Silly snacker!

This morning Moose was very busy helping me with laundry.  He was closely inspecting my work to make sure it was done right!

Are all my socks in here, Mama?

Let me count them myself...

After his nap, we went outside for a while to play on the lawn.  He found some rocks that apparently made a very satisfying clunking sound when he threw them down.  He played with them for quite a while, after he finished exploring the yard.

All that activity made both of us hungry, so we came in for a snack.  We shared some Hawaiian rolls with butter and jelly on them.  I would take a bite, then give him a bite and say "mmm mmm."  The little squirt would imitate me every time and repeat "mmm mmm" after each bite.  It was hilarious!  I guess he thought me laughing at him was hilarious, because he started laughing at me! It was a never ending cycle of "mmm mmm" and laughter! :)

Who is my silly baby?

That there Moose with the butter on his chin, that's who!

Such a silly baby!

What a precious little angel he is.  Every day he makes us laugh!  I can't believe he will be 1 year old before too long.  It's frightening how fast time flies.  He's not a little baby anymore, though I still call him "baby" all the time.  I just know one of these mornings I am going to wake up and he will be graduating from high school!  I want to freeze time for a little while and just have him remain a little guy for a few years.  He is so much fun, and so darling, and so precious to us.  But Branden is right when he says he just keeps getting cuter and more fun, so maybe time passing won't be all that bad.  One thing is for sure, he gets sillier every single day!

Moose's Menu: Cinna-nana

One of Moose's favorite breakfasts also happens to be very simple.  Using a fork, mash up a banana in a bowl.  Sprinkle a few shakes of cinnamon on top and mix well.  Moose scarfs this right up!

Video of our new place

I had a chance this afternoon to do a video walk through of our new place.  Moose was cooperating at the beginning, but I had to rush the end because he was starting to get mad.  After the video I took him out in the front yard for about 45 minutes and he played in the grass with the river rocks.  That made his day!  Now he's back down taking a nap, and I have to get ready for dinner.  My parents are coming over to have sausage and cheese tortellini with us.  I can't wait to eat, yum!  So without further ado, here is our new home (where we should be for the next year)!

Mindful Monday: Laundry

Who:  Just me
 
What:  Finish laundry from start to finish

Why:  I am really good at starting laundry.  A little less good at transferring it to the dryer.  But getting it out of the dryer, folding it, then putting it away?  Not good at all!  So Branden actually suggested this Mindful Monday intention (maybe he is tired of putting laundry away?!).  I do know I need to improve in this area, so now is as good a time as any to get started.

How: I am going to be very intentional and disciplined about finishing the laundry.  I already make sure everything in the house is tidied up before bed, so I'll just add laundry to that list.  That way the house and our family will be completely ready for the next day (and not fishing clean but wrinkled clothes out of the dryer!).

*Update from last week's Mindful Monday:  As predicted, I went on an organizing rampage and got everything done that very day.  Good thing I did, as we ended up moving just a couple days later.  It was really easy to pack and unpack our non-cluttered apartment!

Fun fall day!

Today was a fabulous day.  We love that Branden has every Sunday off, so that we can have family time and create fun memories with Moose.  This morning we went out for breakfast at a local cafe that has been in business for over 75 years.  One of their specialties is cinnamon roll french toast, which was absolutely delicious!  We walked through one of the historic neighborhoods and visited a huge city park.  Much to Branden's dismay (!), Moose had a great time crawling around naked in the grass!  On the way back we rode on a beautiful trolley that was 93 years old.  Moose was too sleepy to fully enjoy his first trolley experience, though!

Later this afternoon we took Moose to a pumpkin patch with our friends and their little boy.  Our little guys had fun checking out the farm animals and picking out pumpkins!  I think they had even more fun at dinner throwing toys and food on the floor and seeing who could jabber the loudest.  They are really funny together!

We have a fall pumpkin tradition.  When picking out our pumpkins, we get a big one for Branden, a medium one for me, and now that Moose is on the scene, he gets a little one.  We don't carve them so that we can display them clear until Thanksgiving.  In addition, we also pick one more "family pumpkin" which we carve closer to Halloween.  This is the one we light up and display by the door.  I love pumpkins, and by not carving some of them we are able to enjoy them for a couple of months!

All cute in his fall colors

A wagon full of pumpkins and the baby

Moose and his friend Mason

Nice sheepie!

Our family!

Which pumpkin should I choose?

