Oktoberfest

We love our little downtown Greer.  Last week-end they had Oktoberfest and we took the kids.  They loved dancing and listening to the Polka band.  It was chilly but fun!

 I love, love, love watching them dance together.  Jack Ryan is so big that Tessa can barely hold him.

Tessa is learning that not all scary looking things are actually scary.  This time of year can really upset her with all the Halloween decorations.  For instance, we don't even go to Lowe's until the holiday is over because their decorations are just awful.  But here she's smiling pretty and bravely standing in front of this spooky tree. 

Plus we got a few pictures on the porch with our pumpkins. 

 

First Grade SEEDS Project

In order to be involved in Tessa's school, I volunteered to do SEEDS projects.  In an effort to get kids excited about reading, moms come in and do crafts to go along with books selected by the teacher.  I am not a crafty person by any means, but there is always GOOGLE to help me.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar is my first project and the kids loved it.  I'm quite disappointed that Tessa's class is so rowdy.  There seem to be at least two major trouble makers and it is not shaping up to be a good year for my darling daughter.  But, for me, the class was remarkably well behaved.  We read the book, talked about the book, did caterpillar yoga and then did our craft.  I love being able to volunteer at school.     

September Update

8 months old and oh so mobile.  Jackson's climbing the stairs!  I hear that boys are different but WOW!  Stairs, already?!?!  Time for some baby gates.  

He is eating lots of solid foods now including bites of a whole apple.  We have added peaches, apricot, pears and he seems to like everything.  He had some wheezing and has already had to take albuterol.  I'm praying he doesn't have my asthma.  He is napping in the morning and the afternoon which is so nice.  Of course he still doesn't sleep great.  I spend an inordinate amount of time staring at this little monitor willing him to sleep more.     

Said "uh-oh" and was quite proud of himself. 

Apple Farm

It's always fun to go to the Apple Farm over Labor Day weekend.  Jackson is so big standing with Tessa in front of the "How Tall This Fall" sign.  We packed a picnic to eat with our freshly picked apples and hot apple donuts.  Mostly I wanted to take pictures of my adorable children in this beautiful setting.      

 

  

 

 

 

Frank & Paula Visit

We always have a good time when Ryan's parents visit.  This time we hung out in the backyard and had a crab boil. 

Jackson went in his outdoor swing, and even fell asleep there.  He is so adorable with his blue eyes and his little baseball cap.  He made me laugh staring at Ryan's dad.  You could just see his little mind working, trying to figure out who this guy was.   

The crab boil was a huge success.  It's a treat for all of us to sit and talk and drink and pick crab.  Jackson is making a grab for Daddy's beer bottle, a little young yet for beer.  Tessa is basking in the attention from Nanny.   

And we had family pictures made.

Momma's Birthday

I have all the birthday presents I need right here with my wonderful family. 

Birthday girl with her sweet boy. 

Birthday girl with her precious princess. 

After going out to eat for Mexican, we had birthday cake at G&G's house.  Check out Tessa helping me blow out the candles.  I think my huge sombrero is fun.

But the little tiny party sombreros are hilarious. 

 Thank you everyone for making my birthday so very special. 

First Day of School

School started on my birthday this year, not exactly the present I wanted.  Tessa is now officially a first grader.  Her teacher is Mrs. Allison and she seems very sweet.   

Tessa is all set and ready to learn, time for Momma to leave.  Sniff, sniff.

Aunt Claire & Grace Visit

My best friend flew across the country with her daughter to meet the newest member of the family.  Most of our pictures these days are of the kids, so we took a selfie of just us one day.  We're holding up pretty well, if I do say so myself.    

We went swimming, out to eat, stayed up late talking and bounced on trampolines.  It was like a fun staycation for us.  I felt old when I tried to flip on the trampoline at Gravitopia.  After a few awkward tries that were more summersault than flip, I kind of made it all the way around in the air.

We went out for Mexican food, my favorite.  The weather was nice so we sat outside.  Jackson thought Tessa was hilarious when she made his seat bounce.  I could listen to this giggle all day long. 



Tessa was in heaven playing with Grace.  When did these girls grow up so much?!     

Jackson had absolutely no stranger anxiety.  He went right to Aunt Claire and she loved on him.  With his blond hair, Jackson would fit right in with her two blond boys.  Hopefully we can get them all together soon. 

Oh, these kiddos are just precious.  And to think there was a time in our lives when we worried we wouldn't have children.  Now this is only three of the five!   

We always seem to have crazy flight trouble when we see each other.  Last time it was my expired drivers' license saga.  This time, they cancelled Claire's flight home.  I was thrilled to have an extra day to visit with them but poor Brad had to do some serious maneuvering to take care of the boys at home.  It's always wonderful to see each other. We keep up with phone calls, texts and emails but there is nothing like staying up all night talking to your BFF. 

Crawling

Jackson is 7 months old and officially crawling.  He was up on all fours a few days ago but now he is making forward progress. 

We're Going to Disney Again

We just can't get enough of the most magical place on Earth.  Even though our trip is months away, I'm excited to see what I can find for Jackson to wear.  Oops, these outfits we ordered won't fit by the time our trip rolls around.  He's already too big for 12 month sizes!  Oh well, he sure is cute right now. 

Howdy Partner!  Look who is standing, for a few seconds at least.  Seriously, this pajama set is skin tight and way short.     

And we threw in a practice character meet and greet just for fun.  The popular sisters came to our Barnes and Noble for one night and it was CRAZY!  Tessa loved all the chaos but I was a little overwhelmed.  Jackson didn't know what to make of it all.