Patrick's First Halloween!

Happy Halloween everybody! We hope you all had a great one.

Our Halloween festivities began a couple weeks ago when we went to pick out some pumpkins. We got around to carving those pumpkins this last weekend. I had planned to carve all three but after the first one was finished and we only had an hour before we had to be at a Halloween party, I gave up. Patrick had a lot of fun watching and talking to the pumpkin while I was carving. He wasn't sure what to make of the insides though. He seemed very suspicious of the cold, gooey mess. Luckily, he didn't try to eat it.

Even though Patrick has no idea what Halloween is and couldn't care less about candy and witches and Charlie Brown, we were still pretty excited since it's his first one. We (and by "we" I mean "Angie") started looking for a costume over a month ago for him to wear. We wanted to get something for him that he could lay around in since that's about all he does and wouldn't be too hot, since we weren't taking him door to door or anything. We ended up deciding on dressing him as a lobster. I have to say, he made a pretty cute lobster. And thankfully, he's either not old enough to care or is just laid back enough that he didn't mind wearing it for most of the night with the head piece and everything.

Here he is hanging out in his lobster pot:


I was looking for an easy costume and the first thing that popped into my head was "hey, if he's gonna be a lobster then I could be a chef!" That idea was good for about three minutes until I realized that that means I'd be cooking my child. But, I didn't feel like thinking of anything else so I stayed with the chef idea. Here are a few pictures of the two of us. Don't look at them too long or else you'll start thinking about how morbid it is (and no, it wasn't my idea to put the pot on the stove - you can talk to Patrick's Mom about that one):

People Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend...

Patrick loves playing with Funny Feet the dinosaur, a gift from my friends at work.

Fake Sneezes are Funny

If Patrick ever sneezes while playing, you have a good five minutes of easy entertainment by fake sneezing back at him. He thinks it's hilarious and will giggle over and over at it.



Hope everybody had a great weekend!

Back to Work...Kind Of

Thursday was my first day back to work. I returned to my position in cancer research; although now I only work one day a week. I know, I know, you feel sorry for me, right? It's the best of both worlds; I get to spend most of my days with my baby but still have my hand in the nursing world. Toby was with Patrick so I had no anxiety about that part of it. Patrick must have known something new was happening because he woke up at 1:30 and then again at 4:00 for no apparent reason.

It was great to be back and see everyone. I didn't realize how much I missed the ladies I work with until we all crammed into our little office to catch up on things (our closet of an office has three desks, four people and a bookshelf full of research charts - it's a good thing we like each other!). All of the ladies I work with are working Moms with kids of varying ages. Let me just tell you I respect working Moms even more so now that I have a taste, albeit a small one, of what they go through each morning. How do single Moms do it? How did my Mom do it with four kids, and Toby's Mom with five?!?! Whew, I have so much to learn! Amy, Wendy, Sue, Latanya, Penny, Michelle, Debbie and everyone else I am forgetting, my hat is off to you. Working Moms rock!

When I got home that evening dinner was made, Patrick was happy and Toby had a couple surprises for me on the kitchen table. I am happy to be back at work and even happier that I don't have to go back again until next Thursday!

Cutest Couple

Toby has always loved kids. That quality is what first drew me to him way back when (2001) on our mission trip to Akil, Mexico. Every time I would look, there he was making the children laugh. I remember talking to him one day on the trip about the future and what we wanted our lives to become as we grew older (not yet knowing that it would be together), and I'll never forget him saying he wanted to be a good husband and father and everything else was just a vehicle to make that possible. We were married four years before having kids, waiting until the right time. Thank goodness our friends had children so we could enjoy them and get our baby fix! Toby would visit the Barkers' kids every week and each time he would come home with twenty-some pictures of Andrew and Jordan. He could not wait to update me on their latest milestones and what they said and did. And now that he has his own munchkin I don't think he could be happier (except maybe to have four more).
It's the sweetest thing to watch Patrick and Toby together. Patrick loves to watch his Daddy and Toby will do anything (and I mean anything) to make Patrick smile. Patrick even has a unique squeal when Toby is around which, to Toby's delight, sounds a bit like a veliceraptor. They already have such a strong and special bond, I can't wait to watch their relationship grow over the years to come. Toby has always been a wonderful husband and now he is the best father to our little boy. Patrick and I are so blessed. We love you chatty!

Pumpkins & Witches & The Fox, Oh My!

My husband loves me. Musicals are so far down on his list of fun things to do (actually I am not sure they are even ON his list) but yet he endures them for me. This weekend we went to see Wicked at The Fox as a gift from Toby for my birthday. I have been looking forward to seeing it since Anna bought me the CD years ago. The show was amazing and the date night was wonderful. Dare I say Toby enjoyed it a little too! I think his exact words were,"It wasn't horrible." OK, so that's not exactly a rave review, but it's better than most of his opinions regarding musicals. I think the grandiose cheesiness is what makes him cringe but that is exactly what I love about it. Anyhow, I now have more songs to add to my repertoire to sing during work (get ready Sue, Latanya and Penny!).

Saturday was gorgeous outside. We took Patrick to Berry Patch Farms to pick out pumpkins. Meme and Papa Joe joined in the fun as well. We went on a little hay ride and had fun wandering through the pumpkin patch. In the barn they sell apple cider and homemade fried apple pies. Yummy! They also have a cute playground and adorable little baby farm animals that Patrick will enjoy when he is older. For now he was content to look around and take in the beautiful scenery.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

On the morning of my birthday I went into the nursery to get Patrick out of his crib. Through the darkness I saw a light shining on the rocking chair. I squinted and adjusted my glasses as I moved closer. It was a digital picture frame with a picture of Patrick holding a "Happy Birthday Mommy" sign (the same picture in the post Toby put up on my birthday). ADORABLE! Then lying on top of Patrick was a card that said "Mommy." Wow, Patrick worked hard to impress his mother on her birthday! (Brownie points for Toby, or "cookie points," as Hadi calls them).

We spent the day relaxing at my parents' house. Abbie, Mollie and Matt came home from school to spend the day with us. Mollie is taking a glass blowing class at GSW and gave me one of the pieces she made. What talent! Abs made me cupcakes from SCRATCH that were very yummy along with a fruit torte that was out of this world!
My Mom made my favorite breakfast ever: creme brulee french toast. She always dismisses my praise, saying "it's nothing," but I know how hard she works to make our birthdays special. Papa Joe got some Patrick time since Meme had him for the Miami trip. Papa Joe's looking forward to spending a few days together with Patrick in the next couple months when I go back to work. What a life-saver!





It was a wonderful day. I could not have asked for anything more. Thanks everyone!