Painting ourselves Navy and Gold

As you know, we are changing from blue and white to navy and gold. Might seem simple on the outside (and it is...) but it also takes a change of mind. When I see clothes out and about for us all, I have to think on these new colors now. My mind is getting more geared to navy and gold though after having a week of literally immersing myself in it!

We spent a few days getting Tyler's room ready and once again I painted the logo for him. The new logo, that is. As I painted away, I thought a lot about the significance of this new change we have. Tyler and I graduated from Red Bank, but we aren't Red Bank now. A lot changes over time and Red Bank has, too. The Red Bank I knew, isn't what the kids now know. You could even take it further to say, we aren't the same. We are two adults with children moving to the Soddy area and changing our surroundings a bit. Funny how a little paint can make you reflect on so much!

 

(The bottom color is silver not baby blue as it looks)

 

 Within the same week, we also went to The Athletic Shop and ordered some printed shirts for the  kids and Tyler some coaching stuff. Plus, I found a t-shirt for me to wear. Which reminds me, I have to clean out most of my Red Bank clothes cause its just not kosher for a coaches wife to be seen in a rival team's shirt! I am starting from zero and really don't have any Soddy things!

 

Then, I also went to Carter's that week to get some sibling shirts and instead found a gold mine.(..and navy...haha.) I was literally spinning around the boys section and at every turn finding a different  shirt that my two boys could wear...and be matching! I even called Tyler to tell him he better come in and help me decide. (He was out in the car with the kids) He didn't, so I just got them all!

 

Now, I just have to work on Ansley and I, I have a couple items in the works for her, though. I was so excited to find a cute navy Nike skirt at Goodwill that's pleated like a cheer leader skirt in her size! I also found that yellow-gold color pair of bike shorts she can wear with a long shirt or even under that skirt. Goodwill never fails me!

 

After all this, my eyes are a little more trained to see navy and gold when I'm out and about. I'll always be blue and white at heart but the new colors are seeping in naturally. I can't wait to start this new chapter!



 

Many hats of Daddy

I took this picture a few weeks ago. I loved the symbolism it showed of Tyler's many hats.....literally. The last couple months have been a busy time for him! He has actually had to wear all 3 in one day going between his different duties as our breadwinner and daddy! We are transitioning into a new chapter and are now in the last pages of the current one. But the next chapter has already started writing itself whether we were ready or not!

Tyler has spent the last 6 years at our Alma mater, Red Bank. He has grown a lot in his teaching career there. He has  done many different roles as a geography teacher, technology coordintator, U.S. History teacher, dual enrollment and the list goes on.....! If you didn't already know, Tyler and I also grew in love at Red Bank years ago. As cheesy as that sounds, its true! :) I can still remember his first year teaching there when I brought Garyn, a newborn,  in to see all our past teachers. Then again, with Ansley, everyone celebrated with us as we grew to a family of four. We have a lot of new friends, as well, that we will stay in touch with and miss.

Garyn's first football game, only 3-4 weeks old.

He has been coaching football since his first year and has worked with a lot of great coaches. He has learned a lot from these guys coaching wise. As well, they have all helped him be a better person in some way or another. The last two years he was the defensive coordinator for Red Bank, making his duties even harder. But I think most of all he has enjoyed his time with the kids making great relationships that both the coach and player benefited from. This year he coached baseball, too. We have a love-hate relationship with baseball. Spending 4+ nights/days a week for hours at the field can be so tiring. As you know, the kids and I went to a lot of games. 1) It was a chance to see him, even if from a far. 2) The kids enjoyed being outside and I like the inning or two I got to see in between keeping up with Ansley. Tyler loves the time with the players, I think because he gets to act like a kid again. Yet, also be an example for them; a good one hopefully.

Garyn and Tyler 2011 football season.

Ansley and daddy 2011 season

With all that said, this was Tyler's last year there. He was contacted about coaching at Soddy Daisy earlier in the spring and after a lot of prayer and just plain waiting, he is going to be the defensive coordinator and more importantly, the ninth grade Geography teacher. Hence, the SD hat you see next to the RB one. This is an odd combination, really, since they are rivals. (Ironically as I sit here writing this, he is next to me wearing a Soddy shirt and RB shorts, haha) Seems odd at times still to think we will be wearing navy and gold. However, it is simply a new job and welcomed change. We will be moving closer to that area, as well, making his drive to Soddy shorter than from where we are now.

