October: Part 1

Hello! It's me, your long lost buddy! =) Time has certainly gotten the best of me. Now that November is almost over, I'm here to recap October. October was such a crazy-busy month, there will be multiple posts. Bear with me!

We went to Eskimo Joes - then shipped this prize to our friend.

I took a shooting class with my aunt! I had shot before, with my dad, but this was my first official class. I loved it! I shot clay pigeons (which I was terrible at), shot a rifle, black powder, and finally a pistol. That was definitely what I was best at.

The rifle I used at the beginning kept jamming so I didn't hit the target much with it. BUT - then a nice gentleman let me use his personal, much fancier rifle, and that was much better, as you can see below:

 This boy. Goodness, I love him.

Early in October Reid started asking to go potty. He'd actually say "boop". haha. He did really well for probably a week and a half. Then, he just sort of lost interest.

Then, we traveled to Tulsa for my baby cousin Dori's wedding! It was great to see everyone and we had a good time! I sure missed seeing my boo and her family (oh her baby girl is just a doll!!!) though.

Reid bonded with his Nannie. =)

 Jerry Neil, Dori, and Dac lookin' up to no good.

 My dad and his sisters... Aunt Diana and Aunt Cindy.

 Here's Reid with my great Auntie Sue and Grandma B (Nannie). They're sisters.

 My Uncle Mike and Dad.

 Reid loved dancing with my aunts.

 And he got to play with sweet Lily... who looks JUST like her mama did when she was little.

 My hot date for the evening!

 Reid got wild with the ladies and got red wine spilled on him by cousin Jennifer.

 My other date and I closing down the house.

 It was also my Grandma B's 80th birthday the next day, so we all surprised her with party. =)

 Reid charmed everyone all weekend...

 But on the last day he showed his true ornery colors. ;) Here he is in time out at the restaurant.

 His first time wearing underoos.

 Trying on a cool camo hat a friend's mom made him.

After the wedding we decided Reid could start talking to Nannie once a week. So, with the exception of one crazy week, we have done just that. =) Of course Reid only chats at her for a second but then I get to take over, so that's fun.

October: Part 2 coming soon...

Catching Up... Again

I don't even know where to start really. Work continues to be crazy, life is crazy... there's not enough hours in the day. We've also been busier with photography again and all the other fun things fall brings about.

Our good friend Tarl recently completed his Ph.D in chemical engineering SO Matt had the grand idea that each of us should make a cake to share during our monthly Google Hangout session. Tarl was originally a K-State Wildcat so I made the cake purple. =) The sprinkles were just for good measure. ;)

 I took a selfie because I was excited to get out of the office... even if it was for a meeting.

 We took pictures of this sweet girl's family a couple weekends ago. =)

The next week, we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with a quick lunch at the Grinder Man, then the following weekend Dac's parents kept Reid so we could have a whole day in Wichita... where we shopped, ate, and talked about Reid. ;) 

I've introduced Reid to Play-Doh. I've had it since Charli was little and would come play. It's a mess and he tries to eat it sometimes but since he's figured out how to get through the baby gate, it's the only way I can get supper made. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Last weekend, my Aunt Diana was in town, so we went out to eat Friday night. Then, Saturday, we went out of town to take engagement pictures for a good family friend. So may parents and aunt kept Reid. It sounded like everyone had a great time. Plus, I got to see this sweet girl. Quite possibly the kindest, most gentle dog I've ever known. I kind of love her. She's getting older and has arthritis pretty bad. It breaks my feelings but she still seems happy. =)

I've been able to spend some time with Sky lately. I've been thrown into the world of teenagers and Lord have mercy... it can be rough. Whew! She's also a ton of fun though. =)

Dac and I browsed Barnes and Noble the other day and picked up a new Little Blue Truck book to replace the one Reid read to death. =) We also picked up the next book in the sequence, and THIS: Because, hello, it's Peety. =)

We also went to Eskimo Joe's last weekend. Annnnnd I got a new shirt. =)

Ok, big news here people. I became and aunt again... to another sweet baby girl. My cousin (sister from another mister, my boo) Courtney had Rylie Savannah Tuesday. She weighed 7lbs and was 20.5in.

