Perplexing pumpkin patch*picture heavy*

This past weekend we ventured out to the pumpkin patch. Lets just say, this year was kinda silly. Dylan couldn't have cared less about the pumpkins, he was concerned with the Hay, the other mom's with cameras, the dead stems of the pumpkins, and well, his new girlfriend.

Me being the smart one I am, tried to make it out to the patch before his nap. See, he's only been taking one nap a day, around 12, lasting until about 3, so I knew I wanted to go before. But of course, they don't open until 10! Anyway, he fell asleep in the car on the way there, so Adam and I decided to get some food. That nap lasted about 3 minuets, and when he heard the drive thru guy, his eye's popped open.

Once at the patch, the photo frenzy begins. I do believe this is the FIRST photo shoot in his entire life ( since he can smile of course) that I haven't gotten ONE smile out of him. Dylan, you see is an observer. Anything new, he inspects fully, then decides if he wants it or not. So we let him play with the pumpkins for a minuet before trying to sit him next to them to snap some cute pictures. He wasn't having any of it. He was looking at the other mom's trying to get their kids to look at them. Now thinking about it, we should have just switched cameras. Their kids looking at me, my kid looking at them. Would have been genius! So after a few failed attempts, probably 100 pictures, we moved over to the row of pumpkins you could take home.

This is where Dylan found what he wanted. Dead pumpkin stems. The kid loved them. He crawled around and collected them. Putting one in his mouth while having two in his hands. I'm serious, WHEN do they stop putting everything in their mouth? So that photo opt was a bust too. Maybe the hay stacks?

Oh no, Dylan wanted to look like a farmer. In the mouth went the hay. But hey, pun intended, we now know he isn't allergic to hay. he was crawling around in it, eating it, rubbing it all over himself! So one last chance for a good photo, the place they had set up with scarecrows and hay. Dylan fell in love. So of course, no good photo's with smiles looking at the camera. I was just there to catch he and his girlfriend in action.

Oh well, maybe next year.

An uphill battle

I think everyone has something that they consider an uphill battle. For me, it's my house. No matter how much I clean, my house is never clean! I could vacuum 3 times a day, and there would still be dog hair all over the place. Yes, yes, I know, I have three dogs, I should expect it. But it's ridiculous. No matter how many times I run the dish washer, there are still dirty dishes on the counter, because well, I HATE to unload the dishwasher. There are always dirty clothes, sheets, dishes, dogs, you name it, we've got it, it's always something.

Adam and I are not dirty people, I would say we are messy. Our home is not unsanitary, just there is crap everywhere. Having a baby does not help either. I can get the living room looking clean and tidy while he is taking a nap. He wakes up and destroys it. Toys( dog and Dylan) everywhere!

So I'm coming to you, how do you keep your house clean? I feel like I clean ALL. THE. TIME. I don't want to clean all the time. I like to take naps, and since my lovely son has decided one a day is plenty for him, it kinda limits my nap times!:) Do you have a weekly schedule? Daily?

Whatever day Menu

Well this week, I don't really have a menu. I desperately need to get to the store, but seeing as 3 days out of this week, we already have dinner plans, it really doesn't motivate me to get there.

Last night, Dylan and I joined Daddy at his soccer game, as well and grandma and grandpa and aunt Laura. It was an early game, 5:30, so we went out to eat at the Main Street Bistro afterward.

Tonight, we have a wine and chocolate cake tasting charity event. Just so that we won't eat cake before hand, we are going to Supper Salads for something quick and light before hand.

Tomorrow night, we are going to the Capitol Grill for a 6 course tasting dinner, which will be accompanied by 6 different glasses of wine as well.

So of course anything that I make for dinner this week is going to pale in comparison. But this weekend I think I'm going to make some meals to freeze. Truth is, I'm lazy. I prefer to take a nap while Dylan is napping, not make dinner. So, I figure while Adam is around I can stock up.

So, I'm going to make...

Meatballs, lots of meat balls, so that I can make many things with them.

