Sunday, October 27, 2013

Great Weekend and 34 Weeks

My Big Boy doing his breathing treatment all on his own (while watching Cars).
Modeling his football hat. He rarely takes this hat off now that we've pulled it back out for the fall/winter.

Going on a walk. The intent was for Noah to ride in the wagon...that didn't happen...

You know those moments when you sigh...not a sad sigh or frustrated sigh, but the kind that comes from overwhelming contentment? Yep, that's right now. We have had such a fun weekend. While I'm sad it's coming to an end already, I'm thankful for how much family time we were able to cram into one weekend. I am one of those moms who constantly struggles with the desire to be home with my son versus the contentment and fulfillment of my job. Knowing I made the most of the time I had with Noah (and Daniel, too!) this weekend helps me not feel guilty heading into another work week. Maybe that only makes sense to me. Maybe you just want to see cute pictures. :) Well, the quality on some of them is not great...but it will help me seal the memories in my mind!

Friday night we went to church for Family Fun Night. The workers and those in charge did such a great job of creating fun and safe activities for all ages. We started our night by the bonfire making smores, which just made Noah request more marshmallows all night long--I guess we should have saved that until last! We then headed for a "train" ride. Noah kept saying he didn't want to go on it (I think remembering the panic he felt at Stuckmeyer's a few weeks ago!) but when he realized Mommy or Daddy could ride with him he was more willing to go.


We then hit up the tractor and trailer for a hay ride. Noah was a little hesitant at first but quickly got excited when the tractor started moving. 
Noah was a little more willing to try out the inflatables but didn't go too far beyond the entrance before he decided he was done. No jumping occurred, but he didn't cry, so we count it as progress! 

At the cookie decorating station Noah was thrilled to lick the frosting off the knife!


In the carnival room, Noah totally rocked at the ring toss. (Hard not to when you are allowed to stand that close!) 


As we headed to the Photo Booth, Noah looked up at me and said, 'Go home now, Mommy?" Little Man was definitely tired! So after the Photo Booth we headed to the snack tent for a quick bite of nachos and hot dogs before leaving for home. We all had a blast!

Doesn't this just crack you up?!?!
Saturday morning found us at Laumeier Sculpture Park for family photos. (Last week's session was postponed due to a park closure). It was a little bit chilly, and getting a 2-year-old to pose for cute imitations of Pinterest-found-poses is tricky, but I think we got some cute ones. We will see when we get them back!

Saturday evening we joined our friends Ryan and Shondra for a gender reveal party.


So excited to meet your baby boy, friends! 
Church and an afternoon of football, house cleaning, cooking, baking, and watching the Cardinals in game 4 of the World Series has rounded out a lovely weekend.

Tomorrow brings week 34 check-up. Can you see the below video?? Noah has learned the baby's name, and it's adorable. I make him say it all the time just to hear it over and over.

Introducing Lyla. :) 



Sunday, October 20, 2013

Pumpkin Patch and 33 Weeks

In keeping with our yearly tradition, we visited Stuckmeyer's Pumpkin Patch a few weeks ago. We thought Noah was big enough this year to try some of the "extras", including a tractor-train-type ride and exploring inflatables. We were wrong. Noah was fine to sit in the train car, but when he realized he was going farther and farther away from Mommy and Daddy, the tears let loose. The same thing happened with the inflatables--he was fine to go in one but wasn't fine when he found out Mommy couldn't follow him. After the workers went in and rescued him they were nice enough to return our money. Maybe next year, son!















I was thankful for this mat at the bottom of this slide! Noah thought this was funny, thankfully! 







Noah picked an apple from a display in the little country store and thoroughly enjoyed it---more than he enjoyed taking the picture! :) 
This was a craft project I worked on as a wedding present for a friend. The blocks are reversible so you can change them out for the season. I thought they turned out pretty cute! 


The girls at work were so sweet and threw us a shower. We are getting more and more ready for Baby every day! (It's okay for Dad to see these now...he found out the gender...and not from me! :) ) 





I think we are pretty set on clothes for now! 
Along with some really cute accessories from Grandma Shoemaker! 
This one is Daniel's favorite so far. 
Our 32 week check-up looked good. Baby was measuring exactly on track and had a great heartbeat (always reassuring!). I finally gained some weight and am now at 3 pounds above pre-pregnancy weight. Now we return every two weeks for check-ups. Getting close! 

Family photos are this afternoon, so look for another post with sneak previews soon. :)