Pumpkins, A Rat, Treats & Veggies

PUMPKINS--

Our pumpkin family has grown by one this year...

and we are so excited to become a family of four!

 

This is actually our second pair of baby pumpkins. We were "pumpkin-napped". I came home one day and our two small pumpkins were missing from the porch. I couldn't believe it! I distracted Macklan from seeing that his "whittle" pumpkin was gone; I knew how upset he would be. A few days later, Scott came home with these two adorable pumpkins to complete our family once again.

Macklan loves to carry around his pumpkin and the one for his baby (which is how he often refers to Hudson).

This year Macklan chose the two designs for the jack-o-lanterns. He chose Swiper the Fox and a happy "Boo" ghost. It was then time for Scott and Macklan to spend some time together completing one of their traditions, pumpkin carving! Macklan wasn't really into pulling out the goo by hand, so I had to get him a spoon. He helped to scoop out the pulp and seeds, and then Scott carved for a few hours to transform the Mommy and Daddy pumpkins into amazing jack-o-lanterns.

 

A RAT--

What a cute little rat! I think that's the first, and only, time I will say something that absurd! I love the ease of this type of costume, and it's what he has worn each year from being a monkey, Dalmatian puppy, Cowardly Lion, and this year Templeton the Rat.

He was actually pouting here and turned his back so I couldn't take his picture, but it gave me a great opportunity to capture the cute little rat tail!

His little wrinkled nose and whiskers...

TREATS--

Our trick-or-treating adventure began by running into Austin and Kaitlyn at Mamaw's house. We snapped a quick picture of these two superheroes and gave them a goody bag of treats.

 

We only take Macklan trick-or-treating at the homes of immediate family members and a few close friends. We haven't taken him door to door yet, so our night consists of a lot of visiting and talking. Here he is ringing the doorbell and awaiting a "Come on in," at Mammie's house.

While at Mammie's, we got to see my cousin's new baby--Tryson. He was dressed up as Flounder from The Little Mermaid. I can't wait to hold my own little one!

All the kiddos...Macklan, Hadley, Briley, and Tryson

 

After a fun-filled night of collecting treats, it was time to head home and light the awesome pumpkins. Macklan was in awe as he admired them. The little "Boo" ghost was our favorite!

 

On Sunday morning (Halloween), Macklan received treats from Mommy and Daddy before leaving for church.

 

 

After church, lunch, and a short nap, Scott and I took Macklan to Veggie Tales LIVE at the Glema Mahr Fine Arts Center. Kids were encouraged to wear their costumes, so Macklan got one more wear out of his. Macklan hasn't had much exposure to Veggie Tales yet, but I knew he would enjoy it. I would've predicted that his favorite character would be Larry the Cucumber...I was wrong. He was partial to Bob the Tomato. We even had to buy an $8 mini-Bob as his souvenir. I think he liked it because it looked like a ball!

 

My Boys...

LOVE the color blue...

brighten my day with their smiles...

share the LOVE of basketball...

and live each day as best buddies!

 

I LOVE these two...

my boys!

Charlotte & Friends

This year at our church's Halloween Festival our family booth was Charlotte's Web. My mom did a great job on the backdrop. She is so talented when it comes to anything crafty! The barn...the costumes...and the special treats made for a fun-filled evening. Props to Briley for this year's costume theme. Earlier this year, she decided that she wanted us to be characters from Charlotte's Web due to her fasination with the movie and pigs. Hadley best fit the role of sweet Charlotte and Macklan was chosen to be Templeton. He was one cute rat! Kristen was Fern since she's a farm girl, and Mom and I were left to be some sort of farm animal. Since Mom had a sheep costume that determined her character, Samuel the Sheep. Briley told me I could be Betsy the Cow. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with me being 6 months pregnant or not! Ha! ;) I took no offense to it. We had so much fun!

 

Aren't we cute?



Wilbur & Charlotte...best friends!

Betsy, Fern, Charlotte, Wilbur, Templeton, & Samuel

The cutest little rat I've ever seen!

Briley's Kindergarten Program

Macklan and I went to support Briley as she performed in her 1st school performance. It was really cute. All the kindergarteners dressed in costume, marched into the gym playing instruments, and sang several songs for their proud family members who filled the bleachers. These kids were so cute...and funny!

Hadley waiting to see her big sister perform.

Briley marched in playing a tambourine.

Briley and her classmates singing one of the fun, spooky songs they learned in music class.

Macklan LOVES this girl! He learns so much from her.

The Baby Bump at 6 Months

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Blake is the size of an eggplant

Weight Gain/Loss: Since my 24 week appt. gained 3 lbs. (all in my belly, no doubt!)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and dresses, mix of maternity and regular shirts/sweaters

Gender: Boy HUDSON FRANKLIN

Movement: Moving all the time, throughout the day and night, strong forceful kicks

Sleep: It's difficult to find a comfortable position. I flip from one side to the other with a pillow propped between my legs and under my belly. Hudson's strong kicks keep me awake at night. If I sleep on my left side, he flips and flops. He is calm when I sleep on my right side. I've had some leg cramps at night too.

What I miss: Having enough energy to get through the work day and then keep up with an active 3 year old!

Cravings: salty foods, cereal

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, achiness due to my abdominal ligaments stretching, a little heartburn, leg cramps

Best Moment This Month: Announcing the name of our sweet baby to our family and friends, taking a family vacation to the beach, passing my glucose test

What's Going on With Baby? Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

A Spooktacular Birthday

October is a pretty good month to celebrate a birthday...especially if your birthday falls near Halloween as it does for Macklan's friend Cooper. The Fogles are our best friends and their youngest son Cooper wanted to have a costume party for his birthday. It was a great idea! The garage was transformed into a spooky party place after Shane's hours of work, and the food fit the theme and tasted delicious. It was fun for everyone to dress up, kids and parents alike! 