In the last 6 weeks or so, he has been going to early morning workouts with the football team before heading to work at Red Bank. Then, he had the lift-a-thon to attend, parents' meeting, coach meetings and the last 2 weeks he has been conducting spring practice! All while still coaching baseball and teaching at Red Bank! I still don't know how he did it without walking in a practice with the wrong colors or just plain falling over from exhaustion!

First game day (Ansley wishes she had an orange Orioles shirt!)

Lastly, there was still yet another hat he had to wear. Garyn's baseball team this year is the Orioles. Daddy has been helping coach on nights that his other coaching duties don't interfere. We love this coaching hat the most! So fun to watch and encourage Garyn. While we get intense at times, its a lot more laid back than some of the high school games we watch/coach! Tyler isn't so sure, though, that he can handle the young ones. He has to really step back and have fun when everything isn't going like he planned. Garyn has had some hard times, himself, when he wasn't able to score before 3 outs or even worse when he didn't get a hit. He has had a lot of breakthroughs in his confidence and competitiveness, learning while his team may not always win; he can be happy about his hit. Yes, this hat has brought a lot of lessons for both Tyler and Garyn this year.

All but one of these many hats he has had to wear are ending soon. He has another week at Red Bank, training the next technology coordinator and cleaning out his room. Garyn has about 5 more games left in his baseball season. And of course, Soddy 2013 football season has only begun. We will be moving into his new classroom soon and becoming fully immersed in this new chapter of his career which becomes all of ours, honestly.

I am so happy that he is called Daddy in our house. He takes that role very seriously, along with being my husband. No matter how many hats he has to wear, we come first on his priority list. We love him more than words can say and are excited for this next chapter, and hopefully a less cluttered dash!

Cycle of Life

Its amazing how God created life! Even more, how life cycles. For some, sooner than for others.

Last weekend, we realized the baby birds had hatched. Although, they looked like small balls of fur rather than birds. We cautiously took a peak:

I know it is so hard to see them, but that gray area down in the sticks are them. I believe there were 5 eggs, but never wanted to get too close so unsure as to how many birds hatched.

We held Garyn up and let him see the birds. He really seemed to understand and was excited that they had hatched.

But for whatever reason, life was short for these little birds......I went by the door Tuesday morning and noticed the flowers were gone out of the tin pail. When I opened the door, it was evident something had deliberately destroyed the nest of birds.....

Be thankful you can't distinguish much on the mat because it was a little gruesome. I don't know if other birds did this or a cat or our cat . As you can tell, the door is set in from any ledges or the flower holders so I can't see how a cat could reach it to pull that long stem of fake flowers out and not knock the tin pail over. But it could be possible, I suppose. I just felt so sad that morning.

As stated earlier, life is a cycle of birth to death. The days in between are numbered for us all; God knows those numbers, not us. We must live the best we can for Him while we are here and be glad we have what days we have.

On another note, my egg has not hatched yet! Tyler told me this morning before church I looked like an Easter egg. Little Miss Ansley hasn't decided to make her appearance yet. Some days I am tired, achy and ready while others I am enjoying the time with Garyn and decently long sleep hours I am getting. I am still having lots of heartburn, achy-ness and just plain uncomfortable legs/hips at night, and it is harder to do somethings. Putting on my shoes and putting on Garyn's clothes and shoes are proving to be more of an exercise everyday. Garyn jumps and wiggles a lot right now with everything, not just putting on clothes. When we are walking, brushing his teeth, bathing him, at the dinner table.....and the list could go on, he is always moving. I am trying to not get too inpatient with him but when I am bending down or trying to hold his hand or trying to put him in the buggy, its hard not to want to scream sometimes! 

Easter Egg at 38 weeks and 5 days

I love him to pieces, though, and think each night what if today was our last day just me and him. Its hard not to think about how not only is my life or Tyler's life about to change, but our 3 year old's life is about to change, too. He is just beginning to understand this family and our routines. But I know he will love her and will bounce quickly into this new routine we will have. Please pray for us all as her delivery approaches and the transition begins!

New residents...

Spring is here and I love all the green and flowers popping up. Its amazing how the brown barren ground and trees can bring forth so much beauty. God made such an amazing circle of life that no one else could design.

