Pumpkin Painting and Halloween

Fall fun had to include a night of pumpkins!  We got together with our sweet friends The Zeithaml's and let the boys paint pumpkins before the daddies carved pumpkins!  Jack and Jaiman had a great time getting their fingers (and everything else, really) messy!  They loved smearing the paint all over the pumpkins.  I think we have little Van Gogh's on our hands!

Then, our big guys got in on the pumpkin fun and the carving began!  Jack enjoyed helping Daddy pull out the "pumpkin guts!"  It was so cute to see him being a big boy and taking part in fall fun traditions! We decided to make Jack's first jack-o-lantern his name!  Dave did a great job carving!

For Halloween this year we had to do a theme costume!  When Dave was in residency, I made Fred and Wilma Flintstone costumes.  Of course I saved them so Dave and I were set.  Jack couldn't be Bam Bam because Bam Bam was actually Barney and Betty's son and Pebbles was Fred and Wilma's daughter so the logical choice for Jack was DINO!!  I was so excited to make his costume.  I started with an adult extra large pink t-shirt, some colored felt, and a piece of black foam.  I dusted off my trusty sewing machine and got to work!  I was so please with the final product.  I made a one piece outfit with snaps between the legs to get it on.  It had a hood with spikes on top and my favorite part, Dino's little turned up tail!

We went to our friends, The Torrent's, house for halloween treats and trick-or-treating.  Nicole and Evan were dressed as Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet and G, Jaiman, and Brian were Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster...theme costumes were a hit this year!!  The boys were so cute trick-or-treating and Nicole's halloween pasta and goodies were delicious!  What a fun halloween night we had.

Let's go OUTSIDE!

Jack LOVES to be outside.  He doesn't care what he's doing as long as he is outside enjoying nature.  So, since he loves to be outside and I had some gardening to do, I thought it would be fun for him to "help" me pull up my summer caladiums and fall mums and plant my winter pansies!  He loved digging in the dirt and actually held the shovel correctly.  Then, he gathered some sticks and used those to dig in my pots.  We are working on gentle hands with the flowers...I think we have a long road ahead!

We've had the best time exploring our yard and our neighbors' yards this fall.  Jack loves to collect acorns and rocks and crams as many in his hands as his little fingers can grasp.  He loves to pick up sticks and wander around the yard.  We look at birds, flowers, trees, and anything else we can find.

It's a great day when we see a dog walking by as he has a new love for dogs.  He gets so excited when he sees one and squeals "DAW, DAW!"  Just precious to hear the excitement in his voice!  

Happy Birthday, Friends!

It is so fun to celebrate Jack's sweet friends birthdays and it seems that fall is birthday season!  Jack's older buddy Jaiman turned 2 on September 29.  We celebrated Jaiman's birthday at a sports themed party at Jaiman's house!  Jack loved all the balls that were scattered around their yard!  He had a blast picking them up and throwing them.  But, the party highlight for Jack was the cooler filled with ice...we couldn't keep him out of it!  Oh, the simple joys in life!  

Then, on October 24, Jack's sweet friend Oliver turned one.  We were so excited to celebrate this special milestone with Oliver and his family.  Oliver's party was at their house and was a firetruck theme!  Jack loved playing with all of Oliver's new toys but especially loved Oliver's new push car.  The other highlight of Oliver's party for Jack was the stairs in the Hinnant's house!  He had a blast climbing up and down them during the party!  

Bon appetit

You wouldn't know it from his small size, but our boy loves to eat!  He has a great appetite and loves all sorts of fruits, veggies, and proteins.  Meal times have becoming increasingly messy as he has becoming increasingly independent.  Grandma and Grandpa Ryan said they used to put a shower curtain on the floor under Dave...I totally get this now!  When Jack is done, he waves his hands across his highchair tray and food goes flying.  He could really use a bath after every meal because he loves to rub his food covered hands through his hair.  And, for some reason (to keep Momma busy with laundry??) he refuses to wear a bib...he will rip it right off...every.single.time!  I haven't found a bib that I can keep on him, suggestions welcome!

