Family Photos

I've been wanting to have some family photos taken for a while and was reminded of this even more when we went to Poland this summer. Rafal's mother has photos of all three boys with their respective families hanging on the livng room wall and I hate  our photo. So every day we were there I was reminded that we need a new one, especially to document our little family of three before it becomes four. Here are some of my faves... 

Just to end it with a little dose of reality :)

Halloween-Take Two

In the month leading up to Halloween, I kept asking Tavish what kind of costume he wanted...he briefly toyed with Cookie Monster ($$$) and a dragon, but in the end he wanted to be a robot...again.

Luckily last year's costume still fit.

 

 

 

 At preschool they had a little costume parade and party with the parents.

Mr Sweettooth was very focused on having this specific cupcake. Apparently he had been asking his teacher for it all morning.

In the evening he was invited to go trick-or-treating with his BFF.

They live in a neighborhood where all the houses are decorated and it's a big street party full of kids in costume hitting up all the houses. It was a perfect big boy trick-or-treating night. Both boys got tuckered out and ended up riding back in the stroller with their impressive haul.

And we've been on a sugar high ever since.



Five

Five years.

An eternity and a blink of an eye at the same time.

Lots of changes.

Plenty of craziness.

And happy ever after...

(despite everything else!)

 

 

The weather was gorgeous, just like 5 years ago, so we took a drive up to Buckeystown to visit our little reception B&B. She's faded some and certainly didn't have a little boy on her front steps back then, but a beautiful day for a drive (including a speeding ticket).

 

In the evening we headed out, just the two of us...

First stop...pedicures. Rafal has been converted and now gets put out if I get one on my own.

Then Indian food for dinner (so glad he loves it too!) and a stop at a Halloween party. I dressed as a preggo. And called it a night early. Preggo=boring.

Tree Hugger

Our little tree hugger wants to name the baby "Leaf".

We are having a hard time convincing him otherwise.

Especially because we can't think of a good name.

Boy names are hard!



Check Up

Twice now Tavish has accompanied me to my OB appts.

The office is totally set up for kids to get involved and excited for the new baby.

 



 They have little lab coats with a tape measure in the pocket to help measure mom's belly.

My belly is right on track, even though it looks humongous!

But Tavish gets pretty caught up listening to the baby's heartbeat.

 Doesn't he just look like a little doctor?

Being the patient.

We thought we would try to trick the doctor and have Tavish lay on the table waiting for her instead of me.

She figured it out pretty quick.

 

I think next time I'll come by myself though...a little less distracting.

 

Great Country Farm

Two posts in a row with country in the title.

This one was all for Tavish though.

Fall out here is gorgeous, totally my favorite season.

So we headed out to the Great Country Farm for some fun.



 First there was jumping on the giant inflatable jumping pillow.

I'm telling you if I wasn't laden with child and all I so would have been on that thing with him. 

 Then we ended up playing in the corn bin.

There really should have been a hose and a warning sign outside that said "this is the messiest place your child will ever play, do not go in unless you have a change of clothes".

But, of course, there wasn't.

And, of course, Tavish loved it more than anything. 

 He climbed the tower of tires.

 Fed some ponies.

See how messy his clothes are?

 Drove a tractor.

 Played a little chess.

He asked me how to play...I said first you move a black one, then you move a white one.

I am a chessmaster.

 When we (I) were done playing, we took a wagon ride over to the apple fields...

 to pick some apples!

We picked a big bag of apples and apparently a bunch of fruit flies too.

We are still trying to get rid of them weeks later... 

But we did make a yummy Cocoa Apple Cake.

 awww...don't leave me yet!

 On the way home, we stopped in Bluemont and had lunch at the general store with some bikers.

Tavish got attacked by a rooster, so we headed home.

We were exhausted and fell asleep on the drive back.

Wait, I was driving.

I really wanted to though.

 

 

 



Country Living Fair

So two years ago my friend Susan says to me "we should go to the Country Living Fair".

We are both fans of the magazine and fans of ditching our kids with the husbands so I said "sure!"

Well that year I had a conflict with an anesthesia conference.

So the next year I planned it better and was all set to go...and the house flooded.

Third time's the charm...

 

 

 

So we headed to Pittsburgh to drop off Rafal and Tavish with Paul and the kids to juggle soccer games and waste-water treatment plant visits. Rafal got ready by eating a Primanti Bros. sandwich...

while Susan and I hit the road for Ohio.

 

 

 

For some crazy reason I took no pictures! Oh wait, pregnancy brain.

But we got to hang out with my BFF DeLAuna and do what we wanted to do without anyone fussing!

Lots to see, but we all came out of it thinking...oh I could make that! As if I had time.

 But just before we left I found it...the one thing I couldn't live without...

 

 



a kid size version of the Amish rocking chair I bought when I was pregnant with Tavish.

And guess who loves it???
It's just his size and story time is that much better when you have your own rocker to sit in...