"Happy Happyween!"

I realize I am WAY overdue for an update. What can I say? We've been busy enjoying fall!

We celebrated my birthday (the big 2-8) in Iowa City with my family. It was Homecoming weekend for Kellee so we had fun watching her get fancied up and seeing all the seniors take pictures together. We also managed to squeeze in some family pictures of the three of us, which my Mom took for us.

Last night was Beggar's Night, which is when the Des Moines area kids trick-or-treat. We had so much FUN with Silas last night. Jake and I had a lot of laughs as Silas narrated trick-or-treating. Neither of us told him to only go to houses with the lights on, but he stated at the first dark house, "No lights on, next house!" He was easily the cutest fireman on the block and many people commented on how cute and polite he was. He nailed the "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" and would even stop people to show them how much candy he had.  I figured he'd last about 45 minutes, but he was having so much fun that we went non-stop for the full two hours! You can imagine the loot we brought home!

Fall is in the air!

Oh boy... as much as I love summer, this time of year is amazing!! Each year I become more and more fond of fall, it's colors, weather, fashion, football, apple cider, pumpkin patches, and bonfires!

 Last weekend we took Silas to Center Grove, a pumpkin patch and apple orchard with lots of fun activities and animals. It was so fun! Check out some pictures from the day.

Another proud parenting moment today...Silas is rockin' his manners lately. If he forgets, usually just a look will trigger a "please". I'm impressed with his automatic use of please, thank you, you're welcome, etc. Tonight I got after him for kicking the counter while sitting at the bar and told he'd get a timeout if he kept it up. There was an initial "growl" from him which I ignored but then followed a "Sorry, Mommy" and "I hug and kiss you". He ran over, delivered a sweet hug and kiss and again apologized. Awesome! These moments make me so proud!

There are so many moments that make me cringe at the sassy, nasty, loud attitude of a two and a half year old and I often wonder if we're making any progress in raising a sweet, caring, polite little boy. Thank you Lord for giving us glimpses of the underlying GOOD child and sweet boy that I know is in there!

Following in Mommy's foot steps...

Just a quick story about my sweet Silas....Jake ate too much at dinner tonight and told Silas he was sick. Silas said,"you're tummy hurts? I take your temperature!" He ran and grabbed his {rectal} thermometer, lifted up Jake's shirt, and put it in his belly button. Ha!! It was so funny!

I told him it actually is supposed to go in Daddy's bottom.....this was as close as he got...

Summer lovin'

I know I say this with almost every post, but we are loving summer!! We are enjoying the pool (of course), the zoo, the State Fair, the park, going for walks, and just being outside.

Silas got a new big boy bed a few weeks ago and adjusted easily to his new bed. I kind of knew he would. He is so easy to transition anywhere with anything. He still gets up somewhat early...or at least earlier than he had been for the first two years of his life, but there were no issue transitioning to his big boy bed and he even got truck/construction bedding which he loves. :)  Silas looks so small in his big boy bed which reminded me of how small he looked in his crib at first. It makes me so sad to realize how quickly he grew in his crib and how quickly he'll grow into his bed. It tugs at my heart to know these years are going fast.  But before I start tearing up, take a look at the little man in his new bed!


 We went to the State Fair Friday and Silas LOVED it - he talked non-stop about the animals (big and babies), we rode the sky ride, did the big slide, rode Ye Ole Mill, and stopped to watch every tractor go by. And of course we ate a cup of cookies and JP donuts (twice). :)

Entering the Fair!

Sky Ride with Daddy

On the Sky Ride

Running through the fountains at the Fair

Silas has become a great helper. He loves to help me at the store, around the house, cleaning, ANYTHING! I asked him the other day if he would be my housekeeper when he grew up. He agreed. I'll get it in writing when he's old enough to sign an agreement.  ;)  He helped Daddy fix the garage the other day.

My big guy has also started loving showers. I captured his first solo shower....look at that face!

Look at that tan line!!

