A Very Eventful End to October

*Note: I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks because our laptop stopped working this past week.  We just needed a new charger and hopefully it will be in soon (I am using Josh's company laptop that he brought home for the weekend). 

Well, we ended October with tons of excitement!  Some good excitement and some not so good.  The not so good happened on Tuesday, Oct. 26th.  Franklin had bad storms and tornado watches and I truly believe a "mini tornado" touched down in our backyard!  It tore our fence up and wiped all of my furniture off of the front porch!  It also tore our neighbor's storage shed down and then picked it up and threw it over the fence, damaged their fence, and split a big maple tree in their backyard!  The craziest thing is that it picked up a patio chair from the backyard of a house that is atleast 2 football fields away and blew it to the back of our backyard!!!  Thank God it wasn't any worse and no one was hurt.

This is the part of our fence that attaches to our neighbors.

This was where the drive through gate was.

This is my chair from the front porch...look how bent the legs are!

This was a table on our front porch.  The glass was shattered not far away.

The rest of our "end of October events" were much happier happenings.  On Thursday, October 28th Ethan turned 6 years old!  But we didn't celebrate until Friday because Franklin Elementary's fall festival was Thursday night.  Since I am an officer of their pto I helped set up for the festival from lunch until it started at 5pm.  Josh was going to bring Ethan but he got stuck in Nashville traffic so my good friend Amanda picked him up from Mom's and brought him with her kids.  Josh came a little late and they had a blast going on a hayride, playing carnival games, and bouncing on the inflatables.  I had to work the booths throughout most of it but also got to watch Ethan from a distance and all of our hard work was well justified by the smiles on the kid's faces. 

On Friday, October 29th Ethan's class had their fall party.  As a homeroom mother I was able to help plan this event and I must say it was a success!  We decorated the room super cute and the kids made bookmarks, played "Pass the Hot Pumpkin" and Jack O'Lantern Jump, and had a plateful of snacks.  It is so rewarding to see the joy on their little faces when they see what you have prepared for them!    Then, Friday night we celebrated Ethan's 6th birthday at Monkey Joe's in Rivergate. He ended up having 20 of his little buddies not counting all of the adults attend and he was in heaven!  His party was Hot Wheels themed and the cake turned out super cute.  Ethan got tons of presents and loved all of them but most of all he enjoyed running, jumping, and playing with his friends.  I cannot believe that my baby boy is 6 years old but I am so very proud of the wonderful little boy that he has become. 

The table decked out in Hot Wheels decor

The cake made by Shelby Simmons

Landen saying "Yay"

The Birthday Boy

The great grandmothers feeding Landen cake

Ready to blow out his candles

My very sleepy lil' man

On Saturday (the 30th) we went Trick or Treating.  Ethan had a homemade John Deere tractor costume (per his request) and Landen was a cute little spider.  Landen only trick or treated family to make it easier on both him and us but Ethan and I walked an entire neighborhood with our good friends Amanda, Alera, and Ty.  Ethan had his picture taken for the Franklin Favorite and he loved all of the attention and comments that he got on his costume :)

 


October was so full of excitement that we haven't known what to do with all of our free time so far in November.  I spent some time with my best friend Jennifer this weekend and she was suprised to see Landen crawling which reminded me that I hadn't posted that on my blog.  He is army crawling all over the place!  He can even pull himself up from sitting to standing now.  Needless to say, he is into EVERYTHING these days but that is just part of this stage.  He is growing so quickly but it is such a joy to watch.  The other day while Ethan was at school Landen decided to crawl into his room and dump out a bucket of trains.  When I walked in he looked up at me as if to ask if he was in trouble and when I smiled he dove right back into them.  He had a ball and I picked them all up when he was done so Ethan never even knew....hehehe!       

Today before church the boys played with a cardboard box and then after church we went to the square and took a few pictures of the boys and I just have to share those and then I will hush until next time :)

       

Fun Fall Festivities



Ethan selecting just the right one ;)



He was quite happy with his selection.

