Carving our pumpkins...

was something I had looked forward to all week. I had these visions of Handley having so much fun, reaching in the pumpkin, pulling out the gooey seeds, and seeing her pumpkins turn into jack-o-lanterns.

In actuality, she cared more about playing with my parents dogs and their leashes (which she's fascinated with) then she did the pumpkins. Robby and I ended up doing everything. I had seen these really pretty pumpkin carvings in Southern Living that I had hoped to try, but it was dinner time, so our pumpkins are nothing fancy. However, they are carved and ready for our trick-or-treaters tonight.

The dogs all wanted in on the action too. We had to keep Sydney from eating the pumpkins!

Our jack-o-lanterns (d0n't laugh!). Mine is the simple face and Robby's is be a bat.

Tag, you're it!

My friend Allison D. "tagged" me in her blog and now I am supposed to post 7 things about myself you might not know or realize...here you go:

1. I love TV, especially reality TV. Shows like The Bachelor, Biggest Loser, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, etc. the list goes on and on. I also love Desperate Housewives, Lipstick Jungle and the new 90210 (yes, the "high school show" as Robby calls it).

2. On Saturday, I'll be finding out the sex of our baby! I'll be sure to let you all know pink or blue when we get home.

3. I bought Halloween candy today and have already eaten way too much of it!

4. I often spend my entire "break" during Handley's nap on the internet, without even realizing it. Then I kick myself for not cleaning, doing other chores around the house, or making better use of my time.

5. I love a clean house and can't stand clutter. It's gotten worse recently and I sometimes have to stop and remind myself that it is OK if things are a bit messy. I guess I've also had to learn to deal with it because having a toddler and a dog that sheds non-stop means that my house is never as clean and spotless as I would like. However, I have taught Handley to clean-up her toys and she is getting really good about putting things in there place, so she's helping me out!

6. I'm a night owl and could stay up all night (that is if I didn't have to get up early with Handley each day).

7. I was born on Election Day in 1980 and my birthday falls on Election Day again this year. Nov. 4!

Now I have to "tag" 7 other people to do the same thing on their blog.

1. Stacey L.
2. Katie J.
3. Erin J.
4. Allison S.
5. Amy A.
6. Tracie C.
7. Nicole H.

Burt's Pumpkin Patch

Today we made our annual trip to Burt's Pumpkin Patch. Last year we took Handley for the first time and although she was only 4 months old, we had a lot of fun. I knew that this year would be even better and that Handley would have a blast! She had a great time running around, checking out all of the pumpkins and scarecrows, and LOVED the hayride!

Just for a fun comparison:

This year - 16 months and such a cutie!

Last year -4 months old and so tiny!

The talking pumpkins on the hayride.

Neighborhood Halloween Parade

This morning was our neighborhood's 1st annual Halloween parade/party. I had helped a few other moms in the neighborhood plan it and was really looking forward to today. We had a great turnout and I think everyone had a great time. It will definitely become an annual tradition in our neighborhood!

I didn't get a lot of great pictures before people started to arrive, but here are a few so you get an idea of the festive decorations!

Treat bags for all the kids

Yummy cookies and snacks!

Mark, Annabelle, Robby, and Handley getting ready to parade!

And they're off!

Handley with one of her best friends, Avery.

Me, Handley, Avery and Tiara.

Yummy Cookies!

Today was a very rainy day, so Handley and I had to find ways to stay entertained inside. I needed to make cookies for our neighborhood's Halloween parade/party so I decided to let her help me out. The past few weeks I've started to let her help me "cook" and she loves it. Stirring, pushing buttons on the oven, and other seemingly small tasks are such a big deal to her.

This is how I get her up to the counter. I push a chair to the island and then put a bar stool on either side to block her in.

I'd love to have one of these "learning towers" for her, but it's kind of pricey, so for now a chair and bar stools works.

After icing the cookies Handley decided to eat hers. I told her not to make a mess, so this is what she did to and proceeded to lick the icing off of the cookie.

When I turned my back she grabbed the spoon and started licking away.

And our finished product!

Halloween Party

Today, we went to a Halloween party thrown by one of Handley's friends, Grace, and her mommy Erica. Erica did a great job with all of the food, cute decorations, and even sweet little craft projects.

Handley loved the candy corn!

Look how cute the frame is that she (well, I) made!

It was so much fun to see all the kiddos dressed up and Handley did pretty well wearing her costume. I made it and had tried it on her in pieces, but never all together.

As you can tell, she quickly removed her headband and exchanged it for her bow!

Davis, the golfer! Could he be any cuter?


Ceylese and Batman (AKA Blake).

Brrr...

It's cold outside. Fall weather has finally decided to set in...just in time for Halloween! I had fun bundling Handley up for our walk yesterday morning. It turned out to be a lot warmer than I thought so she didn't need the hat and mittens after all. She sure did look cute though!

