Boyd's Orchard

It is beginning to look a lot like........FALL!

Jacob and I went to Boyd's Orchard today for a fun fall outing together. We had great fun! Alissa and Baby Caleb joined us and we got some delicious, fresh picked from the tree apples and fresh apple cider. Jacob really enjoyed checking out the pumpkins and declared, "Mmmm!" when he saw them. I think the highlight for Jacob was pulling the pumpkin wagon and getting to ride in the pumpkin wagon. He didn't want to leave and cried half way home in the car!

The trip to the orchard has helped inspire me to feel more "fall-ish" and I believe I'm going to head outside and pull all our pretty pink flowers out of the bed and run out tonight to pick up some wonderful fall mums.

Yes, fall is in the air in KY..... I can smell it. Doesn't fall have such a unique smell to it? I've noticed that the smell here in KY isn't as prevalent as the smell was when I was growing up in NY, but there is something about the crisp air, crunchy leaves, mums, and winter squash that just make a particular smell when all combined together.

Here are some fun photos of our outing to the Orchard. This was Jacob's first time to the orchard and first time checking out the pumpkins! Some were as big as he was!

Whoa! Look at all those pumpkins!

I think the wagon weighed about as much as Jacob does altogether!

He didn't even want to slow down to pose with his mommy!

Check out those gorgeous mums behind him. These are my inspiration for our front bed! I'm thinking a dark red and dark orange color combo!

I hope you are all enjoying your fall so far!

18 Month Portraits

We had Jacob's 18 month portraits done today! He wasn't terribly thrilled about the process, but I am happy with the end result. Our boy is getting soooooooo big! They aren't the best portraits we've had done, but I am happy overall. Enjoy!

This is the one we got the large package of. You can't tell, but he is dancing in this shot.

We just got a few prints of this one.

Meal Making Mission

I am on a meal making mission this week. We have new babies at church and new babies means we have overwhelmed mommies who are lucky to shower, never mind think about what to feed their hungry families. That is where the church family comes in and is such a blessing to a new mommy!

Meals for mommies! What a great concept! We take turns and every other day for two weeks the new mommy has a meal delivered to her doorstep and she doesn't have to think a moment about what to fix or how to find the time to fix it in her sleep deprived delirium.

I am on duty this week. Tomorrow I am taking a meal to a sweet, wonderful family who just had a little man named Caleb Scott. Caleb took his time arriving and was about 10ish days past his due date and eventually had to come by c-section. Stubborn boy. This family is dear to us and we've actually invited ourselves to come join them for dinner tomorrow night--fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and dump cake (dump cake is a whole other post, but let me just say--if you have never experienced dump cake, you are a deprived little soul).

Saturday I am taking a meal to our wonderful music pastor, his wife, and now three little boys! Silas James came via induction and arrived right on time, as expected, and rather easily for mommy! The two little guys (Silas and Caleb) are about four days apart. Our music pastor LOVES to eat, so I am going armed with a build your own taco bar, chips, salsa, and snickerdoodle cookies. Mmmmm. Delish.

TODAY, I am making a meal to take to Miss Donna. Miss Donna is Jacob's Monday babysitter and she is always so kind to care for Jacob and often feeds Chris and Jacob dinner on Monday nights while I am off teaching classes. Miss Donna has been on vacation in FL for the week and we've been taking care of her kitty cats for her. There is nothing worse than getting home from a long trip in the car, only to arrive home to an empty fridge (or a fridge full of outdated foods) and have to come up with a dinner plan. So I planned for them and will run down tomorrow to tuck a little surprise in their fridge for when they arrive home. Baked ziti, salad, bread, and brownies. Not just your run of the mill brownies. These will be suped up, brownies on crack brownies. A chocolate lovers delight. I know these brownies will speak right to Miss Donna's heart as we are totally kindred spirits when it comes to chocolate.

I love to cook. I love to cook for other people more. I love to cook when I know it will truly help someone out.

Who can you bless with your talents today?

Ma-mows, Hoes, and Nains!

Jacob is obsessed lately with ma-mows, hoes, and nains! If you didn't catch that, please let me translate:

• ma-mow=lawn mower
• hoe=back hoe
• nain=train

Ma-mows are especially fascinating and he shows us Daddy's ma-mow every time we enter the garage. He can hear them running and will say ma-mow, ma-mow, ma-mow repeatedly until you at least somewhat acknowledge that he can hear something that might be a lawn mower waaayyy off in the distance. He can spot them lightening fast on trailers and his new favorite thing is to go shopping with Daddy at Lowes or Home Depot so he can sit on the ma-mows.

Hoes are a new fascination, but are rapidly catching up with the ma-mows. Jacob has gotten to watch construction trucks with Grandma Burris twice in the last couple of weeks and he discovered the exciting world of backhoes. How enthralling! We have a truck book that he loves to look at (he thinks the farm tractor is a ma-mow) and he will find the backhoe and point at it, exclaiming, "Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Hoe!" You must acknowledge him then too, or he'll just keep screaming out hoe incessantly.

And lastly, nains. Nains are not a new discovery, but it is a pleasure that has been growing and becoming more and more refined over the months. Nains are pretty cool, especially when you have someone to play nain with you. Little does he know, he is going to get his very own nain for Christmas from Grandma Ruth this year! How fun!

