The Bookshelf - Halloween

We love Halloween around here. The minute Target transitions from Back-to-School to Halloween, I grab myself a salted caramel mocha and start wishing for the day when we can make our first visit to the pumpkin patch.  This year, Fall has been, well, hot. And it's super hard to feel totally festive when you're sweating (which is one of the reasons I'm happy we don't live in Florida anymore). We've also had a lot going on, so I'm a little behind with all of my decorating and costume planning.

But with all that being said, we busted out our Fall/Halloween books a month ago, got a couple of new ones, and have been reading them all non-stop. (You can see last year's list here.) Festive books are the best way to help get ya in the mood for the season!

A few of our favorites this year...

Room on the Broom | Ghosts in the House

Vampirina Ballerina | How to Make Friends with a Ghost | The Spider & the Fly

Mostly Monsterly | B is for Boo

We've been watching Room on the Broom almost daily, with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown thrown in for good measure, and I think I might try to sneak in a little Hocus Pocus (my favorite favorite!) with Zoey this year, I just hope it's not too scary for her. And my little dancer has been just a little obsessed with the book Vampirina, which just came out as a Disney Jr series earlier this month. It's so cute, you guys!

Any favorite Halloween books or movies around your house this year?

The First, First Day of School

Today was a very big day at our house. Zoey's very first, first day of school! Today she started Pre-K at a sweet preschool near our house. The program is half-day, which is a perfect way to get used to all this school business without getting overwhelmed. (In VB, Kindergarten is also half-day, so it should make for an easy transition next year.) 

dress

As a Labor Day/End of Summer treat, Zoey requested Key lime pie - her favorite, which I was more than happy to make. I think it marks the start of a new family tradition. We wore her out yesterday, with lots of running around in the backyard, so she thankfully slept very well and woke up happy, but a little nervous. She was super worried that we'd be late and miss the first day.

When we got there, Zoey hung her bag on her little hook, greeted her teacher, and went straight to the book nook. She gave a sweet smile and a little wave that made my heart just melt. My sweet girl is so big and brave. I couldn't be more proud of her. 

Zoey's teacher sent home a little questionnaire to help her get to know each student. So I thought I'd share a few. It'll be fun to see how this changes by the last day of school. 

How old are you? Four and half

What is your favorite color? Purple!

What is your favorite movie? Frozen and Moana

What do you want to be when you grow up? A ballerina, and an art maker, and a builder.

What is your favorite thing to play with? My legos and Beck and my animals

What do you love most? Reading' my books with momma and daddy.

What do you want to learn about in school this year? I want to learn how to read, But really, I want to learn everything.

When Beck and I picked her up, Zoey said, "I loved everything!" I guess that means she had a great first day! She made new friends, pretended to be a lion, played on a airplane, and drew a picture. Sounds like a pretty full morning. 

I was so proud of Damon and I. We totally kept it together - I thought for sure one of us (him) would be a teary-eyed mess. I think because drop-off was a little chaotic, with kids and parents crammed into the narrow hallway, and we were eager to get back home so Damon could get to work and Beck (who woke up at 5am) could get down for a nap, we didn't have a chance for emotions. For me, I'm certain the blubbering will come next year when Zoey starts kindergarten. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful school year!!! 

The Bookshelf - Summer Reading

Recently, the world marked a super important milestone in my life...the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter. I was in college when this book came out and picked it up at the suggestion of my Children's Lit professor. She was one of my favorite professors and she wasn't wrong. The book was amazing. Harry Potter turned me into a reader. Before Harry came along, I only read when I had to for school, never for pleasure, and I couldn't wait to share the stories with my future students.

Flash forward many...many years, and now I'm patiently waiting for my kids to get a little bit older so I can share the series with Zoey and Beck. For now, we love finding new books at the library and bookstore...we're pretty much book hoarders around here!

dot garland | make believe print 

Here's what we've been reading this summer.

Cats Night Out -- Dancing and counting, two of Zoey's favorite things!  

Love is a Tutu -- A sweet book for any ballerina/tutu-lover.

Iggy Peck, Architect -- We also love Rosie's and Ada's books, but lately, Zoey has been obsessed with Iggy Peck. She's a bit of a builder herself, so I think that's what draws her in. Plus the illustrations are incredible.

The Dark -- Lemony Snicket for the preschooler set. Perfect for your little 'fraidy cat. 

Where the Wild Things Are -- One of my childhood favorites, I love that both my kids pick this one often. Beck is super into the wild things and laughs every time they gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes...
Shh! We Have a Plan -- This one is so much fun to read aloud! Zoey knows it by heart at this point, and can read it to Beck from memory.
Should I Share My Ice Cream -- I hope we can all agree that Mo Willems is pretty great. Probably my second favorite children's author (second only to Chris Van Allsburg), and the Elephant and Piggie series...well, I'll just say that every time we see one of these that isn't already in our collection, it mysteriously ends up in our cart. The kids just can't get enough. (And they're fun for the reader, too) This one is perfect for summer and has been on repeat lately.

