The longest blog EVER!

It's been a while. Suffice it to say that it's been a busy season, and so the blogging waters have been still and quiet. Bloggers know that in this place, the question of where to start can be overwhelming. Do you skip the unblogged months and jump with two feet back into the present-hide Halloween under the rug? Perhaps a photo update(a personal favorite)? Or, do you attempt to tackle the past and get it all out for posterity's sake? In this moment, I have many words to share and an abundance of pictures to sprinkle them with. In keeping with my intentions here to capture these special memories, I've decided it just wouldn't be right to skip over the Whilrlygig festival and our 7th annual visit to the State Fair. So here we go, on a tritp to the longest blog post EVER. Get excited!

I left off my last post with our annual end of summer vacay to Myrtle beach. We bid adieu to Summer and have since embraced Fall with open arms.

Chris' countdown to the fair ended in late October. This year we went on a Friday afternoon, and afterwards decided we like the weekday mornings much better. Chris' reasoning was for the crowds, mine for the pictures-I just hated losing the light so fast! Anywho, our fair food this year consisted of deep fried oreos, corn on the cob(my must have), a turkey leg(for Chris, obviously), and cotton candy. And we let Evan pick out a ride-spinning dragons it was!  Ahh, the state fair. What can I say except-it's tradition. 

 

Speaking of the fair, we celebrated Wilson's local version this past weekend at the Whirlygig festival. This year our church had a booth and gave out f-r-e-e coffee.

Moving onto Halloween... Now that I have two small kiddos to dress up, it's become a holiday favorite. It was so much fun this year. Between costume party playdates, Evan's Halloween parade at preschool, and several trunk or treats on the big night, we got great mileage out of our costumes this year. By fervent request, Evan was a teenage mutant ninja turtle this year-Raphael- and Bennett took the Tigger costume for another spin. They were beyond adorable. It was really just fun-plain and simple, sugar coated fun.

In other news, Fall is in full swing and man, is it a breath of fresh air. Daylight savings time I could do without, but otherwise I am loving Fall up and down all day long. The crisp air, the colorful leaves, smells of cinnamon and the warmth of coffee when you're actually cold, cozy socks...yes please! Light sweater, no jacket weather is officially in and I'm taking in every moment. Note to self, must get some more long sleeve tees!

Enjoying Wilson's Dean's farm(above) and s'mores with dear friends from church(below).

Evan is 3 and a half now and I've gotta say- not my favorite age. I used to think every age and stage my children hit was my favorite...not so much 3 and a half. In full disclosure, it may be the day talking. Today was a difficult day to be 3 years old! Thankfully though, most days are full of sillies and learning new things. I love that he is loving his preschool so much. Each week they review a new letter of the alphabet and we've had a ton of fun picking out show and tell items and hanging up all of his new artwork and backpack goodies. He is really into superhero's and ninja turtles lately, and is finally fitting into his 3T sized clothes. Almost daily I have moments of "I can't believe what a big boy I have." With big boy hair to boot. Underneath all of these new teachable moments, I am so thankful for my sweet boo who loves his mommy much, who is so friendly, tender hearted, kind and compassionate. Now, I may need a looking glass to find these qualities on days like today, when sharing is hard and sitting still unthinkable-but rest assured, they are there.

(Forts are his new thing)

Bennett will be my baby forever. He is getting so big and I'm in denial. True to his "B Bear" nickname, he has the appetite-and if occasion calls for it the attitude- of a bear. He is always on the go and is a feisty little guy-a Denice the menace in the making I think. If he's not being engaged almost constantly, he's getting into trouble. Silence.is.deadly. But oh do those blonde curls make up for a multitude of sins! That smile? I melt. He has us all under his spell and we are in big trouble. In other news, his vocabulary is exploding by the day, and he's finally packin on the pounds and catching up with the growth chart. He loves bathtime, books, and his big brother(whose name he can say fairly well). The biggest thing I'd like to point out about Bennett now is that he is almost 21 months, that is to say the same age Evan was when he came home from the hospital. Wow, talk about full circle! It's a milestone of sorts.

A few other circles on our calendar over the last month or so was a trip to Hillridge farms for pumpkin picking, hayrides, popcorn pools and more with my MOPS mamas, a fun getaway to Greenville with a girlfriend for a first homeshool conference(complete with lunch at Panera-yum!), and more recently gathering with our church to pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Whew, I feel mostly caught up, lighter. It's a small victory, but like conquering that leaning load of laundry, it feels good to cross it off of my mental to do. Write longest blog EVER
-check!