Amongst the green and flowers, birds are chirping away building nests. One little bird family has found its niche right on our front door! We have a flower door hanger with fake flowers in it. A couple weeks ago, I kept seeing birds working and realized they were making a nest on the door. Even cooler, the hanger is in front of the window so if you are sitting on the far end of the couch, you can see the nest perfectly. We thankfully don't use this door too much, because they are skittish once you walk up to the door.

But I can't wait to watch the growth of this little family. AND feel it is so cool the timing of our little family growing along with this bird family. We can be up all night together! Well, not sure the birds sleep all night anyway.

(Momma/Daddy bird staying back since I am lurking behind the door)

Our most important new little resident will be here before we know it. Ansley's due date is April 25th! Can't believe it myself, I feel its gone fast yet seems I have been hearing, talking, and learning about her for so long. I am anxious about "the change" our family is about to experience. I want to enjoy it so much, and for Garyn to enjoy it! That is the part I feel will be the most unpredictable. I hope I just hold it together and not put too many expectations on "the change."  We are talking a lot about his role as a big brother with all the advantages it has! He seems to like talking about how he can help and definitely wants to hold her.

(Garyn with his big brother shirt)

That being said, I know we will be fine and adjust with time. Just like every other family!
Here is the latest pic of our little girl. I am beginning to think she is going to constantly stick her tongue out or be smacking her lips. She has had her tongue out and been working that mouth in most of the ultrasounds. Last week, Dr. Brody got a  picture of her in the act:

(This is all her face: forehead-eyes-nose-fat cheeks-and a tongue sticking out. Do you see it? She looks like a chubby thing with a big nose! Garyn thinks it is funny that she has her tongue stuck out. )

I just can't wait to see what her personality is like. Nana, also born in April, says that according to her sign, she will be strong willed. Speaking of being born in April, we have several family members with birthdays in April. We'll see if Ansley has her own date or shares it with a relative!

(This is from 2 weeks ago now, Garyn took it before I went to work one night)

Back to nesting, it has begun inside the house, as well as on the front door. All the home projects and bedroom changes going on has gotten me frantic to get settled! Tyler is in full swing with baseball so it has been mind boggling for him to find time to finish the things I can not do. Well, let me say mind boggling for me. He keeps wondering what the rush is! However, he is on spring break this week and getting a lot done. So I have high hopes for finally being done with the big stuff! Then I can move on to the little details like getting the playroom re situated and Garyn's room reorganized (with his bunk beds!). All of this coming second to finishing the nursery! :)

Other than nesting, I am sleeping less; having more heartburn; going to the bathroom at least hourly; and getting out of breathe and tired more. Its all worth it though!

So how is your spring popping up?!

Progress Part 1

Here is some progress we have been making at our house. You know we have been working on the basement for awhile now.......well we finally have it more livable......

Garyn's 2nd (yes second) playroom downstairs

The Before....drab no color or organization

The After.........much more colorful and usable

The horse to the left was Tyler's and Garyn loves it. I like it but wish it wasn't so big!

I still have some pictures to hang and toys to transfer from upstairs but it has come along quite well!

Next is our living room. I don't have a before.....

Our new loveseat, couch, end table, center table and rug!

The new couch reclines on both ends, we mix and matched to get a good deal and to get the reclining feature!

Also, notice the red wall.....it was a khaki color like the rest of the room

And this is my photo collage from my goals....

I have been wanting to get this pictures up for a while and am glad to finally do it!

More to come!

Got fruit?

My garden has come along and produced some fruit for me. Although, I have learned some lessons from it this year.

If you remember, Tyler really didn't want me to do one this year mainly because he didn't want to work at getting the soil ready, plant, and then it all die because I am not the best gardener. I was determined though, and set out to find a closer spot to the house and a smaller one. I attempted to use some concrete borders we already had to make a raised bed. He helped me get the soil in it and weed killer. Then I planted.

I had six plants (squash, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and 2 tomato plants).

Well I had a couple squash sprout then some cucumber. And I had one pepper spring forth.

But then the tomato plants grew and grew. Along with some type of bugs, the tomato plants killed off the other plants! I am getting 2-3 tomatoes a week from the massive things. Pretty much every green limb you see stems fro the 2 tomato plants. I still have some pepper buds but everything else has died off.

