Trick-or-Treat

We had a great time this afternoon in the park and after some down time when we came home, before we knew it, it was time to get ready for trick-or-treat!

Isaac wore his festive Halloween pajama's all day and they were great to layer under his Elmo costume since we knew the temperature would be a bit chilly this evening.  We kicked off the evening by joining the neighborhood pizza party at the club house.

Isaac loaded up on pizza and enjoyed a cupcake all while running around with all the other kids.  There was another little boy Isaac's age dressed up as an adorable spider.  This little boy, however, was mesmerized with Isaac.  He really thought Isaac was Elmo.  This little boy kept coming over to Isaac, eyes wide open almost in a state of disbelief while touching Isaac's feet and feeling his fur.  It was super cute to watch.

Isaac had a great time running around, going inside the clubhouse, and then back outside.  Watching him run back and forth, in and out was almost dizzying.  Once we were home he helped get the candy ready.

Isaac inspected the candy baskets, perhaps looking for items of interest. He picked up a piece of candy, looked at it carefully then tossed it.  He repeated this process until candy started pilling up on the front porch.

Once we started seeing the kids in the neighborhood on the prowl it was time to take Isaac out for his first trick-or-treat night!  Our first stop was our neighbor across the street then we walked to the end of the street.  By the second house he was dwindling but we managed to walk the culd-e-sac and go to one more house before heading home.  Then, since Frazer had never been trick-or-treating either he took Isaac to our next door neighbors.  That way we each got to take Isaac trick-or-treating and pass out candy. :)

By the end of the forth house when the boys arrived home Isaac was worn out.  I know he had a great day full of excitement, lots of playing and a tremendous amount of giggles.

Happy Halloween!

Our Little Monster

It's Halloween!  I've been really excited for Halloween this year since it would be Isaac's first time going trick-or-treating.  Before the festivities begin this evening we had a chance to go to the park with the mom's group for some afternoon fun.

It was a beautiful afternoon and a great opportunity for the kiddos to get some extra playtime in their costumes!  It was so cute seeing all of the little characters running around on the playground.

Isaac (aka: Elmo) had a great time running around and playing with his friends.

While Elmo was playing he got a big surprise when he saw papa! Papa came home early from work to get ready for our first trick-or-treat event and since traffic can get crazy in Atlanta on a good day it was a good thing he left a bit early since all parents would be racing home for halloween to get their kiddos ready.  

I loved that Frazer was able to meet us and surprise Isaac.  Family time on the playground is always fun and Isaac got to show papa how he can go down the big boy slide on mama's lap!

Is Papa Home Yet?

Isaac seems to know when its time for papa to get home from work.  This afternoon he was anxiously awaiting papa's return.  When he would hear a car passing by the house he would point to the door and say Pa! Pa!  I would reassure him that papa was on his way home and would be here soon.

Isaac dismissed my reassurance and he didn't want to miss out on being the first to greet papa as soon as he arrived.   He didn't leave the kitchen and remained a few feet from the door.  While he was waiting he played with "his" screwdriver pretending to fix the doorknob and hinges while he waited.  He's had a bit of an abnormal obsession with this screwdriver lately.  The first thing in the morning when we come downstairs for breakfast he runs straight to the kitchen drawer, pointing, and says Da! Da!(translation: I want that).   When we need to go upstairs for a diaper change he fusses when I make him leave it downstairs and as soon as we return its the first thing he picks up.   I think he would sleep with it if I'd let him.

Needless to say he was one happy boy when he heard the garage door open.  I picked him up and opened the door so he could so he could see papa pulling in.  Sometimes it's a struggle for Isaac to remain patient long enough for papa to empty his hands and give the little guy a hug.  Who can blame him for being so excited to see his papa!

We Have A Climber!

The stairs have been a point of fascination for Isaac for awhile now.  Since the railing is only on one side of the steps at the bottom we haven't been able to attach a gate and instead used a play yard to create a barrier.  Isaac has been investigating the gate for some time as he's thrown items on the steps and attempted to stand on the gate to retrieve his tossed item with no success.

After further pondering I can only surmise that he tested the limits further and discovered a process that worked for him.  I was in the kitchen and heard some unusual activity.  When I turned the corner Isaac had the gate pulled back and he was off.

Isaac didn't climb to far...at first.  Apparently he really wanted to investigate the spindles and after testing each one from the bottom he settled on the one at the top.  All of the others apparently passed his  inspection and he dutifully pointed out a lose spindle that needs repair.

Once he was satisfied with his inspection he continued his journey up the stairs.

Of course, I was only a few steps behind to make sure he was safe and he stopped every few steps to make sure I was close behind too.  I love watching him investigate his surroundings with such determination.  

Why I Should Listen to my Intuition....

The nightly ritual had begun to prepare Isaac's bath and start the wind down process for bedtime.  Frazer had just taken Isaac's diaper off and went to start his bath while I picked Isaac up from the changing table and helped him to the floor.  We had a naked baby on the loose and without thinking the words uttered from my mouth....you can run around naked for a couple of minutes just don't pee on anything.....

