Couponing

I was so excited to share this picture. I have been trying to coupon to save some money and I couldn't believe how much I saved during triple coupon week at Harris Teeter.
All of this for $5.44!!!! Can you believe it??

Playtime Fun

I am trying to be creative with Samuel's playtime. I find myself doing the same things over and over.... Samuel doesn't seem to mind, but I am getting bored! Here, Samuel is playing with lots of different bowls, a strainer, some ladles and measuring cups. I poured water in the different bowls, and let him have at it! He stayed right there for 40 minutes, which is pretty successful for an (almost) one year old!

Happy Halloween!

Have you ever seen a skeleton this well fed?

Ryan and I had tons of fun last week carving Samuel's first pumpkin.

He really got into it by helping Ryan with his own spoon!

And trying to eat it... check out the video.

Doesn't he look guilty?

I walk away for 2 seconds and I come back to find him in his toy crate. He sat in there for about 10 minutes and had a blast. Why do we buy him toys when he just wants the crate?

Beep Beep

Samuel loves when Ryan takes him to the store for his weekly ride!

What happens when your child has lots of diarrhea and their booty looks like it has been dragged through gravel???

LOTS and LOTS of nudity!

Samuel has started to take some steps on his own this week-end. As you can tell from my voice.... I am really excited!

Samuel vs. Jackson

We have found out that Samuel likes to use his size to "bully" those around him, especially his best friend Jackson!

Pumpkin Time

Today we headed out to Ganyard Hill Farm for some October Fun!

What a better way to celebrate October then with a hayride,

a hay "maze",

tons of pumpkins,

time with daddy,

time with mommy,

and of course... picking your very own pumpkin to take home!

Sweet boy

I just love being able to wake Samuel up from his naps. It is not very often when I get to go into his room and catch him still sleeping.... so of course I had to snap a picture!

Then... I get the pleasure of hanging out with a kid who is in a great mood!

We're in trouble

Everyday Samuel gets closer and closer to walking on his own.

Living local on Labor Day

We were able to spend a great day together as a family. We took Samuel up to Northgate mall and took a spin on the carousal. Samuel was not too sure about it at first but ended up enjoying himself.

The boys also rode the train... good thing there wasn't a weight limit!

We ended the evening by dressing in our favorite sports team attire and getting FREE Chick-fil-A!

Beach Trip

Last week was Samuel's first trip to the beach. We had a blast! We were able to enjoy the beach and pool everyday and Samuel LOVED it! He had so much fun kicking his legs around in the pool and crawling around in the sand. Can't wait to go back next year when he won't be as interested in eating the sand!

Thanks Mimi and Pop-pop for a great vacation!

Happy Birthday to my Pop-pop!

Then and Now

1 day old- 7 lbs 13oz 21 1/2 inches long

9 months old- 21lbs 1oz (75th%) 29 inches (75th%)

Wow. What a big boy we have.

Happy Birthday

Saturday we traveled to Raleigh to eat at Ryan's favorite place, Fat Daddy's! He was very excited to share the experience with Samuel.

Today I took on the challenge to make Ryan a hamburger birthday cake. I think it turned out pretty neat!

Never has a burger looked soooo good!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband and wonderful dad!

Lydia is here!

Lydia Grace was born at 3:02 am on August 15th, weighing a whopping 5lbs 7oz.

She is beautiful!

Check out her gorgeous head of hair. We think she already has blond highlights!

Sylvie has been in the hospital since Monday on bed rest. Lydia came 4 weeks early and both mom and baby are doing great!

Sylvie is such a trooper....our hero!

Ryan was really hoping Lydia would hold out one more day so he could share his birthday. Close enough.

Samuel did not get to meet his new cousin. He played downstairs in the lobby. But I just had to snap a picture of him on the way home. He was pooped from all the excitement!

9 months

Samuel is turning 9 months tomorrow! Here are some things he is doing:

- Yes, our son is that kid who goes to bed at 6:30pm and wakes up at 7am. We LOVE it! Although it doesn't do a whole lot for our social calender.

- Still takes a morning and afternoon nap. Usually 1 1/2- 2 hours.

- Has 3 teeth. 1 bottom and 2 top. Sometimes I believe the teething stage is worse than the newborn stage..... sometimes.....

- Eats a lot! The kid can put food away. So far, there is not one thing he will not eat.

- Crawling everywhere. You can not contain him!

- LOVES Elliot. He will just sit and laugh at Elliot.... too cute!

- Waves bye-bye. (Only when he wants to... just like his mommy!)

- Can say Mama and Dada. Not too sure if he is making any connections. But loves to talk!

- Is a climber. Climbs everything! Most of the time he is standing in the crib waiting for us to come get him.

- Does not like cuddling =(

-Is such a happy baby. Smiles all the time and loves flirting with the ladies.

- Hates his car seat. Cries (or screams) when he has to be in it longer than 10 mins. We hope this is a phase.....

- Is a drooler. For anyone who has been around Samuel knows this guy should be dehydrated! We change him A LOT throughout the day.

- Is a joy. Ryan and I can't wait to see how God uses him.

True fat kid

5 years!

Ryan and I can't believe we celebrated our 5 year anniversary on Friday. We were able to get away for a full 24 hours! We stayed at a great B&B in downtown Raleigh, had a wonderful dinner and best of all..... slept in! (Well, not really....our biologically clocks woke us up at 7am, but we didn't have to get up and go feed a baby... so that was exciting!)

It seems Samuel is doing something new everyday. Last week, we walked in and found him standing up in his crib. Now, all he wants to do is climb up on things. I guess I can expect him to have at least one bruise on his forehead at ALL times!

What a cutie! He has even now learned to scale up the pack-n-play!

The children waiting for daddy to come home.

Family Photos Have Arrived!

We LOVE our new pictures.

Enjoy a few of our favorites.....

Check out our new best friends blog; Nancy Ray photography.

This past monday we did a family session with her and LOVE the results! If anyone is in need of a photographer.... please think of her!

Who would have thought one could be this happy when eating prunes??