{notice, too, that my concrete borders are pitiful now}

This is the brown remains of the squash and cucumber plants.

So I have learned lessons this year. Not just physical gardening lessons but spiritual ones, too.

1. The garden was too small or I was trying to fit too much in. (I am wondering why I planted 2 tomato plants since I am the only one that eats them......?)

2. Stake, Stake, Stake!!

3. Need some type of bug killer

4. Weed preventer and wet newspaper work great! (that was my biggest problem last year)

5. Space things out better

Now spiritually, I can't help but notice how these lessons can apply.

1. How often do we try to fit too much into one day or our schedules. For me, I tend to half do things and forget the important aspects cause I have so much I want to do or have planned.

2. We all need support; God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and great family and friends are the best support. I often think I can do everything on my own and then get overwhelmed and accomplish very little.

3. Bugs = Satan in my gardening parable. Satan so often kills every lead we make in trying to serve Christ because we let him. Tyler and I frequently talk about how we feel attacked just when we are trying to focus on being a better Christian.

4. Pertaining to #3, we need to prevent and prepare for those attacks Satan uses. Reading the word; focusing on listening and praying to God; "weeding" out the unimportant events we fill our lives with; taking steps of faith instead of hiding in fear.........These are all ways to be one step ahead of Satan and be walking with God instead.

5. Space things out better---that is an understatement for me. I want everything done now, just so I can plan something to do next week. When in reality, God wants us to worry about today only. I need to be conscience of how much I am trying to fit into my daily life.

Jesus says, "I am the true vine, My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." John 15:1-2, 5, 8

I want to bear fruit, not be taken away. Pruning is ok, we all need it. I have already been pruning at myself. The lessons God has taught me (as stated above) have helped me to inventory whether or not I am bearing fruit. Some things in my inventory do nothing to bear fruit for God's kingdom. I aim to weed those out so that the branches I do have that have potential to bear fruit can produce.

So, Got fruit??

Freezer-filling day!

I have been trying so hard to make things easier on myself and my husband to eat from home and healthier. Tyler is a lot less picky now! Somehow, he has put aside his previous view of some foods and will just eat it while saying "Man, this is good". I'm proud of him and shocked!

So today I made some Brown Bag Burritos that I had read about over here. (The recipe is here) You supposedly can easily take them out of the foil and heat them in the microwave. I ate some just now fresh for lunch......oooohhhh were they yummy! I hope he likes them, I think he will. If not, I only halved the recipe so I'm sure Garyn and I will eat them pretty fast. It made 11; 9 to freeze, 2 for lunch. (Refried beans is a new food to Tyler)

I also did some ingredients to freeze instead of a whole meal. Onions are normally left out of any recipe we make, but not anymore!! Tyler will eat them now. He said "You really can't taste them." I wanted to slap him! I have watched him pick at his food for so long telling him if he just try it he wouldn't taste them! So I cut up some onions before they went bad and froze them. I also boiled rice (extra from the below recipe) and bagged it. (Got that idea from www.moneysavingmom.com, too.)

Then I made my Mexican Chicken Casserole. I split it into 2 meals.
Last but not least, I did some freezer cooking last week when I made pancakes. I made a second batch while we had the grill out and everything. We have already been eating on them. You really can't tell they were frozen! This is another thing Tyler can pull out of the fridge easily. Garyn wants pancakes every morning! He doesn't get them but he still asks for them. Having them frozen to heat up quickly is great.

Overall, it was a successful day. I really only work for a couple hours and then I'm tired of cooking. Maybe one day I'll have a full table and my dream!

Challange, here we come!!

I wanted to let everyone know that we have been given a challenge and are taking it!
The Challenge: No eating out for a week!

If you know us, we eat out too much. In the 4 years of our marriage it has been something discussed a lot. The problem is we both enjoy it; yet Tyler could eat out every meal, every day. I do get tired of it and HATE the expense of it. Tyler is sooooooo picky and while he has gotten a ton better, we still go back and forth about what to cook. SO...

The lovely Cobble couple have heard and seen the many times we have chosen to eat out instead of at home this last week. They eat at home basically every meal and while I do envy that, I don't envy the cooking and cleaning! However, I AM UP FOR THE CHALLENGE!