Like most moms, I don't get to read as often as I'd like, but some nights, I get about 30 minutes after the kids are in bed to chill before it's Netflix time. (We just finished Glow and started Ozark. Have you seen it? So good!) The last book I read, The Kind Worth Killing, was a serious page turner.  It switches narrators, similar to Gone Girl and Girl on a Train (two of my favorites), and is full of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had things figured out, they'd drop a bomb on me. I love books like that!

Right now, I'm about halfway through The Woman in Cabin 10. I've reached the part of the book where I want to just keep reading. It's sitting on the table right now, calling me. I have NO IDEA how this story is gonna play out and I love it! 

What are you reading this summer? I'd love some ideas for my next book!

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Beck's First Birthday

Before the Fourth, we celebrated Beck's first. I had plans, you guys. There were gonna be balloons, a cute cake for Beck to smash and cupcakes for the rest of us, an adorable, blog-worthy surfer motif. Gummy sharks were involved. It was gonna be great!
But...well...it didn't quite work out the way I had planned. Cuz does it ever?

t-shirt | shorts

We had family in town, who had blessedly offered to watch the kids so the Hubs and I could scoot off for lunch, something we NEVER do. Never. In fact, I think the last child-free meal we had in Virginia Beach went down a few days before Beck was born. A year ago. I made the cake and cupcakes before we left, with the plan to make the frosting that night. Damon and I had an amazing lunch with a gorgeous view. I may have even had an adult beverage with my meal. It was perfect. On the way home, we stopped by the party store and picked up the balloons. We felt so relaxed and productive, so relaxed that I completely flaked on the frosting. Oops! I'd get it done first thing in the morning.

The morning of the celebration, the balloons were on the floor (Damon raced across town to get replacements-at no charge), the frosting wouldn't set enough to pipe it on the cupcakes, let alone frost a cake (humidity?), I dropped and broke a chunk off the cake plate (third sign of birthday apocalypse?), and I spent so much time monkeying around with the frosting that I never got a chance to set up and finish decorating before Damon had to start grilling the Hawaiian burgers for lunch. (They were sooo good, btw.) I held it together for a long time, but finally let the frustration tears flow when it was time to frost the smash cake (the frosting had been chilling in the fridge for hours hoping it would set). I figured the cupcakes didn't matter that much, we could dip them in the frosting if it came down to it, but the smash cake is all about the pictures. And the frosting was basically oozing off of it.

It was a disaster, for sure, but when it came down to it, it all tasted great, and Beck had a ball tearing that oozy cake apart!

When our company left later in the afternoon, I was straightening up the kitchen and noticed...I never even put out the gummy sharks! Doh!

With everything going on, we didn't even get a great family pic. This is as good as it gets. Haha!

But my favorite part of the first birthday...seeing how much Little Man has grown!

Happy birthday, Beck!

Beckett is Twelve Months Old!

That's right, friends! He's ONE! And mama's feeling all the feels, you guys, as I suppose one does when it's the last baby. Beck has grown so much in the last couple of months. And, although he shows little interest in actual toddling (beyond cruising the sofa), he's more a toddler than a baby these days. 

tee | shorts | shark

Twelve Month Stats

27lbs 15oz (95%) | 30.6 in (77%)

Major Milestones

blowing kisses and waving

I can say "buh" (bye) and "whoooa" (whoa), but "uh-oh" is my favorite word, for sure

feeding myself a bottle

Favorite Pastimes

putting toys in and out of baskets/boxes

swinging in the backyard

climbing on Zoey and yanking her hair
dance, dance, dance

I Love
Woofie, my little dog lovie

trying to do whatever Zoey is doing
chasing balls around the house
watching Sesame Street with my sister

Favorite Eats

smoothies, yogurt, sweet potatoes, black beans, grapes, strawberries, waffles

I Could Do Without
sleeping in my carseat, even when it's 30 minutes past nap time

I won't stand for my lunch or dinner being served late and will sit on mommy's feet and fuss until I get my food.

When Zoey turned one, I gave her a birthday waffle and smoothie breakfast, so we had to continue the tradition with Beck. Here's Zoey on her big day. Oh my gosh...those cheeks!

We'll be officially celebrating this weekend with some family (another post on that soon), but we had to celebrate a little bit on Beck's actual birthday...in keeping with tradition. Beck was a little uncertain about the whole situation, this pic captures something between a laugh (I'm tickling his leg to get him to smile) and a cry (cuz I won't let him grab the candle). Zoey and I sang "Happy Birthday" while he danced in his chair, she blew out the candle, and Beck slammed his smoothie before chowing down on his cinnamon waffle. Not a bad start to year number two.

pjs

Here's a few more pics from this last month...

Sophie the Giraffe | clutching balls

blocks

swing | cap | tee

This last shot shows Beck for exactly who he is. Super chill. So far in his little life, he's a pretty agreeable kiddo, unless he's tired or hungry, which is a major switch from his big sis. Her drama is unparalleled. 

We brought Beck home from the hospital on Father's Day last year, which made the day extra special. This year, remembering that day, it seemed like it was just a few months ago. It's always so surprising to me how quickly the time flies! 

Happy birthday, Little Man! 

