Pumpkin Patch

Josh had another unexpected day off (for the record, most of his days off are unexpected, and we just have to take advantage!), so we went to pick out some pumpkins at a local church's pumpkin patch. Lila is in love with pumpkins, so we knew that she'd have fun with a whole field full of them, and she surely did! She didn't know where to start and kept running from pile to pile to try and pick up the pumpkins. It was pretty funny to watch her try and pick up the giant pumpkins, but made quite the mess when she found the pumpkins that were more her size.  Of course I took a ton of pictures because I just love how bright orange pumpkins make the perfect photo op!

When we purchased our pumpkins, the man working the booth gave Lila stickers with which to decorate her little pumpkin. She had a great time sticking the little eyes, nose, and mouth on her little pumpkin.

Alli's first "car" ride

Lila used to LOVE this pink car walker, and I'm happy to see that she is sharing so nicely with her little sister. Last night, before bed, she gave Alli a ride in her old car. From the look on Alli's face, I'd say that she enjoyed it!

Lila hasn't given it up entirely though. As you can see, she climbs in it on occasion; however, she has a bit of trouble getting out!

 "help, I'm stuck!"

Lila and her sister's shoes

Lila is obsessed with shoes and plays with any that she finds (or steals). This morning before church, while the girls were sitting on the couch, Lila saw it as a prime opportunity to steal Alli's shoes for playtime. You can tell by Alli's face that she's not too thrilled with having her shoe stollen and wishes for it back. They are so funny together!

 "Alli, I'm going to take your shoe"

 "Got it!"

 Alli: "please give it back" Lila: "I'm trying to put it on, just be still"

Lila: "Alli, you have stinky feet!" Alli: "Come on, give it back!"

 "How do you work these shoes anyways?"

 "All better, thank you!"

Houston Zoo Boo

Josh got an unexpected two days off at the end of this week, so we decided to take advantage of it and head to the Houston Zoo for their Zoo Boo celebration. There was a pumpkin patch, face painting, trick-or-treating stations, and games. Josh had never been to the zoo here before, so he was really excited to go. I was excited to take the girls, especially since Lila can enjoy it so much more this year, and boy did she ever!

We got there right when it opened because it was Saturday, and we knew that it would be packed. The weather was perfect, and the girls were great on the drive up. Once we got there, we headed straight to the pumpkin patch area to let Lila pick out her own pumpkin to decorate before the crowd arrived. Lila had such a fun time picking out her pumpkin, and tested them out by seeing how far she could throw them (good thing they are sturdy little pumpkins, or I'm sure we'd be in trouble!). She painted it with paint pens and was so proud of her work. She played with her pumpkin all afternoon and evening also!

After we left the pumpkin patch, we explored the rest of the zoo. We let Lila walk, even though it took longer to get from exhibit to exhibit, so that she could see the animals better. She had such a fun time running around and seeing the different animals. She even got into looking at the map of the zoo to help daddy navigate. All of the animals were so active, and we had such a great time watching them. This time of year is such a perfect time to visit the zoo, and I'm so glad that Josh could join us this year!

sisters holding hands

 playing with her pumpkin

 me and baby girl

 My happy lil' pumpkin

Zoo Boo 2010

Three Months Old *October 13, 2011*

* you weigh 11.8 pounds and are about 22.5 inches long.

*you are still sleeping pretty well (although I'd like it to be a little longer!). The past few weeks you have woken up like clockwork at 2am and again at either 5 or 6am. You are really hungry when you wake up, so I think that you must be growing.

*you had a few nights at the beginning of this month where you slept 7-8 hours straight. Lately it's only been in 4-5 hour stretches. Hopefully, it goes back to the 7-8 soon!

*you will grunt when you are trying to get yourself to sleep. It sounds so funny!

*we started swaddling you all the way for your naps and at night. You seem to like it better than you used to, but it doesn't help you sleep any longer at night, just longer for your naps.

*your naps are becoming slightly more regular; however, some days they are still all over the place. Most days, you will nap at around 10-11am for about an hour and again at 2 for a good two hours (which is the same time as your sister!).

*you still nurse pretty well. You are getting more used to your bottles and sometimes prefer those at certain times of the day. You nurse the best right after your naps or when you wake up from your nighttime sleep.

*you still take a while to finish a bottle, and will drink between 3-4 ounces of breastmilk every 3-4 hours.

*you still love your Avent bottles and Mam pacis.

*you are wearing mainly 0-3 month clothes with some 3 month clothes thrown in there. Some of your newborn clothes still fit, but the dresses are getting pretty short! You have completely outgrown the newborn cotton pajamas.

*still wearing size 1 diapers.

*you still like your lamb swing okay. You usually go in there about 7am when we want to get a couple more hours of sleep in the morning. You will sleep in there until 9 or 10, which gives us a chance to get up and get Lila ready for the day.

*you LOVE to look at and kick the animals in your pack-and-play, bouncer, and swing. You will coo at them and play with them for a long while!

*you have a strong grip and love to grab our fingers and various objects in your reach (toys, blankets, etc.).

*your neck is so strong and you can lift it to 90 degree on your belly. You can also hold it up so straight when being held or sitting in your Bumbo.

*you love to stand and can bear all of your weight on your legs while we just hold your hands to balance you.

*you will turn in direction of our voices as well as follow our faces with your eyes.

*you found your feet and love to play with them. You also love holding your hands together.

*you still smile all the time, especially when daddy wiggles and jiggles you or you see my face. It melts my heart!

*you got to meet your new friend, Chandler this month. You all are only 8 weeks apart!

*you went on your first vacation this past week. You did SO well on the 10-hour car ride to Florida! You had a great time visiting with family, but weren't crazy about the beach (your sister throwing sand in your face on your first day there didn't help!).

I can't believe that three sweet months have gone by with you in our lives! You are so bright-eyed and beautiful! We love you, Alli!

Last Day of Vacation

We ate brunch at the Donut Hole with Josh's parents before they had to leave to go back to Atlanta. It was delicious as always, and Lila was so well-behaved in her high chair! After brunch, we put Alli down for a nap while we took Lila to the beach to enjoy the sand for one last time before we headed back to Texas. She loves to get sand all over her and had the best time playing with her shovel and pail. Josh and I had such a wonderful time lounging on the beach as well as watching Lila have a blast playing on the beach. It was so great to visit with our parents, my sister, as well as Josh's sister's family this past week!

Since Lila was having such a great time playing on the beach, we didn't take her to the condo pool until yesterday for the first time. She loves her baby intertube and was having so much fun being able to "swim" without one of us having to hold her. We could only spend a couple minutes in the pool before we had to put her down for a nap, but she really enjoyed it while it lasted.

That evening, Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama were all playing their games at the same time, so we went to dinner at La Paz to watch the games. They had the Auburn game on the big screen (which was a little hard for me to watch!), but at least the food was good!

 kisses from Aunt Kimberly

 Alli says "touchdown Auburn"

This morning we slept in and got a late start heading back to Texas. The girls did so well on the almost 10 hour trip, but were so excited to finally get out of the car once we got home. We had such a great vacation, but are glad to be back home!