Smothered Pork chops. I've made these before, just not frozen them

Mac and Cheese

Enchiladas

For snacks, I'm thinking of making...

Chicken fingers

Pizza Pretzels

Southwest egg rolls

And for some breakfasts:

Pancakes, little ones, Dylan sized ones.

Breakfast burritos- A staple in our house. I try to make them often, they are just easy and filling!

That is what is on the agenda for this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes!

Crib Saver

One of the many things that I love about Dylan's crib is that it can be 3 different beds. Most cribs these days can, once he needs a big boy boy, we will turn his crib into a toddler bed, then when he is a REALLY big boy, it will be his full sized bed. Lucky kid, I didn't get a full sized bed until I was 16! Anyway, so we( I ) chose a nice masculine one, that I thought he would like for many years to come. A lot of people I read about, give the crib to baby number two, then buy #1, a new toddler bed. Nope, Baby #2, will be getting his own set of furniture. I picked this one out for Dylan. Anyway, since this bed will be around for a while, I thought that it should look as nice as possible.

Enter in Dylan's new trick. STANDING up in his crib. Do you know what standing up equals to him? EATING his bed. The very first night he learned he could stand up, he just stood there and screamed. I knew he could sit down, so we let him cry for a little while. After what seemed like forever passed, he was still crying so I went up there. He was gnawing on his bed. His tiny little teeth had begun to scratch the rail. I wasn't very happy.

The next day, we made a trip to Buy Buy Baby to buy a protector. Now, they have those gummy ones that stick on, but they didn't have very good reviews, and honestly, I didn't want to stick something on there, that might, when i pulled it off pull off wood or something. So I went for the ugly option. But hey, they have tabs to hold toys!

But you know what? It has been a crib saver. It might not look very pretty, but I can assure you, Dylan's bed will only have a few little teeth marks on it. I highly recommend anyone, who has a baby, to invest in these, or put them on your registry. They make them for the side rails and the back rail, but he is too short to reach the back rail, and well, the side rails will be gone when it goes to a full sized bed, so I don't care about those!

The Adventures of Babysitting- The Finale

So this is the conclusion of our babysitting disaster. Not sure what I'm talking about? Check it out here, and then this one.

We left off with Louie being trapped in our hallway, that we don't have.

So once we get done with the Rangers game, of course they went to extra innings, Adam and I both RACED home to save this poor girl from our house. We get inside, and see that this man had really trapped Louie. He had pushed a couch against the opening, put our unused baby gate up, then topped it with the cushions from the couch. Louie wasn't going anywhere.

I took Sue home, all the while apologizing profusely. She pointed out which house mystery man lived in. Which was a relief, because she actually went to school with their daughter, so she did NOT in fact wonder to a bunch of other doors, which made me 100% happier. On the way home, she told me about it all.

Me: " I'm really sorry about all of this, I had no idea you were afraid of animals."

Sue: " I was doing fine, until the cat JUMPED out at me. Luckily, my sister friend was out in the street playing, so I asked her if she could come put the cat in the office. But you know, that cat is SMART. She got out. She put her hand under the door, and pulled the door open."

Me: "Oh no, I'm sorry."

Sue: "Its Ok, my sister's friend just put her back."

Me: Oh well great, again sooo sorry for all of this. Goodnight."

Needless to say, she received double her babysitting fee, and we learned a very valuable lesson. SCREEN babysitters ,not for Dylan, but for our poor dogs!!

The Adventures of Babysitting- Part 2

So the story continues. If you don't know what story I'm talking about, check it out here. Just a little warning too. This part could get long. There was a lot of dialog that went on.

So we left off with Sue calling us about the cat. Adam hangs up the phone, and we continue trying to find a parking spot. While, I admit it, kinda giggling about the phone call. We get to the game, are enjoying it, and Adam's phone rings again.

Sue- "Hi Adam, sorry to bother you again, but the DOG GOT OUT."

Adam- "The dog got out?"

