Pride of the Wapsi

Grandma and Grandpa were able to join us at the end of September for a trip to Pride of the Wapsi, a somewhat local pumpkin patch. They have some fun things for the kids to do, and we all had a great time.

Brayden loved the corn pool and all the tractors they had in there.

The classic barrel rides.  I can't believe David actually fit in them...he wanted to make sure Brayden had a chance to enjoy them, and there was no way I was getting in one!

The girls had a blast on the jumping pillow.

Enjoying the very bumpy ride out to the pumpkin patch.

 Having fun looking for pumpkins.

 Grandpa had to go waaaayyyy to the far end of the pumpkin patch.

They have these huge pipe slides that go really fast.  I was fortunate enough to catch a good picture of Emma in one.  

Balloon Festival

We went to a balloon festival across in the river in Moline, IL.  There wasn't a whole lot to do there, but it was fun to see so many hot air balloons up close, and we even got to see many of them launch from the ground.  The girls thought it was pretty cool.  Brayden just had fun climbing the stroller.

More lost teeth!

Molly keeps losing teeth like crazy!  We seem to have lost count at this point.  She's just happy she gets some more money from the tooth fairy.

Stick people

Emma drew her first picture of people...her Grandma and Grandpa.  I was so excited at this step, which might seem weird, but Emma is one of those little kids that will do things on her own time and at her own pace.  We've been working on writing/drawing, and it's hard to get her to slow down and do much more than scribble, so seeing this made my heart so happy.  I never thought stick people could be so beautiful!

Brayden's First Birthday!

Can't believe my little boy is already 1.  I swear I was pregnant longer than he's been here.  This little guy has brought so much happiness to our family, we all adore him.

One of his favorite things to do is stand at the window and watch the cars drive by. 

Emma sometimes loves her brother a little too much...but Brayden is a good sport and handles her pretty well.

Always smiling and just so happy!

We waited until the 13th to celebrate his birthday so that Grandpa and Grandma Yourstone and Aunt Krista could be with us.  We made a tractor for his cake, and Daddy wanted to be sure that it was John Deere colors.

He got pretty excited when we sang him Happy Birthday.

 He was little unsure about the cake.

This little boy got spoiled with trucks and boy books and lots of cool presents.

Brayden is walking really now, and loves to climb everything.  You have to watch him like a hawk.  He doesn't talk much, or make much noise at all, really.  He started waving bye-bye and hi, and I think we heard him say Bye-bye one night, but he won't really do it again.  He's making the transition from formula to whole milk, and drinking out of a sippy cup.  It's been a challenge getting him to eat regular foods during the day, but we're getting there.  He had his 1 year appointment, and he weighs 19 lbs 1 oz (15%) and is 30 inches. Love this little boy!

Brayden has to put up with a lot around here, since he's the littlest and has two adventurous older sisters.  But he's a good sport, and usually gets a big kick out of everything they do to him.  The other day Emma and Molly put our big hoberman sphere around him.  He thought that was pretty cool.