excuses

I can come up with a list of reasons why our blog was abandoned for the past couple of months. but THIS is mostly to blame:

robin + pregnancy = sick.
and by sick, I mean sicker than I've ever been. I barely even took out my camera for the entire month of september.  so bear with me as I bounce back and forth between past events and filling you in on the happenings of this fall.

nine months old...already?

you know what it's like when you have every intention of getting something done...you've planned every last detail and can practically swear that it actually happened? except that it didn't, so there went all of your best laid plans. poor henry. these monthly photo shoots that used to occur on the precise day that miles turned that new month have somehow morphed into this-picture-of-henry-was-taken-sometime-between-nine-and-ten-months-old. but hey, we did it and we got them taken outside. just as I had planned, of course. it was just shy of snowing out, so we weren't out for long. henry couldn't have cared less about the chill in the air, because this boy is (almost) always happy. he is a spunky, quick-moving, lively, cuddly, and chatty little guy. he loves his brother, napping, chewing on everything, drooling, nabbing the remote, petting his puppies, singing, spitting (this one's fun), reading books and turning the pages, watching signing time (or whatever miles is watching), and giving hugs.

he's figured out how to stand up to anything and everything...and he's fearless.

henry is still somewhat of a peanut - a very long and skinny one. this was solidified by his latest stats:

weight  = 18 lbs. 1 oz. (12th %ile)

height = 29 3/4" (87th %ile)

the doctor says he's healthy and meeting/exceeding all major milestones, so we'll just keep monitoring his weight (he's gone from the 89th %ile at birth down to the 12th!). and contrary to his size, he LOVES to eat. he's eating three solid meals a day and has even begun to munch on quite a few snacks - baby mum-mums, puffs, cheerios, graham crackers, cheese, cooked veggies, diced fruit - he loves it all...even the occasional stick. why not?

we are in love with his crazy personality and are so thankful that we were blessed with yet another amazing son. we are definitely smitten with this little peanut.

if you are curious, check out henry's professional pics here.

boo!

I guess you could say that this post got away from me. it's nearly the middle of november and I'm just now posting pictures from this year's annual costume party. miles chose to dress up as his favorite pbs kids character - Super WHY! - or as he calls him, "su-su-suuuper why" (still stuttering...).

and although purchasing a pre-made costume goes against my creative genes, I broke down on this one. he was adorable and still wears the mask around - so I guess my $20 wasn't a complete waste. henry was a soft and cuddly dragon. this also went against my usual halloween tradition of everyone coordinating, but I couldn't seem to come up with a very good sidekick for miles and we already owned this costume, so I gave in and took the easy route. as for kyle and me...well, that's a little more complicated. I'd been planning our mary poppins and bert costumes for awhile, but hadn't gotten all of the pieces together prior to going to phoenix. needless to say, we were scrambling at the last minute for a good "bert hat" and some sort of chimney sweep. I called my brother to borrow his newsboy hat, which sort of gave our costumes away...since brian and blair had already rented mary poppins and bert costumes from a local costume shop. (thank you to blair for giving me the heads up) I didn't really want to come as the same people, so kyle and I made an 11th hour switcheroo and came as mr. and mrs. banks - same movie, different couple.

not too shabby given the fact that we had less than 2 hours to whip up a costume! everyone else looked fabulous and fun was had by all.

I think kyle and I are probably two of very few parents who didn't make a haul on halloween candy this year. we headed out to trick-or-treat at grandpa's house. let's just say that door-to-door is impossible, so we laid low and relished in the calmness of halloween night - our years of running ragged are in the very near future, we know! so we drove to see a handful of loved ones and came home with a half dozen candy bars, a giant coloring book, adorable shirt for henry, and some age-appropriate snacks for both little guys. gotta love family!

I'm already brainstorming our costumes for next year and have a handful of ideas simmering on the back burner. you'll have to wait a year to find out what doesn't get cast on the cutting room floor. after this year lack of creativity, there's no place but up!

the orchard

this post requires little words. the orchard was magical. it's a tradition now and we loved every moment. the mums were gorgeous, the animals were plentiful, the pumpkins were everywhere, and the donuts were to die for. kuddos again to mother nature for the unbelievable weather. you rock!

recharging my battery

life has been a little hectic lately. returning to the classroom has been stressful and october is turning out to be a crazy month, but there is something about family that manages to jump start my soul and keep me going. we have been blessed a million times over with amazing families and feel that it is an added bonus to have them all so close to us. so this month we've taken advantage of that and spent time with the ones we love.

I have many awesome women in my life. and these four women are extraordinary. they are exceptional mothers, fun aunts, amazing grandmothers (don't worry...not you sara), and a phenomenal great grandmother. it was wonderful to see them all together and we couldn't pass up this kodak moment. we haven't had a proper greseth get-together in some time, so we jumped at the chance to celebrate the fall birthdays at grandpa and grandma's house. we missed a good chunk of people, but feel fortunate to have been with those who were able to come. this bunch never passes up the opportunity to dine on sweets. yummy. a special thank you to those who pitched in and raked leaves.

the little ones had fun jumping in them, but uncle scott probably had the most fun. next year I'm sure miles will jump at the chance to dig through the leaves to find the candy scott hid. if not, well then I guess this mama will have to step up to the plate.

so my battery went from low to high that day. the weather was warm. I had to smile at miles' rosy red cheeks and the presence of shorts and flip flops. it's october. in minnesota.

for our trip out to the farm to visit grandpa, we loaded up the van and set out to go watch the tractors in action. due to a little oil "mix-up" the tractors were parked for a bit, but that didn't stop miles from eyeing up the newest tractor. I swooped up my camera and got set to capture memories. hard to do when you leave the memory card at home. argh! so we don't have any photo documentation, but kyle and I will both attest to the fact that miles and henry were thoroughly loving the late morning visit to the farm. we will have to head out again soon to take some good autumn pictures. I'm sure grandpa won't mind! ahhh. my needle inched closer to the F and farther from the E. I love recharging.

my sister and I are looking forward to watching our babies make memories on the swing set in their backyard. the boys have dug in and began making those memories right before our eyes - in the form of flying sand, squeaky swings, and at least one meltdown. (I told you that parenting wasn't all roses and butterflies). but who cares? we cuffed up their little pants and let 'em dig. after all, childhood = sand in your shoes.

so after a weekend of recharging, I was fired up for the week. what remains is simply overflow...or maybe my back up battery. whatever you call it, it will definitely come in handy when I need a jump during the work week.