halloween treat

for years (ok, just a couple of years), i've been itching to be able to create the "special treat" for one of cayden's class parties. there was one year where we made sandwiches for fourth of july. we made the most of it. and then there was another time where we got to take, um, sandwiches again. so. boring.

but this halloween? the hubby was able to sign us up for special treat. (yay!) i couldn't decide if i wanted to make mummy oreos or frankenstein mallows. in the end, this cutie won out. and i think they turned out fabulously. idea first seen on pinterest (where else?) and adapted for a peanut-free classroom. (eyes and nose are skittles. i saw on friday that plain m&m's can actually have a trace of peanuts in the shell. crazy, right?) hope those kiddos are enjoying them. and i bet the teachers are loving all the sugar in them. ha. (sorry teachers!)

four months old

little dude, today you turned four months old. and you're totally rocking at this life thing. your personality is really starting to shine and you constantly make all of us smile – your brother included! this month we had to visit the pediatrician for your first sick visit. somehow you managed to get a viral rash. and of course, two days after we took you, it cleared up completely.

you want to sit up so badly but have no control whatsoever. it's still fun to watch you try. you love looking at the world around you. your laugh is most definitely contagious. and when you see me or daddy, your entire body recognizes us – from the huge smile to the kicks to the almost jumping, you let us know that you're happy to see us. speaking of jumping, you tried your jumper this month. you don't jump in it yet, but you still dig it.

we have your fourth month well check-up on monday. we can't wait to see how much you've grown since we last went. and we're sorry in advance for the shots the nurse is going to give you. we love you so very much, sweet boy.

then & now: boo jammies

these jammies were given to cayden by his granna... and while they might be a touch too big on sawyer still, we couldn't resist snapping some photos of him in it to compare them to cayden's photos. to me, i think they're looking less like each other every day. but then others say that sawyer looks just like cayden. i dunno. i can't figure it out.

while we were shooting some photos of sawyer, cayden took a little interest in the camera. that pretty much never happens anymore. i asked if he'd like to sit next to his brother and take a picture and he actually said, "yeah!" so, yay!

then cayden asked to hold sawyer. i'm not entirely sure he understands what that means really. we got sawyer settled in between cayden's lap and then cayden would just go limp, causing sawyer to go this way and that. it's actually a comical little series. yes, that's spit-up in sawyer's mouth in the second photo. and yes, it's being wiped away in the third. these boys. they crack me up.

a celebration of fall

there's something exciting about the weather turning cooler and going to get pumpkins. while the weather didn't necessarily want to cooperate with us, we pretended it was fall-like and visited a new pumpkin patch this year.

it was a really great place with tons of fun things for the kiddos to do. we went with my family to celebrate my nephew's sixth (6!) birthday. there was a great bouncy area that was awesome to let the littles just run around. two big slides, two bounce houses and an obstacle course. the bouncy house that cayden jumped in was a horse on his back. um, it was strange. but cayden jumped and jumped. until he decided he was done. then he slid on outta that horse's belly.

the hayride to the patch was pretty awesome. the best part? it was pulled by a tractor. cayden stared and stared at that tractor with his mouth wide open. oh, and he tried eating hay. that didn't last long, but hey (hay?), you gotta try it at least once, right?

speaking of hay, over at the patch, there were quite a few hay bales for jumping. and you know, as much as i was afraid the hay would make our little guy itchy, we just embraced it and let him be a boy. (side note: when i took his pull-up off later, he had hay all up in his business. but no itchies. so we'll call it a win.)

and because big brother is totally hogging most of the photos opps in this post, here's one of sawyer. waiting on some cake. (just kidding! we didn't feed sawyer any cake. but we definitely fed our faces some cake. thank you publix for making some good stuff.) and for funsies, here's a look back at pumpkin patch fun last year and then in 2009.

our little guy

he ::thinks:: he's big enough to sit up or something. totally assisted, of course. laying back and relaxing is totally for the weak. sigh. four months old this saturday, and already searching for his independence.

(please forgive the iphone photos. i apparently really need to upgrade seeing as how the 4s is supposed to have a kick-ass camera on it. or, you know, maybe i could just use a real camera...)