And just a little POTTY update. She has sat on it a few times, but hasn't really "done" anything since Saturday morning. I guess the excitement and newness has worn off, but I know we are starting this early! It's there and she knows where it is so I'm not going to push the issue, but I'm sure when she is ready, she'll let me know.

Fun Day with Gigi and Papa

This past weekend I took Handley up to spend the day with Robby's parents, Gigi and Papa. She hadn't seen them in several weeks since we'd been out of town for so long and she had a great time visiting.

They took her to a jumpy place (similar to Kangazoom that we go to near our house) and you can tell she had fun.

After sliding down the giant slide with Papa.

Heading up to slide again with Gigi.

After that it was off to her first trip to McDonald's and then they took her to get a new toy! She's totally obsessed with babies right now (real babies) so they got her a baby doll and a stroller to push her in. She loves it and has been feeding her baby a bottle and pushing her around in the stroller non-stop.

She pushed her baby over to see the pumpkins and scarecrows in Gigi's yard.

If you look closely, you can see that Lambie is taking a ride in the stroller too!

A few more pics...

From our trip to Wilmington.

This one is of 4 generations...left-right is my mom, Memaw (my mom's mom), Handley, and me.

And I thought this was so cute when I saw it. Remember I had mentioned that my mom got up early with Handley so I could sleep in? Well, she snapped this picture of Handley curled up in the chair...obviously still tired!

Potty time

If you have children then you will appreciate this...Handley peed and pooped in the potty tonight for the first time. What I can't believe is that she did it not once, but twice!

The past month or so she's become very aware of her bodily functions so I figured I should at least have a little potty for her to start sitting on. This afternoon we went to Wal-mart, checked out the many different options, and decided on one that plays a "royal tune" every time she goes.

When we got home I pulled it out of the box and she wanted to sit on it right away. I figured she thought it was just a new seat. I put it in our bathroom downstairs, told her it was her potty and if she needed to "pee-pee" or "poo-poo" to tell me and she could sit on the potty. Of course, all night long we were running back and forth to the potty. One time she told me she needed to go so we went in and down she sat. I was not really paying much attention then all of the sudden, "da-da-na-na" the royal tune went off and sure enough, she had peed! I couldn't believe it. I got her a few smarties right away to reward her success. That must have gotten her on a roll because she went back to the potty a few other times this evening and heard that royal tune!

We'll see if it is beginners luck and how the rest of the weekend goes, but I'm excited to think that she might be potty trained by the time the next baby arrives in April. How wonderful would it be to not have 2 in diapers at the same time!

We're back...

**Just a warning - this is a marathon post**

Handley and I are back from visiting with my parents. We were gone for 10 days had such a great time while we were there. We got to visit with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Almost all of my extended family lives in Wilmington so I always enjoy getting to catch-up with them all. The trip was very relaxing for me. Most mornings my mom got up early with Handley and I was able to sleep in...something I hadn't done a long time.

My dad's parents live on the intercoastal waterway and have been in the same house for many, many years. It's the same house my dad grew up in and the same house I remember visiting for Christmas and summer vacations. When my brothers and I were younger, we would spent what felt like hours collecting hickory nuts that would fall in the yard. We would fill a huge bucket with them and then haul them down to the waterway and begin tossing them in one by one. I had so much fun sharing this activity with Handley. Just as I remembered, there were tons of hickory nuts to be gathered and she had so much fun throwing them into the water.

Handley and I with Memaw

Checking out the big boat that was passing

Handley rocking on the porch with Bimmie...a favorite past time and their house.

My mom nannies for a little boy named Paxton. He is 3 1/2 and so much fun. He's full of questions and excitement and is the sweetest little boy. He's been a fan of Handley since she was just a tiny baby. Just for fun, here are a few pictures of them together over the past year or so...

Paxton checking out Handley's "tiny baby toes"

Trying to "help" here stand up.

Handley loving Paxton at the beach this summer!

We got to spend a got to see Paxton several times during our trip and Handley had so much fun playing with him. Now that we are home, she still looks at his picture and asks about him.

Paxton showing Handley the way to the playground...

My Mom's father passed away of Alzheimer's in 2003. My aunt and uncle organize a huge tournament at their outdoor grill and volleyball complex in honor of my grandfather and to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association. Every year hundreds of people show up to play in the tournament, show their support, and enjoy the day. There is usually family festival with tons of activities for kids. I was so excited about letting Handley experience that part of the event, but unfortunately, it rained all day long so that part was cancelled. However, all of my family was there and even in the rain it was a great event.

In this photo are two of my uncles, Neal and Bill, my cousins daughter, Blythe, my dad with Handley, and my cousin, Bryn.

And lastly, here is a picture of my mom's new puppy, Maggie. Handley loved spending the week playing with her.

Stay tuned for some more pictures. I have to get them from my mom's camera...