Fall!

Hello, long time no blog eh? I could make excuses about how my camera doesn't turn on without the planets being properly aligned, or how whenever I upload a picture onto a blog I am working on it defaults to the very top of the page... I could, but I won't. Any more. =D

October was a very exciting month for us. Halloween is a much anticipated holiday here since I start working on costumes about a month before and Emily gets to watch them slowly come to life. I had originally planned to dress Emily up as Milli, and got so far as finishing a satin dress for her, but then I saw a scarecrow costume for Sean and decided Emily could accompany him as Dorothy. I think they approved.

Our first Halloween outing was 'Trunk or Treat' at church the Sunday afternoon before the actual holiday. They had face painting, cotton candy, and lots of games for the kids. It was an absolute blast.

We also did some real Trick or Treating the next Sunday, which Emily was so very into that she wore herself out after about an hour. We weren't too sad about that. =D

I had a chance to take them to the Montgomery Zoo one day in October as well. They have finished the giraffe feeding platform and both kids got to feed the 3 year old.

Sean has pretty much mastered the art of sitting up by himself, but every so often he gets so excited he tips over backward. It's pretty adorable. In fact, some times he is the last man standing...

He is just such a happy little guy. He brings a smile to our faces every day!

As always, don't forget to check out all the new pictures in the October folder!

"I Had Fun With Grandma"

We had the pleasure of Grandma Pam's company this last week and a half, and boy was it ever a pleasure. =D

I would definitely have to say that one of the highlights of her trip was our visit to Dream Field Farm. Emily got to feed a baby goat and a calf with a bottle.

She got to learn how to milk a cow. (Don't worry, it was just a 'practice' cow...)

We also got to take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out our little pumpkins!

They had a "Cow Train" pulled by a small tractor that took us on a tour of the farm and even out to their honeybee hive where we were able to watch the bees fill their honeycomb through a huge plexiglas enclosure.

We finished our day there with some quality bouncy house time and Sean took a much needed nap.

On the way home we stopped for lunch and some shopping in Montgomery. Emily loves to look through the sewing patterns at Joann's!

And wouldn't you know it, Sean needed another nap.

Sean has had a few firsts the last few weeks. On September 30th (the day we went to the pumpkin patch) he got his very first tooth! (He will not let me take a picture inside his mouth, or you know I would!) He also wore his very first pair of sneakers last week.

Emily and Grandma also helped me de-clutter, paint, and organize the house in preparation for trying to sell it. Emily's favorite part has been playing in the huge U-Haul storage boxes and helping fill them up.

As always, don't forget to check the "September Pictures" link in the upper left for more photos like this one:

And seriously, how cute is this??? =D

Busy Little WilliamsBees

It's been super busy here with us trying to get the house ready to put up for sale. Most of the packing has to happen when Emily is otherwise occupied - or she needs to see/touch/play with everything before it can go in a box. We had another yard sale last weekend, which was a great excuse for Emily and Sean to spend the whole morning outside.

Emily got to enjoy breakfast outside, but she wasn't quite awake enough to know it I think. It seems she wasn't awake enough to notice the swarm of mosquitoes nibbling on her either...

Emily has been busy exploring new hobbies lately. She seems to be considering a fashion career and enjoys accessorizing Sean whenever she gets a chance.

She is also quite the little photographer. She found out how to make the camera work a few weeks ago, she has been wandering around the house taking pictures of EVERYTHING. My favorites are the many, many pictures of her feet as she walks around. Here are a couple of the photos she has taken:

Pretty awesome, I know. =D

We have been getting to go outside and play a little more as the cooler weather shows up, and Emily is becoming quite the little hopscotch aficionado.

Sean goes out with us, but he is just a bit too lazy to jump around and play catch.

He prefers his "Man Time" with daddy, which usually involves watching something on a computer screen.

Another favorite activity seems to be attempting to eat his toes. So far, he still has all ten, but it doesn't stop him from trying...

Emily, Sean, and I have also been enjoying the freedom and lowered stress levels of the new double stroller. Emily loves that she gets to ride and Sean loves that his sister is right there with him.

Don't let that picture fool you, I swear Sean loves it!!

Aren't these two munchkins just ridiculously cute?!

