Not even a cast will slow this boy down!

Well, he figured out how to walk with the cast on Friday morning and hasnt looked back since!! I honestly did not think he would walk with the cast on, he just seemed content with crawling around again and pulling to stand. Thursday night, however, Bella got out a fun toy that he wanted to play with and he was standing next to the couch and tried to RUN to her but the poor guy fell flat on his face. I felt so bad so I decided to try holding his hand and let him figure out how to walk on it so that's what we did & come Friday morning, he took 4 solo steps & I got so excited!! Those 4 steps led to lots of steps when we were at the park and now his preferred mode of transportation is once again walking! He's a little wobbily and looks like a drunken sailor but it is oh so cute!! Here's a quick little video & some pics from this past week:

Cool shades, dude! Where can I find a pair??? haha

our little bedtime skeleton!

Pumpkin-makin craft time

The finished product - she stuck all the little stickers on herself!

Doodle Art - can you take a guess at what she drew?? Choo-Choo!

so happy to be walking again!

Big week ahead - we have Gramma Donna flying up on Thursday from Florida to watch the kids so Andy and I can head to the Keys for a wedding! We are so excited for our little yearly getaway! Next week at this time, I'll be poolside with a tropical drink, relaxing underneath the palm trees!

3 moms + 6 kids = lots of fun!!!!

Friday night was one of my favorite nights in a long time. I was beaming ear to ear for hours after we got home from Cagles Dairy farm with 2 of my girlfriends and their kids. We had intended Andy for come along with us but he got tied up at work late on Friday so I decided to brave it alone and head up to Canton with the 2 kids. The kids had an absolute BLAST. I was worried about Noah, his cast and if that was gonna hold him back/make him upset to be stuck in a stroller and attached to me but he was just fine! The kids got to play on the Haystack Jump, find their way through the 3-mile long corn maze & take a hayride to where they roasted marshmellows by the lake at dusk. It was perfect & there were no meltdowns or whining, which made it extra pleasant!!! We didn't get home til after 9 - I'm usually so strict on being home by 7 so they can have baths and be in bed by 8 but on this particular night, everything was going so smooth, I didnt want it to end! The night was cool & crisp - such a wonderful fall evening to be enjoying outside! The weather has definately turned toward fall & I am loving every second of it! I actually had to turn on the heat last night bc it was in the low 40's this morning. I spent my Sunday up at the outlets with a friend, finding some fall clothes for the kids, enjoying some kid-free time & getting some deals! October is sure to be a fun, busy month! Cannot wait to see what the remainder of this month holds for us!!

Happy boy, cast & all....

playing on the Haystack Jump!

Noah wanting in on the action, poor bud

they came back from the bathroom holding hands, soooo sweet!

have no idea why they are all looking at Tyler but this pic is pretty funny

leaders of our pack - they got us pretty lost, hehe!

goofs!

happy boy, stuck in the stroller

Brandy &"baby" Reese, Laura & Ty

Mark must have picked Bella up 10 times throughout the evening, they were sooo cute together! <3

Brandy with the kids up on the bridge

they were running, turned the corner & I snapped this cute pic!

walking through the tunnel to the hay ride!

all 6 kids in one pic, with a screaming Noah

Bella & the boys...what else is new, lol!

kids checking out the pony

Noah trying to figure out how to maneuver through the grass

roasting away!

she wasnt a fan of her toasted treat

Mark is such a sweet friend to Bella!

my sweet boy & I :)

attempt #3 to get everyone looking in the direction of the camera, lol!

Big, Big Owie :(

We've had quite an eventful week with our little Noah. Poor dude will be sporting a bright orange cast for the next 4 weeks because of a fractured tibia. It all began on Tuesday evening, right after bath when Andy was taking the kids downstairs. He was carrying Noah in his arms & holding on to Bella's hand when somehow, they missed a step and fell. He says it all happened so fast, he doesnt even remember exactly WHAT happened but he said both kids were crying and a bit shaken up afterwards & it took a little bit to calm them down. Unfortunately, I was not home at the time and by the time I got home from working out, both kids were in bed. Andy had NO idea Noah's leg was broken & once he was calmed down, he stuck him to bed. I did hear Noah stirring a little bit more than normal on the monitor overnight but it was nothing abnormal & he didnt stir/whimper for more than 30 seconds at a time so I really didnt get up to check on him.