Cute little pumpkin face!

No internet land!

We are totally moved in to our new place, but have no internet yet.  I feel like I am stuck in the middle of a wilderness without internet!  It's supposed to be hooked up tomorrow morning, thankfully!  The move went well!  Everything is put away and organized, except the decorations in Moose's room and our room.  It was too late to pound on the walls last night, so hopefully tonight we can get that done.  We'll see! (And I hope to have pictures soon!)

Packing again, and it is such a blessing!

We are busy packing up again!  This move is a much shorter distance, though.  We are just moving to a neighboring town.  Today we signed the lease and got the keys for an adorable, new, two story townhouse that is only 2 miles from Branden's job.  It's right near a lovely city park and in a beautiful residential area that is on the outskirts of town (I can see horses from our front door!). 

The best part though?  We were asked to be Resident Managers!  So now I have a job that totally works with staying home to take care of Moose.  I will be working from home and will have no set hours.  Even more importantly, it completely takes care of our rent!  Now we can finally get ahead a bit financially and put some money away.  We couldn't have imagined how wonderfully this would all work out.  It just shows me (again) how God is looking out for us.  I am so thankful for this huge blessing!!  Now, I better get back to packing...so much to do!! 

10 1/2 month weight check

We visited Auntie Beth at work today, and she put Moose on the "big, bad scale" (he has cried both times he was on the scale).  He now weighs 19 pounds and 12 ounces.  What a heavy-weight!  :)  He has gained 1 1/2 pounds since his 9 month birthday.  Thank you Beth for weighing our little guy!

Sneezy McSneezers!

Today Branden is home sick.  He's been in bed all day with a bad cold. I feel bad for him and have been making him grilled sandwiches with soup, giving him medicine and making sure he gets plenty of rest and fluids.  He isn't the most compliant patient, and was insisting yesterday that it was "just allergies."  He finally had to admit that he's sick, though!

My sickie!

The only time his head feels better is when he's in a steamy shower.  So this morning he spent quite a while steaming his head.  Moose must have been concerned.  Every time I went to check on them I saw something similar to below!

Whatcha doing in there Da?

Can I get ya anything Da?

Moose and Branden woke up from a nap just a few minutes ago.  Moose went in to help "comfort" his Da....or something like that! LOL

Hopefully Branden is feeling better by tomorrow morning.  We have an appointment to go sign our lease for our new place.  We are so excited!  We'll be living right near his work, which will make life easier on so many levels.  Plus it's much closer to church, our friends, our favorite restaurants, and the parks we like.  This is going to be a very good thing for us!  (Plus there's something else exciting about the move, but until we have our meeting tomorrow I won't know for sure...stay tuned!)

Mindful Monday: Organizing and Consolidating

Who:  Me and maybe Branden if I can rope him into it ;)

What:  Organize and consolidate the contents of our apartment

Why:  We are fairly organized, but we are planning to move closer to Branden's work in the next few weeks, so now is a perfect time to organize a bit more.  I want to put away a lot of the summer stuff, and get the fall/winter things out.  I also need to get Moose's outgrown clothing out and donate it somewhere.  Plus go through the coat closet and see what can be tossed and/or donated.

How: My goal is to spend 1 day this week on each room in the house. But knowing me, I will probably go on an organizing rampage and get it all done in the next day (or maybe two).  But I am going to get it done this week.  In fact, I plan to start as soon as I hit "publish" on this post.  (As Branden can attest to, I absolutely love organizing and getting rid of things!)

Chore time!

Last night me and Moose spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Auntie Beth was also spending the night!  Branden works all day Saturday, so rather than stay home all day we thought it would be fun to spend the day playing with dogs, feeding goats, eating good food and having fun.  It was a beautiful day, and it even rained a little bit.  Moose took a really long nap, and woke up feeling spry!

Showing how big he is!

 Tonight Dad and I are frying chicken for everyone.  We are using the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Buttermilk Fried Chicken, so it should be really good.  Branden is driving out after work to eat with us, and then we'll go back home with him.  So far this has been a really great weekend, and tomorrow we get Branden all to ourselves! Woohoo!!

Anyway, back to chore time.  Moose had to help out tonight.  He hauled the goat bowls in his little tricycle, supervised the dog feeding, and watched the cats for us.  He was particularly cute helping Grandpa out with the goats!   I got a few pictures. :)

Feeding them special goat food.