Just The Usual

Well, as I suspected, Sean did indeed pick up the Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease that someone so kindly brought to the nursery at the gym. (You can click the picture below to get a better look at his "polka dots".)


But I am getting ahead of myself.

After we got home from vacation there was a big recovery period with lots of naps and "jammie days". Even Sean took advantage of not having to get in his carseat and go anywhere.

Yes, he is now openly a thumb addict. I don't think they have meetings for that yet... Eating dinner together as a family has become even more fun now that Sean can join us, and boy does that kid love to eat!

With the amount of solid food he puts away, it seemed like a good time to add in some water and juice to help wash it down. Emily is more than willing to help her brother learn how to use his new sippy cups.

Emily keeps telling me she can't wait for him to get big and be able to do everything she does.

Emily and I have been trying to have extra fun together alone each day now that she is no longer in preschool. Today, for example, we played at least 15 rounds of Hide and Go Seek (she always giggles and gives herself away!), did 3 pages in her Kindergarten Scholar book (counting and matching today), and made moon sand cupcakes.

It turns out that the only thing you need to "bake" them is a flashlight. Who knew?? She is getting big enough that she asked me to bring out her "Big Girl Bike" from Hannah. I was hesitant, but she is definitely outgrowing her tricycle, so I think this weekend we will have to bring the pink two-wheeler down off the wall.

And of course what blog post would be complete without a great shot of Sean getting his prunes on. Literally. =D

Helen Georgia - Days 5, 6, 7, and 8!

It must be the sign of a good trip when you come back to the cabin every night too exhausted to post a new blog. =D I had to put together an outline just to remember everything we did and get it in the right order! So, here you go:

Day 5

After a morning spent making random purchases at the local shops (without Sean and Daddy, who both wanted to sleep), Emily and Sean spent the afternoon hanging out at the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa.

Mommy and Daddy stole some time to go on a Zipline Canopy Tour.

That night we went out to dinner at a tavern that had fabulous pizza and horrible desserts.

It would seem that Grandma really wore Sean out while we were away!

Day 6

We woke up early on Friday and headed to Blue Ridge, GA to ride the Scenic Railway. I think you all know how much Emily loves trains. She was like a pro walking around on swaying cars and didn't even seem to notice the ground rushing by underneath when we went between them.

Sean seemed to enjoy it as well, but the rocking was really knocking him out.

After spending a couple hours being tourists on the Georgia/Tennessee state line, we boarded the train again for the ride home. Well, Emily and Sean took the train (with Grandma and Grandpa of course), but Mommy and Daddy decided to take the scenic route back. =D

Day 7

Saturday morning the girls went out to do some more shopping, and then headed to Babyland General Hospital to witness the birth of a few Cabbage Patch Babies. (Of course, we couldn't leave without adopting one of the kids...)

Meanwhile the boys went to tour a huge model train and enjoy more manly pursuits than dolls. (We are still training Daddy to take pictures that include the kids!)

In the afternoon, Mommy and Daddy took a hike up to Anna Ruby Falls while everyone else rested at the cabin.

Then Mommy and Sean stayed home to relax while everyone else headed out for some traditional German dinners. Emily even tried some bratwurst and spätzel!

Day 8

Sunday morning we headed out to breakfast (this time leaving Daddy and Sean at the cabin to sleep in). Everyone had french toast made from fresh baked German bread, except Grandpa who dug right in to some corn-beef hash. From there we headed to Goats on the Roof where Emily fed the goats until everyone was out of quarters.

Then it was on to Elf Made Wooden toys were we got to pick out handmade toys and paint them. (That was one of Mommy's favorite places of the whole trip!) Emily picked out a puzzle plane and Grandma helped her get it all painted. They even had little hand-held fans to help it dry faster.

That night we ate at the cabin and had a campfire with s'mores - we needed chocolate and marshmallows for strength to help us pack up all of our stuff!

Overall it was a great trip, but we really wore poor little Sean out. Once we realized we needed to let him sleep in his bed for at least one big nap a day (the carseat just wasn't working for him) he had a lot more fun. It was wonderful to see Grandma and Grandpa and we can't wait to spend more time with them!!

**Tuesday morning when Mommy went in to wake up Emily, she found her half-asleep tossing around on the bed saying, "Grandma?" and smiling. It was so cute. =D**