Burger Farm

This weekend we traveled to KY again for another beautiful wedding.  We headed down on Friday night in the cold and rain and rush hour traffic – not fun.  But it was nice to get there and not have to get up early the next morning and drive 2 hours.  Saturday we went to Burger Farm in Newtown, OH.  I grew up going to Burger Farm and have lots of great memories of going to the pumpkin patch there.  It’s gotten a lot bigger over the years and morphed for a simple Pumpkin Patch to an all-out Fall Festival.  There were games, rides, food and crafts for the kids.  We enjoyed a puppet show and a walk through Pumpkinland before hitching a hayride to the pumpkin patch.  Evie loved getting to pick out her own pumpkin and one for Mitchell.  She went on a few rides and had her very first ride on a pony.  She was SO excited to ride a pony.  She did get a little scared for a while, but Aunt Sha-Sha stayed right by her and Evie had a lot of fun.  

 She also went on a few festival rides – also a first for her.  Each time, she couldn’t wait to get on the ride, but wanted to get off again after only a few moments.  Even so, she finished each ride and was so proud of herself afterwards!  We played a few carnival games, got a balloon hat and saw some animals at a petting zoo.  It was awesome!  

 It sounds silly, but watching Evie on those rides tugged at my heart a little.  She’s getting so big and it’s strange to see her doing things independently of Pat and I.  We obviously couldn’t ride the rides with her so she marched right up to each one my herself.  I think it scared her a little to be there alone – she is only 2.5 after all – but she was so brave and she smiled so big as we all cheered for her.  When she met my eyes at point and said “I want to get down”, it took a lot for me not to go running up the ride attendant and have them stop the ride.  Had something really been wrong, I wouldn’t have even hesitated to do so.  But she was fine so we just kept cheering and waving to her.  I’m happy that’s she’s brave enough to try new things – even though my first instinct is to keep her close to me so that  she will never get hurt!

Mitchell was an angel all day.  We all took turns holding him and he didn’t cry once.  He loved the hayride and watching the commotion all around him.  He is seriously the best baby!

We can’t wait to decorate the pumpkins we got and get ready for Halloween!

Happy 4 months!

Mitchell turned 4 months old last Friday. The past month has been a time of growth and change for our sweet boy.  He weighs 17lbs 7oz. and is 25.5 inches long!  He’s getting so big and so busy.  He always seems to be moving – his arms and legs never stop!  He’s learned to roll over (mostly from back to belly) and he can scoot himself in circles.  He loves to coo and ‘talk’ to us.  He still loves to stare at faces.  He’s mesmerized by them and you can see that he is studying you when he’s watching you.  His little eyebrows will furrow or raise (probably cause he’s wondering why I’m making such silly faces at him).  He’s ticklish, especially under his chin and around his collar bone.  His little giggle is precious!  And his smile  - it’s just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.  Mitch adores his big sister.  He’ll watch her as she runs around the room and light up when she talks to him.  It’s no wonder he loves her since Evie is has been an amazing big sister so far.  She is so loving and sweet to Mitch, and she delights in making him happy.  The other day she told me “Mama I love Baby Mitchell.  He’s my best friend”.  I’m going to remind her of those words when he gets a little bigger and starts getting into her stuff!

 While I’m sad that time is passing so quickly, I’m excited about Mitch being 4 months.  This time is one of my favorites – when his little personality will really start to shine.  WE love our little boy so much and we can’t wait to see what the next month brings!

Fall Fest Fun and a Wedding

Last weekend we were in KY for a  wedding and while we were there I took the kids to Fall Fest in Edgewood.  It was a nice day, just a little chilly, so I plopped the kiddos in the stroller and walked with my mom and Shannon.  We weren’t sure what to expect from the festival, but it ended up being pretty small and not very crowded.  There wasn’t a whole lot for us to do there, but we still had fun.  Evie jumped in a bounce house for the very first time.  She was so excited, but ended up being a little scared once she finally got in there.  She jumped for a little while and went down the slide and then decided she was done.  She got a balloon butterfly, played a few carnival games, had her face painted Frozen-style and did a Halloween craft.  From the park, we walked to LaRosa’s across the street and had lunch.  I really enjoyed getting to spend an impromptu afternoon with my mom and sister.  We don’t get to do stuff like that often so it makes it really special when we do!  After lunch, the kids were getting pretty cranky, especially Evie who had missed her nap, so my Dad came and picked us up since Pat was watching OSU play.  That night, Pat and I had a great time at the wedding and I know that the kids had fun with Kiki, Pops,  Aunt Sha-Sha and Uncle Adam.  On Sunday, we had a big breakfast of goetta, eggs and donuts and headed over the G.G. Mitchell’s house for a visit.  I always enjoy seeing my grandma and Evie loves exploring her house and using her magnifying glass.  This visit we also got to see my Aunt Julie and have some of her delicious apple crisp…YUM!

