my seasonal obsession

okay i admit it.

i might be a little over the top when it comes to embracing and celebrating seasons and holidays.  

especially with my kids. 

but i think that putting them in their spooky clothes the entire month before halloween is fun.

i love decorating my home with pumpkins and drinking delicious pumpkin spice lattes (thanks for this recipe mom!) all throughout the fall months.

i like taking them to several different trick-or-treating events so we have even more candy laying around the house for mommy to eat they can enjoy their costumes several times!

and i really love the gorgeous fall colors ;)

i know this little outfit isn't super girly (in fact, hendrix wore it two years ago for his first halloween), but i thought that if i topped it with a hat or headband sporting a flower, maybe people won't assume she is a boy.

oddly enough, when hendrix was dressed as a bumblebee that first halloween, everyone assumed he was a girl.....

hmmmm

so hendrix's costume this year is a dragon/dinosaur.  

it really depends on the day as to which he will answer.  lol

he already wore it trick-or-treating at the blank park zoo last weekend. 

he was really not pleased with how cold it was outside.  in fact, while i thought he would be running around with no need for the stroller, we ended up bringing it because he wanted to sit in it and snuggle with his blankie.

he did enjoy seeing the few animals that were out - though most were in their winter homes, and the night was more about fun lights, cool costumes and candy.

he enjoyed the hay maze with daddy,

but then after a quick wave to me, he begged to ride in the stroller again. (not normal two-year-old behaviour for my little guy!)

miss blaire was not actually in costume as i just had her bundled in as many layers as i could get to fit inside the baby bjorn.  she was probably the warmest of us all, and slept contentedly the entire evening.

hendrix livened up a bit more when we got to the play zone which was sort of indoors and much warmer.  he is a big fan of bounce house toys!

i was glad we went, even if it was a chilly evening. 

this happy little dino/dragon made it worth it!

afterwards we enjoyed a 45 minute party in the minivan during which daddy got hendrix into jammies and mommy breastfed blaire before driving back to ames.  juggling the timing of her feeding schedule for activities is a tiny bit tricky, but i am glad that we are still getting out to make fun family memories, and i am sure that will just get easier and easier!

i love my sweet little pumpkins!

wordless wednesday {my little pumpkin}

i sure miss the days when he would stay where i put him for photos.....

his patience with my camera lasts all of about 4 minutes....i gotta work quick!

and he's done!

linking up with naptime momtog, project alicia, the paper mama, tara's view of the world, mom vantage, and mom to 2 posh lil divas. 

Another Girlfriend!

Flora Joy Wellington 

was born to a dear friend of mine, Karin, this past Saturday, October 23.

This now makes 5 girls born within the last two months to friends of mine, with no other boys.  Hendrix is just going to be a ladies man I guess. ;)

Daddy was giving him some pointers on how to impress her.  LOL Hendrix really was looking pretty intently at her....it was really cute!  

She was such a little peanut to hold after being used to my growing son. What a precious bundle!

Hendrix really is growing lots.  He is 7 weeks old now, and is pretty much exclusively wearing his 3 month clothes.  Some of them (like this little raccoon sweater) are still a little baggy on him, but he has outgrown most of his newborn clothes specifically in the length.  He still isn't all that chubby, but he keeps stretching out.  I love trying new clothes from his closet on him.....it's so much more fun than playing with dolls was when I was a little girl!

I LOVE this face......I think he looks quite a bit like his daddy here.

I love this face too; it is his "seriously?" face!

The Kampman family came for a visit this weekend, and Hendrix enjoyed meeting his little (second) cousin Will.  Give them a few years, and I am sure they will enjoy playing with each other a lot more!  :)

  We celebrated the Cyclones' win this weekend!  This was at a tailgate at Ames Center for Cosmetic & Family Dentistry which is where I work.  

As is becoming the norm, Hendrix was passed around and adored. ;)  He loves the attention!

Grandma spent some time with us over the weekend.  They looked really cute snuggled up on the couch together for a nap, and then she read him some books before bedtime.  He loved it! I think that he is starting to look at the pictures more now....I'm still not sure how far he can see, but I have noticed him crossing his eyes sometimes while he is trying to focus on something so I think his vision is improving.  

Yesterday we decided to carve our pumpkins.

Which actually means, we decided to watch daddy carve our pumpkins.

And then we left daddy alone to carve pumpkins while we went and played. :)

He did a great job!  

Autumn Colors

I really love this time of year!  I love it when the trees start bursting with bright reds and oranges and the yards start filling up with leaves.  I love seeing pumpkins sitting on nearly every front step in the neighborhood.  I love wearing a sweatshirt when I leave the house in the morning, only to shed it by afternoon.  And I really love dressing up my little guy in fall clothes :)

Hendrix woke up with this cute little smile on his face this morning.   Instead of the normal cries, I heard him stirring and cooing in his crib, and went in to be rewarded with his sweet nuzzles.  He has been a really good sleeper lately - going for stretches of 6 to 7 hours at a time once he finally settles down for the night.  I am lovin' it and having so much more energy that I just keep filling our weeks up with activities. 

I couldn't resist snapping this shot of his cute little bottom this morning before I got him dressed for the day. :)

We have enjoyed some nice long walks outside and Gabe has been fascinated with collecting leaves!  I have tried to capture some pretty trees in pictures, but I have to admit that this fall hasn't been as pretty in Ames this year.  I think it has something to do with all the flooding that we had earlier in the year...we still have plenty of leaves in our yard to rake up though!

Hendrix really likes being in the baby bjorn, and he also really likes being outside, so it was fun to include him in our "family" yard clean up.  Bud really enjoys being the one that carries him around and I gladly share that responsibility with him.  He is a very involved and loving daddy :)

I think this picture is really funny because Hendrix is all scrunched up from just being unloaded from the Bjorn.  He looks really happy to be posing with the pumpkins though!  ;)  We are going to need to carve some faces in these soon!

In other recent news:

Hendrix helped package meals to send to Haiti.  He looked super cute in his hairnet and was really cooperative all the way up until he had his first blowout!  It was pretty rough on momma as I had to try to figure out how to clean him up in a public restroom when all I wanted to do was throw him in the tub.  He leaked out both his legs and his back.  Wouldn't mind if I never see one of those again.......ever.....

Hendrix and I went to watch my little sister play volleyball for the Tigers last night.  She did a great job, and Hendrix is very proud of her! :)  Hannah is such a loving aunt! 

Hendrix likes to spend time sitting up these days.  He is not interested in laying flat on his back anymore.  When we prop him in his boppy pillow underneath his playmat, he really coos and bats at the toys.  It is really fun to watch!

He is spending more and more time with wide eyes taking in everything around him.  He is especially interested in ceiling light fixtures and fans.  He is also very attached to his pacifier.  He is especially particular about his "mam" paci too, as he spits out all the others ones after just a short while.  Good thing we have done a good job of keeping tabs on it!

Hendrix often ends up in our bed for some snuggles early in the morning before daddy has to get up for work, and even after daddy leaves and mommy tries to get just a few more minutes of sleep.  He is so precious when he sleeps, and looks so content snuggled under our covers.  I love this special bonding time, but am really glad that he is a good sleeper and spends the majority of the night in his own bed.  

That same sleepy, snuggly baby is calling my name right now.......