Halloween Festivness (suuuure... it's a word.)

We really got into Halloween this year. We made sure we would be home to pass out candy since something had happened every other year we've lived here so that either we didn't get any Trick or Treaters, or we just weren't even home. We got decorations and carved pumpkins. It was pretty fun!

Brandon cutting the top off his pumpkin to start hollowing it out.

I figured I'd give the whole pattern thing a go.

So... many... holes!!!

It took almost as long to transfer the pattern as it did to cut it out!!!

It is so cute!!! I like it...

We both did pretty good!

Yay!

Landis really liked Daddy's pumpkin!

Apparently the pumpkin was hungry, so Landis fed him cheerios. He's such a good sharer :o)

Yes... he's eating lunch on the kitchen counter.

Then he vacuumed for Mommy! He was not pleased with using the attachment this time. he wanted the whole shabang!!

Our Wednesday morning playgroup got to wear costumes this week. Landis's very best friend, Kaden, was a Lion!!

You can tell they appreciate this :o)

Most of the group... I think we are missing one or two (they were there, but it was hard to get that many kids to sit still in one spot for very long!). Characters from left to right: University of Arizona Football Player, University of Arizona Cheerleader (they are brother and sister), Dinosaur, Buzz Lightyear, a Monkey, a Lion, and a Princess.

I know this isn't really a Halloween picture, but I had pretty flowers on my walkway :o)

The ghost moved back and forth across the chord! It was cool... but Landis was scared of him.

My front door

These guys were cute, but it's so darn windy here that they blew off three times. They finally just got put inside the house.

My side door (excuse the really dirty entry)

Pumpkin Patch

Yet another occasion that I forgot the camera, but I DID use the camera on my cell phone, which, I'm sad to say, generally takes better pictures than my regular camera, I've noticed. Irritating... anyway. We went to the Pumpkin Patch!! It was in the 90's and waaaaay too windy. When you go to the pumpkin patch, you don't really think about having to wear sunscreen, but we all totally slathered it on. I was hearing about how everyone back in Georgia froze at the pumpkin patch this year. Oh, Arizona...

Landis's first time at a petting zoo :o) This one was sponsored by the local 4H club.

He liked the goats that were shorter than him. I don't blame him.

I never clarified if this was a Llama, or an Alpaca. I suppose it doesn't matter. Landis didn't want to touch these guys! He just wanted to stare at them.

Landis riding with Daddy on the Hay Ride (with no Hay) out to the field to pick out our pumpkins.

Our Pumpkin Patch Loot! Landis got a cute little one :o)

He LOVES pumpkins now! He recognizes them everywhere we go!!

They were very dirty, so we were washing them off.

Fall Activities

We have actually had a lot of fun this month with some Fall things going on. We got to get stocked up on Halloween decorations, and we went to a fair at the school I worked at last Spring, while I was pregnant. I forgot the camera in my haste to get there at a certain time, so no pictures from the actual fun stuff there, but he did play some carnival games and won a Fraggle! And he and Brandon did the cake walk and won on the first try!! Landis got a LOT of use out of his Dinosaur costume. We will definitely be saving it for all of our other kids to use, as well. Here are some fun pictures from recent activities.

This was just funny. The water bowl was empty, so she got comfortable in the bathtub and had herself a refreshing drink.

Landis napping on the couch. He's just as adorable as the day he was born :o)

Brandon got to be a Zombie! 4th Avenue here in town always does a Zombie walk, so Brandon went this year. They had a Thriller dance tutorial and tried to organize the largest Thriller group performance. Not sure if they broke any kind of record, but he obviously had fun.

Had a birthday party ofr a neighbor, and she LOVES Halloween, so we had a Halloween/Birthday Party for her at our house. I made her a cool Halloween cake :o)

One of the activities at the party was to decorate small pumpkins. Landis tried to decorate my face... hence the red mark on my cheek. Oh yeah, and I got a hair cut :o)

I don't have any pictures of Landis wearing his costume at the Fall Fair, but here he is with the prize he won from doing the Duck Pond game (and, by the way, he says Duck and Shoes now!). If you can't tell, the prize is a Fraggle!! He likes to tickle his own face with Wembley's fuzzy tail.






This is the treat Landis and Daddy picked out for winning the Cake Walk. Florida was eaten before I could get a picture though. And the Candy Corns are supposed to be the mountains. It was cute.

And here, he is just lounging in an odd spot under the table. And he smiled on command! I still don't know how he learned that.

He's growing up!

A few more random pictures to show what Landis has been into lately. It seems like he all of a sudden understands everything I say to him. He knows what it means when I ask him to find his cup, to go get his shoes, lets go take a bath, time to go night night, where is your pumpkin, and a few others. It's definitely proof of the importance of talking to your child, and explaining what's happening in every day life. He knows to leave a room when asked (with the exception of the kitchen... it's still too cool to be in there, you know, with the huge bowl of dog food calling to him), he stops doing something we tell him not to do within 3 times of saying it, time out is very effective with him. There have only been 2 or 3 occasions that I've had to put him time out twice in a row for the same thing... in one day at least. He's such a good kid. And yeah, I realize all this changes at some point. So, I'm not completely oblivious to the terror that may ensue later in his life (or tomorrow... however you may want to knock me of my proud horse). I'm just bragging on my baby!! He's a great kid. So, take a look at what he's been doing!

