Halloween 2010

I couldn't pick which pictures to post... So you get them all!

We did a remake of a pic from last year. This year...
Last year... I find it funny that Bud is wearing the exact same thing :)
The above two pictures also show the contrast between Arkansas and Pennsylvania. It amazes me to see how open things are in Arkansas. Things here are so much more crowded and old.

And this is how the night ended...

We took Sam to a few houses to trick or treat. Just the people we've met in the neighborhood so far. He kept wanting to go to "more house." Then, we headed home to pass out candy. I bought 8 bags of candy... EIGHT! And it was all gone in an hour!!! Apparently, our neighborhood is one that draws people from all over. We handed out some of Sam's candy too... he doesn't need it and neither do we. :)

Mama and Papa's Weekend away!

The weekend we got back from Bentonville/Columbia, my parents came to visit. Bud planned a romantic overnight away for just the two of us. We met my parents at the airport and sent them home on the train... which Sam loved! Bud booked a cute boutique hotel for us and a very fancy dinner. It was wonderful to get away! A much needed vacation, just the two of us! We hung out in a ritzy part of the city (Rittenhouse Square), shopped a little, people watched, ate a lot of yummy food, and explored the city a little more. I'm so proud of my husband for making the arrangements! And, I'm very grateful that mom and dad were willing and able to watch Sam. My only complaint is that it made me want to get away again... not likely to happen for a while with B2 making an appearance somewhat soon. :)

Dad and Sam practicing their jumping at the park...

Mom and Sam prepping his pumpkin for carving... Every time we walk past the pumpkin (multiple times a day) Sam says "unkin... Didi (Gigi)... Dodo."

Of course, mom made a whole theme out of pumpkin carving, so here they are reading a pumpkin book and she made pumpkin bread for us too...

Watching "Muzz" (Toy Story)... He's only allowed to watch it if he cuddles on the couch.
Mom also stocked our freezer with several meals either for before or after baby's arrival! It is so nice to have a back up plan in place if I don't have the energy to get dinner together!! Thanks mom and dad! And, thanks Bud for planning our weekend away!

Columbia

While out in the midwest, Samuel and I drove up to Columbia for a quick visit. I wish we could get together with these great friends more than a few times a year! I always leave Columbia with new ideas for cooking, cleaning, budgeting, and parenting after hanging out with these great friends. I miss you all already!

Samuel and Harrison at Shakespeare's Pizza (YUM!)...

I love this picture! Harrison and Samuel dancing to the Mickey Mouse Hot Dog Dance...
The three big boys, obliging my picture taking frenzy...
At Jackson's house for dinner... again, they weren't pleased that I was taking their picture :)
Matching outfits...

Bentonville 2010

We had such a wonderful visit to Bentonville last week! It made me very grateful for these wonderful friends! I only wish we didn't live forever away from each other!!

Girls night out...

Daniel (who is still referred to as "Dee" by Samuel), Sarah, and Sam watching football...

We had to go to Firehouse with Kellen while there...
We taught Kellen and Sam how to tackle each other (tackling was sometimes confused with tickling). Most 2 year olds don't need to be taught to play rough, but these two first born boys needed some instruction. :)
Kellen asked to hold Sam's hand...
An attempt at giving Sarah a kiss...
"High Five" Drew...
I'm so sad we didn't get more pictures of all the kids together, but we tried to enjoy the moments instead of focusing on a good picture opportunity. We went to the park a couple of times, had a wonderful "adults only" dinner out, and celebrated the arrival of 3 new babies in the past month! Thank you all for accommodating us on our travels!! And, thanks to Kari and Daniel for letting us crash at your house for 8 days!!

The Great Pumpkin

I am way behind on my blogging! We've been out of town for the past week and a half and I am finally getting back into routine. So, be ready for a ton of posts in the next few days. Coming soon... travels to the midwest and Gigi and Dodo's visit!

A few weeks ago we took Samuel to a lighting of The Great Pumpkin. It was a good idea in theory, but not so great for two year olds. Samuel couldn't have cared less about the giant pumpkins, but was thrilled to play with Charlie who went with us. They read the story of The Giant Pumpkin and brought large pumpkins out to go with the story. It would have been cool if we could have seen more and heard more, but maybe we'll try again next year. Samuel enjoyed the rest of the farm... the tractors, animals, and pumpkins.

All decked out for the farm...

Waiting for the story to begin and playing with the pumpkin flashlights...

The "medium" pumpkin in the background...
Samuel and Charlie caring less...
He went straight to the biggest one and gave it a hug, then tried to pick it up...

A Samuel sized pumpkin...

Gender Speculation

I wanted to record some aspects of my pregnancy with B2. And, also, hear your speculations on the gender of B2. I've put a poll up in the sidebar and look forward to seeing your baseless predictions. :) Here's some info to get you guessing...

- Heart rate has averaged in the 140's.

- I have felt more sick with this baby than with Samuel... general nausea and A LOT of food aversions. This lasted till about 16 weeks. However, just yesterday, I gagged at the sight of sandwich thins :)

- I've felt much more physically fatigued in this pregnancy than the last, probably because of chasing around a busy toddler.

