Fall happenings...

In the few times that I've written this fall, I think I've probably mentioned how much I love this season just about every single time.  Well, it's true.  I LOVE FALL!  We've done the apple orchard, I've made pumpkin bars, Halloween is fast-approaching, and 3 weeks ago we visited the pumpkin patch with a couple of my really good friends from our Junior League days.

 We had a ball!  Logan loved the pumpkins, petting farm, he rode a pony for the first time ever, and he ran around all over the place with his buddies. 

 It was a gorgeous, chilly, sunny day -- perfect fall weather!

 Logan was checking out the ponies above.....and then mustered up the courage to try it out with Dada!  He was very brave -- seemed to enjoy it the whole time!

 Thumb-sucking break...

 We'll take this one!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice....

...that's what little girls are made of!

And we are happy to report that Baby #2 is a healthy baby girl!  We had our 20-week ultrasound on October 16, and we are feeling incredibly fortunate that we learned that our little one is developing well and is a GIRL! 

It has taken a little while for that news to sink in.  We have been toying with a few names, with one primary contender.  We shall see what happens there :)  Scott has been in London since last Monday, and today I decided to venture out with Logan to buy a few pink little things!  (ok, a few may be an understatement - but Macy's was having a big sale on Ralph Lauren, and I had an additional coupon, so how could I resist?)  We also bought the bedding from PBK.  Now we just need a crib (and a dresser, and some wall decor....and the list goes on)!  We're almost 22 weeks in....just about 18 weeks to go, and so much to do!  Plus of course there's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's -- lots to do and celebrate between now and March 4-ish! 

 

18 months!!

How in the world is it possible that our teeny tiny baby is now one and a half??  Logan is not such a teeny tiny baby anymore, that is for sure.  Thank goodness he is a proficient walker these days, because he sure gives us a workout when we have to carry him.

The biggest change for Logan in the last month is that he started going to a little Montessori school near us, every morning during the work week.  I really like both of his teachers, and I am a firm believer in the overall philosophy for the toddler classroom.  They spend their mornings playing outside, going for hikes on the school property and nearby park, painting, drawing, singing, building towers, and exploring all of the little stations within the classroom.  I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to work at home and keep Logan here for the first 17 months of his life.  However, near the end of that time I knew that he needed a little more stimulation than I was able to provide, and I'm grateful that we found a school that we trust and can provide just that for him.  It is amazing to see all that he has learned in the first month!  His vocabulary has absolutely blossomed!  He went from being a very apprehensive talker, to a little guy who will repeat just about everything we say.  He can point and tell you all his body parts, he loves animals and their various noises, and he knows our little neighbor friends' names.  He used to screech every time he needed help with something, but now says "Help, please!" (or more like "Hep pease!" in the cutest little voice) whenever he needs a helping hand.  Logan's teacher often emails us photos from the week of Logan in the classroom - and it's neat to see what he is drawn to do there.  He hadn't ever been a big builder of towers at our house.  He mostly just liked knocking down my towers --- but for two weeks straight, he built giant towers every single morning!  And now I have photographic evidence!

Mealtime in our house is quite a raucous event.  We moved Logan out of his highchair this month, and into a booster seat - and he seems very empowered by sitting at the same surface as all of us (and I do not miss cleaning that awful highchair one bit!).  He helps set his place at the table.  We moved his plates to a drawer he can reach (as recommended by his teacher -- the kids set the table for lunch every day), and he adds his milk, fork and napkin to his setting.  The school does not endorse sippy cups -- the toddlers drink from an open cup in the classroom.  Logan is still working on that skill, and I have to admit that I still use the sippy cup for him more often than not.  I just want to make sure he gets enough liquid into his little body (and he still comes home from school wearing a new shirt just about every day because he spills on the one we provide.  I'm totally ok with this - it's a learning process :) Oh!  and I would be remiss if I didn't mention his appetite.  The boy can eat!  I'm not sure how we'll be able to fill him up as a teenager.  His breakfast this morning would fill a grown man! (2 scrambled eggs, one slice of toast, watermelon, yogurt, and a glass of milk.  Holy cow, right?!!?!  I'll be interested to see his height/weight percentiles at his 18 mo. appt in a few weeks because he has been eating like crazy lately.)

Logan's personality is just happy and playful.  He loves his family, his dogs, and our neighbor friends.  He loves playing outside, his toy lawn mower, throwing balls, blowing kisses, drawing in coloring books (though he needs lots of "just on the paper!" reminders), sidewalk chalk, and bouncy-houses.  He is adventurous, but gets a little nervous around non-canine animals (ie: petting zoos!). 

This month we have gone apple picking, we visited Grant's Farm (which was awesome!), we visited the zoo last month, and on Saturday we'll be going to the pumpkin patch with a couple of other families with little kids.  Fall is a beautiful, wonderful season here in the St. Louis area.  Summer was unbearably hot, but we can finally get out and about to enjoy the area this season!  (and as you can see, someone is really happy about that news!)

Hooray!

Our family has a little exciting news to share!

