Turning in a New Year

Okay, okay, I have been slacking on entries the last few months. Between all the hustle and bustle, I just plain old forgot. So here's the nitty gritty:
Since Halloween:

• we went up North to visit family for Thanksgiving
• Lucian had his dance recital
• we visited close friends who moved back to town
• we went East to visit family
• Lucian got a new hair cut
• Lucian had a congestive cold all through vacation
• Mama and Daddy danced in the new year
• First Dental visit
• A new semester has come for Daddy
• Lucian is continuing tap and starting soccer 
• We are officially getting married in 2016

I think I hit all the highlighting points. It's been another wonderful year with my growing family. Every year we learn new things, Lucian grows bigger and bigger, and we have a lot more fun. I couldn't have asked for a better family. And Hao survived the long car rides. We vowed not to take him on anymore long trips unless it is one-way. Thanks to everyone who made it a wonderful year.

Halloween 2014

Another cold, rainy and snowy Halloween. Yes, Snowy. It was the first snowfall of the year. It was windy so we all wore multiple layers and still froze. Looks like it might be another cold winter. We did end up trick-or-treating for a little bit with our friends. We dressed up as the Pines family from the show Gravity Falls. Lucian was Dipper, I was Mabel, Daddy was Stan. I think our costumes turned out pretty good. Lucian ended up wearing his tiger hat due to the cold and everyone thought he was a tiger or tigger instead. But he has a great time trick-or-treating. He was able to say "Trick-or-treat" and "Thank you". I was very proud. It was the most adorable thing to watch him and his friend go up to houses without us hovering him. He received just the right amount of candy, which was great for us. We thought we would be throwing a lot away. He sampled and disposed of things himself. I think he is really going to be a fan of this holiday. This was certainly my favorite day of the year. Happy Halloween everyone.

Four Years

Well, it's official. We have a four year old on our hands. I'm not sure what will come in this new age, but I am anxious and dreading it at the same time. I must say his speech has improved so much. Considering that he has only been really speaking for a year he has come a long way. There are still some things he can't pronounce, but I'm sure they will come in time. He has been a lot of fun this last year - playing pom poms, bouncy balls, sword fights, water balloons and obstacle courses. He has been able to count past 10, write several letters, have a conversation, and is enjoying stories. On the downside, he is the king of self pain. He likes to show his dislike by throwing himself and other objects.Totally still love the stinker.

So, we attempted a birthday party. A small one. We invited two of his friends and their families of course. They both came and played. We had some food, a pinata, and little light. It was also a bit chilly; October after all. Turned out to be pretty good. Everyone had some goodies to take home. I made rainbow cupcakes/cake pops. The inside was rainbow and the icing was rainbow. I thought they looked pretty neat. He didn't open his presents until the next day. He was super excited and thanks everyone who came/ gave him a present. We had it at a little playground, so they were able to play until it started getting too dark. Overall, successful. Glad it worked out. Next year we will plan something a little more exciting.

Here's to another joyful year.

Grace Day

It is Sunday, the day of rest. Oh boy did we rest. We eventually left for lunch at our favorite (and only decent) restaurant in town The Scenic View. It sits atop of a hill and offers a lovely view of your wife and child, oh and of the lake too. With the best food in town, we stuffed ourselves. Headed home, and rest some more. People really never appreciate relaxation. Relaxing with family is so much more... relaxing, than doing it alone. So it was wonderful. And what a better way to spend a evening than with family made MEATBALLS!!! When dinner time came, all I asked for was grace and peace with my family for following week. And a damn spoon. With organic beef, love, and maybe a little bit of cat hair, the final product just melted in your mouth. Little did we know a day later, our beef came partly from Uruguay. Who knew? Thanks Europeans, for a day of appreciated fun. Next time though, I think we will stick to something more local. What times is it? POPCORN and Movie time!!!!!! Who's making the popcorn???

Pumpkins

Today we did something we were unable to do last year, go to a pumpkin patch. The local pumpkin patch was closed last year due to the building of a new highway by the farm. This year they re-opened and we were able to go. We walked throughout the vines and picked out 7 smaller, unique pumpkins. It's more about the time we spend as a family and the ability to pick out our own pumpkins. Lucian picked most of them out, of course. I think he picked very well. There were other kids there by the time we walked back to the barn from the patch. He played with them for a bit, rode on the toys, and checked out the petting zoo. One of the guys from the farm tried to get Lucian to sit on a donkey, but he wasn't interested. Then we bought some apple cider and the boys took a ride on the hay ride. It started to rain during their ride, so I got a good laugh out of it. Overall, a successful time. Then we came home, relaxed, and the boys made a veggie pot pie for dinner. Now we are just waiting to dig in. Great way to spend a Sunday.

Away From Home

Lucian has officially spent his first week away from Mama and Daddy and Hao. Thanks to Nana and Papa for giving him a break from us. He seemed to have a really great time. We missed the heck out of him back home. Hao thought something was wrong. It did give us an opportunity to work on one of his birthday presents, which was nice. Of course, we forgot to put it away the day he was coming home and he found it early.

I enjoyed hearing about their adventures. Going to the beach, playing in the leaves, seeing family, carving pumpkins... I wasn't sure he was going to come home. It was a nice surprise after a long day of work to see my baby boy. I got a well deserved hug. I'm glad he was able to spend time with his grandparents, get to know them better, and play with someone other than us. I know he enjoyed the attention. He told me he had fun. Now to plan his birthday.

Big Red and Sassy

We officially went horseback riding for the first time since finding out I was pregnant. Lucian and I rode a beautiful horse named big red, who used to be wild. Joe rode a little horse with a lot of attitude named Sassy. We did a one hour trail ride along the local forestry. Lucian seemed to really enjoy it for his first time ever. I wasn't sure if he would like it or not. Our ride included trots as well, which he was very vocal through. I couldn't stop laughing over his cuteness. In the end I think it was successful. He may even want to try again. I hope so at least. Even though I had to kill a lot of horse flies and my butt is potentially bruised, I would most definitely take him again. The place we went to seemed to really care about there horses and their best interests. I hope to find out more about there care through further visits. Maybe we can do a night or winter ride in the future (if it's not negative 10 degrees this year).