Jack-O-Lanterns

Pumpkins in the daylight
The first Halloween for Nicholas had to commemorated with a pumpkin!

Moon and stars


All of them together

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours carving pumpkins (by myself because Jeff is out of town and Nicholas is too little). It was really fun deciding what should be carved into each one. I really like how the one with Nicholas' name turned out and I also like the moon and stars, because I usually just carve jack-o-lantern faces. I got a bit more creative this year! Happy Halloween everyone!

Boo Bash

Nicholas and Talon
The streets were packed with trick-or-treaters

Koby and Talon

Nicholas and mommy

Talon aka "Darth Vader/Storm Trooper"

Cutie in his Halloween outfit

This afternoon Nicholas and I joined my cousin Koby and her son, Talon, for the Boo Bash in downtown Camas. There were SO many kids there all dressed up who were trick-or-treating at the local businesses. It was a beautiful autumn day and so much fun!

Dinner with Gramme

Last night we did a little shopping and then went to dinner at Claim Jumper with Gramme. She makes Nicholas so happy when she snuggles with him!

Cousin Zoie's Birthday Party

Aunt Jami makes me smile
Zoie opening her gifts

You're so silly, daddy!
Blowing out her six candles
Cuddling with Auntie Eva

Nicholas' cousin, Zoie, turned six this week and had her party today. Mommy only got to stay for a little while because she had to go to work, but daddy and Nicholas stayed and played for a few hours. Zoie loved that all of her friends and family could be there to celebrate with her. She's such a sweet little girl!

Nicholas is 5 Months Old Today

He loves to eat his rice cereal now...most of it goes in his mouth and less on him!
Nicholas just started noticing our dog, Jake. Here is Jake giving him doggie kisses.
Playing in the tub
So happy to be clean!

Enjoying his "Goodnight" folding book before bed

Today was a pretty relaxing day. I don't work on Mondays so Nicholas and I usually spend the better part of the morning cuddling and playing. After a few hours of that, Nicholas is ready to eat and take a nap. I use that time to pick up the house, do some laundry, and read for my class at WSUV. Today, because we had very little food left in our kitchen, Nicholas and I spent the afternoon grocery shopping. He's such a little trooper. I strap him in the Baby Bjorn carrier and walk all around the store. He only gets fussy if I stop moving too long, which helps keep me focused on getting everything done without wandering the aisles looking for stuff we really don't need. He is very alert now and becoming more aware of what is going on around him. Sometimes, if the TV is on, he will stop what he is doing and stare at the screen for a minute or so. Today when I was feeding him he noticed Jake walking around and watched him where ever he went. Jeff and I have treasured every moment of these last 5 months!

Fridays with a Little Darling

On Friday afternoons Mason Darling comes over to our house for a few hours after pre-school. He is our neighbor and the son of my good friend from high school, Erin (Johnson) Darling. Nicholas loves to watch Mason push his trucks/trailors around the living room, eat big-kid food, and they both enjoy listening to stories together. Nicholas also resists napping...he doesn't want to miss out on any of the fun!

Playdate With Nick and Vic

Victor's gonna get ya
Nicholas is staring at the camera and Victor isn't quite sure what to make of it
Victor took a time out for a bottle...boring! I want to play some more!
Knuckles
Look at that pretty picture on the wall! Do you think we can reach it...I want to touch it. Nah, we're too little. If only we could reach as high as our mommies!

Today, Holly, a dear friend from high school was in town with her son Victor. Vic is three months younger than Nicholas and we just couldn't wait to get these two together for a playdate. They had a great time babbling, cooing, smiling, and playing. Plus, mommy and Holly had a few hours to visit. All in all it was a wonderful day! Thanks Holly and Victor!

A Finished Scrapbook

Last night I finished my first scrapbook-a baby book for Nicholas! I got this scrapbook for a gift at one of my showers and bought the coordinating paper, stickers, and quote book at Target. I am so happy with how it turned out. I think I am now ready to try working with larger paper...this time I'm going to try 12x12 instead of 8.5x8.5 size pages. I think I'll work on another one for Nicholas and also start a family scrapbook for the three of us. I can tell that this might be the start of a new hobby for me!

Lunch Date

Today Nicholas and I had lunch at Chevy's with my friend from high school, Sima. Sima and her husband Nyan are expecting their first child at the end of March. It was fun to see Sima's little baby belly and have a nice, relaxing lunchtime chat. The food was so yummy even Nicholas wanted to try some-he kept reaching out for mommy's plate!

Sitting in His Bumbo Chair

Yesterday we purchased a Bumbo Chair for Nicholas to get him used to sitting up and he loves it!

The little tray is really handy to keep all his toys on so he can play and we're going to use it for a high chair for awhile. It's nice and portable too so we can take it anywhere!