Halloween Festivities

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I took Nathan to the farm to get pumpkins.

We saw bunnies.

 

and ducks,

and flowers.

And of course, lots of pumpkins. Nathan wanted to pick up all the “balls” and if he had been able to, I’m sure he would have thrown them.

We also bought some yummy little apples and some fresh apple cider.

Our pumpkins before we painted them.

Once we showed Nathan what to do, he was very serious about his artwork.

Ryan was pretty serious too (even though we ran out of brushes so he had to paint his whole pumpkin with his finger).

 

Our finished creations. Mine was supposed to be a golden snitch but it never got farther than being a pumpkin painted gold.

On the 29th we went to our ward Halloween Party.

Can you tell who we are?

In case you can’t tell, we dressed up as . . .

Ron Weasley

Hermione Granger

and Pigwidgeon, the Owl

He even had a little message to deliver.

Did I mention he was a screech owl?!

Nathan met up with his friend Lily at the party.

They are only a few days apart and spent some time hugging and kissing each other. 

Actually, Nathan was mostly on the receiving end, but I don’t think he minded too much.

  

He spent the rest of the evening running laps in the gym while Ryan and I halfheartedly chased him.

       

After about an hour of watching him run and hearing him yell things like, “I go! I go!”, “Race!”, “I’m gonna get you!”, and “RunRunRun!” we decided it would be best to opt out of the trunk or treat part of the evening.

Still, the evening was a success and we got our fill of Halloween!

Family Pictures

My friend, Christy, took some family pictures of us a few weeks ago. It’s a good thing, because the family pictures I have hanging in our house right now are from when Nathan was bald, toothless, and immobile. He did not make things easy during our photo shoot, but we got some good ones.

Here are a few:

Check out more of Christy’s photos at http://christygphotography.blogspot.com/

What I Love Wednesday

I’ve seen other people do this on their blog and I think it’s a fun idea. Not only do I get to share things I love with all of you, it also helps me think about all the things that make me happy, and all the things with which I am blessed.

Here are five things that I LOVE:

1. Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I’m really sorry if you live somewhere that doesn’t have Tillamook Ice Cream. If I could send you some, I would. Their web site say it’s “Hearty chocolate ice cream dancing with a thick ribbon of deliciously creamy peanut butter.” I just say it’s GOOD!

2. Netflix

We never go to the theater so this is a great way to catch up on all the movies we wanted to see but didn’t. I especially love that Netflix has every episode of Backyardigans ever made online. This is how I’m able to shower most days.

3. Pumpkin Spice Candles

Actually, I love everything pumpkin. But, on a daily basis I just have to enjoy the candle because it’s the only thing I love  that has zero calories!

4. A Clean House

HA! Well, even though I would prefer that my house magically clean itself, I do have a few favorite cleaning products that I use.

• Clorox wipes- these make clean-up so fast and easy, and they smell so nice.
• Green Works All Purpose Cleaner- I love the smell! So lemon and fresh. I also love that I don’t have a headache after using it.
• Soft Scrub Gel Cleanser with Bleach- okay, I must care a lot about smells because I love the way this one smells. I save this for things that need a really good scrub, and my house smells so sterile afterward!

5. Good Hair Days

In my life, these are pretty few and far between, but when I need a really good hair day, I reach for my Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum (does this feel like an infomercial to you?). I’ve tried a lot of different products and this one really works!

 

Something else I love? I love that all of you took the time to comment on my recent post “Hello?” It’s so fun to know who’s reading and who I’m talking to when I blab away about my life. I’m really horrible about commenting too! But I’ll try to do better because you all made me feel so good! Thanks!

*I would like to point out that this is a list of things I love, not people I love. Actually, Ryan wanted you to know I love him a lot too.

18 Month Stats

We took Nathan to see the doctor this morning. He got 4 shots and a new toy car. It took 4 people to hold him down while they poked him. Poor baby!

Here are his stats:

Weight: 27.2 lbs (67%) – I think he weighs more, but he wouldn’t let go of my hands while they weighed him, so this is as accurate as it gets.

Height: 34 in (96%) – That’s right, he’s over half as tall as me!

Head Circumference: 19.5 in (90%) – Gotta have room for all those brains!

Portland Children’s Museum

Yesterday, some friends of ours invited Nathan and me to go to the Portland Children’s Museum with them. We said yes, of course, because this sure beat our plans for the day which included sitting at home and doing nothing.

