Happy Halloween!

These two

transformed into

these two

just in time for the annual Halloween parade and trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. And, if I do say so myself, they are the cutest Diego and Baby Jaguar around.

Carter wasn't 100% sure about the whole thing, but he was willing to follow the crowd. He was very good about saying trick-or-treat and thank you.

Here's a shot of Diego in action--full on trick-or-treating!

Carter would get very concerned when we would go up to a house to trick-or-treat because Nick had Callen in the stroller on the street. He kept wanting to know where Daddy and and Baby Callen were.

After the parade and a block of trick-or-treating, we loaded up in the car to visit some friends. When we got to the Murphy's house, Carter abandoned all thoughts of trick-or-treating and fixated on playing with Connor's toys, particularly the Thomas the train set!

All in all, we had a great--although chilly--Halloween! We hope you and your family had a safe and Happy Halloween, too!

Pre Halloween Festivities

Earlier this week, we spent several days preparing to celebrate Halloween tonight. First, we kicked off our pre-Halloween festivities with a Halloween party in Carter's class.

Carter and his friends took their costumes to school to wear for the party, which consisted of a parade through the school, painting a pumpkin and some yummy snacks. Callen and I were excited to get to participate in the party with Carter.

Diego all ready for the parade

Diego and all of his friends on the parade route

Diego dancing to the music while eating his snack

The next day, we decided to check out Zoo Boo at the zoo with Connor and Deanna. It was perfect weather for Zoo Boo--high 60s--and there were lots of people there. However, it was still a great time and the boys got to practice saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" at the different trick or treat stations. They also loved looking at the animals!

Tigger and Diego

Diego and Baby Jaguar

Baby Jaguar snoozed the whole time

Close up of one of the bears (using my regular lens--he was that close!)

Deanna and I were amazed at how active the animals were. We remarked that we both typically head to the zoo early and the animals are always sleeping or lying around in the sun. We were at Zoo Boo from about 4:30 to 6:00, and the animals were VERY active. The lions were playing with balls and roaring. The tiger was roaming and the bears were in to checking out the visitors. The giraffes were busy, as usual, and the elephants were moving around a fair amount too. Not sure if it was the time of day, the cooler weather, all the people or maybe a combination, but it sure was a fun trip to the zoo--for us and the kiddos!

Happy Halloween!

Two Months

Well, actually, Callen turned two months on Monday {which is hard to believe}, but we went to the doctor for her two month appointment today. She is now 11lbs, 6oz and 22.5 inches long. The doctor remains pleased with her growth and her neurological development.

I am super happy to report that the last three days Callen has been a much less fussy baby! {I am so afraid that I am jinxing it!} We have actually had moments where she has been awake and content, which was just about unheard of for the past 8 weeks. She has really been giving us a lot of smiles lately, and, just in the last week, has started cooing a little. I swear, those smiles and coos make the fussing MUCH easier to take! She has also starting tracking us more and more...Carter is her favorite target to track; she loves him already.

AND...he loves her. He always wants to make sure she is taken care of, covered up, loved on, etc. He is such a good big brother...and if you don't believe me, just ask him. He'll tell you!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

This little fella has been especially entertaining lately.

Last week, Carter was VERY into playing football. He wanted Nick to hold the football so he could kick it. Nick was pulling it up from the floor just before he could kick it {think Lucy and Charlie Brown}, and Carter was getting upset when he would do that. So, after a few times, I said, "Don't make him cry" to Nick. The next time, Nick pulled the football up again, and Carter looked at him and said, "Don't make me cry." It was too funny.

Then, last night, I put Carter to bed and came back downstairs as is usual. We heard him moving around so Nick went back up there to see if he was out of his bed. Not only was he out of his bed, but Nick found him sitting on our bed with Raf-Raf, covered with his blanket, holding the remote, with the TV on, turned to a cartoon channel {how it was on a cartoon channel we haven't figured out}. He looked at Nick and said, "I watching TV, Daddy."

