Ahhhh, the Fall

My "Tractor Tippin'" Masterpiece (from CARS)

Grama and Nano took in an O's Game

As much as I hate to see those long summer days go away, there is something special about the chill in the air, the frost on the grass and the rosy cheeks of little boys playing outside. I do like fall and winter, I just don't like the cold. I am one of those chronic cold people--ask any roommate of mine, or my mom or my husband and they will tell you I always have socks, slippers, an extra sweatshirt and usually a blanket on me just to watch TV. It is annoying and it can get very uncomfortable, but I have learned to cope with lots of layers and especially when I am forced to be outside several times a day with the boys, to keep moving!! That is good for the hips at least!

We have had lots of fun this fall season. We hit several fall festivals and got many different sized and colored pumpkins. It stayed really warm in MD till Halloween, then it has been cooler--requiring cute fleece jackets and the occasional hat or mitten search. The boys look so sweet all bundled up, with just their faces showing. Reminds me of days not so long ago. My little babies. How they keep growing and learning and amazing me.

Nick is a thinker. He loves books and being told stories about various things. He comes up with those questions where you are not sure how much detail to go in to, or if you should answer at all. He is constantly LISTENING and WATCHING and ABSORBING, which can get scary! He will ask me questions about NPR as we drive....that is tough--"What is politics? Why did Obaba ruin the US? Why did that train crash?" Hmmmm. I have been saving NPR for alone time lately!!

Owen continues to challenge us as parents. He is, as the books like to say, "Strong willed, precocious, curious, determined, hard headed, challenging, independent" and so on and so on. He just likes things a certain way and if you know Owen, that means OWEN'S way!! It is tough to manage at times, and alot of the time we know we are making mistakes, but for the most part, the books say to try to be consistent and we are at least trying to do that. He is incredibly smart and figures things out quickly, so we hope that helps him in life. We still want to help him, that is where the problem usually occurs!! He is potty training now, and while it is going better than expected, it is hard when you ask your little one to go on the potty--and he hates being told what to do....so he quickly says "NO", then 10 minutes later, he wets his pants..... I guess that is potty training and I should continue to take these lessons to each me about all of Owen's stages!!! I told the new tee ball coach, we are thinking about calling him "Chuck" since he rarely responds to "Owen" anymore!!!