This boy is so amazing. His sweet, sweet spirit is evident every day (his not-so-sweet side usually makes an appearance too at this age...ha!) and his sense of humor is awesome. His vocabulary blows my mind and his joy and spunk make this the best job in the world. Hardest job, but the also the best. I love to watch him treat other kids with kindness and care about his friends, his teachers, strangers, and animals. Speaking of spunk and attitude....

I love this kid.

4th of July madness

Oooookay, so I'm a little behind on my 4th of July post. What can I say? We're loving summer!!  Silas and go to the pool or splash pad 2-3 times a week and occasionally on a Saturday with Jake. That little fish has made such huge progress in the pool and it's so fun to see him getting his head wet now without batting an eye, jumping off the side, going down the slide, etc.


The 4th was a lot of fun - it was a steamy 100* day with heat index near 105-108* if I remember correctly. We did the parade in the morning in Urbandale. By now Silas is a pro at parades and knows how and when to grab the candy. We came home with a huge bag full of candy that we'll never eat and sweat through all our clothes (no worries, we showered after the parade!) but had a blast doing it.

 

 Our dear friends, Jake and Katie Bonner, were home for the week too so we had some extra fun hanging out with them and watching the fireworks. Silas LOVED Katie (and her family) and immediately hugged her (she knows how to bribe him with ice cream and lemonade when he walks in the door). It was awesome to see my little man loving on one of dearest friends.  And Kate is preggo with TWIN BOYS!! Hallelujah! She and Jake have been trying for about 3 years to get pregnant and these two boys are such a blessing! I loved her bump...

 We wanted to be pregnant together, so I improvised.  :)

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We have been loving the sweet corn this summer! Silas has been a good helper in shucking the corn...even getting those teeny, tiny, little hairs...

  Okay, these makes me laugh out loud. Silas looked so cute all dressed for church so I hurried him out to the deck to take a couple pictures.  Here is the photo shoot you get when you ask a 2-year-old to say cheese....

 "No, really, Silas...say cheese for Mommy..."

 "C'mon, buddy...one more, just say cheese..."

We love summer!

What a great start to the summer we've had!  Silas and I have been to the pool a couple times each week (usually to the splash pad at Ashby Park 'cause it's free) and he has definitely turned into a little fish.   :)  He blows bubbles in the water, lays on his tummy and pushes himself backwards, jumps off the center ledge (the pool only goes up to 1 ft.) and loves splashing. I'm so glad he's warmed up to the pool....I debated on putting him in swim lessons but I think this is pretty much what they'd be doing - blowing bubbles, jumping to someone, etc. - so I think we're right on track.   How CUTE is this picture?? Unfortunately, I captured it on my phone so I doubt the quality is very good.

I feel redundant when I say that I can't believe how much Silas is talking...but I seriously cannot believe it! He speaks in full 10-12 word sentences, uses hilarious expressions ("Wow Mommy, that's pretty cool!") and just has a great sense of humor.  And he is sweet! Jake went into Silas' Sunday school class to pick him up and had to wait in line while other parents picked up their kids, which gave him a chance to just stand back and observe him.  He said two boys collided and one was really crying.  Silas got up from playing with his tractor and took it over to the little boy and said, "Here ya go."  One of the teachers saw it happen and told Silas that was very nice and gave him a hug. Hearing that story completely warms my heart and makes me realize that every person in Silas' life who routinely has interactions with him must be doing a good job. I give a lot of credit to his teachers at daycare because that is where he is around other kids the most. I am so thankful for his caring spirit.

Silas and I had a wonderful day today. Nothing special occurred. We went to the gym this morning, followed by the pool and picnic lunch at the pool, then a nap for him while I showered and cleaned, and went to the store for groceries but he was acceptionally good today. Obedient, content, and very helpful.  It's days like this that I relish and take great joy in the child he is.

That's all for now. I'm hoping to post after the 4th, which I am so excited for. Still one of my favorite holidays!!