Columbus Belmont Park

Last weekend we went to church with Darrin's parents. Their church had services outside at Columbus Belmont park. It was really pretty outside at first and then got a little warm. I really wanted to take some family pictures since we would have people willing to take them. I always hate asking strangers and they never take good pictures anyway. It is near impossible to get a good shot of the three of us.

Darrin's not looking....my eyes are closed....

Darrin looks mad...Miles looks sad...

I'm not looking....Miles is crying...

This is as good as it got...needless to say it won't be on the Christmas card this year....

I love this picture of Darrin....

Miles with Granny & Pa...

Pictures of the two of us are so awkward b/c Darrin is almost a foot & a half taller than me. There's just no way around it.




Fun family day. Gotta love it.

Confession

I have a confession to make. I've been cheating on you all with Facebook. I am so very sorry. My love affair with Facebook started a couple months ago and I have grown quite fond of it. It all started when Miles' teacher sent a note home saying that the daycare posts pictures of the kids on Facebook. Years of holding out vanished at the thought of missing one precious picture of my little boy. At first I felt like I was posting the same stuff on both sites. Now, I'm trying to distinguish between stuff that is relevant for a quick Facebook post verses blog worthy material. Earth shattering....I know.

In all seriousness, it's just so much easier to post on Facebook with a one sentence caption. I will not abandon blogging so please don't give up on me. I've just kind of been taking a break. Darrin is in the middle of his season and we have been so busy. I'm either going to a game or taking care of Miles while Darrin is out of town or has a recruit in town. Busy, busy, busy. Also, now that Miles is all over the place it is a challenge to get good pictures of him. I used to take pictures daily. Now, it's so much work to keep him still....I only get the camera out once a week or so.

In other news, I've been working on organizing a gift wrapping station in my office. Towards the end of my pregnancy, my version of nesting was to hoard gift wrapping supplies. I think it started b/c I received so many gift bags at my baby showers. My friend, Brittanie, had just gotten married. She came up with the idea to trade some wedding bags for baby bags. Great idea, huh? Thus started the notion that I needed to be prepared to wrap any size gift, for any occasion, at all times. I stocked up on gift bags, wrapping paper, boxes, tape, gift tags, ribbon, tissue paper....like I was never leaving the house again.

In fairness to me, I do like to wrap presents. I like to make them as pretty as possible. For me, wrapping the present is as much fun as picking it out. With Christmas approaching, I wanted to set up a place in my office to keep all my stuff. I used stuff I had around the house b/c I didn't want to invest any money in this. If I decide I really like it, I might get all fancy with matching boxes and stuff.

These shelves were already in the office when we moved in. We used to have tons of framed pictures. The brown and red boxes contain bows, gift tags, and random craft supplies. The ribbon is hanging on empty wrapping paper rolls with a string through it. I would like to get something to put the wrapping paper in....something round like an umbrella stand but wider. I have to get something to keep Miles little fingers off of the wrapping paper.

Gift boxes on the left...then wedding bags....then any occasion bags...then baby bags...

There you have it....a glimpse into my mind. Exhausting but very well organized.

New Found Love

Miles has developed a new love for stuffed animals. There are 3 in particular that he loves. Bunny was given to us by one of Darrin's former player's parents when we found out I was pregnant. Teddy was delivered to the hospital when we had Miles, courtesy of the Gunters. Puppy was given to us by my college friend, Susan. His name and birth date are embroidered on his belly. If I was a really good, well organized blogger, I would have pictures of Bunny, Teddy and Puppy. Instead, I only have Puppy.

Miles kissing Puppy...

Looking out the door to the backyard probably wondering when he'll get to go outside again...

Lately we've been amazed at how much Miles actually knows. We often underestimate how much he learns at daycare and picks up from us. I told him to put Puppy in his chair and this is what I got...

At home, Miles is funny and silly all the time. I'm not sure a lot of people get to see this side of him. Luckily for us we enjoy his personality all the time. As you can see, he really loves Puppy.

Happy Fall

I haven't had Miles' picture taken professionally since he was 6 months old. Haven't really been motivated to set the appointment and go through the ordeal of making sure it's a perfect time...he's happy, fed, clean, napped, etc. So, I decided to take some of my own pictures around Martin. I wanted some fallish pics with the pretty leaves. Darrin is off today so we went a few different places and snapped away.

I took over a hundred...here are a few. I wish I knew how to edit photos. I can do a little but not much. I'm going to a photography class in a couple weeks. Maybe I'll learn more. In the meantime, enjoy...