I will keep you posted! Do you think we can do it???
Also, please tell me we aren't the only ones who eat out a lot.......how often do you eat out??

Resolutions and Goals

Lately I have been thinking about goals and resolutions.....aren't we all , given the time of year!
But really, our New Year's Eve party requires that we make a Bucket List and resolutions, and each year, we will review what we did. Well, last year I hand wrote a small list; came to the party and everyone else had typed and extensive lists. I should have know given our company of overachievers/teachers! However, this time when they all pulled theirs out and were able to actually check goals off, I was jealous! I have no clue where my 2008/2009 handwritten list is and now want to jot down my resolutions so that next year I can cross things off!!

So while reading this, I decided to combine the two into a blog. I will definitely have it typed and can maybe accomplish more!

{note: this will be a longer list, just didn't want to bore everyone}
Resolutions and Bucket List:
1. Be more intentional with my walk with God, including being confident that I am here for a reason and shouldn't shy away from gifts He has given me.
2. Spend more time with family
3. Cook healthier and more often; those of you that know us know that we eat out a lot
4. Spend less time doing mindless things, such as TV and Internet surfing
5. Carrying on with #4: spending more time with Garyn playing and teaching him things. (As you all know, 2 is such a great time to absorb a lot)
6. Go somewhere different for vacation in order to see different things
7. Go on a ski trip, may tie in with #6 or may be in 2011
8. Organize the junk of our house!! Stop looking at it and either store it or give it away!
9. Budget, budget, budget! Every year we try to set out a monthly budget & it never sticks, this year I think I am going to go the "save" route and intentionally spend less so that we can put money in savings each month which would be used on items 6 & 7! :)
10. Be more patient! I don't show it all the time, but I am losing my patience a lot lately and it makes me a bad wife and mother. I start stewing about little things that aren't happening fast enough or going the way I planned and then I eventually take it out on one of them.

So for January:

Fun:
Do something with some friends or family that we don't normal see much, i.e. game night or dinner out
Plan more girls luncheons for Sunday school
Be better about dates with Tyler, just the two of us, we tend to just bring Garyn so that we don't have to worry about a babysitter

DIY/Crafting:
Start scrap booking again, I am so behind & there is a monthly group at church that I think I am going to start going to!
Paint Garyn's calender set he made at Home Depot with him, will tell more about this later

Home:
Finish taking down Christmas decorations, been procrastinating, I know
Paint bedroom
Paint/stain kitchen cabinet door (left over from this)
Clean-up basement, in some way, not trying to overwhelm myself here

Cooking:
cook a meal at least 3x a week
do a freezer day

Wellness:
do something fitness-ish at least once a week, i.e. Wii Fit, stationary bike; gotta start somewhere

I feel motivated and good about being able to accomplish this list!

Early Christmas

We got our first Christmas present (and most likely, our best) early from Tyler's parents. I have been so excited about it and couldn't wait to tell you about it!

I love updating houses, our first was a fixer-upper and when we came to our current house it wasn't as much so but still needed some cosmetic work. However, I hate the long process! I wish I could do every individual project within a weekend, but it doesn't always happen that way and when it drags out.....I get frustrated and overwhelmed. I was anxious about the upcoming update.......

When we first moved into our house our kitchen looked pretty dated, wouldn't you say??........

The cabinets were in good shape but the wood was not working. Not to mention the top piece that closed it all in. The counters were new and a good neutral color. Stove was ooold and worked half the time. AND the floor was terrible, terrible!

So we got some new appliances and did a faux paint job on the cabinets & after taking the top piece off (sorry I do not know what this is called) and changing the hardware this is what it looked like.....

Better but those floors looked yellower, in person, up against the new cabinets.

Our plans for those floors were new hardwood but we couldn't find any pre-finished to match our hardwoods throughout the house. The price to stain and finish hardwood to match was just about double so we were going to have to save up. But leave it to those in-laws that love to get you what-you-need rather than clothes you don't like or gift cards. For Christmas we got hardwood floors in our kitchen to match our house!

Here is Garyn helping daddy & Poppa lay the unfinished floors...........

