halloween! rawr.

Halloween was SO fun this year!  It was amazing to see the difference that one year makes in what Lucas can actually do and understand.  We had festivities planned all day on Halloween, so our sweet boy was dressing in his lion costume pretty much every waking hour.  And the cutest little lion, he was for sure!

I have to share my favorite favorite picture first...This was our pre trick-or-treating picture with the Watkins.  Can you believe both kids are smiling?

 We'll get back to trick-or-treating.  First, our day began at Pullen Park with my friends from work and their babies.  We went to Pullen Park last year on Halloween with the littles and got this picture:

This year, with a year added to these kids (and an addition of quite a few more) we were too busy chasing them around to get a group shot!  Instead, we rode the train and the carousel, played on the playground, and fed the ducks.  There was much less time for grown-up talk, but chasing those little ones around is such a blessing.  It was unseasonably warm that day, so we ended up ditching the costume about halfway through playtime because my little lion started sweating.  Oops.

Lucas loves the train at Pullen Park, so he sat so quietly in his little outfit as we rode around the park.  Can we take a minute and look at his eyelashes?  My gosh.

Also worth pointing out, his love for the ladies.  Especially the Martin girls.  Tenley and Madelyn have stolen pieces of Lucas's heart!  

After we left the park, we headed over to the Summit offices.  They set up a big Halloween trick-or-treat trail throughout the offices and the 80billion staff kids came in their costumes and loaded up on candy.  (Not really 80billion, but those staffers know how to have babies! )

 

Of course, cornhole was involved.

And Lucas tasted his first ever lollipop.  He is now obsessed with 'pop pops.'

 

Then came the evening.  And the cuteness overload in the form of a lion and a duck.

Words cannot describe how thrilled we were to have the Watkins in town for the kids' first 'real' trick-or-treating experience.  The camera flash was constantly going off because we are trying to savor every moment of these two kids together.  We got to FaceTime with the grandparents for the first part of their little adventure.  [Thank goodness for technology!]

 And we're off!

They rode so perfectly in the wagon together.  Lucas would get in first and pat the seat in front of him, calling "ELLA!!"  And our sweet little duck would sit down and then we were off!

They weren't scared at all.  They politely each took one piece of candy and completely soaked up being ooooed and ahhhhd over.   Lucas did try to go in a few peoples' houses, but other than that they really got the hang of this whole trick-or-treating thing.

By the end of the night (read: about 10 houses) we were all a little sweaty and a lot tired.

But then Lucas discovered that he got to keep all of this loot and was ecstatic!

And he even got to eat 2 pop pops.

Halloween with a little one is so much fun!  We are thankful for a full day of fun, good friends, and an amazing new neighborhood with festive families.

What a difference a year makes!  I can't wait until next year to see how this sweet boy continues to grow!

honest toddler times.

Friends. I think this week I officially joined the 'mom of toddlers' club. I was christened in the middle of the pasta aisle in Walmart when Lucas threw his first public holier-than-thou FIT.  My 19 month old little sweetheart showed his downright sinful side after I took away his pumpkin basket after he started using it as a ball and launching it.  Insert: immediate tears, flailing, kicking, screaming, and stares from strangers.  All of my crisis-averting tactics failed miserably and the only way to stop the dying child was to open up a bag of pretzels in the middle of the store and let him eat.

And you know, as frustrated as I was with him and this stage of development and motherhood, I got even more frustrated with myself.  In the middle of this epic meltdown, my insecurities bubbled over as I looked around at the other moms who had it together with their perfectly obedient children and showered bodies and made up faces and combed hair.  {Because of these things, I had nothing. Not even the showered body.} And I got angry and jealous and embarrassed and even more frustrated.  I contemplated leaving the cart full of groceries and taking my screaming child out of the store as quickly as possible, because the thought of finishing our grocery trip was all too overwhelming at this point.  After realizing that was ridiculous, I honestly thought, "how mad would Brandon be if I called him at work and asked him to come and save me from this? Just take the kid, I'll finish the shopping, load the car, and we'll be on our way."  No no no.  Also ridiculous.  So we opened up the pretzels, wiped away the tears (his and mine), and continued on. 

Why does it have to be like this? Why do I compare myself as a mom to those around me? To the beautiful blonde mom with her perfectly quiet daughter sitting in the cart, why do I feel like I need to judge myself based on how you and your situation appear to be?  That's crazy.  You see, we live in a world of these Pinterest wives.  They appear to have it all together all the time, having time to cook and craft and decorate and read and create and primp and style and be the perfect wife and the perfect mother.  And then there's me, just trying to buy some groceries on my day off without any drama.  I find myself assuming that women like the one witnessing our escapade in the pasta aisle have it all together.  And that's when I have to step back and remind myself that I am human and I am loved and I am blessed and I don't have to have it all together because I am the daughter of a King. 

I have to be reminded that these are hard times and motherhood is hard and I'm doing the best that I can.  I need to look past the Pinterest wives of America because they are not perfect.  They just look good in the midst of their messes.  Motherhood is an exclusive club, and we have to have each other's backs.

So when my life might look like this:

 All I can do is remember how blessed I am to be the mom to this wild boy, say a prayer, and remember this too shall pass.

viva la mexico!

We left the kids with grandparents, boarded a plan, and went to Mexico!  This was the second trip we took with the Watkins and it was glorious.

Of course, we had to get past the "we are leaving our children to go spend a week at an all inclusive resort" guilt, which was much harder for the girls than for the guys.  (Surprised?  Didn't think so.)

Approaching Cancun:

We did a lot of relaxing, a lot of talking, and a lot of laughing.  Here are some snap shots:

we thought we were going to die on this boat.  Huge huge waves. Not cool.

Typical Chris and Brandon. Awkward.

Our last night there, the guys treated us to massages!  We were giddy.

What would we do without these guys?  So so thankful for them.

pumpkin patch

Fall has arrived around these parts and with it comes a lot of love and beauty.  And what is more loving and beautiful than this crazy kid hugging on our scarecrow for the front porch!  What a nut. 

We kicked off the beginnings of fall by heading over to Page Road Farms with Nana and Poppy.  It was so fun, we got to play in a corn pit, run through a corn maze, see all kinds of farm animals, and take a hay ride to a pumpkin patch and pick our own pumpkins.

We thought Lucas would love this:  

He did not.  He landed in the pile of corn like this and didn't move.

I believe that this is where Lucas's obsession with pumpkins began.  Or "pawkins" as he calls them.

I have to take a minute and tell you I have the prettiest mama in the whole world.

Lucas was in heaven on the hay ride, watching the tractor's big wheels pull us through the woods.

This is how you find the perfect pumpkin, y'all.

And for all of you "oh my gosh that's so dangerous" people out there, chill.out.  This picture is epic and you know it.  And because for some messed up reason I feel like I have to justify it to you skeptics who are thinking of getting us arrested, I sat on Brandon's shoulders first and my dad handed Lucas up to me.  Lucas loves riding on anyone's shoulders, so he didn't budge. And Poppy was standing right behind my mom, who took the picture. So no need to freak out, people.

Nana helping Lucas pick out his perfect pumpkin:

 "Cawwwn!" Says our little redneck.  (Translation: corn.)

HEAVEN:

We had SO fun and will definitely return to the farm.  Happy Fall, Y'all!