National Blogging Month!

November is National Blog Posting Month! I have to say I'm proud of myself for getting back on track with blogging more regularly. But, I thought I would take this challenge just for fun :) The challenge is to post one blog each day for 30 days! So far so good!

We Love Balloons!

I took the boys into Trader Joe's this morning and we saw one of the nicest cashiers! (They are all really nice there, actually! That's why I like going!) He was talking to the boys and was very excited to give them balloons! He asked me first and I said, "Sure." So, Jackson and James both got blue TJ balloons to take home. They were mesmerized by me tying them into the car so they didn't blow away while I loaded them and the stroller. They liked watching them bounce around at home. They did NOT like, however, when I tied them to their wrists so they could play with them more. I haven't seen them both so sad...ever :( Instead I tied them to dining room chairs, and that was much more to their liking :)

Story Time Hopping

I have been getting excited to take the boys to story time or a class, or something with other little guys and some other mamas! It's taken me a while to get up the courage/find something worth going to. There aren't a whole lot of options for such little ones. I have been quite frustrated in the past year with the activities provided by such a HUGE metropolitan area! Jackson's Auntie Cassie has an awesome library in Kenosha, WI that provides an infant/young toddler story time with stories and activities. How fun is that?! I thought for sure that the Fairfax County library system would offer something similar. Nope. They also got rid of their entire CD collection. I went in when Jackson was just a couple months old looking for some kid music. The librarian politely informed me that they did not carry CDs anymore, but they did have some sing-a-long videos. Ummm...thanks... Anyways, I also was very interested in taking a knitting class once I was finished working and awaiting the arrival of Sam. I could only find one class that looked good, but it was a pretty good hike. I've also had a really hard time finding any children's resale/consignment shops. Thanks to Facebook, I've connected with some people in the area and they helped with word-of-mouth advice. So, I decided to bite the bullet and start story time hopping! Just because the descriptions target two year olds, doesn't mean we can't swing by and check it out!

Today was our first outing! We went to Borders and sat in on their 11am story time. This is a weekly event, and I think we might go back! The boys couldn't have cared less about the books being read, but they loved checking out the other kids and looking around! I, of course, can spend forever in bookstores, so I was equally happy :) The employee reading was great. She picked good stories (above the boys, but still fun to listen to) and was very friendly and helpful. I would consider this a success!

Next up: Barnes and Noble on Thursdays at 10:00am! This one might mess with nap time, but it might be worth checking out at least once!

Pumpkin Bear Comparison

October 13, 2008: Four days old

November 1, 2009: One year old

Happy Halloween!

The other night we carved our big pumpkin. It was my first time using a template, and it is MUCH harder than it looks! The pumpkin is titled "Bugaboo." The medium pumpkin is Jackson's and we used stickers Mimi sent to decorate it :)

Jackson dressed up as Jackson Hole, WY for Halloween :) The hand-made onesie was complimented by horsey slippers and a stuffed moose!

Jackson got to spend the evening with his buddy, James the Monkey!

Front

Back

Pumpkin-ing!

We had a wonderful family outing to Cox Farms Fall Festival! It was a beautiful fall day on Sunday, and we definitely took advantage of it! Josh and I really had a good time, and I think Jackson had a lot of fun too! He really enjoyed sampling the fresh apple cider :) There were lots of farm animals to look at and pet. We saw a couple of HUGE mama pigs snuggling with their very new piglets.
There were ponies to ride, but this guy was just hanging out by the fence letting little people pet him!
We successfully found our way out of the corn maze! LOL It was more of a path, but still a good time.
I think the goat farm was one of my favorite parts! The goats were really cute! Of course they were acting extra adorable since everyone came in with food for them. They were just the right size for our little bug to pet.

Jackson as a goat!!!

There were a bunch of these big slides! Josh and I were in heaven, and Jackson really seemed to like them! We each took a turn taking him on this one. The last thing we did before we left for the day was to go down the biggest one as a family. You had to use a sack and everything!

A Jackson-sized pumpkin!

What are these big, orange things? I think they are funny!

A very nice gentleman offered to take our picture in the pumpkin patch. Not the best, but still cute :)

My One Year Old! Yikes!

That sounds so weird to say! We had our belated one year check up today and it went infinitely better than I thought it would! I was so paranoid that we were going to get "yelled" at for still using a bottle, feeding J-Man tub veggies in order to get some veggie nutrition in him, and for not giving him more finger food. I know, poor Josh... Anyways, my fears were relieved the minute the nurse asked the question, "Does he feed himself any foods?" The way she said "any" made me realize that there are probably lots of one year olds out there that aren't feeding themselves food! Jackson will feed himself pretty much any kind of fruit, toast, graham fish, and puffs. We saw our favorite doctor and she was awesome! She said we can go ahead and start using whole milk instead of formula. If he doesn't like the taste right away, she said it was fine to still mix some of it with formula. She also explained that for all intents and purposes, fruits and veggies have the same nutritional benefits. Phew! She also said if he likes the tub veggies, go for it! We came away from the appointment with the realization that in the doctor's eyes, it is more important that Jackson is picking up and feeding himself any foods. That he most certainly is :) She also answered all of my other questions: *When should we see the dentist? Around three years. *Does he need "real" shoes yet? Not necessarily. Gym shoes or soft-soled shoes are both providing protection, and that is the real concern. *Where did this rash/bumpiness come from? Dry skin. It's that time of year! *What does she recommend for diaper rash? Zinc. The whiter the cream, the better! *How does she feel about the H1N1 vaccine? Recommends it, but they aren't sure when/if they are getting any! Jackson's stats from this visit are: Height: 29.5 inches (about 50th percentile) Weight: 22 pounds, 4 ounces (about 50th percentile) Head circumference: 19 inches (90th percentile) Hmmm... ;)