Happy Held-O-Ween

Yesterday we hosted our 3rd annual kids Halloween party! It turned out be a pretty good day. The weather was nice (sunny and 60 degrees). I wish it was a tad bit warmer, but I'm glad it didn't rain. Leah dressed up as a cow girl and Mason was a little cow. He is so dang cute! Leah gave me a hard time with her costume. She refused to wear the cow girl hat and the scarf around her neck. She did wear the cow girl boots though which surprised me! She was also pretty uncooperative when I tried to take her picture. I didn't get any cute ones of her in her costume or any pictures with her and Mason. What a little stinker!

Moo!!

Yee Haw!

We had about 35 kids come for the fun. Almost all of our friends were able to make it this year (but we missed the ones that couldn't be there). Some of my girlfriends that I haven't seen in forever came with their kids too. (Kathryn, Sasha and Erin - I loved spending time with you! We need to get together again real soon).

Our pumpkin patch!

Love it!!

Uncle Jeff with Mason and Alyssa

Erin and Cam

Sweet Avery

Minnie Mouse Annabelle

Emma and Gavyn - how cute are they?

Fireman Jack

Scary Colin!

Brian, Jack, Wayne and Aubree

Auntie Lisa and Mason

Sasha, Kathryn, Me and Erin. Miss these girls - we used to do everything together!

Patti, Me, Jaime and Sara

We had plenty to eat and drink. I made BBQ chicken sandwiches and hot dogs (for the kids) in crock pots. I made a few other apps and everyone brought something to share. I wish there were more hours in the day. I saw tons of cute ideas of Pinterest, but some of them got chopped because I ran out of time. Rob was in charge of alcohol. He went to Binny's and was a kid in a candy store. He must have gotten about 9 different kinds of beer. (We have PLENTY leftover if anyone wants to come by for drinks - ha)!!

The festivities for our party included a bounce house and pony rides. Earlier this year, we went to a party that had ponies and it was such a hit with the kids that we decided to get them for our party. Leah loved the pony rides and was so excited when they pulled up. There were two ponies - Rocket and Raisin. Between the bounce house and going on the ponies - Leah was in heaven! We also had pumpkins for all of the kids and set up a pumpkin decorating table. We bought a 'bubble machine' too and I swear it is the best invention ever! The kids had fun chasing bubbles around the driveway. We finished the night up with a pumpkin piñata filled with all sorts of candy!

Thank you to everyone that came out! We sure had fun and look forward to doing it again next year!

3 Months of Mason

The 14th marked Mason's 3 month birthday! I can't believe how fast time has gone. I've already been back at work for a week now (sniff, sniff). MJ is such a perfect baby. His acid reflux has been under control for a few weeks now and he is a happy little guy. He is smiling and cooing all the time now. Mason melts my heart at least fifty times a day.

Mason is a pretty good sleeper. He usually averages 10 hours at night and sleeps the whole night through (he has stopped waking up for that 3:00 AM feeding). It is rare for him to wake up (thank goodness). He is not as consistent during the day and his nap schedule varies. He takes 5-6 ounces of formula at every feeding. We recently tried cereal and he did great (although it was a very slow process). My chunker is getting big and weighs almost 14 pounds! He has moved into 3 month size clothes. Newborn size does not fit him anymore. He is still in a size 1 diaper.

We try to get tummy time in every day. Of course he is not a huge fan. He loves spending time under his activity gym and has recently started grabbing at the hanging animals. He makes good eye contact and follows movement and voice across the room. Big sister Leah loves her little brother to pieces. She wants to be by him all of the time. She is great at getting him to smile and talk. She loves being a helper. Mason has brought so much happiness to our family and we enjoy watching him grow!

Happy 3 months MJ!!

Mason at 3 months and Leah at 3 months

Durbin's Pumpkin Party

Last week we went and checked out a new(er) restaurant/bar in Plainfield called Durbin's. It was pretty good. They had a big menu and were kid friendly. They also have a nice indoor/outdoor beer garden that would be nice to check out if it was just me and Rob or with friends. While we were there they handed out flyers advertising their First Annual Pumpkin Painting Party for kids on October 13th. They were going to have pumpkin painting, games, face painter, balloon maker, magician and more. It sounded like fun so we decided we were going to pencil it in our calendar and take the kids.