Slight Obsession

Miles has a thing about shoes. Darrin does too. So I don't know if he gets it honest, or if it's b/c I've just always put shoes on him. I never liked socks alone b/c they wouldn't stay on and I wanted his feet to stay warm. When I get him dressed in the morning, even if everything is a challenge, he will calmly give me one foot at a time to put on his socks and shoes.

He also likes to play with his shoes in his room. They are in a basket that he can reach. I frequently find shoes all over his room. Tonight he found some new shoes that he's never worn. They are for winter and still a little big. He brought them to me and wanted me to put them on him. He then proceeded to stomp all over the house in his pjs and shoes. They have a hard rubber sole so they make a lot of noise.


In this pic, he is kicking his feet on the floor making noise...


Poor Miles had a rough day at daycare. His diaper leaked, he fell on the sidewalk and scrapped his nose (4th time), and got bit by a friend. I fed him some comfort food....chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, and a banana, and things were all better.

He caught his second wind after his bath tonight. The boy was wound up. I've never seen him so hyper. He was practically running around the house with his push toys. He got in trouble multiple times for hitting Mack. After sternly telling him no over and over again, I thought I would spat his hand to see if it had any effect. He laughed in my face. Literally. That confirmed my desire to not want to discipline like that. He's fast asleep now. As hard as he played tonight, I feel sure he'll stay that way until morning.

Yes, You Are

Fun Times at the Playground

I have the day off for Columbus Day. Miles and I ran a few errands and then decided to go to the playground. He plays on a playground at school but I've never taken him to one. I thought he was still too young. To my surprise, he loved it!

He climbed up the slide and then slid down by himself. He really liked that. It was nice because the slides had bumps in them and it kept him from going too fast.

I was really surprised how well he climbed on the equipment. Going up and down the stairs was probably his favorite thing to do. It was great practice for him.

He only had one fall which resulted in a coat of mulch!

After the playground, I pushed him in the stroller around the walking trail. It circles a pond. He loved to watch the ducks swimming. Next time we will have to take some bread to feed them. It was cloudy with a breeze, which made it the perfect temperature. What a fun morning.

Here's Your Sign

My mom had a garage sale this weekend. We wanted to make sure no one tried to purchase the cute blonde.

My niece also hooked him up with a sign to help him bargain for his favorite snack....

This was his partner in crime...

Daddy's Caddy

Darrin's birthday was last week. For his birthday, Miles got Daddy some golf balls, and picked up a set of clubs for himself while he was shopping.

Miles loves his new toy. He plays with the clubs and the balls all the time, and he even rolls the bag around.

I can't believe how much coordination he has to hit the ball with the club.


I'm sure he will love to play golf with his Dad some day. BTW, he's not wearing Christmas pajamas even though they look like it from a distance. Just wanted to be sure there was no confusion. They are dogs playing musical instruments if you must know.

He's Definitely Darrin's Son

Miles discovered the TV tonight. At the end of Wheel of Fortune I noticed him pointing and jabbering at the TV. They were showing a bunch of animals. I rewound it to see if he was really interested in the animals or just coincidentally "talking". He was indeed watching the animals.

I searched for a channel with some animals. The Animal Planet had something about pit bulls and prison....no thanks. I ended up on the National Geographic channel. He loved it. He pointed and jabbered more than I've ever heard. It kept his attention for a long time. Darrin is obsessed with nerdy channels like National Geographic and the History Channel. Looks like it's going to be two against one.

Speechless

I just don't have anything important to say these days....but I thought you might enjoy some pictures.






I do have few very random, unrelated thoughts, and since it's 11pm and I'm not tired....I'll share.

1) My mom visited last week and did all my laundry. Amazing feeling to enjoy a weekend and not have to spend it doing load after load after load. Thank you soooooo much mom.

2) Because my mom did my laundry, I watched the Titan's game without interruption (Miles took a 3 hour nap!!) What on earth was the defensive coordinator thinking? Wow.

3) I regret cutting Miles' hair. If the curls will grow back, I'm letting them.

4) My headaches have been slightly better lately.

5) Volleyball season is not going well and that's a bummer.

6) Miles is at an incredibly fun age right now. However, he's not so fun at volleyball games. I'm going to start getting babysitters. Any volunteers?

7) I started a diet 2 weeks ago and have lost some weight. It feels really good. My watch fits for the first time since Miles was born. Yes, my watch. I decided to start my diet one morning while driving to work. My shoes were tight and that was my breaking point.

I'm going to try to go to sleep. Thanks for reading my ramble. Goodnight.