So, I hope the next time you are out and about and you spot a ma-mow, hoe, or nain, you can experience some degree of the delight Jacob finds in each one!

One and a Half

How can I be the mom of a one and a half year old? When did he get so big? I am admittedly a bit nostalgic and sentimental today. Jacob is one of the greatest things to ever happen in my life. It doesn't get much better than this.....

Dear Sweet Jacob Boy,
Today you turn one and a half. You are turning into an independent little boy more and more each day. Sometimes my heart aches at the memories of holding your sweet little swaddle when you were born and sometimes I want to shed a tear when you snuggle up to read stories at night, curled up in my lap because I realize how quickly these times will pass and sadly, how easily the memories will fade. But then my heart bursts with joy to see the little boy you are becoming and the man you will one day be. I can't wait to see those days and cherish those moments with you.

May you continue to grow and learn. May you come to know and love Jesus at an early age and may you honor Him above all else in the days to come.

Sometimes I cry about the baby I can no longer hold, but I praise God for the little boy whose hand I hold and I will cherish the moments. You won't hold my hand forever, but I will always be your mommy.

We love you, sweet Jacob Boy. Our lives changed the day you were born and we thank God every day and marvel each night that we might love you more this day than we did the day before.

You are a sweet gift and blessing from God. We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Stats

Jacob had his 18 month well baby check-up today with Dr. Warner. He was a good boy and oh so brave!

Here are the stats:

• Weight- 25lb. 4oz. - 45th percentile
• Height- 331/4 inches - 75th percentile
• Head Cir.- 491/4cm - 92nd percentile

Nothing new here! We have a healthy, tall-ish, skinny boy with a big head! No surprises.

Jacob is developmentally on target and doing everything a healthy 18 month old ought to do.

Hooray, we've been granted permission to start trying peanut butter. Yippee!!! A whole new world of food has opened to Jacob!

Jacob got a seasonal flu shot today and was so big. Just cried during the actual shot and was instantly done.

We stopped at the store to get a "treat" for being such a big boy and a good boy at the doctor's office. Jacob picked out a Kit Kat (excellent choice!) and we shall have it post dinner as a celebratory treat.

Bye-Bye B!

Our little boy is growing up. Too fast.

The current mission...operation bye-bye B! For those of you who don't know, Jacob affectionately refers to his soft, cuddly blankie as "B." We have a full size B for in the bed, a place mat size B for the car (also referred to as the road rag), and a teeny tiny little potholder sized B (for back up when all other B's are being laundered). Jacob LOVES his B. Adores it.

A couple months ago we started the mission of weaning Jacob off his blankie. He only sucks his thumb if he has his B in his hands and well, let's be honest, he is getting bigger and seeing a big toddler with a blankie and thumb in their mouth is about as attractive as a 3 year old with a pacifier stuck in their face. He will be 1 and a half this month. It is time. The longer we wait, the harder it will be.

So the mission began, rather smoothly, I might add, with the B being restricted at home to the bed only. He still would get free reign of B in the car, at Miss Donna's, and at church. We have survived this rather well. In fact, in the morning I let him snuggle the B while I change his diaper and then after the diaper change is over, we say BYE-BYE B together and toss it into the crib. He is generally fine all day without it unless we get a BIG boo boo in which case the B may possibly come out of the bed only for boo boo mending purposes.

Next, the mission moved to the car. This has not been as successful a mission, but darn it, I am going to stick to my guns. How heart breaking can it be though, to drive down the road and hear my sweet boy crying in the backseat and say, "B! B! B! Mama! B!" So pitiful. But we will stick to it (for the most part. I mean, this is a toddler, and I am a human mama and sometimes, it is just easier for mama to give the toddler the B! Bad mama!!).

Now, the mission has progressed to Miss Donna's. Miss Donna is so sweet and always so ready to embrace our new missions (dropping bottles, dropping naps, changing eating habits, etc). Miss Donna greeted me this morning with me mouthing over Jacob's head, "we are trying to take away the B! Out of sight, out of mind!" According to Miss Donna, the day went well up until Mr. Jacob got up from his nap and thought he should keep his B. Miss Donna, being the sweet, diligent caregiver that she is, told Jacob his mommy said no B. Jacob wasn't too pleased with his Miss Donna. He got to watch Veggie Tales instead.

So this brings us to what will ultimately be the climax of this mission. CHURCH. Ummmmmm...I am not sure how that one is going to go seeing as how Jacob currently wraps his arms and legs firmly around us and starts crying hysterically the moment we enter the lobby area of his nursery class at church and the poor nursery ladies generally have to physically remove him from our bodies. Yeah. I think we'll stick with continuing to perfect bye-bye B at home, in the car, and at Miss Donna's for a little while longer before we make an attempt at this at church.

Once we master church, phase one of project bye-bye B will be complete. Phase 2 will be at a much later date at which time we will try to get the B out of the bed and gone for good. And then poor mommy will be left with nothing but sweet memories and a soft, cuddly crocheted B tucked away in a cardboard box. Oh yes, I will keep them. All three of them.

Be still my heart. My sweet Jacob, I wish you didn't have to say bye-bye B because in essence, your poor mommy has to say bye-bye sweet little baby boy. But I look ahead with anticipation of the big boy you will become.

Bye-bye B...........