Our Walks

Here is one of my walking buddies, ready for his daily walk down our road! He loves to jabber and squeal during the first part of the walk. Then on the way back, he usually falls quiet, just taking in the world around him. If I stop and bend down to say hello, he usually gives me a big grin, to let me know everything is okay, he is just enjoying the ride. Andrew, did you know you have been going on these walks with me since you were 3 weeks old?? Yep, in the dead of January, we were on this road walkin'! I look forward to many more walks together!

Molly loves these walks, too. She goes crazy waiting for me to get her leash and collar on, get Andrew in is stroller, and head down the drive. I guess it is a whole new world down that road....

It's a good day, isn't it?

*kisses on the cheek!*

Little Moose

We are trying to get outside these days as much as possible, because soon it will be too cold and snowy to enjoy much time outdoors with Andrew! He LOVES being outside, and will pick up sticks and leaves at any chance he gets. Then of course those all go in his mouth :)

We love the sunshine!

Peek-a-boo!! Lately, it seems Andrew has mastered the art of pulling himself up, on everything! He loves that, and even stands up in his crib after each nap and when he wakes up in the morning. I love all these new stages you are going through, buddy, but you are growing so fast!

Boots!

These pictures are for you, mom !!! Here he is, lovin' every moment on his horsey, wearing the boots from Granny Brown. Uncle Ben think they are a bit silly, but we love him!
Scooting, scooting.....
Where are you going, bubby?? Well, he stayed on the bucking bronco for at least 8 seconds, yay!

On the Hunt

Climbing....through the chair rungs....where are you going little boy?
You made it! The interesting world beneath the table....now where are you going?
Oh, I see! Sammy is eating his food, on the chair where mom thought it would be safe. Dunt dunt daaahhhh....
Escape! Someone is coming after you, Sammy! Or perhaps your food...hmmmm. And yes, Andrew did pull himself ALL the way up to the chair, and began pulling the food off the chair as well before I stopped him. Oh my goodness! Mobility + Curiosity = Quick Reflexes by Mom :)

The First Expedition

All loaded up and ready to hit the road on our first pop-up camping expedition! We even threw in a canoe :) Our van is working hard for us, haha!
We got to the campsite around lunch time, and while I took care of Andrew, Joe set up the camper! We finished putting on the awning just as Andrew fell asleep in his pack-n-play in the camper. Whew!
That night we enjoyed foil dinners...Andrew even tried a bit, and I think he wants to have these every night from now on. It got quite chilly that night, but as you can see, we are all bundled up and stayed very warm. (Not to mention, we packed a space heater that helped!)
Hey buddy! You are all smiles for the camera! And that is quite a feat, considering we just got out of the canoe here, and you were NOT a happy camper while we tried to paddle around the lake. But you did like it when mommy sat with you in the bottom of the boat and sang songs and let you wave around a couple of sticks that were floating by in the water. Hmm, perhaps we will wait awhile until our first canoeing trip to the Boundary Waters :)



Molly loved coming along on our trip...so many new smells, sights, and dogs! She is so good with Andrew!
Enjoying some time together by the fire....

Overall it was a short but sweet first camping trip for the 4 of us (counting Molly) and we look forward to doing it again. The camper makes all the difference when you have a little one, thats for sure. Thanks for being a trooper Andrew! You are an outdoorsman at heart, we just know it :) Can't wait to take the next adventure together!

Sweet

Dear Andrew,

Today we had a bit of a rough day, didn't we? You had a stuffy/runny nose and couldn't nap very well. That meant that you were pretty tired and grumpy all day. And that can be hard for mommy! But tonight, you fell asleep in my arms after we read "The Big Red Barn" and my heart melted after the long day. With your head on my chest, soft breaths on my chin, and arms draped on either side, I couldn't help but let a few little tears slide out while I enjoyed the sweetness of the moment. You are growing so fast and I try to be still in the moment and realize the smallness of you just yet. For soon, that won't be the case! I love you, my son, and all the things that make you, YOU! Any other time you need to close your little eyes in my arms, I will be there. Sweet Dreams.

Love,

Mom

Mowing with Daddy

I came outside the other day, and this is what I saw....

Needless to say, I had a good laugh, then ran and got the camera to capture this funny yet oh-so-sweet moment.

I thought it was so cute that he was holding on to the ear-muffs (dad put those on to protect from the noise!) Andrew was just as relaxed as could be, but you could tell he was thrilled to be right there with dad, pushing the big machine!

Caught you yawning! Hmm, maybe a bit too relaxed! Well lets just hope he doesn't expect this to happen when he is 9 or 10 years old.

Fall Festival in Ohio

We visited the Apple Butter Festival at Roscoe Village this past weekend when Mom and Dad came to visit. It was a perfect day filled with crafts, history, blacksmiths, apple fritters, flowers, antiques and the list goes on! Andrew got a little wooden toy truck with animals, which he loves! We all enjoyed the quintessential fall atmosphere, not to mention the good food and sights. It was just a special time to spend together as a big family.

Dancin' a jig with Grandma!!!

Libby, this one is for you! :) We missed you and Gabe!

Andrew loves Grandma and all of her silly voices! He also loves it when she feeds him puffies!

Leaves

We took a few pictures last Sunday as we were cleaning up the yard. One of my favorite things to do in the fall is jump in the pile of leaves that was just raked up...and so I introduced Andrew to the same tradition. He is not so sure what to think...(and might have just eaten a leaf, here.)

We have to thank Grammy and Grampy Brown for the CUTE Oshkosh overalls!!! They make Andrew look so handsome :)

A few happy moments with the Hughes'

Bubby fell asleep on a wagon ride at Grammy Brown's house...shhhhh.

And again on a bike ride with mom and dad (there is a shirt wrapped around him b/c it started to rain in the middle of our ride. Yikes! But he was a trooper, and didn't seem to mind.) He loves to just jabber all throughout the bike rides...we think he likes the wind in his hair :)
And here is a picture I took one morning when I went in to wake the little man up...all curled up on his blanky. Going in to get him in the morning is one of our favorite times...he is either still sleeping, and looking sweet, or he is peeking out between the rails of his bed, pacifier in is mouth and just a grin'in. His eyes give away his smile. That is something I just love about Andrew.
And then we have the days that we run around in pajama tops, non-matching sweatpants, and hats that we wore when we were but a wee thing. Wait a minute, you still are a wee thing, Andrew.
Andrew loves to eat. Anyone who has fed him, knows this! And he especially loves to eat with his daddy. Dad makes all sorts of neat sounds, funny motions with the spoon and even sings camp songs. He also loves to style Andrew's hair after he gets wiped off. Andrew loves this, too.