Me- "Louie got out?" I think at this point we had all established that Louie had in fact gotten out of our bedroom, and terrified the poor baby sitter.

Sue: "What should I do?"

Adam: "Well, if you can try to get him to go outside in the backyard that would be good.I PROMISE you he won't hurt you."

Sue: "I'm outside right now. Do you mind if I ask someone to come over and put in outside."

Adam: "Nope not at all. Let us know how it goes."

Sue: "ok bye"

( All of this said while we were in the Ballpark at the Ranger's game. So Adam couldn't really hear all that well.)

Some time passes and Suzan ( Adam's mom) asks us if we have heard back from her or anything. She thought that we needed to call and check on her. So Adam calls her back and lets Suzan talk to her, since really she is the one who knows her. Suzan comes and gets Adam and they are gone for probably another 5 or ten minuets.

Adam comes back, and tells me this. "Apparently she didn't know anyone in the area, so she goes and starts knocking on doors." It's 10:30 people. We know a few of our neighbors, but not well enough that we would bother them with putting our dog outside! So right then, I was a little concerned. But anyway, Adam told me she found some guy ( we didn't know what house he was from, but he was someone we didn't know) and he talked to him about Louie's temperament and told him what to do. So the guy was in our house, trying to wrangle our dog outside.

Some time pasted and we didn't hear anything, finally the guy called and told us he couldn't get Louie outside, or back in the bedroom, so he closed him in the hallway. That's all fine and good, but WE DON'T HAVE A HALLWAY THAT CAN BE CLOSED!

Stay tuned for the finale!

The Adventures in Babysitting- Part One

It has been brought to my attention that I have left you guys hanging, with the suspense as to why the babysitting experience was a disaster. So here it is. The names will be changed, other than Adam's of course, so really, just the babysitters name. She will be known as, Sue.

So, it starts out with us needing to find a babysitter for our little man, because his aunt, um... BAILED on us, just kidding Erin. Kinda:) Anyway, Suzan suggests this girl, Sue that goes to their church. She is the oldest of 6, or possibly more kiddo's so she has had LOTS of experience with babies. I knew we just needed someone who would play with him for an hour then put him to bed, and not mind the constant screaming that was going to occur. Damn separation anxiety. So, when I got the OK that she was available we were set.

I have already locked up Bailey and Gator in their "houses" because, they are a little hyper and rambunctious so I thought that it would be easier to just get them out of the way. So, she gets to the house, rings the door bell, and before I can open the door, she very nervously asks me if I can put Louie up.Our sweet fat little Louie. Well Louie doesn't have a crate, so I put in him our bedroom. He was none to happy about that either.

I proceed to give her a quick rundown of what to do, as I was running late, so I said by and took off. It wasn't but maybe an hour later that Adam's phone rings. The conversation goes a little something like this.

Sue: "Hi, Adam sorry to bother you, but I didn't know you had a cat, and I'm wondering what I should do with it, because, well... I'm afraid of animals." In a very nervous voice again.

Adam: " Well, you can put her in the bedroom"

Me: " NOO Louie is in there"

Adam: " Oh well you can put her in the office and close the doors."

Sue: " Where did the cat come from?"

Adam: " I don't know, she was probably just wondering around the house"

Sue: "Oh, ok, well I'll put her in the office. Are you sure the dog isn't going to get out of the bedroom?"

Adam: " As long as you don't open the door, no he shouldn't be able to get out. "

After this conversation, I'll admit, I was a little amused that someone could be so terrified of cats. Especially our cat, who probably had nothing to do with her. I'll conclude this segment of "Adventures in Babysitting" at that. Stay tuned for what happens next. TRUST me, you won't be disappointed!

