I’m trying really hard to keep Nathan from falling out of his new big boy bed, but when I went to see if he had fallen asleep, this is what I found:
And a little while later, this:
It’s a good thing I decided to put those pillows there! Really though, the only spot he can possibly fall out and he decides to sleep right on the edge.
P.S. a Thanksgiving post is in the works.
I realized recently that this blog is mostly about Nathan, some about me, and hardly at all about Ryan. I thought, “that’s too bad, because he’s a pretty cool guy and I kinda like him.” So, here’s what Ryan’s been up to.
I’m not sure all of you know, but after Ryan finished his first year in the Economics PhD program here at the University of Oregon, he made the decision to switch into the Masters program instead. In other words, we went from having 4 (+) more years of school left to just 9 months! Talk about crazy! I still don’t think I can wrap my mind around the fact that he will be done in March! That’s less than 5 months, people! Anyway, so far this school year has been amazingly better than the last. This was definitely the right choice for our family and I am so proud of Ryan.
When Ryan is not focusing on school, he loves baseball. He enjoyed watching the playoffs and the World Series (especially since his precious Braves made it so far this year). He loves baseball a whole lot. But I’m not jealous or anything. He’s also getting really passionate about cycling. I’m glad since he rides his bike 5 miles to campus (and 5 miles back) everyday.
Of course, he also finds time to be a primary teacher, a great dad, and a wonderful husband. He’s always willing to go out and buy me ice cream when I’ve had a bad day. He even surprised me with flowers not too long ago. He rode his bike and carried a bouquet at the same time. Now that’s one talented guy!
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!
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/
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.
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.
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!
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.