So, we have been very busy this past week with Fall festivities!  Last Wednesday, Landen and I went with Ethan's kindergarten class to the pumpkin patch at the methodist church on the square.  Ethan had a great time with his buddies and he was very proud to show off his little brother.  They ate a snack and watched a cute video.  Landen behaved very nicely as usual and he is now very fond of Ethan's teacher.  He kept reaching out to her when she talked to him.  It was sweet. 

Ethan's class + Landen

Landen just hanging out at the pumpkin patch.

So,then this past Saturday we headed up to Jackson's Orchard with my grandmother and Ethan's cousin, Zoe, to meet up with my cousin, Jenna, whom we usually only get to see on holidays. The only one of us who had ever been to Jackson's was Jenna so she was kind of our tour guide.  The kids had a blast sliding on the cider slide, riding ponies, picking pumpkins, and of course bouncing in the fun house.  The weather was perfect and the apples with caramel dip were wonderful!  I think we may just have to make a trip to Jackson's Orchard part of our annual fall festivities.

Coming down the cider slide at Jackson's

I have a goofy look on my face from excitement & Landen looks totally not enthused!

On Sunday, after church and a pto meeting we carved and painted our pumpkins.  I have been trying to figure out how to involve Landen in the pumpkin decorating process and a friend of mine had a great idea on her blog.  Her little girl is a little younger than Landen and she let her finger/hand paint a pumpkin and put a cute little bow on top and her initial on the front.  It was adorable and I commented on her blog that I was going to steal her great idea ;)  So, we decorated the evening away and this is what we came up with....



But, it took this to get there.....





Now, this week we have a fall festival at Ethan's school along with his fall class party!  And at the very end of the week.....Ethan's birthday party!!!!  Fun, fun, fun :)                         



Our Wonderful Week of Wedding

Ethan ready to go to the wedding rehearsal.

Ethan was the ring bearer in Jennifer & Ben's wedding this weekend.  He adores both of them and did a wonderful job at taking directions throughout the whole process.  I was one proud momma!  It really made me realize that my baby boy is now a little man. 



This is my little cutie here with the flower girls. 

Landen was at the ceremony too.  It wasn't that cold out but he has had a runny nose (hence the toboggan).




I love this picture! It is priceless ;)


Ethan and the flower girl getting down!

We had SO much fun at the reception.  Ethan boogied all night long and well, let's just say I tried.  Jennifer was the most gorgeous bride that I have ever seen and she & Ben had a permanent smile on their face the entire nigh.  Jennifer & Ben, thanks for letting us be party of your special day.  We love you & hope you are having a blast on your honeymoon.





Echo playing with Landen. 







North Carolina Trip - Part 2

 

As you can see, we had tons of fun on the rest of our trip to North Carolina.  These boys were full of giggles!  They really enjoyed the indoor pool and this really cool library that we found called Imaginon.  We also went to an aviation museum and a Discovery Place museum that Ethan loved, but my camera went dead so the pictures are on Josh's phone and I am still waiting on him to send them to me.  Once he does I will post them.  We headed home on Saturday (10/9) later than we wanted to and it was after 1 am on Sunday when we got in.  The boys traveled well but were glad to be back home in their own bed.  It turned out to be a really awesome trip filled with fun-filled family time!

Ethan found this telescope at the library and loved it!

Of course he found the train table and wouldn't seperate from it.

Landen found a toy that he really like too.

9 Month Checkup & North Carolina

Friday morning, I came into the living room after getting dressed to take Ethan to school and found the boys watching TV together.  It was too cute so I just had to share!

