Pumpkin Patch

Going to the pumpkin patch was one of my absolute favorite things that we did with Ryan last year, so I knew that we would have to find a time to go again this year. We planned to go last weekend, but there was something about going to a pumpkin patch in 85 degree weather that just didn't quite seem right. So, we held off until today. The weather was perfect - cool & sunny... an unbeatable fall day!

As you'll see, there was a lot to do and many, many pictures to take :-)

Ryan was hesitant about the corn pit at first, but liked it when Daddy buried his legs!


Can you believe how much he has grown in one year? This one was from last year's visit:


Cotton picking was something new to Ryan:


Of course, we had to take a hay ride - Ryan was pretty stone-faced the whole time, just taking everything in, but he said afterward that he liked it.


And seeing it from the outside was just as exciting:


Time to pick out our pumpkins... Ryan did a great job helping Mommy & Daddy, and he picked out his very own little one - just the right size for him!



In between activities, there was plenty of frolicking to be done:



We even ran into Ryan's friend Landon while we were there, and they spent quite a bit of time just running together. Ryan told me later that this was his favorite part of the morning! He loves his friends :-)


And of course, we needed some more "formal" pictures of our beautiful fall morning:



(compare to last year):





nearly 38 weeks pregnant... come on out anytime, baby!

Days like this...

I feel so blessed to spend my days with my sweet Ryan and get to share in his excitement over the little things... a tiny toad in our yard that jumped "way way high" out of Mommy's hands, a pea that fell down his shirt during lunch & tickled him to hysterics, a fire truck along the road on our way to the store... I love this boy!

Meeting Atticus

My precious nephew was born this past Thursday, and I could not be more thrilled. Atticus weighed in at 7 lb 14 oz and is as cute as could be. We are so thankful for the safe & healthy delivery of this newest member of our family!

My brother & sister-in-law live about 2 minutes away from us, which is a blessing that I cannot even describe. I was thrilled to be able to go & meet this sweet baby at the hospital on Thursday night. Here he is!

so sweet


this was less than 5 hours after he was born - doesn't Ryan look amazing?

happy family

incredibly proud aunt - can you tell?

Today, Atticus got to come home from the hospital, and our whole family was able to go over & visit. Ryan could not wait to meet his little cousin, but he had an odd series of reactions once we got there.

Here is the first series of interactions - he went right over to see him at first, but fairly quickly decided he needed some space and then for a while watched from a distance:


After a while, he decided he was interested again & wanted to touch his toes:


Here's a photo of Mason holding Atticus for the first time. After a little while, Ryan looked at Daddy & said, "Mommy's turn" - I consider it a very good sign that he doesn't mind me holding a newborn!


my & my precious little nephew. Look at those eyes!


While I was holding Atticus, Ryan decided he wanted to come join us... (but not without his grapes):


...and then he decided that he wanted to try holding him:


Finally, a goodnight kiss for baby cousin Atticus. I guess Ryan's warmed up to him after all!


and a few extra photos of my super adorable nephew:

his first time in the swing & he got lost in his hat! :-)

tiny toes!

Just so you know...

I finally finished posting my series about Ampersand, but I back-dated some of them so that the blog would still be in chronological order... so feel free to go back & check them out! :-)

Best or Worst?

When I found out that Ryan's first day of preschool would be on my birthday, I had to wonder to myself: Will this be the best or worst birthday present?

We've been talking a lot about his turtle class & his teacher, Miss Pam. He had an open house last week, so he had some idea what to expect. He seemed excited, but sometimes, he's hard to read.

I, on the other hand, have been a nervous wreck and not nearly as excited about leaving him 3 mornings a week (2 for preschool & 1 for bible study) as I thought I might be when we signed up months ago. It seemed logical: "I'll be almost 8 months pregnant when he starts, so I'll want the extra rest, and of course once the baby is born, it will be great to have the alone time with him." But I am finding that being away from my baby is harder than it seems. I have been accustomed to spending all day every day with him for the past 2+ years after all!

Regardless, I know it is good for both of us, and so here we go. Today went better than expected - he went right into his room, sat down with some play dough, and when I told him to be good, he said "okay", gave me a kiss, and looked at me like he was ready to go. The leaving was no problem for either of us. Hooray! I definitely didn't think we'd get through that without one of us crying.

Best I can tell, he had a good time. He didn't talk much about it, which my mom tells me I'll have to get used to, having boys :-) And I have to admit that it was nice to have a couple of uninterrupted hours at home to work on preparing the nursery for our next baby.

Here are some required "first day of school" pictures prior to leaving:

classic

not sure what this face is all about


He got distracted by the garbage trucks

There's something innately cute about a tiny backpack on a tiny person


And here he is afterward, flirting with his girlfriend Emma while waiting for her big sister (and another best friend) Sophia to get out of her class. We all went to a double-celebratory lunch afterward at Souper Salad & had a GREAT time. Thanks, Smith ladies :-)


That evening, I got to celebrate my birthday some more with my wonderful local family, who made me feel so special & loved!


me & Ryan, before a yummy dinner at Maggiano's!


... and one (final?) pregnancy photo with my sister-in-law who is due on the 25th. Can't wait to meet that baby & see these cousins grow up together :-)


Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special & Ryan's first day of school so manageable :-)

Ampersand Wrap-Up

All in all, it was an incredible year at Ampersand. I have so many more pictures that didn't fit into a category really, so here are some more photo highlights of our year:

Here, we went for a little walk in search of tractors/trucks - as you can see, we had some success!

reading with Aunt Monica


climbing on the big rock with Daddy - another one of my favorite things from when I was a child!

the traditional Adirondack chair photo - I can't decide which one I like better

one of Ryan's favorite things was having snack out on the porch in the tippy chairs!

more reading - this time with Uncle Dain

annual 4 generation picture with Nana & Grammie

playing with Mr. Bear

with Aunt Sara - Ryan's newest crush

Marshmallows & Ice Cream

Who can hang out in the mountains for a week without roasting marshmallows over the campfire? Not I! And definitely not with a 2-year-old who's never been introduced to the concept before! As you can see, he enjoyed the experience :)




And another of my favorite Ampersand traditions is cranking home-made ice cream. We've been doing it since I was very small. The rule was always that you had to help crank if you wanted to eat any. That's been relaxed a bit since we grew up, but Ryan had no problems helping out this year! In fact, it took a while before he would even let anybody else have a turn. This year, we made Heath Bar ice cream, and it was one of our more delicious batches. I guess Ryan is a natural.

solo & with Mommy

helping Aunt Debbie & Uncle Kyle

The first tastes... Uncle Avery showing him how it's done!