Walking is Overrated

Just in the past couple of days Katherine has shown a little more confidence in her mobility skills.  The weather was absolutely beautiful today so we spent some time outside.  The boys washed the vehicles while Katherine and I played.  I basically let her explore on her own.  We decided if she was crawling on the hard patio that it might encourage her to walk!  She was hilarious.  She would kind of do an elephant crawl.  She would have one knee on the ground and the other leg kind of straight.  She went everywhere!  That girl was not happy when I would reel her in -- she let me know really quickly that she did not want be held. 

Tonight she actually kind of walked from the couch to the ottoman without holding on to anything.  She is also standing alone for a bit now.  For entertainment after supper I got out mine and Paul's baby books.  Turns out Paul was about 16 months when he walked.  I think Katherine is following in her daddy's footsteps.  For the record, I was 10 1/2 months!  Luke got a kick out of me reading to him everything about his mommy and daddy.  He was fascinated by the lock of my hair and kept wanting to go back to it. 

Paul measured Luke tonight and he was 40.5" - he has grown over an inch in the past two months. According to Paul's baby book Luke is a little taller than Paul was at this age. Maybe that means Luke will be tall!  I have had my doubts because Luke always measures right below the 50th percentile.  Katherine seems to have hit a little growth spurt, too.  She just seems taller to me.  Guess we will find out soon enough.  She will  be due for her 15 month well visit soon.

The Perfect Pumpkin

We found ourselves with a "free" day today.  Paul had planned to go to Knoxville with Jon for the game, but they changed their minds at the last minute.  Since we had not planned on Paul being around we had a whole day with nothing scheduled!  We set out this morning in search of the perfect pumpkin.  There is a little roadside stand on Long Hollow that we go to every year.  The man there is so nice.  He has goats, rabbits and all kinds of critters for the kids to look at.  We couldn't get Luke to feed the goats but Katherine loved them!  Luke likes to admire animals from afar!  Before we knew it we had spent close to an hour there.  We bought some straw, mums, pumpkins and gourds to make a fall display in the yard.  Luke helped me with it this afternoon. 

We did several errands this morning before coming home for naps.  Luke and I actually took a nap which was nice.  Mom joined us for supper and to watch the Auburn game.  She gave Katherine a bath and got her ready for bed.  That was a nice break for us.  I got to sit and watch some of the game!  Auburn won which was a nice surprise.  Paul decided he was glad he did not go to Knoxville after all.  UT did not fair so well against LSU. 

Mixin' It Up

Friday night is normally our night to eat out.  We seldom eat out during the week (Chik-fil-a was the exception this week!).  Paul gets home around 6 most nights.  By the time he gets home and we head out again we have wasted a lot of time.  We decided to meet him tonight instead waiting for him to get home.  We actually made it from Hendersonville to West End in less than 20-minutes!  We were down there way before he was ready to meet us.  Katherine fell asleep on the way so I drove around in Centennial Park until Paul was ready.  His office is just across the road.  We decided to try a new place - Chipotle.  It was really good, but very similar to Qdoba or Blue Coast Burrito.  Luke was hilarious while we were there.  The restaurant was playing some sort of African music.  He got up and started dancing.  He got the attention of all the other patrons.  I wish we had the video camera.  Add to that Katherine bouncing up and down in her high chair and we were quite the spectacle!

After supper we headed back to Centennial Park for the kids to play on the playground.  Katherine crawled around in the mulch and went down the slide a lot!  I tried to get her to swing but that was short lived.  The playground is pretty nice but was very busy and it got dark quickly!  For some reason there are not lights around.  Lucky for us that Virginia and Jason were eating supper on West End so they stopped by to see us (the kids)!  Luke was excited to see Gigi and he actually called her "Virginia" for the first time!  Katherine still needs a little time to warm up to Gigi but that will come in time. 

I loved our night and we plan to do it that way more often.  There are so many great places we can go down there.  We get bored with the same places around here.  I have a couple of pics that Paul took with his work camera that I will download when I get my hands on it.

