all things september

I'm behind on posting. there. I said it. and in an effort to get caught up, I'm going to bombard you with a smorgasbord of funny happenings here in our little world. I realize that much of this post is henry-related, and for good reason. our little bug is changing rapidly and we can hardly believe he's the same little baby we had in august! for starters, he's mastered the sitting-to-tummy and tummy-to-sitting maneuvers.

which only fueled the fire for him to get mobile. I'm SO not ready for him to be crawling, but henry works on "henry time" not mommy time. shucks. if I had it my way, he'd stay in my all-time favorite "potted plant" stage for months. but our little buggy is a mover. unfortunately, the fun of mobility is always interrupted by the occasional goose egg. rocking chair = 1, henry's forehead = 0

miles seems to enjoy this new little brother. we'll see how he feels when henry swipes his beloved train right off the track. I predict it won't go well.

welcome back, gerber puffs. we missed you. and hello baby mum-mums. you are delicious. how is he old enough to chew food and drink from a sippy cup?

oreo cookie anyone?

the gorgeous weather in september lent itself perfectly to a many trips outside and even a couple jaunts over to the neighborhood park. on this particular day, the sun was warm and we were the only ones there. it was magnificent.

two great get-togethers

I'm not sure how this post slipped past me, but somehow I forgot to grace you all with pictures and stories from our annual trip to the great minnesota get together - otherwise know as the state fair. in sharp contrast to years past, the weather was phenomenal. it was so great that henry wore long sleeves...unheard of on a typical labor day weekend in minnesota. we packed up the van and ventured up to st. paul to take in the sights and sounds of the fair...on one of the busiest day of the year. by some stroke of amazing luck, seth routed us around to the northwest end of the fairgrounds where we quickly found ourselves a cheap parking spot within walking distance. thank you seth!

the boys were so well behaved. they tolerated the crowds and barely complained. especially kyle. seriously though, a special muuuah to my wonderful hubby for putting on a happy face and joining us for a jaunt around the fair. I think he would rather be shoveling six feet of snow than hanging out at the fair with thousands of other people who are just as excited for hot dish on a stick as beth and I were. it's fair to say (pun intended) that crowds are not his thing. we tried to ease the pain a little and came up with a plan of attack before we stepped foot on the fairgrounds. kuddos to beth for printing out maps and marking out all of the food stands we planned to hit up. we also scored a coupon book that basically became our menu. frugality at its best!

we always make it a point to hang out at the john deere display for a good half an hour. josiah started to relocate the mulch and quickly recruited miles. I'm sure the john deere reps weren't shedding any tears when we left.

miles and josiah really loved the little farm hands activity. they both donned adorable aprons, picked up a pint-sized pail, and made their way through a mock farm-to-shelf ditty. we were soaking in the cuteness of it all until we hit the backed up crowds half-way through. beth and I both decided that it wasn't quite worth the free stuffed sheep we picked out at the end, but fun was had nevertheless. next year we plan on going on some random weekday morning instead of the most crowded day EVER. adorableness prevailed, though, and we captured some great pictures.

I like to think of the state fair as my newest birthday weekend tradition. I'll admit, I celebrated thirty-two years of life on the 5th of september. I am sure I said this last year, but I feel like I couldn't be more blessed.

nothing like a shameless plug for thomas bubble bath...he's in love.

the gift of my amazing family is certainly enough for this birthday girl...but who doesn't enjoy a little morsel wrapped in pretty paper and a shiny bow? so thank you to all who spoiled me on my big day. you rock. besides a trip to the state fair, I really just wanted a good ol' end-of-summer bbq. my dad certainly knows how to do up a tasty cookout. it's definitely an added bonus that I get to "share" my birthday with my mom (her's is just one week later).

this year we posed for our annual mother-daughter-birthday-cake photo with my mom's good friend and our phenomenal daycare provider, go-go. love her.

I didn't set out for this to be such a long post, I guess it just happened. maybe it was me getting a little sentimental about my birthday, or perhaps an ode to my natural gift of gab. whatever it may be, it's long. so let's blow out the candles on this one. ta-ta.

balancing act

you know that crazy clown at the circus with plates spinning precariously atop of sticks perched on his palms, forehead, nose, and chin? yeah, he may as well be me.

school has started.

and, I should add, I've returned to the classroom. my job-share-partner-turned-dear-friend, kate, and I took a leap of faith and decided to go back to teaching a regular classroom of 25 third graders. it wasn't a decision that came easily and I think we both spent a good deal of time soul-searching on this one. NOW probably isn't the best time to ask us if we are at peace with our choice...but if you wait a few weeks, we'll have our ducks in a row. I think I can say that I somehow blocked out the reality of how much busy-work a classroom teacher has. I have come home with a full bag everyday. on a positive note, the work days fly by now and I am enjoying the kiddos.

so, if you were wondering where I've been, now you know. despite the increased stress and time away from our boys, we're having a great fall. it's definitely my favorite season. I think there is something magical about a season that is so short. the cool, crisp days when we can walk to the park under a blanket of falling leaves are few and they are beautiful. I just adore having pumpkins on my front step and adding a layer of clothing, but still being able to wear flip flops if I want. we have busted out the yummy fall scented candles and I'm headed to the store to get some candy corn tomorrow. I'm excited for pumpkin pie, our annual trip to the orchard, halloween costumes, apple crisp...this list is endless. more oohing and ahhing about that in future posts.

for now I will share with you some of my favorite family moments from early september. the boys are growing up too fast and I would be lying if I didn't admit that there is a split second every morning that I'm scheduled to work when I contemplate calling in sick. these two have me wrapped around their little fingers and I miss them so much when I'm gone all day. don't get me wrong, I am grateful for my job as a teacher and I definitely know that I have the best of both worlds. believe me, I know.

drinking milk like auntie jen

we are taking time to stroll around in the wagon and look for the rain clouds. I can't think of a better way to spend a fall evening. can you?

henry bug is working hard to learn how chase after his big brother and puppies. it's hard to believe that our little peanut is quickly going to become mobile. and for the record...I'm not ready.

we headed to a small local zoo on a beautiful saturday morning in early september. the animals are all native to this area and the size of the zoo makes it easy to get up close and personal with all of them. a little too close for this mama's comfort. there are hand sanitizers around every corner for you to use after visiting, say, the bison. riiiiight. but the zoo was lovely and both henry and miles seemed to enjoy the short trip there. I foresee many a return trip to this zoo in the years to come. bring it on.