Far, Far Away...

I know you are all going through withdrawal after a week with no updates!! Sarah and I have been having a great time in London all week and I fly home tomorrow, so look forward to lots of London recap next week!!

Boy: A noise with dirt on it...

Portrait with Corn

Here we are in our best apple picking clothes!

 Max is trying his hardest to get away, but the thrashing is not as evident in this picture... :)

Fallin' for Fall

Counting With Maxwell

My Boys

Liam and I spent the last two days up north. We enjoyed the nice weather and visited with Grandpa Howard and Grandma Arlene quite a bit. Liam even got to track a deer! He's wiped out though...early bedtime tonight!

Maxwell stayed home with Daddy and slept over at Grandma Meg's last night! He was very good, and even helped make cupcakes! He ran to hug me when Liam and I got back...I love those cute Max hugs. Such a sweet pea.

Grandpa is now finished with this round of chemo, so we're hoping he might regain some of his strength in the next few days. He knew me right away when I got there on Tuesday night, and he seemed to be in quite a good mood most of the time. He's experiencing seizures because of the location of the tumor in his brain and those are increasing in number. He's sleeping for most of the day and night and has trouble eating more than a little soft food. He's still got his sense of humor though, and it was good to see him and to bring Liam to visit. Thanks for your prayers!

Johnny Appleseeds

May the Sun Shine Warm Upon Your Face...

We had a great time apple picking at Hillside Orchard yesterday!

Prepare for some adorable photos from our visit that I'll post later this week!

On another note: The boys and I, or just Liam (we're not sure yet), will be heading up north tomorrow for a few days. Grandpa Howard has been getting steadily weaker and is now mostly confined to his bed. I'd like to go and help out with whatever I can. Keep him, and especially my dad, in your prayers.

Da & Kels Visit!

Auntie Da and Kelsey came for a visit yesterday! The boys were overwhelmed with excitement and made sure Kelsey was paying complete attention to them at all times!

This is my ball. This is my Kelsey.

Did I mention Max loves any kind of ball right now? Everyone must have a ball and be willing to throw it according to his will.

And here's the face. This child is such a little stinker. And he knows it!

We had a great time visiting with Da and Kels! Come again soon ladies! We miss you already!

Oliver's Garden

Aaron and I got a gift card for The Olive Garden for our anniversary. We decided to take the boys out for dinner tonight and used our gift card. Liam was especially inquisitive on the drive there and back.

"When will we be at Oliver's Garden, mom?" he'd ask. I assured him that "Oliver's" Garden was coming up soon.

He is usually never awake past dusk, so he is always amazed at what the world looks like in the dark. As we drove home he shared some of his observations.

"I didn't know there were clouds at nighttime, mom!" he said.

He caught glimpses of the first stars coming out and got very excited.

"Look at that one! And that one! Oh, there's another one!"

He saw a very small star and said, "OHHHH, it's so CUTE!" and then, "Hey! That one blinked at me!"

Kids are fun! Except when they don't sleep...

On Imagination

And here is a photo of my child with the toy he plays with all the live-long day.

A stick.

It's a sword! It's a bow! He's a pirate! He's a hunter! He's a knight!

In The Garden

We've finished harvesting the last of the vegetables and sunflowers from our garden!

The ladybugs are still enjoying the leaves, though.

We grew some of our own pumpkins this year, so we have some small orange ones and a few green ones for decoration. Not having to buy pumpkins...what a novel idea!

The boys and I have spent much of each morning this week at the Y! We just decided to join and are amazed at all they have to offer. It's an expense we weren't sure we could afford, but with the weather getting colder I wanted somewhere to go to keep the kids (and the parents!) active. Liam and I visited the pool on Sunday and had a blast. The boys hang out at the Kids Korner in the mornings while I workout. They also have open family gym time, open family pool time, and tons of classes for a reasonable fee. I have been feeling much more energized and productive after taking just a little bit of time to work out my frustrations on the gym equipment!

I've been rethinking my decision to leave the hospital as well...and come to the conclusion that I need to give it another go. More on that soon!

Perfect Autumn Afternoon

Sit Down

Max is super vocal lately and comes up with some cute things to say. Also some sassy things, but that is because his alter-ego's name is Sasswell. He wants to do everything his big brother does, eat everything everyone else is eating and knows how to get what he wants. "Peeeeeese?!" He will ask with that adorable little smile. "Peeeeese?! Peeeese? PEEEEEESE?!" Ok. I give in.

His latest interest has been standing on things. He will crawl up on the couch, or the kitchen bench or our bed and stand up. He will then yell, "SIT DOWN!" to himself and then look to see what I will do. It's so exasperating, especially the 100th time he does it in a given day, but also so adorable. I have to work hard to keep myself from laughing at him, and get him to SIT DOWN.

This kid...

Pajama Party!