This morning when we woke up, it looked like it was going to be a cruddy day. Sure enough the rain started around 10:00. We weren't sure if the festivities at Durbin's were going to be inside or outside, but we decided we were still going to check it out anyways. We were planning to have lunch there anyways. We invited my dad to come along. My dad came over around noon and we were on our way. Luckily once we pulled up, we could see everything was going to be inside. The bad news was that it was completely unorganized. It was their first year doing it, so I will give them some credit. They didn't have anyone providing direction on what we should do so it was a little chaotic. There were lots of kids there. Overall, Leah had fun. She decorated a pumpkin and had a balloon hat made. We had pizza for lunch (which was really good). Mason slept almost the whole time. It was nice to go do something Halloween-ish!

Mama went back to Work

My gig as a stay-at-home mom has come to an end! Today was my first day back at work. What a day! Mason has been sleeping amazing, but this morning he decided it was time to get up at 4:15 AM. I fed him a bottle and by the time he was finished, it didn't leave me enough time to go back to sleep. Mason went right back to bed though (which was good). I laid in bed and watched TV for a little while before getting in the shower. While I was doing my makeup Leah woke up crying at 5:45 AM. This is way early for her. She came in my bed and watched Mickey Mouse Club House. At least she was in a good mood. I got MJ up and dressed at 6:30 AM. I gave him a quick bottle and we were out the door before 7:00 AM. I did snap a quick picture of Mason on his first (full) day of daycare!

Drop off went okay - there were no tears! (I remember with Leah the tears wouldn't stop flowing the whole way to work). Of course I was sad but it was a little easier this go around. I know he is in good hands! Big sister Leah also is there to keep an eye on him. I stayed for a few minutes and then was on my way to work. Today was Columbus Day so traffic was great! I was able to get to work by 7:45 AM. It felt so weird being back at work and walking in the doors! I did have 'welcome back' signs all over my desk which made me feel better.

I know my team is glad to have me back. I had so many meetings and was just so busy! I barely had time to think! I did check email during my entire maternity leave, but there is just so much catching up and work to be done. I did call daycare a few times to see how Mason was doing and thankfully he was doing great. I did get a text with a picture of my sweet boy.

Lunch was the highlight of my day. I ate with a few of my coworkers and my boss. I didn't leave work until almost 5:30 PM. What a long day. Being back at work is definitely going to be an adjustment. At times I wish I could stay home with them all the time. I know they say the grass isn't always greener on the other side but I missed my babies SO much!! I got home around 6:00 and my sweet husband had a nice turkey sandwich waiting for me on the table. Yep - I had a nice cold beer with it too. It was just one of those days! I spent a few hours (2 to be exact) with Leah and Mason and before I knew it, it was time to put them to bed. And, I get to do it all over tomorrow! I sure hope this gets easier!

Pumpkin Farm with the Family

For the past couple of years, we've been going to Bengston's Pumpkin Patch. It has become a family tradition, but this year we had a new addition - MJ! It was pretty chilly outside, but we decided to bundle the kids up and head there anyways. But before we left the house, I was sure to get a few pictures of Leah and MJ in their Halloween shirts.

We got to Bengston's around 11:00 and it was pretty empty - which we were surprised. Last year it was packed (but it was also 30 degrees warmer)! We still had fun!

Leah picking out a gourd and weighing it

Leah playing in a pit of corn

Leah is at a perfect age for her to enjoy the pumpkin farm. She was able to go on all of the rides (honey pots, frog hopper and train). She went down the big slide with her dad (and screamed the whole way down). We went into the petting zoo and Leah fed all of the animals.

She soaked in as much as she could and had a ton of fun! I can't wait for Mason to be a little bit older so he can keep up with his big sister. For now, he had to watch from the sidelines. We also did our annual Held family picture.

Now we have one fall activity checked off our list! Next up, our annual kids Halloween party!