[wordless wednesday] a few things i've worked on recently

the ruffled burp cloths? i'm in love with. expect to see those in the shop sometime soon!

some sawyer time

while changing sawyer's diaper yesterday, i realized how amazing the lighting in his room is during the middle part of the day. the sunlight was catching in his eyes just right and i KNEW i had to capture the moment. sawyer was such a good sport too. and in the midst of everything, he decided that he'd roll over for us. quick cheers were given, and then right back to taking more photos.

it's bizarre because while i know i snap tons of photos of this little guy, we've rarely brought out the "good" camera to capture his sweet little life. looking back at our photos of cayden when he was this age made me realize how many things we weren't photographing of our new itty bitty. this? is being remedied starting yesterday.

a little family time

we took to nature this past weekend to get a little family time in. it's always nice to be able to just get away for a few hours and reconnect with each other and with the world around you.

at our local state park, they have a pretty cool petting farm. having the animals walk right up to you is pretty fascinating.

cayden might have to disagree; he seemed to have a small fear of the goats. they really liked him though. i think it's because they were the same height.

we were able to take a small hike. there's a really cool trail that includes some caged birds that are being rehabilitated (owls and vultures and whatnot). while hiking, sticks became snakes! and acorns were a brand new discovery. being able to see all these things through the eyes of our two year old was a wonder in itself.

at the end of our exploration, we spread out the quilt my grandmother made for me and relaxed for a few minutes. while cayden and jeremy played soccer, sawyer and i sat and watched. it's in those little moments that i stop and really reflect on what my life has become. i have a beautiful family. and as stressful as the world can be, we are so very blessed with what we have.

shop update

i've been working on a new diaper clutch design and i'm over the moon about how it's turned out. i've been using one of the new styles around town for the last few weeks just to make sure it's everything that i wanted:

• pocket for wipes? check!
• room for four diapers (two for cayden & two for sawyer)? check!
• extra room to hold other essentials? check!
• and a strap to make carrying easier? check!

it's been perfect for dropping the kids off in the nursery at church. and great for quick trips around town too! when we haven't needed a diaper for cayden, this clutch will hold three diapers for sawyer, one (or two) burp cloths and then there's still room to throw an extra onesie in there for those "just in case" moments.

and if you're not a mom, these do make great shower gifts. or you know, they'd also make a cute wristlet to carry around town to hold all your essentials!

tgif

i can't even being to describe how happy i am about today being friday. (sawyer's really happy about it too!) i'm looking forward to a weekend with my little family and taking time to reconnect with each other. it'll be nice to sleep in (haha, yeah right!) and relax. i'm thinking a trip to our local state park tomorrow might be just the thing we need. (a petting zoo, hiking trails, picnic tables, etc.!)

our boys

remember how i said that cayden was a little wild this past weekend? yeah, it's stuck around for a bit. and all of this happened BEFORE 7 a.m. this kiddo is go go go. but i honestly wouldn't have it any other way. his energy keeps us moving. and it really keeps us on the edge of our seat. i'm sure we're about to enter into a whole new world of booboos soon. yikes.


as for the little guy, sawyer most definitely has found his voice. last night he wouldn't stop cooing, and this morning it continued on. in the background you'll hear our usual morning routines. talks about what kind of shoes cayden's wearing. and how he got some random owie that he can't tell where it is. you know, the norm. but try to focus on the cute babe making his cute sounds. (it takes a few second to get to the sounds, so just be patient.)

[wordless wednesday] one dollar fun

p.s. these lasted that one afternoon. that night? they were in itty bitty pieces. but hey, for $1 i can't really complain. & they entertained him for probably an hour. not too bad.

we stepped out.

... to a wedding, that is! on saturday evening, my second cousin (i think that's right?) was married to a lovely lady. it was neat because it was a second wedding for both of them and very fun to see all their kids involved. we were encouraged to bring our little ones. there were a few moments of tenseness (just for me) while the boys weren't perfect wedding guests. (cue cayden burping out loud. cue sawyer almost crying during vows. cue cayden finding crawling UNDER the pews very exciting. etc.)

but the reception was grand. both boys could be loud. and while sawyer chose to sleep in my arms for most of the time, cayden was a wild man. wild. like we couldn't control him. and that was BEFORE he had a cupcake. looking back, we're pretty sure he was delirious. he'd only had a short nap earlier in the day...

... or maybe it's just because he's two. who knows?

anyway, we got to hang out with family and friends that we don't see very often. and sawyer and cayden both got to meet cousins they'd never met before. and the four of us? we got ourselves another family photo. fun, huh?

[on jeremy] hat, shirt & pants: target; shoes: natha studio (DSW); glasses: runway couture (pelham eye care)
[on cayden] shirt & pants: target; sneakers: consignment find (brand new NB for $6!)
[on becca] shirt & boots: target; skirt: handmade (using this tutorial)
[on sawyer] shirt & pants: baby gap (cayden hand-me-downs)