After dropping Ethan off at school, Landen and I headed to the pediatrician's office for his 9 month check-up.  I was actually looking forward to this doctor visit because there were to be no shots and I was very curious how much he had grown.  Oh boy, it didn't turn out to be such a pleasant experience!  We arrived on time for our 9:30am appointment only to sit in the waiting room with kids coughing and sneezing everywhere until 10:40am.  That's right we sat there for over an hour and Landen was losing his patience.  I had already decided that if they didn't call us back by 11am I was going to tell them I would just reschedule.  So, they weighed him and much to my surprise he has only gained 2.4 lbs since his last sick visit (over 1 month ago).  He now weighs 26.4 lbs.  Once we got to the room we waited another 15 minutes for the doctor to come in.  So, after an hour and a half of waiting we find out that he is perfectly healthy and "looks great"!!  Which I am very thankful for but my resolve had dissolved and I was just ready to get out of there!  Then the pediatrician throws the flu shot at me with this big spill about how he recommends it with there being a big brother in the house who is now in school, blah blah blah.  I just stand there because I don't know what to do!  On one hand I don't want him getting the flu.  It is miserable and of course I want to protect him BUT every single time Ethan has gotten the flu shot he has been miserably sick with a cold right after.  I know they say that the flu shot doesn't make you sick but I promise, with Ethan it does.  Plus, I was SO looking forward to no shots :(  Well, the practical side of me won out over the emotional side and Landen got the first half of the flu shot.  He barely even whimpered and so far (4 days later) he hasn't been sick at all!!!  So, after the shot the nurse tells me that Landen has to go to the lab for "routine bloodwork and a urine sample"!  I was given no warning of this whatsoever.  So, we gather our belongings and mosey on down to the lab where we sign in and then have to wait another 30 minutes.  Once we get back to the room I have to hold him while the lab tech pricks his thumb and then squeezes it until she gets an entire tube of blood!!!  Mind you, I don't do blood anytime and on top of that I hadn't eaten anything all day because I was planning on being out of the doctor's office by 10:30am.  By now it is 12pm and I am wondering if Landen and I are going to make it back to Franklin to go to the Homecoming parade with Ethan.  They check for the urine specimen and find that the "u-bag" has come loose and leaked because the nurse didn't apply it tightly enough!!!  Are you kidding me???  Luckily the lab tech was very understanding and gave me a "u-bag" to take with me and bring back the next time we come.  So, at 12:15pm Landen and I leave GGC, swing by a drive-thru for lunch, and race back to Franklin Elementary to meet up with Ethan's class and walk outside to watch the parade.  Landen wasn't a happy camper!  He was sleepy, sore from the shot and prick for bloodwork, and had been sitting around all day waiting...poor guy!  So, I didn't get any pictures of his first parade but he would't have been very happy in them anyway :-(  Hopefully, his one year checkup will go much better!

Landen in the pediatrician's office

On Saturday morning the boys, Josh, and I loaded up and headed to Charlotte, North Carolina.  Ethan is on Fall Break this week from school and Josh had to come here for a GE training class, so we decided to make a family trip out of it.  We drove the majority of the day Saturday.  We left the house at 11am and stopped off at a mall in Knoxville, TN for a couple of hours to stretch our legs and give the boys a break.  We ended up arriving at our hotel about 8:30pm and were exhausted!  I do have to say though, both boys did really well with such a loooong car trip. 

On Sunday, we slept in and then went to Day Out with Thomas which had tons of fun activities.  Ethan loved all of the trains and Landen just loved being outside!  They had a magic show, model trains, a Thomas store, a straw maze, storytelling, Thomas videos, play areas, a Thomas inflatable, and someone dressed up as Sir Topham Hat and a real train that you could ride on with Thomas leading the way.  Ethan had been to one when he was three years old in Nashville but this one had many more activities and since he was older he enjoyed it a lot more. 





Ethan working his way through the maze.







Pausing for a picture

Landen grabbed a handful of straw but wasn't so sure he liked it!

I have many more cute pictures from the Day Out with Thomas but since the internet isn't working right in this hotel I will just leave it at these few. 

Monday after Josh got in from class we went out to dinner and then went to a place called Meg's Art one town over to let the boys paint pottery.  It was kind of like The Paintin' Place in BG.  They really enjoyed it and I took my camera in but I was so busy helping them paint their masterpieces that I forgot to take any pictures!  Tonight I think Josh is going to bring dinner on his way in and we are going to hang out at the hotel and check out the indoor pool....FUN!