Notice the goat dish in his tricycle storage bin.

Me and Grandpa are rolling!

Moose is fast asleep, and probably wouldn't wake up again until morning, except for the fact we have to drive home still.  It's time for Dad and I to start working on the fried chicken and mashed taters.  Yummy!

Added later:  The fried chicken and mashed potatoes turned out delicious!  For our first time frying chicken we declared it a success!  Moose really liked the mashed potatoes, plus the fact that his Auntie Beth was feeding it to him. :)

A poem for Moose from Gram

Gram (my Grandma Doris) sent Moose a poem in the mail.  She remembered it from when she was a child, and wanted Moose to have it, too.  She included a short story, which is also below.

Pop and Gram with Moose- Thanksgiving 2010

Good morning Merry Sunshine

How did you wake so soon?

You scared the little stars away, and shined away the moon.

How did you get way over there?

And where have you been sleeping?

"I never go to sleep, dear child.

I'm shining all the night,

And when the world goes traveling 'round

It hides me from your sight.

And when it travels back again

You'll find me waiting there."

When Gram was very small she used to get up some mornings feeling very grumpy.  Her mother would recite the poem to her, and it cheered her right up.  Gram would think that she was "Merry Sunshine."

Camouflage fun with Da

I love this!  Moose's little squeals of delight are too funny!

Darling little guy

Moose was adorable this afternoon.  He is precious standing up in his crib, cute in the bath, and even cuter crawling naked and laughing down the hallway! :)

A lazy, rainy day for Momma and Baby

Today is a rainy, cool, slow day here in Colorado me and Moose.  Branden is working all day (12 hours) and he took the car with him.  It's too wet to go out in the stroller, even if it didn't have a flat.  So we're coming up with stuff to do inside.  Like take a nap.  Splash around in a hot bath.  Eat warm potato soup for lunch.  Have fresh pumpkin muffins for snack.  Practice "so big" and patty cake.  Play the blanket game.  Maybe nap again.  Clean up the house.  Watch the rain fall from the patio.  Run the heater for the first time!  And as usual, practice standing up.  I got some video of Moose showing off his standing skills!  Enjoy...and I've gotta run, I think I hear another pumpkin muffin calling us! :)  By the way, if you have any ideas for fun, inside activities to do with a 10 month old, I would love to hear them!  Please email them to me or post them in the comments section.  It's supposed to rain again tomorrow, and we need some fresh ideas!

How big?

Today Grandma taught Moose how to show "how big" he is!  When she asks him "How big are you?" he lifts his arms way up in the air. It completely cracks me up, and he is absolutely adorable showing how big he is!  (Sorry for the poor video quality.  It was taken with a cell phone.)

Mindful Monday: Reading Time!

Who:  Just me

What:  Finish the book I am currently reading

Why:  I haven't been reading very much lately, but just started a new library book.  It is called "The Things We Do For Love" by Kristin Hannah.  I am really enjoying the story!  I would like to finish it in the next couple of days.

How: Spend at least 15 minutes in the evening reading.  The reading can take place in bed, in the bath, or maybe on the couch.  But I want to get back into regular reading, and finishing this book will get that going.  Last year I read 53 books, but I am at a rather low 11 so far this year.  My goal was 12 (one a month), but I know I can do better than that! 

Relaxing Sunday

We are having a very relaxing Sunday.  We had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel.  Moose had grits with maple syrup and some apple juice.  He spent less time eating and more time looking around, making noise, and throwing things on the floor.  He was in high gear today!  The high chairs at the Cracker Barrel are so cute.  They look like regular chairs, but smaller and higher up.  Moose really liked sitting in it!

This afternoon I taught a dog training lesson, which went really well.  It's been fun meeting new people and realizing that whether the dog is in California or Colorado, they all have similar issues.  It's fun to be able to help people overcome those issues so that they can enjoy their dogs even more!

This evening we are grilling steaks with my parents and sister in law.  I am going to make the Pioneer Woman's delicious Whiskey Cream Sauce to go with them.  That sauce is to die for....it is sooo good!  My mouth is starting to water already! 

It's beautiful outside, and we're going to head out to enjoy it for a while before dinner tonight.  It is just wonderful that Branden is off every Sunday, and we are able to have family time!

Fun on a Friday!

