Homecoming #8

With October came our 8th Annual Homecoming! It all started with ten of us sleeping in our friend Joel's one bedroom apartment the year after we graduated college. Several years later, we're still going strong with our Homecoming tradition. Matt and I have obviously since moved to Nashville and have taken over the task of hosting since Joel has since moved to California. 

We are so excited that our friends still come into town every year from East coast to West. I love that a decade after meeting each other and having moved hundreds of miles apart, this group of people is still in our lives. I love you all! We're also excited that we've added several amazing people to the group over the years as significant others and our little ones have joined. 

And yes, we are still sleeping on the floor (or rather futons, couches, and air mattresses). Well, Matt and I aren't. The joy of hosting this shin dig every year.  Without us all crammed into one space, crawling out of bed mid-morning in pajamas to hang out with our coffee and apple devices (the number grows every year), and staying up way too late in the evening, Homecoming just wouldn't be Homecoming. 

Our Homecoming weekend every year is as Matt likes to say the weekend "we all pretend like we're still in our twenties." Well until this year we were actually in our twenties but from now on we'll have to pretend. 

A few of my Vandy peeps:

The kiddos did not understand that maybe they should sleep past 6am if the whole house didn't go to bed until shortly before. Luckily mommy thought that might happened and turned in "early" as well. Mickey Mouse time it was.

Giving all our friends some baby playtime.

Nice cup house 

Chatting everyone up a la Lucas style

Lucas enjoyed the abundance of iPads and willing people to let him play

HK and the McKinney-McEacherns all decked out in Vandy gear

Haley got the cutest self-made Vandy onesie and tutu from our dear friend Whitley. This girl was ready for a big win. Photo shoot! Thanks Whit!

Lunch at McDougal's. Yummy but cold! Brrr.  Followed by a walk around our old stomping grounds.

Group shot in the redone Sarratt. This definitely didn't exist when we were still here.

And a quick shout out to my dear friends Whitley and India who both ran a full marathon the day of homecoming and the week before respectively. My hat goes off to both of them. I get out of breath just thinking about 26.2 miles. You are both so incredibly amazing. 

And here everyone is cheering Whitley on from afar. We missed you at Homecoming Whit but are so proud of you. And India, thanks for running early to be with us. Wouldn't be the same without you!

Go Dores!!

October Potpurri

As with every month, the month of October flew by. It started with Disney, ended with Halloween, and had some annual Homecoming fun in the middle. We also had a lot of fun with our every day craziness. Had to share some of last months pics of the kiddos. 

What a special treat: Uncle Mike came to visit. 

Molly has the best toys!

Cheering on the Dores

Israel Family Pic

Cruisin'

Trick or Treat

Candy galore at la Case de Israel now that Halloween is over. We took our T-Rex and Ladybug trick or treating with L's friends Belle (Ella) and Sleeping Beauty (Anna) on their closed off street and very soon all we could see was a streak of green as our dinosaur ran from one house to the next. We have trick or treated on the same street for a few years now and it's fabulous: no cars, lots of spooky decorations everywhere, and even one house that serves smores to all the adults. Yum!

HK is unsure about this whole Halloween thing but L is watching out for her

T-Rex and Sleeping Beauty

The princesses with our critters

Still unsure...

Better. Hoping for some candy now.

The candy hunt begins despite refusal to wear the dinosaur head

Shortly after starting on the candy hunt, HK passed out in her daddy's arms. We had one tired bug!

After Lucas successfully collected a whole bag of candy we met up for pizza and more pictures with some of our other little friends. We had a whole zoo: a duck (Molly), a dog (JD), and a giraffe (Will) in addition to our little guys. They were such cuteness! I do admit this picture was not a small feat to capture. 

HK and JD playing. Look how big we're getting. These two little ones have birthdays exactly one week apart!

Pumpkins Everywhere!

I love fall and I love our annual trip to the little pumpkin patch down the road. A visit to our pumpkin patch has been a tradition for us since Lucas' first pumpkin season. When he was almost two he already loved pumpkin shopping so much that he took the two little pumpkins he had picked out to bed with him for weeks. He's a bit older now but the excitement for pumpkins has not decreased.

Here is a quick flashback to our past visits to the pumpkin patch.

2011

2010

2009

Haley - 6 Months



Our Haleybug turned 6 months while we were at Disney World. She is more interactive, more talkative, and makes more faces every single day. She is such a sweet, sweet baby and such a joy to be around. Just recently her daycare teacher asked me if I couldn't leave her there and take one of the other babies home instead. I told her I was pretty fond of my own as well. 

I got the chance to do a quick little photo shoot while we were in Florida. I just love how her quirky little personality comes out. I do need to be careful that Lucas doesn't see who Hales snagged to be her photo shoot buddy. Morris wanted a little camera action as well.

Haley is loving her solid food. She chows done every time she has the chance. She loves eating applesauce out of the squeeze packs (just like big brother). It's great for me to have a snack I can pack for both of them. She also loves peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots. We still enjoy our mommy-Haley feeding snuggle time as well even though she does have trouble keeping her attention on drinking rather than the world around her.

Haley is still sleeping in the co-sleeper next to my bed but I feel the day drawing near where she will be able to try to hoist herself out of it and I will have to let her sleep in her big girl crib. It's going to be a sad day for mommy. I love hearing my baby girl breathing right next to me at night.

Haley is a flurry of physical activity as well. She is sitting better and better and can turn herself from back to stomach easily now. I know she is just waiting to get the hang of crawling so that she can get to all those fun toys we have lying around. It's going to be time for me to get rid of all of those choking hazards soon. We'll see how I will explain to Lucas that he needs to clean up his Legos after playing with them.

She just had her 6 month check-up. Her current stats are:

14 pounds or 6.4 kgs (7%ile)

26.5 inches or 67 cm (50%ile)

We love you sweet baby girl!