I turned around to mess with the changing table for something and Isaac was pushing buttons on the humidifier in his room.  Then.....I heard the sounds of liquid hitting the carpet!

Immediately I spun around to find a tiny golden puddle on the floor and my vocal cords squealed out a cautious Ahhhhh!  Then I yelled for Frazer since he was still filling up the bathtub.  Yes, our son had just christened the carpet with a golden shower.  I knelt down and hugged Isaac and led him to his bath so I could clean the carpet.

I'm sure this is a parenting milestone we've achieved of some sort. I know we are not the first parents to have a child pee on the carpet and I know this will not be the last time either.  On one level I'm laughing and smacking myself on another for literally saying out loud to not pee on the carpet.  I know better.  When I utter words completely free from thought, they're messages from myself to listen!  My intuition was telling me to take the child to the bathtub because he's going to pee on the carpet.

Thank you universe, you have my attention.  I'm now fully aware, engaged and listening......while cleaning pee from the carpet.  :)

Pumpkin Carving with Isaac

Last year we didn't participate in too many fall festivals or traditions.  Isaac was only 4 months old and since we lived in an apartment at the time we didn't even bother with trick-or treat.  The extent of our celebration last year was a My First Halloween bib and I painted a couple of pumpkins.

This year is an entirely different situation.  Yesterday we picked out two big pumpkins to carve.  We have spider webs strewn through all of the shrubs in the front yard and our you've been ghosted ghost from the neighborhood on the front door.  We've already been warned by the neighbors that trick-or-treat is a big deal so I've been stocking up on candy for the past few weeks.  Several of our neighbors have orange lights and inflatable pumpkins outside.

With halloween quickly approaching next week it was time to start carving our pumpkins!  This year I had a helper too.....kinda of.....

He was very curious to see what mama was doing but he wasn't that interested in helping me clean out the pumpkins.....

When he was no longer interested he played on the deck and papa captured some great photos of our growing little man.

I cleaned the inside of the pumpkin placing the discarded contents onto a trash bag in attempt to simplify the cleanup process.  Let's just say it was a great intention....Isaac had other plans....

He picked up the pumpkin bits and squeezed the slimy stringy bits and tossed them all over the place while giggling.

He was covered in pumpkin seeds.....

He managed to slip a couple of times in the pumpkin too which meant he was covered in pumpkin slime! Once the pumpkin was all finished it was time to head in for dinner.

This boy loves corn on the cob and tonight was the first time he wanted to hold the cob himself.  He's simply growing up too fast...

I only managed to get one of the pumpkin's carved even though both are cleaned out.  I'll have to finish the other one this week and get pictures before they start to wither.

Papa's New Egg

Long before we moved into our new home we've had lengthy discussions on what type of new grill we wanted.  All spring and summer we looked every time we were out.  We talked about gas grills, charcoal grills, gas starters for charcoal grills, weber grills...... and the list continued.

We also talked about eggs.  Then we both researched eggs.... but we still couldn't make a decision.

Today, Frazer made a decision and went to buy a new grill.

Isaac was in heaven helping papa put the grill together.  He was the happiest little boy holding onto papa's tools.  Papa was most happy to have a new manly grill.  I think we're both really going to enjoy the new Egg.

Alpharetta Fall Fest

This weekend was the Alpharetta Fall Fest at a nearby church.  There was a craft fair, local vendors selling jewelry, live music, lots of inflatables for the kids, a fire truck for kids to explore and the best part was the train!

We walked around a bit to scope everything out and decided on a train ride.  Isaac hung out with papa while waiting in line and they shared a snack.

Then it was our turn! Isaac rode with papa for the short train ride from one side of the church to the other.

At this point he was either really tired or snuggled up really close to papa while taking in the sights during the ride.

He's such a cutie!  It was great to get out and have something fun to do!

Craft Time & Park Play

This morning "we" made trick-or-treat bags with the mom's group.  I say "we" since I did most of the work and Isaac held the marker.  The bags were pre-made and we got to make a pumpkin face and glue the pumpkin onto the bag.  Little wiggle eyes had to be glued onto the ghosts and then attached to the bag as well.

Some of the bigger kids were better and helping out and doing a lot of the work for the craft project.  As the projects were being completed more and more kids were down running a round and Isaac had fun running around the room and perusing all the diaper bags for various goodies.  All moms need to be on notice when Isaac's around to make sure all keys and iphones are out of sight.

After the craft event a bunch of moms went the a local park, Wills Park.  We'll definitely have to go back.  There is one whole section for kids with fantastic wooden structures to run through and climb on.

He got to bang and hit the metal objects to make fun noises with the xylophone type thing.  Like my technical term, huh?  

There was another section with a heavy black fabric the kids were jumping on.  Isaac stood and watched a bit.  There was some mulch on the fabric that kept bouncing and he was thoroughly entertained by this.  He climbed on and sat down to play with the mulch.  Picking up handfuls and tossing it in the air he shrieked with excitement.  Isaac was having fun.  If he knew how to jump he would have been all over it.  He stomped his feet instead to make the mulch move and he was so giddy.