Oh, and did I mention? She's BEAUTIFUL. A total doll baby. Oh how I wish I could meet and cuddle her soon. I hope Reid and her will be as close as we are some day.

In other exciting news, Sky and I entered a BBBS selfie contest and WON! =) We had the best time taking selfies and choosing which one we'd enter. We both about laughed 'til we cried. We won a dinner for two and movie tickets! We'll no doubt have a fun date.

The picture on the left is from maybe a month or so after I met Sky. (We were matched the beginning of March 5, 2007... Sky was in 3rd grade). Anyway, the one on the right is our winning selfie. =)

Fall TV is in full swing. Love that. 

I made an apple crisp last night to use up some apples. 

I'm in the depths of conference planning. I feel like we've hit road block after road block but I think we're getting there. I mean, we have to right? It's THIS month! =/ 

I'm looking forward to it being over but I'm also looking forward to getting to spend some time with friends and family over the next couple months.

More 21 Month Fun

Reid is curious, mischievous, sweet, funny, energetic, and full of genuine, lovable charm. He likes to explore, run, giggle, tickle, tackle, read, high five, chat, be heard, and on occasion, boss Peety. ;) 

Reid: Month 21

(Better late than never! It's crazy how much he's changed... from the things listed below... in the past month!)

Dear Reid,

When you were in my belly, I constantly wondered what you'd be like... what you would look like, what your personality would be, what you'd be interested in... I couldn't wait to watch your character unfold. Now, it's beginning to... but I know we've only just seen the tip of the iceberg. Each day, you share another tiny glimpse into who you are and what you have in store for the world. It's no doubt great.

So far you seem to be a bit of a charmer and a people pleaser. You smile with your whole face and your eyes are bright, warm, and genuine. You love to laugh and make others do the same. You're also a stand back and watch kind of guy... at least for now. You like to observe something new before jumping right in. You enjoy interacting with people but you also need some time to do your own thing. You love trying to figure things out and learn how things work. No challenge is too daunting to you. You seem stubborn and independent too. How much of that is 'typical toddler' and how much of that is you is yet to be seen. It's so fun and interesting to learn who you are.

I still think about what you'll be like next year... 10 years from now... when you're my age. No matter what, know this: I love you and want nothing more than God's best for you. No matter what.

Mama

Highlights:

You take off running just about everywhere you go.

You looooooove books. You want to hop up on our laps and have us Reid to you and tell you what things are. We'll also ask you where things are on the page and you'll point to them. You like all books but a few of your recent favorites include: any book with animals, The Little Blue Truck; The Very Busy Spider; Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See; your little Highlights Hello books; touchy feely books, and books with flaps. Just to name a few.

You are talking more and have added words like "duck", "neigh", "roar", "stuck", "yuck", "eat", "amen", "BeeDee" (Peety)and "walk", etc... to your vocabulary. You're getting better and better at communicating what you need and want. Oh - and you like saying a few names of family and friends... but not many yet.

You still love to eat. =) At times, you have very serious notions of what you want and don't want but for the most part, you eat what you're given and lots of it. =) You're still a milk drinker too... although you seem to be less dramatic and "give it to me now" here lately.

You are a music lover and seem to enjoy all kinds... especially those with a strong beat. You like to dance and sing along too.

Some favorite toys over the past three months include: books, blocks, books, books, books, animal figurines, balls, and you still love tupperware. ;)

You take one of your Aden+Anais blankets with you to the family room sometimes and cuddle it while you're running amuck or reading your books.

You love people but are a little timid sometimes before warming up. You tend to stand back and observe before jumping right into something. It's so interesting to see your personality come out more.

You still get time outs on occasion but really, not very often at all.

We still say bedtime prayers and now, off and on, you'll say "amen" as if it ask to pray. So we do. =)

You came down with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Oh man. That was rough. Try not to get that again, k?

You now wear size 6 shoes, size 2T and 3T shirts, 18-24mo or 2T shorts, and size 5 diapers.

We've sat you on the potty a few times but you haven't seemed interested in sitting there for more than a hot second. You do enjoy running into the bathroom and flushing the toilet though. =)

You can open all kinds of doors now and truly, nothing is safe from your grasp.

You talk loudly, except when you don't. Then, you mumble sweet little babbles. =)

You love being chased and tickled.

You enjoy going for walks.