"Mama" (for sure this time) & "The Boys Beat the Girls Down"

Ethan has been begging us for a few weeks to go eat Red Lobster.  So, Friday night we made it a date and the four of us headed to BG to eat Red Lobster and get Ethan fitted for a tux for Jennifer and Ben's wedding.  He ate almost all of his popcorn shrimp and he absolutely LOVES the cheddar bay biscuits!  Our waiter kept calling him "Dude" and Ethan wanted to know why.  Once Josh explained that it was a friendly term he was cool with it and has been using the term ever since!!  This nice lady came up to us and told both of the boys they looked just like Josh and Ethan's response was "Uh uh, everyone says I look like my Derek" (his uncle).  After having her head taken off the lady politely said "Well, you are both adorable" and before Ethan could respond I thanked her and she moved on.  Poor lady...she had no way of knowing that my son is VERY defensive about his similarity to his uncle.  After dinner we headed on over to get Ethan sized for his tux.  Of course, Ethan decided to entertain the ladies who worked there by spinning and checking himself out with his jacket on.  By the time he was done they wanted to keep him there!  He sure is the little entertainer. 

Saturday Mom kept the boys while I, along with another bridesmaid, threw Jennifer a bachelorette party and Josh attended Ben's bachelor party.  I had a blast and it was a much needed night with the girls!

After I got home on Sunday Ethan had to tell me about Pepop giving Landen chocolate milk and how he ran to tell Grammy!  "It was just a drop" he later added to the dramatic story! 

On Monday Ethan was out of school so the boys and I had a nice laid back day in our PJs.  Ethan loves to stay in his pajamas and took full advantage of the opportunity to lounge in them all day. 

Tuesday my sweet Landen turned 9 months old!  I swear it seems like just yesterday that we brought him home.  He must have known that I was feeling sad because he decided to say "Mama" and cheer me up!  I cried happy tears!!!  He said it twice and now will not say it again.  I think I scared him with my reaction and maybe he has decided not to say it again now, lol. 

Landen on his 9 month birthday

Today, when I picked Ethan up from school I asked him how his day was and he said " Mom, the boys beat the girls down!"  Really??  My kindergartner is learning slang/trash talk from his classmates already!?!?  After I recovered from the initial shock of his comment I asked exactly what the boys beat the girls at and he explained that they were having a contest to see how many boys/girls could go take their bathroom break without talking....needless to say, the boys won.  He is extremely happy about their victory but hopefully understands now how to display that happiness without being so derogatory.  I'm not holding my breath though....he seems to think his new terminology is very cool :-/

"La-La-Lullaby" and "Ba-Ba....Mama???

Pajanimals

These guys sing a song called "La-La-Lullaby" and every night it comes on and Ethan yells for me to come and sing it with him.  Regardless of what I am doing I always stop long enough to go sing with him.  Lord knows I can't sing but it's about that few minutes that we spend cuddling before bed.  If only I could capture that time and put it in a bottle so that I could relive it when he is a teenager.  But I will always have the memories and I thank God for my sweet and loving little boy.

"Ba, ba, ba" is what Landen started saying yesterday over and over.  I am convinced that he is trying to say "mama" but Josh refuses to believe that (of course)!  Oh well, I know better :)

September So Far, In a Nutshell

You can see his teeth in this shot....aren't they cute?

So, here are the lake photos that I promised to post two weeks ago.  Sorry it took me so long.  I didn't get a good one of Ethan at the pool so I am posting one of him on the ride home instead. 


He is such a silly boy!  My little cutie pie.

I also mentioned in the last post that we were having Jennifer's shower that weekend....well we did and everything went great!  As an added bonus Landen made a new friend....Miss Cecila Miller.  Her mom was a co-host of the shower and Cecilia is about 2 and a half months younger than Landen.  She is the cutest little girl ever and she and Landen enjoyed chatting with each other in baby language.