 Then we moved onto the slides.  He went down the small slide several times and tried to climb back up.  Then we climbed to the top and went down the big slide.  I put him on my nap and we went down together.  We both had fun going down the slide!

Afterwards we went to lunch at Chick-fil-a with Lisa, Asher and Shayna.  Shayna is two-ish and a great example for Isaac.  She was so good at wiping her own hands and wiping her mouth when she was finished eating.  At dinner Isaac took a napkin and attempted to wipe his hands and mouth.  He still needs assistance but I love to see him learning!

 It was a fun filled beautiful day!

Big Boy Booster Seat

Another milestone has been reached!  This one makes me very excited.  Isaac's been upgraded from the high chair to the booster seat! Wohoo!

I scrubbed the high chair down for the last time and moved it down to the basement.  It was such a pain to keep clean because of all the nooks and crevices food managed to sneak into.  Every other day it seemed like I had to take a tooth brush to the crease on the side of the tray that faced Isaac to get it cleaned and disinfected.

Now, he can sit at the table, the seat is super easy to wipe out and I had to wash the table down anyway so it makes clean up a snap!

I think Isaac is just as excited to be sitting at the grown up table too!

Pumpkin Festival

If there is one thing I love about fall, it's all the fall festivals.  I love all the seasons but I really do think fall is my favorite.  The weather cools off, the leaves start to fall and the foliage changes to such beautiful brilliant colors. Love it!

Today was an adventure to another fall festival.  We were supposed to meet the mom's group for the event at 2:30 pm.  Isaac went down for his nap a bit before noon so we were all set to go, or so I thought.

Rip Van Winkle, however, decided to take a marathon nap and finally woke up just before 3:00 pm!  Isaac has been quite the sleeper lately and there's no question he's a growing boy.  It just makes it a bit of a challenge to get out of the house for fun activities while he's growing with his eyes closed. So, we loaded up and ventured out for a bit.

Isaac had a great time running through the maze and playing with the hay bails.

Frazer captured some great pictures of Isaac while he was playing and my favorite picture was one of me and Isaac.  Anytime you say the word "Yay!" with enthusiasm he claps and gets excited.  This was our Yay moment. :)

Next time I need to take some pictures of Isaac with Papa and get someone to take pictures of all of us together. 

Elmo Arrived

For some time now I've know Isaac would be Elmo for halloween.  I had debated on whether or not to make the costume but after pricing the material and supplies decided it would only save $10 and since I've never made a costume decided I'd just buy it this year and make sure my sewing skills are up to par for next year.

The second item I debated was what size to order.  Isaac is busting out of all 12 month sizes and 18 month sizes are a bit too big.  After his 15 month check up with current weight and height measurements I decided to go with the 2T and was anxious to know if it would fit.

I was super excited when the package arrived today so I had to have him try it on to make sure it fit.  I also wanted to make sure he would wear it.  I've heard some kids love their costumes and others can't stand to have them on.

The verdict...... he seems to really like it.

I got the mirror down so he could see himself dressed as Elmo.  He looked so puzzled.  Almost as if he was wondering why do I look like Elmo?? Do I always look like Elmo??

Once I took it off I let him play with it a bit just to get familiar with it.  I think its going to be perfect for halloween!  I'm so excited for trick-or-treat this year!

Fire Station Tour

What boy doesn't love Fire Trucks!  We had the opportunity to tour the local fire station this morning and we both had a fun time.

The fireman demonstrated all of the gear they have to put on.  This was great to show all of the little tikes what the fireman looks like before and after.  They stated they do this so the kids know what to look for in a real emergency and to start yelling, jumping and waving their arms for help when they see the fireman coming instead of hiding.  Obviously Isaac is a bit too young for jumping and waving yet but it was very informative to what he needs to learn in case there is an emergency.

Isaac watched so intently until the mask was placed on the fireman's head, then he winced and grabbed on tight.  We were warned ahead of time that the little kids get a bit scared by all the equipment but it was still a great learning opportunity.

Next up was free exploration of the big trucks.  He looks so tiny by the big wheels!

He loved all the shiny parts...

He got to sit in the drivers seat too.  The steering wheel was a bit to big to reach though...

The fireman also demonstrated stop, drop, and roll as well as reviewing the importance of having a family meeting place in the event of an emergency.  These are all great things for us to start thinking about now too.  Later in the afternoon I started working with Isaac on how to roll.  He had fun doing log rolls all around the living room.  The stop and drop part will have to come a bit later but we'll keep practicing.  :)

Scarecrow Harvest

The city of Alpharetta had a Scarecrow Harvest festival and the local schools decorated different themed Scarecrows that are displayed throughout the downtown area.  We walked around the festival and explored the different booths and stopped to listen to the live music.

Isaac had the most fun with the sidewalk chalk!

He played peek-a-boo with the box.  Emptied the chalk out.....put the chalk back in....then took it back out. 

He did manage to get a few scribbles in but I think he could have spent the entire afternoon playing with the box.

He collected lots of chalk dust to take home with him too!

He was most upset when it was time to leave the chalk behind and leave for lunch.  I see sidewalk chalk in our future.