I went to get him on Wed morning and I noticed he wasnt standing up in the crib and I thought that was a little strange but didnt really think much of it and then when I went to change his diaper, he screamed in pain & that's when I knew something was wrong. I took him downstairs and tried to make him stand/walk and he wouldnt so I immediately called our pediatrician to get him an appt. So we dropped Bella off with our neighbor & off we went to the pedi. Once there, they sent us to get some Xrays at CHOA so we drove there, took the xray and then was sent home & told to call our pedi in 3 hours, they should have the results by then. I was like, "really? we need to wait THREE hours to find out what's wrong??" I guess they email the xrays to a radiologist who looks at them and then calls our pedi. So after 2 hrs, I was getting antsy and called our pedi to see if they had results and within 5 mins, they called back, saying he had fractured his tibia (the big bone that connects the knee to the ankle). When Andy slipped, he must have landed right on Noah's poor leg - it all happened so fast, he didnt even know that had happened the night before. Sooo, off to get a cast for the little guy and we had to wait an hour in the waiting room alone. It was so tough to keep Noah still & he wanted to get down soooo bad. Luckily I brought along the laptop to entertain him with The Wiggles while we waited. So back we went & the process of putting the cast on was really quite simple & quick. Neither Andy or I have ever broken anything so we had no idea what to expect but he wrapped Noah in that cast so fast & it dried within minutes - it was pretty neat! So we stuck with orange, in honor of Halloween & some of our favorite sports teams - the Gators, Dolphins and Andy's Browns. Noah really was a trooper through all of it - Andy and I kept joking that we were so glad it was Noah who broke something and not Bella bc she would have been way too much drama for us to handle, LOL!

Of course Andy feels absolutely terrible about the whole thing and has been beating himself up so bad. I keep telling him that accidents happen and there is no way to prevent these things and we just have to move on...besides, he looks super cute in the cast, lol! I hate to make light of a bad situation but he does looks adorable! I still can't believe the poor babe slept allll night with a broken leg and we didnt even know it, I feel so horrible about that, breaks my heart. He seriously is such a tough guy - he's slept through the night the past 2 nights as well so I'm very thankful he doenst seem to be in much pain from this, esp now that the cast is on. He has been getting frustrated when he can't seem to get where he's going but he's starting to crawl around & he will stand up, when holding onto something. I'm still waiting for him to figure out how to walk in the cast so it'll make things a lot easier on me. My left arm is about to fall off bc I've held him so much the past 2 days. You take for granted how independent they become once they start walking, lol! Here are some pics of the little pumpkin :)

waiting to get his cast on...

his newest accessory ;)

back home & trying to figure out what this thing is on his leg...

Daddy holding onto his sweet boy...

the next day - happy & content watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...

see, these casts arent so bad afterall!

Videos...

A couple videos from 2 weeks ago - enjoy! :)

sweet 16 month old!

Just a conversation with a 3 yr old regarding Halloween costumes...

16 months & bring on fall!

I know I say this all the time but man, time really flies!! Noah turned 16 months yesterday & I feel like I'll be planning his 2nd birthday before I know it! He is such a good boy & still always so happy, he makes having two kids really easy & fun!!

Some things about Noah at 16 months:

sleeping through the night amazing - goes down at 7:45ish and we start hearing the first babbles around 7am. Most days he still takes 2 naps a day, but the morning nap is only if we are in the car heading somewhere or in the stroller exercising. Morning nap is usually anywhere from 5 mins to 30 mins, just enough to take the edge off and hold him over til afternoon nap, around 1:30.

his vocabulary is expanding daily! Favorite words are "uh oh", "aaaaww da" (all done), 'wat dat" (what's that?), "bye", "hiiii", "ee-lo" (hello), "awww two-els" (ohh toodles, compliments of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), dada, mama, go, haaaa (hot), sof (soft), da (dog), nana (banana), a wa (water) I'm sure there are a few words that I'm missing but that is basically what we are understanding at this point & he is babbling a lot these days. I remember Bella starting to pick up the chatter at this age too! He can "ruff" "moo" & "tweet" on demand as well.

he is still not the biggest eater - he loves his milk. He is a huge fruit/veggie guy. Favorites are bananas, grapes, watermelon, green beans & broccoli. He will eat turkey hot dogs, but only if I dip them in ketchup for him. That is basically the only meat he eats. He LOVES yogurt & these buddy fruits (basically these applesauce type fruits in a cute little package that they can slurp) that I buy at Publix. Favorite snack would be Parmesean Goldfish & Annie's fruit snacks. He also loves pasta with my homemade sauce for lunch/dinner! Oh and pizza, as well.

He is definately ALL BOY! He loves to climb & jump, loves to play in the dirt (and even try to eat it, lol!) and pull grass. He keeps us on our toes - his favorite thing to do it climb up on the couch and then climb on the end table, stand up and fall down onto the couch. He does not stop, no matter what try to do to advert his attention. He recently discovered this little decorative table by the light switch and started to climb up and turn the lights on and off but that was a quick fix & that table is now hidden in the basement, lol!

