Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!! Blake was The Hulk this year. We had a great night of trick-or-treating and to be honest....we are all exhausted! There will be a detailed blog post about that later.... For now we will just stick to the basics. We had a SPOOKTACULAR time!

Loving Leaves

So, our yard doesn't have much grass... been down that road earlier this year. Sigh. Luckily just down our drive there is an awesome open grass lot that is edged with beautiful trees. We normally take Blake there as a quick afternoon spree so that he can run around and get some energy out. The other afternoon when we went there it was covered in leaves! Absolutely beautiful!

Blake just wanted to run, but we also got him to play with the leaves! It was a great sensory learning moment. He crunched them. He threw them in the air. And he rolled in them! Ok, Ryan and I might have done all of it with him too. We love the leaves. :)

Motorcycle Men

I was looking back at our blog and I didn't see any pictures of a certain something that both of my boys LOVE.... the motorcycle!!! How did I miss this post?!!? Maybe I did write it and I just overlooked it. Hmm... either way, I will post it because I just think it's cute!

Ryan loves motorcycles. He has grown up around them and it's his dream to own one. I finally agree with it after we discussed the money. Not how much the bike would cost but how much we would SAVE instead!!! For one week of driving the truck to work, it costs us $80 in gas. Now with the motorcycle it takes $18 in gas! YES!!! Some people save money with coupons...we just drive motorcycles. LOL!

The best part is that Blake loves the motorcycle. He likes to sit on it with Ryan. He thinks he is big stuff. Typical boy. :) It will be plenty of years before he can actually ride, but in the meantime he can enjoy sitting.

Look at my handsome boys...

Painted Pumpkins

We finally finished our pumpkins!! We decided to paint them this year because it was a little more kid friendly. :) Enjoy our little pirate, Frankenstein, and the Harley Pumpkin!!

Pumpkin Patch

I seriously love the Fall!!! Last year Ryan thought I was hilarious when I made our family (with Blake only 9 months at the time) go to the pumpkin patch. Well, this year it was totally age appropriate...for Blake. :)

 

We go to Hillridge Farms, which just happens to be where I went when I was a little girl. Of course, since then they have added many additional kid friendly features. Blake's favorite thing is the train. That was what we did immediately!!! He really isn't into the pony rides or the bouncy places, but maybe next year.

 

 

And we all loved the hayride...pumpkin patch included. Ryan and I think it's hilarious that this property is a huge FARM! They have corn mazes, tractors, hay, etc. but they don't actually grown their own pumpkins!! Instead they ship them in and kind of spread them out in rows. LOL! Either way, we had a blast picking out our pumpkins!! PS- picture taking of Blake was a tad more challenging this year compared to last. The kid won't stay still! Haha.

 

 

 

The fun doesn't stop. Now we get to decorate our pumpkins! I think we are going to try painting them this year! 



PowderPuff Game

This week has been my big SGA week (Student Government Association). It's Homecoming Week and this tonight was the big PowderPuff game. I am a first time SGA advisor, so I was REALLY stressed out about this event. In the past girls have gotten in fights or they have gotten hurt...none of those things I really wanted to deal with. Luckily I didn't have to because the night was perfect. Weather was great... kids were great...and school spirit was alive!

I guess as SGA advisor I should be a neutral fan, but I had to pull for my Juniors...since I teach them all this year. I was also a fan of the PowderPuff Cheerleaders. They were a hoot!!! :) PS- Ryan said he was a PowderPuff Cheerleader for his highschool. Sigh... if only we had video footage of that!

Meet Oliver

 

Meet Oliver!! Ok, let me preface this by saying I NEVER thought I would get a cat. NEVER! But, I guess this just proves the good ole fashion saying, "Never say never"...

 

 

Ryan has been such an amazing husband for going on 3 years. For the past year, specifically, he has moved into my old house, has to deal with my dog, and has settled our family with all of my NC comforts. He has given up on a few of his dreams and his Utah life to make me happy. What a catch, right?!?! The best part is that he doesn't complain about it. Occasionally he will make a comment that references something, but that's it.

 

For a long time, we have had the dog vs cat battle. I come from a dog family. He comes from a cat family. To begin with I said don't even think about getting a cat near me. We have also disagreed a few times about my dog and how she is spoiled. The animal thing has somewhat been a hot topic for us. Doesn't that seem so trivial?!

 

Finally after seeing all that Ryan has given up and put up with...I decided I would surprise him. I had to go pick Taylor up from Chapel Hill and I literally (and randomly) decided to get a cat for Ryan! Something to call his own and something that he has wanted for a long time. I don't ever buy from a breeder. I always adopt! Such a great cause. Today I went to the SPCA of Wake County. They are such a great establishment!! I passed the interview and I went kitty shopping! :) Oliver won me over by his beautiful markings! There were actually two cats with that marking. I went ahead and did the application process - still not knowing which one I wanted. The lady started telling me about each of the cats. The one other cat was a perfectly normal 3 month old. Oliver on the other hand had a very difficult start to life. He started off at the Animal Shelter and got really sick. They were going to put him down but the SPCA came and rescued him. They gave him the care that he needed. He was on fluids and medication for about a month. They also mentioned he was missing a tooth.  He passed all of his health checks and was put up for adoption again. The lady asked me if I was still interested in him knowing his history. Are you kidding me?!?! How can I say no to that story?! This cat is only 4 months old and has been through all of that?!!? SOLD!

 

Oliver quickly was put in the car with me. Don't forget...this was a surprise for Ryan and Blake. Taylor held the box as we drove back to the house. Sadly (and actually in a hilarious way) the cat got car sick. Poor thing! The funny part was that it smelled really badly. Taylor had to roll the window down and even then she was gagging. I think the only thing saving me was the fact that I was laughing so hard. Oh geez. Then just to make matters worse, the cat pooped too!! Repeat gag cycle again!!! LOL! I have to say that it was pretty embarrassing to walk in the door and say, "Surprise!!! I got you a cat that just happens to be covered in throw up and poop!" Ughhh...

 

You could tell Ryan was honestly very excited about the cat. He calmly took the cat from the box and took it to the bathroom and gave it a bath. The cat was perfect for him! Instant bond right there. From that point on we got Oliver his little room ready in our guest room and he immediately got started relaxing. Blake pointed at him and yelled "CAT!" Good word! :) The introduction with Roxie even went better than expected. Roxie was more nervous than anything. As of now they are both relaxed in the living room as Ryan and I watch TV.