T-Minus two months

Can you believe it? I can't. My baby boy is ten whole months old. Two months away from being a year old. Oh man, oh man. This month has gone by so fast, as I say with every month I suppose. Time never slows down. Dylan has done so many new things this month. It's amazing to look back just four weeks to see how far he has developed. The month started with our pediatrician telling us he was developmentally delayed because he didn't do things like stand next to furniture, or bend over. Well, that day I was determined to prove our Dr. wrong. We practiced standing, and well to my amazement, he COULD stand. We never stood him in his crib. That wasn't something I wanted to teach him. If he wanted to stand up in there, he would have to learn to himself ( which he did, today as a mater of fact). But our boy is growing up every day, and every day is a new adventure.

He can now pull up, he pulls up on everything. He LOVES to climb. I see lots of stitches and casts in our future. He is a boys boy. Wants to climb on the couch, on the "blueberry", which is a giant bean bag in his play room, the dishwasher door, our legs. If he is on the couch, he wants off. Sadly he doesn't know that he needs to go feet first though. No, he hasn't fallen yet.

This month we also tried finger foods. He loves him some puffs and yogurt melts. At the beginning of the month, he was great with feeding himself bites of food we were having. Then he started protesting, so we went back to purees, I think he is slowly but surely liking to feed himself again. I also learned, he loves mashed potato's and chocolate shakes. I guess he is my kid after all!

One of the negatives of our little fella this month is the dreaded separation anxiety. He loves his Momma and Daddy. If we are not in his sight. He cries. Which makes it very difficult for anyone but us to hold him, baby sit him, entertain him. I hope that this is a stage he will grow out of soon.

Speaking of babysitters, we had our very first non family babysitter on Friday night. It was a DISASTER. It was such a disaster, I think it will need its own post. But lets just say, a babysitter who is terrified of animals, isn't a good one for the house with 2 large dogs, 1 crazy dog, and a cat!:)

So Dylan's stats this month are as follows:

16.5 lbs

He is long enough now for his feet to rest on the footrest on his high chair. *tear*

Wearing 6 month clothes. Though we did upgrade him to 9 month sleepers because his feet were bursting out of the others!:)

He can pull to standing on anything.

Still doesn't babble a whole lot. Though he CAN say mama, dada, nana. It's just a very rare occasion for him to talk.

He is eating 3, 8 oz bottles a day. Sometimes that's a struggle. There are so many other important things to do.

He has 5 teeth. finally he will stop looking like a little vampire baby. Though I'm kind of grown to love those little fangs.

He also will give High Fives, but won't wave or clap. He has priorities, and being cool is one of them I suppose.

Lastly, with only two months to go, Mommy has started planning a birthday bash. I have already placed my order for a custom made celebration day t-shirt. Daddy has roughly designed invitations. We have picked out gifts. We are getting there. Mark your calendars. December 4th with be the day. I can't wait. Not only is this party for him, but also for Adam and I. Hey, we SURVIVED being parents for one whole year. I think that's something to celebrate. And no, I'm not the crazy birthday party lady that will be spending $2,000 on a party and inviting 50 people. We just want it to be our friends and family. It should be a good time. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure you'll be hearing more over the next couple of months.

Not to many extra pictures this month.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

An old wives tale that I learned of when in Philly was the Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit. Apparently, if you say that on the first day of the month, before you get out of bed, you'll have a lucky month. I don't do it, but apparently I was the only one who hadn't heard of it. Nordstroms even carries a brand under that name!

Seriously though, how is it already October? I'm pretty sure that I will be saying that with November too, because I have so many things on my calendar for this month, it's ridiculous and I know it's going to fly by.

We have got a garage sale this weekend, as well as a Ranger's game tonight. Next week, I'm going to a card making class with Adam's mom and sister. We've got Shrek the Musical. A chocolate cake and wine charity event, a dinner with wine pairing that Adam's mom bought at an auction. Our family photo shoot, and a Halloween party to round out the month. Seriously y'all, that's the most I'll do in a long time! On top of that, I've started working on Dylan's birthday bash. How is it possible it's only 2 months away? I'm also thinking of doing a holiday cookie exchange party, sound fun? So I'll have to do some research on that!

I'll try to keep up with the blog, but as you can see, I'm lacking in stuff to write about. Other than Dylan that is.