Fall Family Photos

 

 

 

  

Halloween 2016

We've had a busy fall. And now, the leaves have mostly fallen, Halloween has come and past and here we are in November. How is that possible? It's hard to keep up.

Last weekend, we enjoyed a few Halloween parties with friends, school costume parades, carved our pumpkins and of course, trick or treating around town on Halloween night.

Cece is almost 4. What that really means is that mom is losing her pull when it comes to Halloween costumes. I don't have as much sway as I used to. So, when Cece decided she wanted to be a mermaid for Halloween back in early September, I didn't have much choice except to embrace the idea and find the best mermaid costume I could for her. She loved it, of course.

Sully was a construction guy. It made sense. He loves tools, toolbelts, diggers, trucks. But the selling point for me was the muscle man look and tattooed arm sleeves.

The kids figured out trick or treating pretty quickly. Once Sully realized what everyone was handing out, he just wanted to sit down and eat candy. A few times he also tried to sneak onto one of the many tractor hayrides that lined the street in the neighborhood we went to (the same one I used to trick or treat in when I was a kid!). We went to several houses and then headed home to teach the kids about the art of trading candy.

And now, almost a week later, the house is still full of Halloween candy, the yard is full of fallen leaves to rake, and we are whizzing on toward the birthday and holiday season. Hold on!

A Nod to Fall

Before Christmas comes and 2015 goes, I thought I'd throw together an "all in one" post about our fall. Admittedly, I have not been the best at updating our blog. It's not easy keeping up with kids, a career, a husband and my own needs (mama has NEEDS, y'all!). Life is too busy.

The kiddos are getting big, fast. Sully turned 1 on November 16 and Cece's about to turn 3 on December 19. Some days I think they are growing too fast and I want it all to slow down, other days, well, 18 can't come soon enough (ok, kidding. mostly.). I love them though. Here's Cece after her first official haircut. Girlfriend had a serious mullet working for her so I chopped it off. She still won't let me put it in a ponytail or clip much but at least it looks a bit better.

We had a nice Thanksgiving. The kids had fun at their turkey party at school. On Thanksgiving day my dad and I held on to tradition and ran the Manchester Road Race. I haven't run in over 6 months so it was a little painful but still, a beautiful day and a great reason to get some exercise in before chowing down. We headed to the in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner after. A nice day all around.

James and I managed to get away for a kid-free weekend in Burlington, VT with a few of our closest friends. It was a much needed break and really great to spend time together. Burlington is fantastic, too. I actually returned a few weeks later for a GIS conference. That was a nice break, too.

It's been a fun, but busy season. And of course, fall just rolls right into birthday season and Christmas. It's a roller coaster. All you can do is hold on tight!

Sullivan at 11 Months

Since Sully will be one (!!) in two weeks, I figure I should get these posted. Even though I'm two weeks late, I did take these pictures on his 11 month birthday. So, there's that. Anyway, here's my big, happy boy at 11 months.

At 11 months Sullivan is:

• Pulling up on everything, cruising around the house behind and in his cozy coupe and standing without support for up to a minute. Will be walking very soon!
• Has words. Some are loud and clear (mama, dada, bye) others are loud and not so clear but he is always babbling. 
• Gets VERY excited when he sees someone he recognizes, especially me (kind of always been this way) but now also James (this is new) and also Nana. 
• Eats and eats and eats and eat. He eats a lot. So much. And he also gets very excited when he sees food. 
• Speaking of eating, we can't contain him in his high chair anymore. Cece was never a problem so we took off the awkward harness straps that came with it. Now I know what you need them for. If you turn your back he'll be surfing on his high chair tray before you can blink. 
• He's just as good at climbing ladders too. He can climb to the top of the playhouse by himself and also the attic ladder. He can get in and out of his cozy coupe and on (and drive!) Cece's big Thomas ride on. 
• He LOVES going fast on anything. In the car, in the swing, in the stroller. He is also the first one to go for the matchbox cars, trucks and tractors in the play room. Very strange how attracted he is to those things. Total boy. 
• Recently discovered his "man parts" in the bathtub and is utterly fascinated. Total boy.  

 

• Sullivan loves music. He grunts and dances to it. Cece loves music too so we spend a good amount of time dancing around the house every day. So fun. 
• Sully is getting all four front top teeth right now. Hasn't fussed at all and I didn't even know until I stuck my finger in his mouth. 
• Those teeth have been problematic however when it comes to nursing. We are pretty much down to nursing just 2-3 times a day and as of this week, I'm no longer pumping at work. I plan on nursing him in the morning and before bedtime as long as possible, but he's been biting me (and laughing about it) which is no fun at all, well apparently for him it is. But, ouch! Especially with all those new chompers he has.
• Sullivan loves to play with his big sister and mostly doesn't mind rough play. I often find Cece literally sitting on him and he's just going with it. It won't be long before he is bigger than her though so she better watch out.   

 

• He's been sleeping pretty good lately. We finally moved him to a real crib (poor kid had been sleeping in a pack and play for 10 months) in his own quieter room downstairs. It's helped a lot, although he still typically wakes up once around 2 AM and wants to nurse (for comfort). Then he's up at 6:15 AM every morning. Like clockwork. But he puts himself to sleep each night which makes bedtime a little bit easier on all of us, especially because Cece has become a real problem lately at bedtime (more on that soon).
• Sully is just really fun and pretty much always cheerful and easy going. He has shown though that he can genuinely get MAD when he doesn't get what he wants (usually food, or mom). I wonder how this will present itself as he gets older. He seems like he know what he wants and he is going to let you know he wants it. Not that there is anything wrong with that. He's my kid after all.
• He's a big boy. Haven't weighed him lately but I''m sure he's over 20 pounds and he's wearing mostly 18 month clothes and now, real shoes too! 
• He has one big head of thick, red hair. And, got his first haircut this month (so did Cece!). 
• Sully literally leans in for kisses. It's the best!

Sullivan, you are a bright shining star. Love you, buddy!