Happy HOO lloween

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween -

from our nest to yours.

Just What We Needed

I declared a state of emergency in our home today.

When papa came home for lunch, he declared his case of the blahs.
Lane agreed. His restless night caused a grumpy morning for the two of us.

Even Marley showed signs of having a breakdown. Apparently, my washing of the couch blankets caused quite an uproar.

When I found myself getting angry with the dogs, I knew we needed to get out of the house.

I made the executive decision to end papa's work day early, load up Marley and the babe in the car and head to Red Top Mountain.

It was just what the four of us needed.

P.S.
I think my husband is H.O.T.

Letter from Guinness to his Moms

Dear Moms,

Happy birthday.

I hope you are having fun in Vegas.

Despite the sad look on my face, things are going well here on Allison Drive.

The little people who hang around here are not as bad as you said they were going to be.

On Sunday, that blond curly head one everyone loves so much came over.

He's pretty cool. We played outside a little bit. He threw the ball.

I let Elly Mae catch it - you know, I didn't want her to know I can run faster than her or anything.

The other little one. The one who lives here now but didn't live here last year - he's alright too.
He eats a lot of food. But, he drops a lot of food too.
He even shares his food with us.
Look at me being such a good boy waiting my turn for those little round things with holes in them that he eats all the time.
Are you proud of me?

Moms, did you know Uncle Lan actually expects me to eat dog food.
I'm not saying that I'm upset that you are staying in fancy hotels and eating good.
But, I have been eating dog food.
Bacon has only been cooked once since I arrived on Friday.
Just saying.



And, I never thought I would actually say this, but I miss Ginger.

Elly Mae is cool and all but sometimes she gets on my nerves.

Happy birthday, Moms -

from me, Uncle Lan, James, Elly Mae, Mar and the little person.

I love you,

Guinnie Roo

Picking pumpkins

The official countdown has begun.
Sunday, we selected the perfect pumpkin for the front porch.

And had some fun at the pumpkin patch with Stephanie and Drew.

We let Lane choose his pumpkin.

We let Drew pick his.

Papa paid.

After picking pumpkins, Mom mom came over to sew Halloween costumes for the boys.
One rule: Halloween costumes must be homemade.
Can you guess what Drew is going as on Saturday night?
Did you spot our house guest in the photo?

That's right.
Guinness is here for his yearly October visit.

What one year will get ya

Well, here I am one year ago today - 33 weeks pregnant.

I remember this week well.
Nesting became a family adventure that week.

I'd been nesting for a while.
It started with cooking.
Then cleaning. I was obsessed with cleaning each inch of my house.
Then came the laundry. I could not stand to have any dirty laundry in the house.
James would joke that before his pants could hit the floor, I would have them in the wash.
In a week or so, I would start crafting.
However, this week, James got the nesting urge.

He borrowed this bulldozer from my brother.
With it, he bulldozed our entire backyard.
Then he planted seed and covered our very large yard with hay.
He had visions of a yard full of lush green grass come summer.
It was beautiful to see my husband preparing our home for our son.
But, I was pregnant. Very pregnant. Very pregnant and obsessed with having a clean house.
And we have two dogs - who use a doggy door.
And bring in lots of dirt.
So, that week, my obsession with sweeping also began.
I've been sweeping twice a day since then.

Here we are today. We met Andrea and Paola at the park for a picnic, walk and some play time.
Paola and I discussed the bittersweet feelings we have about our babes nearing their first birthdays.

This is such a fun age. Lane learns something new each day.
But on the other hand, he is not a baby any more.

Each day is so exciting. With each task mastered, papa and I exclaim,
"He's a boy genius!"
But, he is definitely not a baby any more.

Proof being, no more baby food. If we eat it. He eats it. And he eats a lot of it. We even order him his own food at restaurants now.
He mastered drinking from a straw. He loves it. Only problem, if we have a drink, he thinks he should be able to drink it too.
He continues to work on his balance while trying to master the task of standing on his own.
I now know that he understands the meaning of no. If he is doing something he should not be, and I catch him, before I say anything, he will shake his head no at me.
Same goes from his end. If you ask him to do something that he does not want to do, he will shake his head no and grunt "Uh, uh."
Then today, that dreaded doggy door caused chaos in my life again. Lane has been aware of its existence for quite some time. He spends minutes at a time banging it open and close.
Mom, don't freak out, but today it clicked. He understands its purpose.
At first, he took one block at a time from the block box to the door. He would then place his arm outside the door and put the block on the deck. I had about 20 blocks on the back deck before he realized if the blocks can go out then he can too.

So, for now, the door stays closed while the babe is home.
Which, is not so bad.
Maybe I will only have to sweep one time a day.

My Little Gnome

Last February, I found a pattern for the perfect gnome hat for my little babe. However, last February was last February. I was still very postpartum with a still very newborn. There was little time for knitting. I am not quite sure how I even had time to find the pattern.

But I wanted that hat for my babe. I wanted him to have it right then.

My mom, infatuated with her newest grandson, took on the responsibility of making sure the babe wore that hat. Late one Friday night, she took to her bedroom with her knitting needles. A few hours later, one hat was ready for my babe.

It didn't matter that Lane's tiny head almost drowned in the hat. Papa and I just wanted to eat him up when he would wear it.

My little Lane didn't lack for hats. His Mom mom spent the months leading up to his birth knitting hats. The collection even included a hat she made for her own son 26 years earlier.

I placed the gnome hat away in the closet with hopes Lane could wear it this winter.


The recent cool weather brought on the need for a hat. I had a problem though. This summer, Lane started pulling his hats right off of his head.

And then Friday, I found the red Fair Isle hat Lane wore on Saturday. Lane left it on his head all day.

Elated, I pulled out the gnome hat this afternoon.

Luckily, it fits perfect this year.

I placed it on his head while we soaked up some sun and enjoyed our afternoon snack in the front yard.

My little gnome enjoyed wearing it while exploring fall's bounty of dried leaves, pine straw and acorns.

Well, he enjoyed wearing it for a little while.
And that just makes me want to smile.

An October Afternoon

One afternoon in October, we went to a Fall Festival.

With two little boys in adorable hats.

Who posed for pictures on hay stacks with their mamas.

Did I mention the two little boys wearing their hats?

At the Fall Festival, a helicopter flew in the sky.

And Rachel met Lane for the first time.

There were little pumpkins for sale.

And pretty speckled pumpkins.

Pumpkins for carving and eating.

And, pumpkins for sharing with your very best bud.

And little red mittens to keep Hoo's hands warm.