One of my favorite parts of meal time is the way he props his little feet up on the highchair.  I think it is the cutest thing to see those little piggy toes peaking out!  I know this stage is short lived because those little legs will soon be too long to prop so I drink in each and every meal when he does this!  

He loves to feed himself and prefers finger foods to pureed or "liquid" foods.  I am still making most of his meals and starting to feed him what Dave and I are having for dinner.  I love the websites www.nurturebaby.com and www.wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com.  I have made some amazing meals and treats for all three of us from these websites!  

Some of Jack's favorite foods:

Turkey and sweet potato meatballs

Whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce

Peas and carrots

Yogurt (he even loves the Greek yogurt!)

Sweet potato pancakes

Pumpkin muffins

Orange zucchini muffins

Whole wheat blueberry muffins

Turkey hotdogs

Strawberries

Chicken

Baked salmon

Broccoli

Grapes

Bananas

Apples

Baby Mum Mums (a rice cracker type treat)

Broccoli cheddar nuggets

Prunes (thank goodness he likes them!)

Cheerios

Some of Jack's least favorite foods:

Blueberries

Avocado

Chomp, chomp

For 12 months we wondered if Jack would get any teeth.  I now wish he wouldn't!!  Those pearly whites started coming in the week of his birthday.  We could see them right at his gum line just waiting to pop through.  The bottom, front, right tooth was the first to make its grand appearance.  Since then, just a little over a month from that first tooth sighting, he has a mouth full of razor sharp chompers (top and bottom front and top and bottom molars (already!!))!  

Bless his little heart, he has had the worst time with teething.  We haven't had any drooling issues but when he first started teething he had horrible G.I. upset causing the worst diaper rash I have ever seen.  He has never liked a diaper change (he hates being constrained even for a minute for a diaper change) but changing his diaper during teething even made me cry.  It was the worst!  Thankfully, the pediatrician gave us a formula to compound a diaper rash cream ourselves...we combined zinc oxide, hydrocortisone cream, maalox, and A&D ointment.  It worked wonders.  

I have said more than once, that I will pull all of my teeth out if his will just stop coming in.  However, most days he does well tolerating the pain of teething.  He loves to chew on anything he can get his little mouth around (including my feet...he thinks trying to bite them is the funniest game, silly boy!) and apples have become his new favorite food (I think gnawing on an apple slice feels good on his gums).  We have definitely used our fair share of baby tylenol and motrin which seem to instantly relieve the pain.  

I am thankful that he is developing just like he should, but will be so happy when all those baby teeth have found their place in his little mouth!   

Fall Beach Fun

We only went to the beach once during the summer...I guess we are making up for lost time because this fall the beach has been calling our names.  The week following Jack's first birthday we were at Emerald Isle with my side of the family.  We usually take this trip in January but have decided to switch it to September so that we can enjoy the sun and sand a little more.  It was the most amazing week with perfect weather, plenty of sunshine, good food, fun on the beach, and lots of family togetherness.  Some highlights include:

Fun in the sun

 Big sand pits and little boys

 Pumpkins on the beach

 Birthday balloons on the beach

 Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles

 Baby surfer boy

 Outside dinners

 Jack's first trip to the aquarium

 Playground fun

Then, the first week of October we headed to Hilton Head, SC to spend time with Dave's family.  Grandma and Grandpa are living in Hilton Head for a few months to see if they want to move there (which puts them 3 hours closer to us!).  Hilton Head is beautiful and there is SO much to do.  Our week there started off COLD (Grandma even had to go buy Jack and me a coats because we didn't come prepared!) but ended beautifully.  We filled our time in Hilton Head with relaxation, yummy food, walks on the beach, a little shopping, and family pictures courtesy of master photographer, Grandpa!  We can't wait to go back for another visit!