Hysterical...he keeps us on our toes, for sure!

Sweet Home Alabama

Callen with Popsy

Callen with Bamma

We just returned from a week long visit to Alabama. It was a great trip and very fun to get to introduce Callen to our family members that she hadn't yet met. I have to confess, I spent the week enjoying the company of our families and doing some running around, so I didn't really take that many pictures.

We started our week off by witnessing our nephew/cousin, Owen's baptism. It was a nice church service, a lovely lunch and even better company. Carter always enjoys being around his cousins...unfortunately, his little body wasn't on Central time, so he got sleepy and cranky pretty soon into lunch and we had to bail. However, we were glad we could be there for Owen's special day and see all of the Willis family.

Popsy and Gigi had recently returned from a trip to Hawaii, and they brought Carter back all kinds of fun things--a shirt, a hat, and a flashlight and some drink umbrellas that he loved best of all and played with until they fell apart!. Popsy taught Carter that you use a flashlight to see in dark places, so this is Carter investigating "dark places" with his new flashlight {with a SpongeBob basket that Bamma gave him on his head}. He has slept with his flashlight just about every night since...Nick and I have to take it out of his bed at night!

Aunt Button came over one afternoon to meet Callen, and she came bearing a birthday gift for Carter. A Mr. Potato Head set. He loved it, and he played with it all week!

Carter also got to play with Uncle Steve one day while Nick and I ran all around Birmingham. Later in the week, Nick and I took the kiddos to the park. Carter spent most of the time throwing the football. He did take time to go down the slide. So did Nick! Callen snoozed. Carter also is getting a little more brave. He was climbing up ladders and playing on the "big kids" side of the playground, proclaiming, "I do it myself!"

We loved our time with family, and we appreciate all of their hospitality while we were in Alabama. It is nice, though, sleep in your own bed and have your two-year-old where all of his toys are! :) We look forward to seeing everyone down south again soon!

That's More Like It

When we were at the Murphree's for lunch after Owen's baptism, Carter found one of Banks' footballs. He LOVED it! When it was time to go, he was sleepy, and we feared taking it away from him might cause a meltdown, so Andrea said to hang on to it and give it back to them another time.

Well, in the {almost} week since then, Carter has played and played and played with that football. I am so proud. Maybe there is some SEC in him, after all! He throws it, runs with it, kicks it, and tries to catch it. Perhaps he isn't exclusively into basketball which I know nothing about!

He is too cute...the football has two script A's for the University of Alabama, and Carter tells us that it has "two Alabamas" on it.

Here's an action shot.

She's Still Here

I just realized that Callen has been absent from the blog while Carter's exploits have been detailed recently. I thought I'd bring y'all up to date on what the little peanut has been up to.

We see a little of this each day...an awake, content baby.

We (I) see A. LOT. of this--a very fussy baby

And, on occasion, during the daytime, we see a bit of this...a sweet, sleeping baby.

Overall, Callen is doing well. She eats well, and at night, she sleeps pretty well. {She eats at 10/10:30 and then when we get her down, she will sleep until 3/3:30, eat and then sleep again until 7ish.} The fussiness is really wearing on me, though. I find that the crying with Callen doesn't have the same effect on me that Carter's crying did. There are just times that it is SO. INCESSANT. I don't really want to wish away her "baby-ness," but, I swear, if it makes the fussing go away and returns a sweet, content baby in its place, I would make the trade.

This, too, shall pass...right? {please tell me I'm right! ;)}

Pancakes and Cowboy Boots

Though not necessarily at the same time! We had a nice weekend this past weekend. We started our Saturday off with Carter and Nick making pancakes. Carter loved "dumping" and stirring. I think, for the most part, he was a good helper!