No Costumes Here

Katherine is feeling much better and did great with the grandparents today!  I think she got spoiled and will not want to go back to school tomorrow.  We are still on the hunt for Halloween costumes around here.  We decided to go to Chik-fil-a for supper tonight.  Luke was jealous that Katherine got to ride in Paul's truck when she was sick yesterday.  So, we met Paul to eat and then he got to ride in the truck to the costume store.  That was a total bust!  They had a decent selection but were way overpriced.  Luke wanted to go through each costume and ask what it was.  Katherine insisted on crawling on that nasty floor.  She is not content to be held anymore.  She still does not have much interest in walking, but has no problem getting where she wants to go!  I think tonight's trip out made us realize we just need to order their costumes online.

Sickness, or is it?

I got a call from the school today saying Katherine had thrown up.  I questioned this as I have never seen her throw up. They said she was fine but they just wanted me to know.  I called back around lunch and they said she had not had any other episodes.  Within an hour of that phone call they called back and said she had an episode of diarrhea and I had to come and get her.  I picked both kids up early and Katherine seemed fine to me.  So well, in fact that we stopped by Target on our way home to pick up some things.  We also got some popcorn that Katherine had a fit over.  There is no putting food past that girl - sick or not.

I had this nice plan that we would get home, pop in a movie to entertain Luke and Katherine and I would nap on the couch. No such luck.  Katherine was wired.  She wanted to play with the trains, work a puzzle, read books and pretty much anything else you can think of.  Every so often she would want up in my lap to lay her head down but she would not go to sleep!

She did not have a temperature or any more diarrhea or vomiting all night.  I really think it has something to do with her teething.  I know that is kind of an old wives tale.  She has gone from only four teeth to eight in less than a month!  The crazy thing is that all four of her first molars came in already.  So, she has two little center teeth on the top and bottom and her molars.  There are several more right below the surface.  Poor thing.  She chews on anything and everything she can get her hands on!

Since she can not go back to school tomorrow Mom took a half day of vacation in the morning and Bill and Paula will have her in the afternoon.  We sure are thankful that we have both of our families to help out!

Laid Back Ride

On the way home from church yesterday

On our way home from church yesterday we heard Katherine making her funny noise where she pats her hand over her mouth.  We turned around and she had her leg thrown up on the car seat just taking it all in.  Then Luke started making the same sound, then Paul and I joined in!  We are silly!

We have realized that Katherine really enjoys playing with Luke's trains.  We usually keep her away from them while he is playing with them, but tonight we let her play with a train he picked out for her.  She loves making the train go under the bridge.  She would push it and giggle so loud -- like it was the funniest thing she had ever seen!

We accidentally forgot to give Katherine her Allegra Friday and Saturday nights.  She has started with a runny nose and a little cough.  The fact that we were on a dusty farm yesterday probably did not help either.  It is amazing how that medicine keeps her dried up.  I hate to think she will be battling allergies the rest of her life though.  Hopefully not....

Lost In The Corn

She loved the slide!

The Munchkin Maze

After church and lunch today we went to Gentry's Farm in Franklin.  Mom and Paula went with us.  It was so neat!  We all really enjoyed it and stayed way longer than we thought we would.  There are lots of activities for the kids and it seems more authentic to the Pumpkin Patch we have been to in previous years.  There was a kiddie straw maze, a corn maze, hayride, pick your own pumpkin, a cool playground and much more.  Luke says his favorite thing was "playing in the corn".  The had troughs filled with different grains that the kids could play in.  Katherine's favorite was by far the cows.  She had a fit over them!  She would squeal, point and try to climb over whoever was holding her to get to them.  It was too funny.  We all enjoyed the hayride that took a mini tour of the 4th generation working farm.  I so admire families who farm!