- This baby moves like crazy! My doctor has me doing a kick count to see how long it takes for the baby to kick or move 10 times. I've been doing this for about two weeks now. It has never been more than 5 minutes and usually is under 2. The record is 37 seconds (which we have hit twice now). I didn't have to do this with Samuel, so I don't have a reference point, but I imagine it would have taken a lot longer. I am very interested to see what this means about this baby's personality.

- When B2 moves, it hurts. He/she must be very boney. :) He/she loves to kick under my ribs or pelvic bone, loves to jump up and down on my bladder, and stretch out causing me to feel kicks on both sides of my stomach at the same time.

- I craved cheese sticks in the first trimester and cereal in the second trimester. Now, in the third trimester, I only crave things that I shouldn't eat... at least not for a meal (i.e. cokes, nachos, candy, etc). :)

- I started "looking pregnant" around 27 weeks (not just fat).

- Most people are surprised that my due date is so soon. I've gained less than average weight and it appears to be localized in my belly. I never know what to say when people say, "You are due in December? You are so small!" Umm, "Thanks?"

- At my ultrasound last week, baby was measuring 4 lbs 3 oz... which is a little ahead of schedule!! YEAH!

That's all I can think of now. Let me know if you need more info to make your prediction. Looking forward to watching the tally :)

Samuel is growing up!!

Even though I'm not doing monthly updates on Samuel, I feel like I need to record some of his recent developments. So, this is for my own record and you don't need to read as it might be pretty boring...

- He puts words together!! This started around 25 months. Even though he communicates mostly one word at a time, he can hold a conversation... mostly about trucks.

- He repeats conversations he hears between us, on the TV, or the radio. He's trying to talk along with us. So, when the GPS lady says "turn right in a quarter mile" he says "turn right." It's a little scary how much he hears and repeats... we are spelling things more than ever now. :)

- He has friends! It's so cute! Every time we talk about church he says " play Darlie" (Charlie), his friend he met at church. And, whenever he plays with his police car, he asks about Kellen, because Kellen gave him that car before we left Arkansas. I can't wait to get him together with his friends he played with from infancy when we go to visit Bentonville and Columbia this week!

- Potty training has continued to go great!! He has gone over two weeks with only one accident (in a pull-up so I don't know if that counts) and, very inconsistently, stays dry throughout nap and bed time! We even conquered the public potty (once... after the third trip to the potty after a long outing, but it's progress).

- He loves to ride Clara and boss her around. He's well on his way to being her sole caretaker :) He lets us know when we need to fill up her food or water, carries her food/water bowls after we fill them up, puts her in her house before we go out, and opens and closes the back door to let her in or out. He also tells her "no no no" and "house" (aka "get in your house") when she acts inappropriately.

- Whenever he sees a baby out and about or a baby is referenced anywhere (i.e. a Gerber commercial), he points to my growing tummy. I'm looking forward to introducing him to his baby brother or sister! He will be such a good big brother!

- He picks his nails... just like his Papa. They are secretly conspiring to drive me insane!!

- When asked what his name is, he says "Nanuel" instead of "Buel." He still refers to himself as "Buel" when saying he wants to do something though, which makes me happy. I wasn't ready to see "Buel" go yet!

- He no longer sucks his thumb in his sleep. I'm so glad I don't have to fight this battle! He now points to the callous on his thumb and says "boo boo," but it is slowly disappearing. I think he could care less about his blankie (Gee) now too, but I'm not willing to brave a night without it just yet. :) That would be like admitting that he's all grown up!

My Tribute to Holly

My childhood dog, Holly, passed away this morning. She was a great dog for the Pfister pfamily and will be greatly missed! Some of my memories of Holly (those of you who knew her please add some memories in the comments!!)...

- She was a BIG Christmas surprise for me and my sisters 14 years ago, after many years of begging. Despite Mom and Dad's warning that she was very anxious, I screamed at the sight of her about giving her a heart attack.

- She could eat anything. We liked to say she had an iron stomach. She would eat a bowl of Hersey Kisses and leave the wrappers behind and have no ill effects. And, no food was safe... even on the counter. The microwave was a common place to store food so Holly couldn't get to it.

- She ran MANY miles every day for her first 10 years or so. She would go running with Dad in the morning, then one or all three of us girls would take her in the afternoon... usually at different times. She was known to go 10+ miles in a day frequently. She still ran with Dad, on shorter routes, 'till about a year ago!

- She was great with Sambo. He met her at 9 weeks old and they have been great friends ever since. Any Dalmation he sees is now "Holly." Not sure how to explain this to him. I'm pretty sure he will ask about her next time we go to Nashville.

Merry Christmas! This is her first picture... She was so little then!!

She pretty much thought she was a human...

Bud and my first Christmas together... Holly was only allowed on the couch if there was a blanket for her to lay on. No, she wasn't spoiled :)
Sam meeting Holly... As you can see, he approved!

Play time with Holly... She put up with a lot from this little boy!