
Well howdy there, Mommy!
In the children's zoo Kyle though he could pick up a goat, then conversing with the pony. The train ride. I though the second shot was kind of cool of Mike and Kyle's hands. Life father like son. :-)Some animal shots...

A dam at the zoo with a fall tree.

The highlight... the giraffes! First, here is how the viewing platform is set up. In the field there were all kinds of other animals who I'm sure were jealous that they can't reach the platform for a few giraffe biscuits of their own.

Woo hoo... video! Click the arrow >

This does not even show how long a giraffe's tongue is. This is about a third of its tongue. I swear it starts at the base of its neck, LOL.Everyone, and I mean everyone, say CHEESE!The carousal ride before we left.

And after a long, fun-filled day...