All Smiles

It appears that Callen has decided that life isn't so bad, after all.

In the last few weeks, Callen has really become a much different baby. She is MUCH less fussy now, and is sleeping a little better {though still not as much as Mommy would prefer!}. We just noticed this weekend that she will try to reach for things every now and then.

Kicking around on her playmat...she isn't fussing; she is lovin' it!

Look at the smiles and the bright eyes this precious little girl gives us now. I. LOVE. IT.

Hey, y'all!!!

Happy Halloween!

These two

transformed into

these two

just in time for the annual Halloween parade and trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. And, if I do say so myself, they are the cutest Diego and Baby Jaguar around.

Carter wasn't 100% sure about the whole thing, but he was willing to follow the crowd. He was very good about saying trick-or-treat and thank you.

Here's a shot of Diego in action--full on trick-or-treating!

Carter would get very concerned when we would go up to a house to trick-or-treat because Nick had Callen in the stroller on the street. He kept wanting to know where Daddy and and Baby Callen were.

After the parade and a block of trick-or-treating, we loaded up in the car to visit some friends. When we got to the Murphy's house, Carter abandoned all thoughts of trick-or-treating and fixated on playing with Connor's toys, particularly the Thomas the train set!

All in all, we had a great--although chilly--Halloween! We hope you and your family had a safe and Happy Halloween, too!

Pre Halloween Festivities

Earlier this week, we spent several days preparing to celebrate Halloween tonight. First, we kicked off our pre-Halloween festivities with a Halloween party in Carter's class.

Carter and his friends took their costumes to school to wear for the party, which consisted of a parade through the school, painting a pumpkin and some yummy snacks. Callen and I were excited to get to participate in the party with Carter.

Diego all ready for the parade

Diego and all of his friends on the parade route

Diego dancing to the music while eating his snack

The next day, we decided to check out Zoo Boo at the zoo with Connor and Deanna. It was perfect weather for Zoo Boo--high 60s--and there were lots of people there. However, it was still a great time and the boys got to practice saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" at the different trick or treat stations. They also loved looking at the animals!

Tigger and Diego

Diego and Baby Jaguar

Baby Jaguar snoozed the whole time

Close up of one of the bears (using my regular lens--he was that close!)

Deanna and I were amazed at how active the animals were. We remarked that we both typically head to the zoo early and the animals are always sleeping or lying around in the sun. We were at Zoo Boo from about 4:30 to 6:00, and the animals were VERY active. The lions were playing with balls and roaring. The tiger was roaming and the bears were in to checking out the visitors. The giraffes were busy, as usual, and the elephants were moving around a fair amount too. Not sure if it was the time of day, the cooler weather, all the people or maybe a combination, but it sure was a fun trip to the zoo--for us and the kiddos!

Happy Halloween!

Two Months

Well, actually, Callen turned two months on Monday {which is hard to believe}, but we went to the doctor for her two month appointment today. She is now 11lbs, 6oz and 22.5 inches long. The doctor remains pleased with her growth and her neurological development.

I am super happy to report that the last three days Callen has been a much less fussy baby! {I am so afraid that I am jinxing it!} We have actually had moments where she has been awake and content, which was just about unheard of for the past 8 weeks. She has really been giving us a lot of smiles lately, and, just in the last week, has started cooing a little. I swear, those smiles and coos make the fussing MUCH easier to take! She has also starting tracking us more and more...Carter is her favorite target to track; she loves him already.

AND...he loves her. He always wants to make sure she is taken care of, covered up, loved on, etc. He is such a good big brother...and if you don't believe me, just ask him. He'll tell you!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

This little fella has been especially entertaining lately.

Last week, Carter was VERY into playing football. He wanted Nick to hold the football so he could kick it. Nick was pulling it up from the floor just before he could kick it {think Lucy and Charlie Brown}, and Carter was getting upset when he would do that. So, after a few times, I said, "Don't make him cry" to Nick. The next time, Nick pulled the football up again, and Carter looked at him and said, "Don't make me cry." It was too funny.

Then, last night, I put Carter to bed and came back downstairs as is usual. We heard him moving around so Nick went back up there to see if he was out of his bed. Not only was he out of his bed, but Nick found him sitting on our bed with Raf-Raf, covered with his blanket, holding the remote, with the TV on, turned to a cartoon channel {how it was on a cartoon channel we haven't figured out}. He looked at Nick and said, "I watching TV, Daddy."

Hysterical...he keeps us on our toes, for sure!