Now here is the stressful part, the floors were laid on the weekend and then refinished on the following Fri, Sat, and Sunday. We couldn't walk on it once refinishing started and had everything out in Garyn's playroom from Thursday until Tuesday. The smell kept us out of the entire house, though! Yeah, the smell of the staining & polyurethane that weekend kicked us out. But Oh My how it was worth it all!!! They are just beautiful!! {And here is the plastic that kept us, i.e. Garyn and Gus (cat), out........}

Total view......

WOW! I just love it!! I can't get used to it yet! It just makes the cabinets and appliances pop....ooohhh I am so happy. Go up and look at that first pic and compare......isn't it amazing the difference! Sorry I am biased, but I hadn't realized since it was a slow change, but man it has made a difference. I also noticed the lighting is different which is the work of my own handy man, Tyler, who put 4 (oh what are they called??) round spot lights in the ceiling. You would think I would have more of the lingo down, but its just my poor memory!

Here are some pics from Garyn's snow day of the year! I looked back through pics and realized it has snowed just one time each year since his birth, so this may have been his only chance to play in it. He really wasn't fond of it. He actually told me one day this week out of the blue, "Mommy, I don't like it snow." We were not talking about snow or looking at these pics, he just randomly said that.

I hope to get another blog in before Christmas, but in case I don't.....Merry Christmas!!

Setting Goals....

I know its not the new year, but I am trying to be more productive.....so far I have been failing miserably this week. However, new recipes, money saving techniques, organizing ideas, teaching opportunities with Garyn, and money-making ideas are all fluttering around my head as of late. Not to mention, staying on top of my devotion time. Friends are inspiring me and also just knowing that Garyn is growing up fast and I need to focus on making these days great for him and us, not to put any pressure on myself though, right!? I made a "To do" list a week or so ago....a loooong one...and I have done ok with it so far. I am giving myself some slack because it is a hefty list.

One website I have really been checking out lately, and growing more in love with is moneysavingmom. There are lots of great budgeting, freebies, and coupon ideas on there that I have been looking into. You know how I am about coupons, remember this. Tyler noticed the other day that we have been getting a lot of samples in the mail......I spent maybe 45 minutes the other day during Garyn's nap filling out every free offer she has on that site. It has been fun getting them in the mail!

Anyway, no real theme to this post. Just wanted to feel you in on my doings!

For some Garyn updates...........

We have had a much better time at night the last few days. I stopped putting him completely to sleep once we had 3-4 good nights of rest and chanced laying him down partially awake. He did cry and get up out of the bed, but I would put him straight back to bed with little to say. Within no more than an hour, he has been going to sleep after being put back to bed! We have had a couple of times that he has come in around 2 am, but I would put him back in bed. He would cry a little, stomp even, but didn't keep coming to our room. I hope this sticks!

Last Friday was the football Jamboree at Finley Stadium and Garyn, as always, heard music to dance to! FYI there is a part where I thought for sure he was going to fall, just brace yourself......

Sorry it is so long, I didn't realize how much I talked in it either.

Goodbye for now!

Switching Gears....

Summer is pretty much over so now we are switching gears into new routines....


Tyler is back at work, not sure he ever left, but now he must be there all day everyday.


Football season is in full swing. I love the games and Garyn seems to, as well. Every Friday will be spent at football games for awhile. We haven't missed a game yet! After every game, we always go down and see Daddy, that's Garyn's favorite part! Here is a pic of Garyn his first football season. Daddy couldn't wait to get him down on the field.







Here is a video of him dancing last year.....he loves to dance (sorry for the sideways view, note to you moms: you can't flip the image around when you turn your camera to take a video vertically)

Other changes in our routine is that I am working 2 nights in a row, in order to go to the football games. This makes it harder for me in that I don't see Tyler at all from Sunday lunch time until Tuesday after football practice. And I only see Garyn for a couple of hours on Monday before going back to work. I dread working now, but like having 4 full days off in between.

I have to admit, I was craving routine again. I love the summers when Tyler is around more and we get to go on vacations. However, things like cleaning, sticking to the budget, devotion time, and eating at home tend to get pushed aside. I am trying to bring all of those things back in focus now.

Garyn is switching gears, too, as he is forever growing and changing. Sleeping patterns are at the top of the list as of late. We are still having nighttime troubles and now naps are getting shorter and harder. He is talking like crazy; singing a ton; loving puzzles and his trains; and constantly trying to get his way!

I love the fall season because of these changes and because it means Thanksgiving/Christmas is around the corner! YIKES!