Fall Fun 2012

October is off to a great start. Just two days into the new month we got to do the LEGO monthly mini model build. This month's model was a black cat. We also picked up a few more Halloween themed LEGO and had fun putting them together. I'm amazed at how well he's doing putting LEGO models together by himself. Who knew that a 3 year old could follow instructions like that? Now if I could just get him to follow the picture instructions and put my IKEA furniture together, we'd really be in business! Of course, Mom and Dad really love LEGO too - which is why you see the big LEGO Haunted House. We had as much fun with our new LEGO toy as Isaac did!

We had a great little break from school last week. Isaac and I took advantage of his time off school by finishing the  Halloween decorations around the house, taking a trip to Elgin Christmas Tree Farm for some Fall Fun, and then decorating our pumpkins. We even carved a pumpkin this year - a first for us! 

He loved the Fall Fun outing - and you'll see that's where we took the most photos too. We played with the animals, climbed on hay bales, took a hay ride, and played in the hay maze. Then there were the tractors! He was determined that he was going to get one of them moving because Papa showed him how to drive a tractor. Thankfully we left the tractors and the farm intact as we left. We did finally get around to picking out the perfect pumpkins to take home. He was determined to pull that wagon my himself, but Mom ended up helping a bit because it was really heavy!

He's obsessed with all things Halloween, so we keep making variations of Halloween themed lunch. I forgot to snap a picture of the ghost sandwich, but I'm sure we'll make another before the month is out, so I'll try to remember to grab a pic before he devours it.

Now, we just have a couple more weeks before Halloween is here. Isaac is a little disappointed that I won't let him wear his costume before then. Sometimes he will ask if he can go into my closet and just touch it. One day I even caught him smelling it! It was all I could do not to laugh out loud at that one! So, it might be a long two weeks if he keeps doing that, but maybe I can keep him distracted enough with other activities. 

Enjoy the pics! There will be more to come after Halloween. That is, of course, assuming that after his costume is on, I can get him to be still long enough to actually get a picture of him that's not a complete blur. Keep  your fingers crossed, because I assure you, the odds are NOT in my favor!

P.S. Remember if you're viewing on an Apple device the Flash video slideshow above will not work. Just click on the album title and it will take you to the photo album.

Bluebonnets 2012

It's that time of year again! We spent a little time playing in the bluebonnets this afternoon. It was a very bright day, so he's looking down or squinting a lot. Oh well, sometimes it's just more fun to follow him around and grab the random candid shots while he plays. Enjoy!

Isaac's 3rd Birthday

I'm so far behind on blogging and posting pictures, considering my last post was 6 months ago. Someday I will go back and post all the pictures we've taken since then, but for now I thought I should at least share the pictures from Isaac's birthday.
We were so excited to have Michael's dad and step mom visiting for Isaac's birthday this year. It was so nice to spend some uninterrupted time with them. I hope they enjoyed themselves, because we would love for them to come see us again sometime! Isaac had a great time with his Granddad and Grandma Gail - the best birthday present, really.
To celebrate Isaac's birthday, we decided to have a small Ice Cream themed party at home and allowed Isaac to invite a few friends from school. The party was a great success. I mean, we had ice cream and a million toppings, how could you not have a great time, right? There were also lots of ice cream themed activities, a magnet wall, puzzles, a bean bag toss, ice cream poppers, ice cream tattoos, decorating soda jerk hats, ice cream aprons, and of course the kid size "Ice Cream Parlor" set up in the living room. They had so much fun making ice cream after ice cream and "decorating" with sprinkles, fruit and syrup. After lunch we ate cupcakes in ice cream cones, and had an ice cream bar, which was a big hit with the kids and adults.
Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us, and to those family members who couldn't be here, but called and sent gifts. A few presents arrived later in the week, so Isaac got to open a present almost daily this past week. Sometimes, the packaging was as much fun as the actual presents, as you can see from him jumping on the large packing bubbles in some of the pictures! Isaac enjoyed the party so much that he is still talking about it and singing Happy Birthday to himself! We all had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year!