Why did I wait?

Had I potty trained him in the Spring, I could have gotten to look at this all Summer...

My little boy in his underpants.


This morning started out pretty rough, but by 3 p.m. he knew when he had to go and what to do. He had no accidents this afternoon. This book worked for us again.

Woohoo, no more diapers!!!!!

(for a few months at least)

Wrong Again!

Halloween always seems to sneak up on us each year since all our focus (well, "my" focus) is on Joanna's birthday the week before. We didn't even decorate our porch until the morning of.

Now the gorgeous porch below is not ours, but the cute kids on it sure are.

"Trick-or-Treat"!!!

Sammy's bag ended up being filled to the brim.
(Mysteriously, he found his bag just a quarter of the way full the next morning)
Halloween was a fun time with doughnuts and sloppy joes at Grandma's followed by an awful movie "The Blob". I say awful because Logan and I paid for it that night with a scared Joanna waking us up 4 times.

Oh, and I bet you're wondering what the title "Wrong Again!" has to do with this post. Well, Joanna and I were wrong again. It explains the scowl shown above. We for sure thought that we were having a baby girl. Well at my ultrasound today, Logan and I found out that in 5 months we will be welcoming...

Joanna was pissed off.

Sammy, on the otherhand, claims everything that is for boys/a boy/in boy colors to be HIS. So
this is now "his" baby.

I have to say that the first thought that came to my head when we were told it is a boy was "Oh no, poor Joanna." But a second later I could not wipe the smile off my face.

Another boy.
I was going to be a mother to two "boyS".
Sammy's going to have a little buddy.
Logan has another best friend.
And I get to experience this again...

First steps.

And chubby cheeks...oh, those chubby cheeks!!!!!

Hooray!

There never has been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between a mother and a son.

-- Author Unknown

Fairy Princess Party

Unbelievable.
My little baby is now...5!

Joanna wanted a fairy princess party this year - big surprise. I have to say, it is so fun to plan a girly party. I'm not so sure what I'll do for a "boy" party for Sammy. I guess I have a few years before I have to worry about that. Here are some highlights of the day's festivities.

Flower cupcakes.

The bounce house was a hit...again. Somehow I forgot that this could be all the kids did at the party and they would be just as happy.

Pin the petal on the flower.

It actually looked pretty cool. The petals looked like they were blown off the flower.

The girls earned their wings and once they got them on and started fluttering about it was
oh. so. cute!

Musical Chairs.
Not many pictures of this fiasco since the photographer (daddy) had his hands full.

So cute.

We are very grateful for our fairy friends!

(Oh, and if you are in need of all things fairy, I found them here.)

Little Teapots

How hard is it to be a teapot, really? Apparently, its really hard for a 2 year old.

Take 1

Um... I'll give you a candy bar if you do it.
Take 2

Okay kids, let's focus.
Take 3

Okay, that's too much focus. Sam snap out of it.
Take 4

Success! Definitely worth the wait.

September

Our family is excited that Fall has finally arrived and for everything that comes with it- the beautiful colors on the mountains, the comfort food, the cooler but not freezing weather (being the walking furnace that I am these days, I'm especially thankful for this!) and a visit from Lela and Lolo. Here's some of what we've been up to this past month.

Here's Joanna in front of her preschool on the first day.

She was so excited.

The kids have been rockin' out.

Logan played in a volleyball tournament on Labor Day.
I love watching him play.

The kids, on the other hand, got bored and distracted a few hours into it.

And on our downtime, when we're not playing Red Light/Green Light, swinging to the moon on our swing set, doing donuts in the church parking lot in the "truckcar", or playing soccer, we've been having a lot of fun with an early Christmas present.

A Child's Prayer

Every night for the past several months, Joanna has ended her prayers with the following request: "and help me get a baby sister in mommy's belly".

EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.

She has even began adding "her" to the family pictures. Her sister is the green one under Sammy's arm.
Well it turns out that she will be getting a little baby sister OR brother early next year. March to be exact. That month's turning out to be a crowded one as far as birthdays for our families. When I finally told Joanna, her face beamed and the only thing she could say was "can I hear my baby?" and she came over and gently put her head on my baby bump then kissed it. So precious.

Now her prayers end like this: "thank you for my baby sister (and quietly says "or brother") in mommy's belly."

I went to my doctor's and heard the baby's heartbeat today. We are indeed grateful for our baby in mommy's belly!