The museum is almost two hours away but thankfully the kids were great in the car and Christy and I got to sit and chat for TWO FULL HOURS on the way.

When we got to the museum we had a yummy lunch at a cute little picnic table.

Nathan tried to sit still and eat his sandwich, but there was a lot to see.

We found some fish and Nathan was so excited.

(yes, this is a picture of Nathan pounding on the glass with his fist)

He also had fun climbing, sliding, and jumping.

(Playing peek-a-boo)

Then Nathan found the water, and he was in heaven!

Nathan and Miss L splashed away next to each other. Too bad they are still too young to really care about playing together.

Things got even better when we headed into the Vroom Room!

(Nathan pointing at the car and saying “guck!” Every vehicle is a truck.)

Driving the bus

 

These two are headed out on a date, I think.

Nathan was really excited about the dig pit and I was really excited to finally get a picture of Nathan looking at the camera!

We saved the Water Works exhibit for last, for obvious reasons. Actually, with his funny little smock on, Nathan stayed pretty dry. It also helped, I think, that a lot of the water was a little too high for him to reach.

Still, he had fun splashing and looking at all the fountains and squirting water.

Even though the little ones were pretty cranky on the way home and I learned that Nathan really doesn’t know how to share yet, we had a fun day.

Hello?

Okay, this is kind of awkward, but I’m wondering who reads my blog. I mean, I have to admit that I read a lot of blogs that are written by people I have never met. Ryan likes to make fun of me for this. He always laughs when I say something like, “Oh, I read this great post on Suzie’s blog today. She’s the friend of so and so’s sister’s cousin.” Don’t tell me I’m the only one who does this! I always want to comment on their profound words, but think it would be weird and a little hard to explain. So, this is an invitation- if you read my blog, leave a comment and say hi. I’m not cocky enough to think that a bunch of random strangers are really interested in my life, so even if I know you read my blog, leave a comment anyway. This will be fun for me!

18 Months Old

My baby boy turned 18 months old this weekend! I always say “I can’t believe it!” but this time, I do. He’s gotten so grown up lately, if someone told me he was actually a thirteen-year-old in a toddler body, I would believe it.

Photo courtesy of cg photography

Here are 18 fun facts about Nathan:

1. Nathan has 7 teeth- 5 visible, and 2 that just broke through.

2. Nathan has quite the head of wavy hair. We’re not sure who he got it from!

3. Nathan LOVES cars. He drives them all over the house. We’ve always called them cars, but for some reason he refers to them all as “trucks” or “gucks”.

4. Nathan is always jabbering about something. We’re starting to get better at understanding him- or maybe he is just getting better at communicating with us. He’s started saying phrases and short sentences, including:

I see you!

I got it!

Where are you?

I don’t know!

Stinky? No! (this is a game he likes to play. He pretends he needs his diaper changed, then laughs.)

5. Nathan still loves his binky. We’re working on it but I just can’t help but give in when I hear him wandering around the house saying, “Binky. . . binky. . .  where are you?”

6. Nathan has started to realize when he is being funny, and he’s milking it for all it’s worth! He loves to make silly faces and crack us up.

7. Nathan is never still. Never.

8. Nathan loves to eat popsicles and I often find him standing in the kitchen begging me to open the freezer.

9. For the most part, Nathan has very nice manners. He’s very serious about wiping his mouth when he eats.

Untitled from Ryan Bartron on Vimeo.

10. Every night when it’s time for bed, Nathan walks around the house and says “bye-bye” to everything. The microwave, the couch, the TV, his toys, the bathroom . . .

11. Nathan loves to look at pictures of people and animals. He always points out their eyes.

12. Nathan loves to count, but he can only count to 2 so I often hear him wandering around, pointing to things and saying, “one, two, one, two, one, two”.

13. Nathan’s favorite foods include: peas, popcorn (he gets really excited when the microwave is on), string cheese,

14. Nathan loves to be outside. He is constantly begging to play in the sandbox or go for a ride in his stroller.

15. Nathan is learning to use electronics. He’s just not sure exactly where they should go. He puts the camera to his forehead and shouts, “cheese” and puts the phone to the back of his head to say “hello”.

16. Nathan has learned so many new words. Just a few are: Jesus, shh! kitty, stinky, all done, cheese, hello

17. Nathan really likes to watch videos. He especially likes Toy Story and any movie featuring himself.

18. Last of all, Nathan is still an awesome dancer!

 

This sweet boy celebrated his special day with his first ice cream cone. Yum!