Paul, Luke and I did the corn maze while Nonna, Nene and Katherine looked for pumpkins.  Paul and I thought it wouldn't take long to do the maze but we actually got turned around!  We found our way out although it was not the proper way out.  Luke kept saying " Are we lost in the corn?"

It was a super fun day!  So, we basically tried to cram all of the fall activities in to one weekend around here!

Scarecrows!

Even Sir Topham Hat was a scarecrow!

Katherine was very excited about the scarecrows!

When I got off work we headed to Nashville to check out the Scarecrows at Cheekwood!  We also wanted to see the Trains exhibit again.  We were excited to go on a weekend when Paul could go with us.  Luke was excited to see the trains again and he loved all the scarecrows.  We went to this exhibit a couple of years ago, but it seemed liked there were a lot more this year.  There was a huge variety to enjoy.  I especially liked Noah and the Ark.  Cheekwood is so nice to visit - the gardens are still beautiful and the weather was great today. Both kids were worn out on the way home.  We got home in time to eat supper and watch some football.  We put the kids to bed early and actually got to watch both of our teams (lose) in peace and quiet!

Show And Tell

 

This is what my sweet family was doing while I was getting ready to go

Luke had show and tell today!  He was so excited.  He took the milo from the farm and Paul's old John Deere combine toy.  I asked the teacher is she would care to take some pictures of him talking to the class.  Not only did she take pictures but she printed them, mounted them on construction paper and laminated them for me!  How great!  Apologies for the orientation of the middle one.  I can not get it flipped the right way after numerous attempts. The teacher said he did great -- he told everyone exactly what the milo was for, how the combine worked, including all the different parts and what the names of the parts are.  He definitely knows more than I do!  I was so proud of our little guy!

Tonight we enjoyed kicking off the weekend.  We ate supper at Chili's at Luke's request.  It has become one of his favorites lately, mainly because they have cooked apples!  After that we went to Pier One.  I know, we are crazy!  The kids had fun playing in the toy section and Paul had fun getting a personal preview of their Christmas stuff. Yes, he asked the sales lady when they would be putting out the Christmas items and she went and got some of it from the back for him to look at.  My husband sure does LOVE Christmas!

Loving The Phone

 

Talking to Pop

Trying out her new chair

Luke has really gotten in to talking on the phone lately.  Pop called him tonight to see if he told his friends all about the combine.  They carried on quite the conversation.  It is so neat to hear his side of it.  Last night Bill and Paula brought Katherine a rocking chair!  They gave Luke a rocking chair for his 1st birthday and wanted to do the same for K, but Paula had not been able to find one.  Jon and Kristen visited her dad in Indiana a few weeks ago and Kristen found this adorable chair at an Antique store.  We love it and so does Katherine!

She actually is in to any type of chair right now -- child or adult sized.  She loves to climb in them, stand up and bounce up and down.  So far, she has not tried this when we are not around.  Hope it stays that way. 

Luke's Special Day!

Luke got a treat today!  The crop at the farm is being harvested this week.  Bill and Paula asked if they could pick Luke up early from school today so he could see the combine working.  Of course, we said yes.  Luke had a great time!  He and Pop got to ride in the combine with the worker.  When they brought him home Luke gave us a play-by-play of everything that happened.  He brought some milo home for show-and-tell on Friday.  I am so glad he gets to experience a little bit of what farming is like.  There is a part of me that wished we could come up with something to do on the farm as a family that would be able to support us!  Wishful thinking I guess. 

Now to explain the pictures.  One of the other projects I did while I was off was a linen memo board.  I saw something similar in Pottery Barn and decided I could make it for a fraction of the cost. It turned out pretty well.  As soon as I asked Paul to hang it up for me Luke was right there with him.

Back To Bed

Luke decided he was still sleepy this morning so after he got up and got ready he wanted to get in our bed.  He actually did not stay that long once he realized no one else was going back to bed.

So long, farewell...