Favorite toys to play with are wooden blocks & mega legos - loves to stack them up and then knock them down and make a big mess. He loves to pull ALLLLL the toys out of the cabinet and make a huge mess for us. He also loves to push his high chair & kitchen chairs around the house. He's also infatuated with pushing buttons - the tv power button, dvd player and comcast box. He is so quick and just KNOWS when we turn our back for one second bc next thing we know, the tv is on (or off) or there is a different channel on the tv. He loves to throw balls & try to catch them & of course he loves to play fetch with Emma! He will go right to her toy cabinet & grab a toy for her and throw it and laugh hysterically as she chases after it!

He loves giving and getting kisses! He loves to sit there and give Emma kisses, rub her tummy and say sof (soft). It is so cute. He also loves getting kisses from big sis at naps and bedtime. He always gets a big smile & it just melts my heart everytime!

When I ask him if he went poopy, he lifts up his shirt and looks at his belly. Cracks me up so much!

So there is a little bit about our sweet 16 month old prince!! We are ANXIOUSLY awaiting some cooler, fall weather. I'm over the 90 degree heat & can't wait to break out their new fall clothes. We had a little tease in early Sept for a few days with some cooler weather and since then, it's been scorching again. Fall is my favorite time of year - bring on the pumpkins, red, yellow & orange leaves, apple cider, hay rides, cooler weather, apple picking & fresh homemade pies! I'm ready!

Labor Day Weekend trip to Greenville...or not...

For Andy's bday last week, I decided to suprise him with a weekend getaway to Greenville, SC over Labor Day. We have never been and friends of ours were telling us how fun it was there so I decided it would be cool to check out a new little southern gem! Both boys were a little under the weather on Friday (Noah was just randomingly vomiting throughout the week, in the car, so I was wondering if he was car sick, rather than sick bc he was acting like normal - we still do not know what it was but he has been fine since) so we werent' sure if we were actually going to go or not but Saturday, everyone woke up fine & feeling better so we decided to go for it. It was only a little over 2 hrs away so even if something happened, we could just drive home.

We got out of the house a little before noon and headed up I-85 toward South Carolina & checked into our hotel and then decided to head into the city to see some sights. Downtown Greenville is sooo adorable with all the cute shops and restaurants so we parked our car and started walking toward Reedy Falls, this outdoor park area with waterfalls & suspension bridges. It was so beautiful & the weather was perfect out. Then we hit up a little Mexican hole in the wall and enjoyed some yummy fajitas with homemade tortillas for an early dinner!! The kids were pretty wiped so we decided to head back to the hotel & went for a swim and then hit the sack nice and early. Well, around 1:30am, Noah decided to wake up and start screaming. I was hoping that it'd be an easy fix & he would fall right back asleep but then Bella was awake as well. I was holding & rocking this little boy, trying my hardest to get him back to sleep & it seemed as soon as he was falling asleep, Bella would start talking and wake him back up. It was not fun & finally around 4am (and some unhappy neighbors next door who banged on our wall 3 different times) we decided to just pack it up and head home. Even if we had stayed, everyone would have been so exhausted & tired and it could have been a disaster of a day and we probably wouldn't have enjoyed it. Both kids finally fell asleep in the car & we were home by 7am. They took record 4 hr naps that day, it was crazy! After naps, we decided to head for the park to enjoy the amazing 80 degree day & then headed to dinner to sit on a patio & have some good grub! We wanted to make the best of the holiday weekend, even though our plans kind of got jumbled around a little.

Monday when we woke up, I mentioned going out to breakfast so we loaded up the car & headed to a cute little breakfast joint and afterwards we headed to the spraygound for some water fun & a picnic lunch. It really was a great day & the kids had a blast, they were so good! After naps, we grilled out ribs & enjoyed the evening with the kids - it really was a great weekend, even though our original plans were spoiled!

Bella posing down at the bottom of the falls

peek a boo! I see you!

at the top of Reedy Falls

so pretty!

perfect picture at the bottom of the falls

all the cute shops/restaurants downtown

back at the hotel, winding down for bed...

sibling love <3

labor day breakfast - she was sooo excited to get some hot chocolate!

packets of sugar are so much fun...

happy girl!

Sprayground fun!

Noah made a new little friend

some new, crazy dance moves, lol!

picnic lunch time

Morning Funny & Andy is 32!!

Bella makes me laugh - some days more than others & I had to come on here and write it down before I forgot. I have a few funny stories that I'll add in later but for now, this one will have to do.

I am trying to teach Bella where we live so this morning I was telling her that we live in Georgia. I then asked her where she lives and she says "Castle" I said, "Silly girl, you live in Georgia, not a castle" She responds with "No, I live in castle & Noah lives in George (Georgia)" LOL, I love it!

It's also Andy's 32nd bday today and we are suprising him with a weekend away in Greenville, SC for Labor Day! He has no idea, the kids & I will tell him tonight - just a little family getaway, someone recommended Greenville to me last week and I did some researching and it seems like a fun little town so we're gonna check it out!! I'll try to add some more pics to this post later on!!

Bella, Emma & the 2nd day of school Video.....