After our yummy breakfast, Carter and I headed out to get the flu mist and a flu shot, respectively. We had to wait in line for an HOUR...which was tough with a 2 year old, but he did really well considering that I took nothing with which to entertain him. I treated him to a trip to the Pumpkin Fest at Clarian North Hospital (which is right across from our pediatrician's office) for being such a good flu mist patient and for behaving so well during our wait. At the pumpkin fest, he was able to pet several animals--a bunny, a goat, some strange reptile like thing from Australia that he LOVED--, win a few prizes, and pick out a pumpkin for us to take home. We left Daddy and Callen (and the camera) at home for the trip though...we thought it might be too chilly for Callen.

We spend most of the rest of Saturday watching football. {ROLL TIDE, by the way!} While we were watching one of the games, Carter was out of sight and sounded like he was struggling with something. Nick went to check on him, and this is what he found:
And, although the next picture looks like Carter is playing hockey, he is really trying to play golf. The boy is h@ll on the plastic golf clubs...he has broken 3...and we haven't bought him new ones, so he plays golf inside with a yard stick. I know, I know...we'll get the boy some new golf clubs soon!
We wrapped up our weekend by relaxing on Sunday--Carter, Callen and me at home and Nick on the golf course, and enjoyed a yummy dinner with some friends {Carter says: the Todd "grils," i.e. girls}. And, as an added bonus, Nick was off of work today for Columbus Day!

Quote of the Day

This is what is in place of our front door right now.

because

This is what happened to our front door and our door is large and unique and replacing it is cost prohibitive, so we have to settle for the almost equally cost prohibitive option of repairing it

and

This is what this precocious little fella said when he got home from school and saw the transition:

"We have a new door."

Indeed we do. Carter was very distressed by the new "door." Nick told him that the front door had to go to the doctor, so Carter has been saying, "Door make it feel better" every time he walks by the plywood "door." I just love listening to what he comes up with!

Rescue Pack

Carter has been very into Diego for a few months. When we went to the grocery store to get the balloons for his birthday, we saw a Diego mylar balloon on a stick that was about $2. I decided it would be a nice birthday treat for my little man. When Callen was born, she gave him a Diego doll {along with his new basketball}. My mom gave Carter about 4 or 5 Diego books for his birthday...so, you can see the pattern here.

I decided that Carter needed to be Diego for Halloween {and Callen is going to be Baby Jaguar}, so I purchased a Diego costume online primarily for the vest and the rescue pack, since we have a light blue shirt and navy shorts.

Yesterday, when I went into Carter's room after his nap, he held up his Diego doll and balloon and said, "two Diegos." He was so happy to have both of his Diegos close by that I couldn't pass up an opportunity to pull out some of the costume that I have had hidden for about a month.

I decided to share Rescue Pack with him. HE. LOVED. IT. We had to put it on him right away! Nick and I couldn't stop laughing as Carter would say things like, "I need a skateboard." or "I need roller skates." {for those of you unfamiliar with Diego, rescue pack turns into things Diego needs to get to the animals he is rescuing} It was absolutely precious!

He wore rescue pack all around the house yesterday afternoon, and he wanted to take it with him when we left. {we didn't let him}

modeling Rescue Pack

I told him that he couldn't sleep with rescue pack but that we could put it on his dresser and he could get it first thing when he woke up. This morning when I went in to his room when he woke up, the first thing he said was, "I get rescue pack."

rescue pack with PJs

Looks like I made the right choice on the Halloween costume!

Growing, growing, growing!!!

We had Callen's one month appointment with our pediatrician today nevermind that it was scheduled for yesterday but that I put it in my calendar for today...they were kind enough to reschedule for me. I am so happy to report that our little Miss is 9lbs, 10oz {75th percentile} and 21 & 1/4 inches {50th percentile}. The doctor and I were both pleased!

Thanks to those of you who were kind enough to share your suggestions for keeping my little one awake while feeding. Clearly, your suggestions worked...and she is doing much better and has become quite the efficient eater!