Whenever we come into his room to either play, or change his diaper or clothes, we turn on his music. It's just a fun CD with kids songs. He LOVES to push the play button on the way in and on the way out.

"Roar!! I'm a scary Dinosaur!!" He's SO cute in this outfit! I want him to wear it every day for the rest of his life!!!

He knows exactly what a shoe is these days, and here, he's trying on mommy's shoes. he gets VERY upset, though, when he stands up and can't get anywhere in it. Especially when he's standing in one shoe with both feet. One day he'll know that shoes come in pairs, like feet, for a reason.

He likes to do the buckle on his chair. He's never gotten in buckled before, but he sure does try hard.

Somewhere along the way, he overcame his fear of the vacuum cleaner and follows me around wanting to help me push it. So I have started letting him vacuum the couch with the pet hair attachment. It seems to fulfill his desires.

I've been gone at least one night during the week the past few weeks, and he goes to sleep for Daddy like a little angel. Why can't he do that for me?

Glad this cassette wasn't important!

One steering wheel just wasn't enough!

Landis had chocolate pudding! He's feeding his adventurous tastes further by adding carrots, chicken nuggests, and grapes to his pudding. He didn't eat any more after that. I think he found his limit.

Teaser

I have yet again been slacking at getting pictures on here on any regular basis, and I apologize. So, here is a video of Landis trying out his Dinosaur costume at home. He really gets the gist of putting on clothes now, so he helps :o) He sticks out his leg for pants, socks, and shoes. He also sticks his leg out for his shirt, but we're working on that one. Enjoy!

Yay! Cuteness!!!

Hello everyone! It's been too long again!! What have we been up to? I decided I really wanted to decorate for Halloween this year. Not sure why I never acquired any Halloween stuff before, but now we have some! I'm not really into the scary stuff, so it's just fun, happy jack-o-lanterns and window clings, and a fun witch splatted on the front door and orange and purple lights outside. And some fun things hanging on the outside walls. Actually, everything I just mentioned is for the outside. I got some pumpkin spice candles and holiday air fresheners, and Mulled Cider reed diffusers to make the inside all Fall-ish and festive. I do love air fresheners. Landis is going to be a dinosaur for Halloween!!! I'm so excited that he started walking in time to be GOOD at it by the time Trick or Treating came around. I was a little concerned he may not be able to get around very well in a costume either, but he is a pro!! We went to the store to check out some costumes, and tried him in 3 different ones. When we got to the Dino, he walked down the aisle with his arms out in the air, going "dah, dah, dah, dah, dah!!" Brandon has been talking about it ever since, so we went back and got the Dino costume. We are going to let him run around in it a few more times before halloween so he gets a little more used to it (although he really does just fine), but still. It's so cute!!!

No new news on re-enlistment/getting out. Still waiting around on his flight physical to be all completed by the clinic. Brandon has his check-up on his wrist sometimes next week. Hopefully at this appointment they will finalize whether or not he will need surgery to repair his torn ligaments. Iw ill definitely post the update on that.

Oh yes!! Landis had his weight check. In 5 weeks, he went from 17 lbs 14 oz, to 19 lbs 3 ozs. And I did NOT give him Pediasure. I don't think Pediasure is evil, or disgusting, or bad for him necessarily. I just had a plan! He wasn't underweight according to his height, and he didn't look like he was really lacking anything. But anyway, I went on like I had intended to and he was fine. The doctor didn't really seem like she remembered that she had suggested to give him Pediasure anyway. She just looked at his weight and asked what I had done. So I told her. We are probably going to get him a new carseat in the next month or so. I think by the time we get one, he will have reached the 20 lb mark. I think he'll have fun if he's facing forward and can see! I've posted comparison pictures from when he was a newborn in the seat to just a week ago.

Okay, go enjoy some pictures!

Hello Grover :o)

You want to snuggle, too? (he's a very good sharer!)

Telling jokes to Grover! What a hoot!!!

Mommy said is was time to quiet down for the evening, and to not stand on the couch.

Big bites of Banana!

Banana Face = Love

This is me at 2 1/2 weeks old... I barely fit in my carseat.

And this is me at 13 months :o) I still barely fit in my carseat! But for different reasons.

Hey... there's a little girl on the back of this box!

So bouncy!

Here Mommy... you try! (If he was a girl, I'd totally frame this picture. Maybe we can photoshop Lilly in here!))

I think vacuuming is fun, so I helped!

MOMMY! I'M NAKED!!!! (Actually he was mad because he couldn't fit the tip of the thermometer through the itty bitty holes in the bottom on the case.)

This is me getting super smart :o)

Carrots? Seriously? (His face is hilarious, but he really does eat them up!)

This is what Landis did when I told him to smile! I didn't know he'd actually really do something!

The only thing this picture is missing is some baby plumber's crack.

He was testing the durability of the dishwasher door. Open, closed, open, closed, open, closed, open, closed.