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Beckett is Eleven Months Old

Gah! In a couple of weeks (cuz I'm late posting this, as usual), our baby boy will be one! I'm not entirely prepared for that, but are you ever? This past month, Beck has seemed less and less like a baby, and not just because he's such a big fella. He's doing all kinds of stuff, even simple things like eating Ritz crackers instead of baby snacks, that make him seem more toddler-ish, even if he isn't exactly toddling yet.

Eleven Month Stats

28 lbs | not sure of length, impossible to get him to stay still long enough

Major Milestones

cruising the furniture

putting things in and out of containers

stacking things

I can say "mmmah" (more) and "uh-oh" and "mum mum" (yum yum)

I have 7 teeth and I'm working on one more

Favorite Pasttime

pointing at everything and "phoning home" with mommy (touching fingers, ET style)

if there's music playing, I'm dancing

watching the ducks and bunnies in the backyard

rolling and chasing balls

I Love

high-fives

"reading" my books

stroller rides and playing in the backyard

filling my mouth with water from my cup and letting it spill out and down my chest

growling like Cookie Monster

Favorite Eats

grapes, blueberries, apples, bananas (plain or mashed and mixed with peanut butter & cinnamon)

cinnamon toast, waffles

grilled cheese

chicken, cheese, and sweet potato tots

I Could Do Without

anything with tomato sauce...it'll just end up on the floor

diaper changes, even though I hate having a messy diaper

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday weekend! We're spending the weekend dodging rain showers and building a playset in the backyard. Not quite the same as spending the weekend lounging on the beach, but at least the only crowds we see are little duck families on the pond! 

Beckett is Ten Months Old

The day before Easter, Little Man hit ten months. It totally crept up on me and, honestly, I almost missed it! Oops...second baby problems!

I'm sitting here wondering where the last ten months went. Wasn't it just a minute ago we had a tiny newborn, and now we have this guy, outgrowing his clothes as fast as I can buy them, and feeding himself bits of pb&j!

Beck is such a sweetheart, and wants to be held all. the. time. I swear, my left bicep is gonna look like The Rock's pretty soon! He wakes up with a smile every morning, which makes getting up at 5:30am a little easier to tolerate, and is a pretty good sport about most things, although cutting teeth has been the worst. Beck is curious, clever, obsessed with his big sister, and is already showing signs of a great sense of humor...something we value greatly in this family! 

Ten Month Stats

26.5 lbs | 29 3/4-ish in

Beck is also wearing size 5 (!!) diapers and a mix of 12 & 18 month clothes, depending on brand. And actually, the Volcom shirt he wore the other day was a 2T!

Major Milestones

I can say "mama" (which means both mommy and daddy) and "baba" (bye-bye), and I like to try to repeat sounds.

I've got six teeth - two on the bottom and four on top. (He actually just cut #7, but that falls under the eleven month milestones :0)

Favorite Pasttime

Rolling a ball and crawling after it...all over the house...over and over and over...

Making music of one kind or another: "playing" the piano, making the floor, table, highchair into a drum with my hands, blocks, spatulas

I Love
Books, balls, blocks, and toys that shake

Rhythm. Music with a good beat will get you an enthusiastic shoulder shimmy, but I will turn anything into a drum and prefer to be burped to a beat rather than just a basic back smacking.

I Could Do Without

Mommy leaving my sight, so I follow her around everywhere and sit on her feet.
Pulling up and trying to cruise. I've given up on all that, cuz I'm pretty much the fastest army crawler out there

Happy Monday! XO

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Beckett is Nine Months Old

In three months, we will have a one year old. About a week ago, Beck hit the nine month mark, and I feel like things have really started poppin' for him. He's army crawling like a pro...and so fast, too. He's got all these teeth, and, in spite of all the drooling gnawing teething, Beck is still one of the chillest and happiest babies on the planet. Or at least in our family. Big switch from his sister, who is straight drama 24 hours a day.

Damon has been traveling a lot lately, which makes things tough for a momma on her own all week (give me alllll the chocolate!), but it gave me the chance to get everybody on a pretty good routine (daylight saving time be damned!). I know I'm jinxing this, especially since we are headed to FLA soon, but things around here are running pretty smoothly. For now. You know, until it all turns to chaos.

Nine Month Stats

25lbs 3oz (91%) | 29.5 in (99%)
The nurse never writes down Beck's actual head measurement, but it's over the 100th % - which means he's essentially a bobblehead.

Major Milestones

I'm crawling - mostly a fast and aggressive army crawl, but I get up on all fours now and then.

I can stand at the sofa, and I'm just starting to pull up on my own.

I've got more teeth: two on the bottom, two on the top, & two more top teeth getting ready to cut any time now.
I'm finally chugging my water from a sippy cup, you know, before I toss it on the floor.

Favorite Pastime

I'm always crawling & making sure mommy never gets to sit down - I'm all over the place.

I Love

Eating - bananas with peanut butter, cheese, sweet potatoes, peas, chicken, cheerios, cinnamon toast

And sleeping with the top of my head smooshed into the side of the crib.

I Could Live Without

Getting changed - one of these days, I'm gonna roll right off the dresser

Happy Friday!