As you can tell, we all enjoyed watching the two of them interact...

Ethan was, as always, a very good baby during the shower.  He and Grammy played and danced the entire time.  She now calls him her little "Tater Bug" because his middle name is Tate.

The Sunday following the shower, after church, we celebrated Mom's birthday and Grandparent's day here at the house with the whole family and unfortunately I didn't take pictures but after a delecious dinner we enjoyed pineapple upside down cake (which is mom's favorite).  And Ethan gave each grandparent a gift that he had chosen all by himself especially for them. This is the first year we have done that and he was so proud to show them what he had gotten them!

Last week, Ethan had school pictures at school and he practiced smiling the entire ride to school.  He is so funny and makes me laugh more than anyone I know!  We will see when the proof comes in whether his practice paid off or not.  We went to the bookfair at his school and he picked out this super cool book about planets.  When we read it I learned something new, Pluto is now too small to be cosidered a planet!  He and Landen enjoyed looking at the book together.

Ethan is like a bottomless pit after school!  I swear he eats anything he can get his hands on!!!  One day last week he ate a 4 piece chicken nugget, 2 pieces of cheese, a strawberry popsicle, a pack of fruit chews, a Lunchable, an apple, and drank 2 glasses of chocolate milk....and this was all before dinner!!! He also says whatever is on his mind, which usually ends up embarassing me but this past Sunday he brought tears to my eyes.  At our church, the entire congregation shakes hands at the end of the service (which my best friend Jennifer has told me that she finds odd) but anyway Ethan has been taking part in the handshake since before he could walk and it is by far his favorite part of the church service!  Anyway, Bro. Chad Lambert was our pastor from the time Ethan was born until he was almost five years old and we all thought very highly of him.  He left our church back last year and only comes to visit once in awhile.  Well, this past Sunday he was there and as we were shaking hands Ethan looked him dead in the eye and said "I miss you".  I had no idea this had taken place until after church when Chad came over and asked us if we had put Ethan up to telling him anything.  I said no and asked what he had said and that is when he told me with tears in his eyes.  Bro. Lambert said it shocked him that at Ethan's age he would say that.  He said Ethan turned him to jello in an instant and I was so proud of him.  It may not sound like that big of a deal but I think it is great that he knows and loves his church family and feels comfortable enough to tell them how he feels.  Ethan never fails to suprise us in the most wonderful ways!

Landen is just so irresistable!  His little chubby cheeks probably ache at the end of the day from where I kiss them throughout the day.  He is laughing out loud more and babbling up a storm.  Last week he wouldn't sit by himself even if I was in sight.  He would just cry and cry which isn't like him but I think his teeth were hurting him badly!  One day his gums even bled a little!  Today he has been great.  We played together on a blanket for a while and then he sat there and played by himself.  Which gives me time to throw a load of laundry in or work on planning one of the many upcoming events.  We also danced together today and he thinks that is the funniest thing!  Landen is getting up on his knees and rocking back and forth but still can't crawl yet.  He wakes up with a smile on his face and goes to sleep the same way...I am so blessed to have had two happy babies.  He is now outgrowing his 12 month clothes completely!  We have to buy 18-24 months for my 8 month old baby!!!  Everytime I wash a load of his laundry I have to put away atleast two or three outfits because he has outgrown them.  Landen goes to town in his walker now.  He can get around all over the place in that thing!  He has graduated from one to two containers of babyfood at a time, twice a day!  He keeps it down fine and if I don't give it to him he is NOT happy.  As you can guess it is hard to keep enough food and correctly sized clothes in the house right now for these quickly growing boys!  But I wouldn't have it any other way and I thank God for them. 

This past Saturday we spent the day at the Nashville zoo with Amanda and her kids.  It was a beautiful day full of sunshine but man was it hot!  We all enjoyed the zoo and made an entire day of it.  Needless to say, we were exhausted once we got home.  Can't wait to see what fun we can get into next weekend!

Alera, Ethan, and Ty

He is so proud of himself for standing up with very little help!