Fridays rank right at the top of fun days of the week for me and Moose.  The highlight of our day is meeting our sweet friend, Holly, and her adorable son, Mason, at "Baby Gym" for an hour of play time.  Moose and Mason are only a few months apart, though Mason is running circles around Moose (literally) at this time.  I think Moose has been working extra hard on standing and walking just so he can keep up with Mason!  Today was the first time Moose hasn't needed a "warm up" period at Baby Gym. He just dove right in, crawling through tunnels, playing with the giant blocks, and tumbling down the bounce house.  Rolling down the bounce house slide was one of the funnest things he's done in a while.  He kept wanting to do it over and over and over!

Today was extra special because prior to Baby Gym, we went out to Grandma and Grandpa's house for breakfast.  Moose was spoiled by his Grandma with some delicious sliced peaches!  I got spoiled with one of my favorite childhood breakfasts...Cock-a-doodle-doo!  In a nutshell it is a soft boiled egg kinda mashed up with a piece of toast and bacon or sausage crumbled in.  They are delicious and no one can make them like my Dad!  Mmm mmm!  I am going to have to start making them at home for Moose when he's a little older.  It would be a sad thing for him to miss out on Cock-a-doodle-doos for breakfast!

This afternoon our friend and neighbor, Alex, brought over some homemade mocha brownies!  I shared them with Moose for a yummy afternoon snack of brownies and milk.  Branden is at work, so maybe he'll get one when he gets home, though they are starting to look awfully tempting...  I might just have to delete this whole paragraph so that I can chow down on the rest and he'll be none the wiser! ;) Or I could always blame it on Moose... :)  But then I wouldn't be able to post these cute pictures of Moose enjoying his snack.  I guess I'll have to save one for Branden!

Lost in the bottle

Yum

I love how he's looking at me out of the side of his eye!

Gotta get every last drop

Don't let the bottle escape!

Off to see what kind of trouble he can get into.

Ah, here's a mess to be made!

Or maybe getting into this would be better...

Plotting!

It just occurred to me, while uploading these pictures, that Moose is now 10 months old.  Where have the last 10 months gone?  It wasn't all that long ago at all that he couldn't even sit up on his own.  Now he is not only sitting, he is standing up!  He is able to open cupboards and drawers and unload them (not my favorite new skill!).  He loves playing with his little toy cars, and we taught him how to say "vroom vroom" while pushing them around.  As I type this, he is vroom vrooming all over the kitchen floor.  Too cute! 

Somehow our little baby has morphed into an active "almost toddler!"  He has the sunniest disposition, and people are just drawn to his laugh and smile.  We went out for Mexican food earlier this week, and the waitress was completely enamored with him.  She brought him his own little bowl of beans and rice, and kept touching his head.  Finally she couldn't stand it anymore and asked if she could hold him.  She carried him around the restaurant showing him to people, and played with him up on the counter.  All the other waiters and busboys were gathered around, and Moose was just eating up the attention.  One thing is sure, our little guy is not very shy.  Every now and then we'll see a hint of shyness, but in general he is very outgoing and friendly! 

We are getting very excited about fall. The weather has taken a decided turn for the cooler, which is wonderful.  Moose has been wearing his long pants and long sleeves every day.  Last night he slept in his footed, zip up jammies for the first time.  He looked so adorable all snuggled up warm in his jammies.  I wanted to take a picture, but didn't want to risk waking him up.  He's been having a bit of trouble with his teething at night, so when he's asleep we make sure not to disturb him.

I had a pumpkin spice latte on Tueday, which as I told Branden is "fall in a cup!"  I wait all year for those suckers...soooo good!  Being the planner that I am, it just made me happy that Holly is also a planner, and we have a pumpkin patch trip on the calendar already.  I can hardly wait to take Moose to his first pumpkin patch, and get to help him pick out a pumpkin!!  I tried to convince Branden to let me get a pumpkin already, but that was vetoed. He said I have to wait until we go to our planned pumpkin patch visit.  (My idea to start playing Christmas music already was nixed, too.)  I just love fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas... and am so excited about all the fun things we'll get to do with Moose!  Speaking of, he has the CUTEST Halloween costume all ready to go in his closet.  We found it last week, and it was immediately decided that he would be darling in it.  So what is it?  Not going to say!  Poor Moose has to have some surprises...so you'll just have to wait!  But trust me, he is eat-em-up darling in his costume! :)

Edited to add:  We are leaving to pick up Branden from work, and try to convince him to take us out to eat! (Shouldn't be too hard!)  Perfect ending to the day...yay!!