We all slept much better last night and actually slept in!  Katherine woke up and in the middle of the night and was ready to play!  Luckily, she went back to sleep quickly.  It was after 8 before we rolled out of bed.  I know it was 8 eastern time - but still!  We decided to cook up some of the food that was left and ate breakfast at the cabin instead of eating out. 

It ended up that all of us, minus Bill and Paula stopped at the outlet mall on our way out.  We found the kids some shoes.  Luke got some new Crocs and tennis shoes.  Katherine got some brown and pink Mary Janes.  Sunday really was a good time to do the mall.  It was not nearly as crowded as I have seen it in the past.  By the time we hit most of the stores we wanted it was time for lunch.  We all met at a restaurant at the mall, ate lunch and watched the first half of the Titans game.  That worked out great.

Within five minutes of leaving the mall both kids were fast asleep.  They slept for 2 hours!  They are worn out.  We let Luke watch his new movie again and that got us almost home.  We actually did not have to stop all the way home which was a miracle!

We were glad to be home, but really wish we had one more day away.  We quickly set to work getting the suitcases unpacked and laundry started.  It is amazing how much laundry is generated by four people on a two day trip!  I planned ahead and requested tomorrow off, too.  I have a doctor's appointment and several other things lined up to do. 

The Big 3-0!

Family Birthday Dinner

Make a wish!

Luke had to help JonJon with his gifts

Real Gatlinburg moonshine...

The evidence is on his face - yummy icing!

We celebrated Jon's milestone birthday tonight!  Paula cooked supper at Jon's request - ribs, mac & cheese, green beans, salad and cornbread.  Kristen made a yummy cake.  The supper was great and we had fun watching Jon open his gifts.  Someone asked him if he was 10 instead of 30 by the type of gifts he received - basketball and board games.  Then he opened some moonshine - guess he is 30!

We had a great time.  Luke has been ok with Katherine this weekend.  He still will not leave her alone. He had been bothering her quite a bit tonight and we kept telling him to stop.  I finally had enough when he pushed her down and drug him in to the bedroom. Paul was close behind.  He got a spanking and a stern talking to from Paul and was in time out for awhile.  I hate when he acts like that but he has got to learn to leave her alone.  Paul later told me when he was talking to Luke that he asked him why he is so rough with Katherine.  He said he just wants to play with her and does not want to hurt her.  That made me tear up -- bless his heart.  He just wants her to be big so she can play with him.

Since it was vacation we let the kids stay up later than normal.  We all stayed up to listen to Lauren and Faith sing us a song.  Lauren has recently taken up the guitar so it was neat to hear her play, too. 

Beautiful Moutain Saturday

Paul and I were in charge of breakfast this morning.  Neither of us slept well last night because the mattress is very firm!  We are not used to that.  It is also very loud.  Anytime either one of us rolled over it was awful.  We were trying not to wake Katherine up which we didn't.  When we got up we were both sore and stiff from the restless night. 

We made pancakes with all the fixin's.  It was great, if I do say so myself.  With a group our size it takes a while to figure out who is doing what and when.  The guys decided they wanted to watch the UT game so they headed in to Gatlinburg to find a place to watch it. Lauren and Faith wanted to go to the aquarium and walk around downtown Gatlinburg.  In the midst of determining our comings and goings Katherine fell asleep.  Paula and I decided to stay at the cabin until she woke up.  By the time everyone left and she woke up we decided the kids needed lunch.  We fixed a quick lunch and hit the road.  We drove around for a while trying to find a good place to park.  Both kids fell asleep!  We decided to just park and let them nap.  They actually slept for a while.  By the time we got out of the car and started walking the football crew was leaving the bar.  We met up with them and strolled around downtown.  Luke got a kick out of watching them make taffy and looking at all the neat Fall displays.  Katherine was great - just smiled and took it all in. 

Bill and Paula decided to head back to get started on the birthday supper Jon requested. The rest of us stayed a while longer.  The weather was beautiful again so I just enjoyed being outside!  We found a toy store for Luke and hot chocolate for me!