Overall, it was  great weekend and we were pretty tired when we finally made it home.  We can’t wait til next time!

Zoo day!

This weekend, we went to one of our favorite places...the zoo!  We had our breakfast there again- donuts at the zoo has become our little routine now.   Evie loves 'her box" of timbits. :)

  Evelyn went on the merry-go-round for the first time ever.  She loved it!

We got up close and personal with some apes...

We saw a show and got a family picture too!

Blessed

Today, I feel blessed.  It's been a normal day.  I overslept, rushed to get ready for work, put in my hours at the office, picked up the kids ( I love saying that - the kids!), cooked dinner (because Pat was working), took a walk with the kids, went to the park, read Evie stories,  and, once she was asleep, snuggled with my baby boy.  It was busy day, but, as I walked with my kiddos, I felt grateful.  There was light breeze and the temperature was perfect.  The sun was low in the sky so sometimes it was hard to see because of the glare, but we had fun with that.  Every time we turned a corner, I told Evie "Look out!  It's the sun!' and she would snap the shade shut.  A few times she couldn't pull the shade and  she yelled "Shut the door Mama".  She giggled and laughed and had a ball!  Such a little thing, but it filled my heart with joy.  I love that she can have fun with such simple things.  Mitchell was so good too - awake and alert and just enjoying the walk and taking in all of the surroundings.  He loves being outside!  Later, after we got home, Evie asked to snuggle with Mitch.  She is such a a good big sister and I cannot even describe the happiness I feel when I see my children together.  It makes me feel like Pat and I must be doing something right since Evie is so good with the baby and Mitch seems to adore his big sister. I hope it's always that way.
Yes, tonight I felt blessed.  I even felt blessed to be a working mom.  This doesn't happen everyday.  But today, I went grocery shopping on my lunch break kid-free so that I didn't have to do it after work with both kids. Today,  I was tired and irritable, but my kids didn't have to deal with that.  They got to be with their amazing and patient babysitter and have fun.  Plus,  I was able to have some quality time with the kids without feeling too stressed since I hadn't had to to deal with the crying fit and tantrums all day long.
Today my kids are healthy and happy and I got to be with them.  The only thing that would have made it better would be if Pat was home.  But there is always tomorrow! :)

Mitchell's Baptism

Today our baby boy was baptized at St. Peter's Church in Columbus.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate our baby boy joining our Catholic faith.  We were able to celebrate with our families and I can honestly say that we couldn't have done it without them.  All the little things that they did for us helped so much.  My mom vacuumed the  downstairs while I fed Mitch and changed him into his baptism gown and my dad ran to the grocery store to pick up a few items we'd forgotten.  Shannon kept Evie in the Cry Room during Mass which allowed us to focus on Mitchell.  After Mass, when the baptism took place, Shannon took pictures for us during each moment so that I didn't have to worry about it.  Holly gave Mitchell a bottle so that I could entertain our guests and Rita cleaned up the kitchen so that we didn't have to do it all after the party.  All of the grandparents, aunts and uncle helped us out so much with kids during the baptism and afterwards at the party and we are so incredibly grateful!
Thank you all for joining us and making today so special!
Oh - and I can't forget to give kudos to Pat for an amazing dinner.  He made fantastic fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac & cheese and biscuits.  Delicious!!

Below is a picture of Mitchell in his baptism gown.  It is a very special gown.  His G.G. Mitchell, Pops (and great aunts on the Mitchell side), his Mama and big sister Evie all wore the same gown!
It was a tight fit because Mitchell is rocking some serious baby rolls, but we made it work.  And like I told my mom - he'll get feeling back into his arms eventually!

Mitch and his Godparents

Life lately

Life lately has been busy.  Between work, kids, cleaning, playing, family get-togethers, going to KY and just the day-to-day daily grind, we feel like we are constantly doing something.  We've been enjoying the cooler weather and spending some times outdoors.  I wish we could do it more, but I'm not crazy about all the mosquitoes.  Evie has a pretty bad allergy to the bites and even bug spray doesn't seem to keep them away.  We've been enjoying walks, park time, and playing outside as much as we can.  We try and have fun not matter what we do!

Grandma Rita reading to the kiddos

"No Mama! He's too big!"

I'm almost as big as you G.G!

Daddy - you're my favorite guy!

First time fishing!

Uncle Adam and Evie contemplating life

Thanks for the lunchbox Pops!