We are growing by 2 feet!  Logan will be a big brother come early spring of next year.  I'm due March 4, and as of today I'm 16 weeks along.  So far the pregnancy has gone really well.  I've had a good bit of nausea, and a few days (weeks) where I was utterly exhausted, but I think that comes with the territory of being pregnant and having an incredibly active 17 month old boy.  It's gotten a little better now that I'm in the 2nd trimester.  We will find out the gender (appt is in mid-October).....I just like to plan -- and we will need lots of time to work on our name negotiations! 

Logan really doesn't know that anything has changed.  I've gained some "muffin top," but I'm not yet sporting a full on pregnancy belly, so he doesn't seem to notice any changes. (though the belly is close....things really do "show" much faster the 2nd time around!)  I need to do an update on him soon. He is so fun these days. His vocabulary grows by the day, and he just laughs and laughs.  He blows kisses, and gives hugs, and loves to draw.  More to come on all that though :)

I am already nervous for the first 8 weeks at home with a new baby and a crazy 2 year old (they'll be 23 months apart).  I will need all the advice you can offer, I'm sure :)

A perfect Saturday!

We had the best day today!  We woke up at 7, had breakfast, and then hit the road to go apple picking! 

 We drove an hour out to the cutest farm in Grafton, IL -- Eckert's.  They were having an annual apple fest, and had tons of activities beyond the standard apple picking.

 But first thing's first....gotta get the apples.  Logan took to it really quickly.  Fortunately there were plenty just his height.

 And a few he could reach with the help of Dada.

 They even had some cows and goats in a little petting zoo area.  Logan is a little intimidated by the animals.  SB grew up on a farm, and has a special way with them to make them all come to him.  Pretty funny.

 Afterwards, we drove back and tried a new BBQ restaurant in our city.  It was awesome - and just over a mile from our house!  Yay!  Logan slept for 2.5 hours that afternoon, and then we played with our neighbors out in the front cul-de-sac till dinner.  It honestly was just the perfect day!

Trip to Northern CA

Oh my goodness, it has been awhile.  I'm not really sure what happened, but I'm back.  Or at least I think I am :) 

Our summer has been HOT, HOT, HOT.  Like unbearably 100+ degree hot.  I grew up in Wisconsin....I just don't do summers like this.  Fortunately we're back in the 80's for the most part, which is much more my speed.  We can actually go outside with these kinds of temperatures.

Around July 4 we escaped the heat, and traveled to Northern California for the wedding of two of our good friends.  We shared an amazing house in Santa Rosa with about 6 other couple friends of ours (one of whom also had a toddler....thank goodness for that!).  We were on top of a very, very steep hill, overlooking wine country.  The views were stunning:

 We were here for the fireworks -- it was so neat to have a bird's eye view! 

 The man who owned the vineyard below this rental house came to do a wine tasting one evening.  We ordered a case.  We're looking forward to giving some tasty bottles of vino as Christmas presents this year!

 SB living the good life!

 The garden was filled with lots of herbs.  A couple of our friends are really terrific chefs (SB and I really try...but we don't quite qualify for the "chef" status).  They literally picked things right out of the garden to add to our dinners.  We enjoyed grilled steaks, grilled crab legs, grilled chicken, grilled pizzas (yes, lots done on the grill).  It was so fun to dine with everyone al fresco.

 My boys before the wedding

 A couple of shots from the wedding site.  It was a charming ceremony - perfect for J&F.  It was held at a vineyard, and it was beyond beautiful.  I mean every single angle featured just amazing views.

And here's proof that I was on the vacation too :)  This one was taken just a couple of days before our 3rd wedding anniversary.

Father's Day 5k

We kicked off our Father's Day with a whole family 5k adventure! Logan was in the baby jogger with SB, and we managed to stay together for pretty much the whole race (with me totally sucking wind trying to keep up with my boys).  We crossed the finish line in 25:45! Not too shabby!

 Post-race pictures!

 The whole fam -- we did it!!

The actual theme of the race was "All American 5k" - hence the patriotic paraphernalia

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, napping, watching golf, making (and eating!) banana pudding (recipe to come - I have finally mastered my husband's favorite dessert), and spending time together.  Loved every second!

Happy Father's Day!

We have had a wonderful weekend.  I love any occasion to celebrate SB, and Father's Day is especially meaningful in our young family.  SB is an amazing father -- one who is 100% actively involved in every facet of parenting.  He handles bath time, he changes diapers, he loves to run around and throw balls to Logan.  He helps train our dogs, and is an ever-constant rock to me. 

LOVE! xoxo

Beach Vacation, Part II

The second leg of our 10-day beach vacation was spent on St. Simon's Island, GA with some great friends.  We were also able to hang out with some of SB's family - which was a lot of fun! 

We did a lot of exploring the island by bike....

 The beach was wide (after Beryl departed) -- and the sand was nice and firm, which made for some great rides on the beach.  SB has a bike here, and I just got sized to order one too so we can continue our family bike rides on a trail that's less than a mile from our house! 

 (Side note:  where is my baby!!  This little kid is practically riding his own bike!  Eek!)

 Boys making their own rafts using pool chairs and noodles! 

 SB and Logan on the fishing pier. 

 Logan wouldn't take his thumb out of his mouth, so SB joined him!

Best friends with their boys!

 The littlest boys reading a "Melmo" story with SB.....really cute!

 And when we returned home to Missouri, Logan was really happy to be reunited with his dogs!