Macklan and I playing spooky BINGO.

Macklan loved playing Pass the Pumpkin...

and was actually one of the last kids standing
(which was impressive since he was the youngest player)!

Macklan and the birthday boy Cooper

The awesome haunted house cake...

The cool Dads...Shane, Scott, & Steve

and the Mommas...Cheri, Me, & Leslie



Hulk, Templeton, & Wicked Witch

Happy Birthday Cooper!!! Your party was SPOOKTACULAR!

Say, "Ahh!"

Macklan's first visit to the dentist was a huge success! A few weeks before his appointment, I took him to the library to check out some books about visiting the dentist. A dental hygienist friend made the suggestion, and boy did it work! Knowing that Dora, Blue, and Franklin all go to the dentist helped to relieve some of Macklan's possible anxieties about his own visit and taught him what to expect while in the dentist's chair.

Up until the day of the appointment, Macklan was in agreement about going to the dentist. However, on the morning of his appointment his attitude changed. He informed everyone that he was NOT going to the dentist! Oh no, exactly what I was afraid would happen! I had worried that he would get scared, become uncooperative, and back out by the time he got to the chair. Fortunately, as the day went on he warmed back up to the idea and did GREAT as a first-time patient.

He loved playing in the waiting room at the pediatric dentistry.

The dental hygienist allowed Macklan to pick out a new toothbrush, and then showed him the correct way to brush as he watched.

Then it was his turn to show her that he could do it!

She did a great job talking to Macklan and teaching him about all the instruments that Dr. Travis would use in just a bit. He was introduced to "Mr. Squirt" and had to give the suction tool "a kiss" to remove excess water.

So far, so good! He had passed the first phase of the visit and received a sports goody bag. He held tight to it as we waited for Dr. Travis to finish the check-up.

*You might notice that on Macklan's lap is a Waterfuls handheld ring toss game. Remember these? Fill with water, squeeze a button, force air to move a plastic ring or ball into a desired location??? Hours of fun, right! Well, I used to have one and wish I still did because Macklan LOVED it! Might just have to hunt one down for a Christmas gift...hum, there's an idea!!! 

 

Well, Dr. Travis counted his teeth. 1...2...3........18, 19, 20! All 20 teeth healthy and cavity free! He said to keep up the good work with great brushing and a healthy diet. I was glad to hear the news!

Lastly, Macklan had his teeth cleaned. This was the biggest challenge of the visit as he did not care for the gritty taste of the toothpaste. He also didn't like the strong flavor of the flouride "painted" on his teeth. However, he did like wearing the cool sunglasses that kept the bright light out of his eyes.

Macklan did a great job at his first dentist appointment. I was so proud of him! We celebrated with dinner...his choice...McDonald's!

*Oh yeah, Dr. Travis told me I could start saving now for a braces fund. He said Macklan had a Class B bite and would probably run out of room for his teeth causing them to squeeze together. We'll tackle that when the day comes; for now, I'm just happy that my little boy has healthy little baby teeth! 

Reid's Orchard Apple Fest

We arrived home from Florida at 2:00 AM, slept until almost 9:00 AM, and then Macklan and I headed off to Owensboro to spend the day at Reid's Orchard with Nana, KeKe, Briley, and Hadley for the annual Apple Fest. This would be my first time in years to attend; the last time I went I was living at home and probably in middle school. So, it's been a little while since I've experienced this grand event! Ha!!!

The Apple Festival is an event for the whole family with 20 food booths, 90 crafts booths, live entertainment, and carnival rides. Is there a better way to spend a beautiful fall day in Kentucky? I think not! ;) The Apple Festival has been named a Top 10 event by the Kentucky Tourism Council and a Top 20 event by the southeast Tourism Society which covers eleven states. Wow! That's impressive. 

After being apart for a week, we ALL were craving some time together. My mom, sister, and I are very close and these kids are the best of friends. It was a much needed day of hanging out, and Reid's Orchard was a lot of fun. We enjoyed great food like corndogs, homemade curly fries, apple cider and slushies, and kettle corn. I had to resist the temptation to eat a funnel cake, fried apple pie, or apple dumpling. They sure did look good though! The big kids enjoyed a few fun rides, and we saw lots of cute crafts as we visited the many booths.


Briley has long been a corndog lover, but Macklan got a taste of his 1st one today!



Hadley ready for some lunch!

Macklan and Briley were so brave about riding this HUGE ferris wheel.
*It was only a four seater.

He smiled like this through the entire ride.

Briley giving Aunt Kecia a big smile and wave.

Hadley probably thinking, "I'll be glad when I'm big enough to ride!"

What a bond...especially after a week apart!

Having a high flying time!

Macklan didn't mind one bit that he was on a pink horse (chosen by Briley of course).

  

Real boys have a blast even on a pink horse!

 

Ride 'em cowgirl! She's such a mess!!!

Hadley getting some sweet sugar from Nana while the big kids ride.

Cousin to Cousin

Cousin to Cousin

We’re from the same shoot,

The same family tree,

Into this world we sprouted

Call it destiny!

It’s cousin to cousin

A special thing

A closeness to which we’re tied,

And you’ve always been there

To laugh with me

Or even when I’ve cried.

Anyway I think it’s fantastic

That you were meant to be

A part of my life, my cousin,

You’ll always be special to me!