Snow!

We went outside to play in the first snowfall of the season. Gwydion was very curious, since he was too small to remember the snow from last year. Here are a few pics- none very good, because he was too busy looking around to smile for Mama!





Finally, a few pictures of Gwydion and his Thomas playtent.

Fall is finally here!

And it's only mid-November. What a year! With the fall temperatures finally here, we've been doing a lot of prjoects inside the house. One thing we'll be doing soon is painting Gwydion's bedroom. I've made new curtains for his windows and will be painting to match the wonderfully bright colors of the jungle animals on the fabric. I can't wait to get started!

Gwydion is doing well, aside from some sleep issues. He's recently decided he doesn't want to sleep alone, so we have about 30 minutes of crying to get through a few nights a week. He's very slowly started talking more. His most recent words are 'girl' and 'train'. He still does everything on his own schedule though- if he doesn't want to identify something, he won't. He has been asking the names of everything under the sun lately, so maybe it won't be long before we have a real talker. No matter how many times you ask. Stubborn child (I wonder where he gets that?). By my measurements, he's 23 lbs and 31 1/2 inches tall.

Here are a few recent pics:

Gwydion loves the new car!


Who needs expensive toys when a laundry basket is so much fun?

Or cat toys for that matter......


Grandpa brought us a sandbox. Gwydion has never had so much fun!

You can only tell it's fall...

because the trees are shedding their leaves. It's been 85 degrees all weekend, no rain in sight. I'm glad it isn't snowing, but a few cool, rainy days would be welcome! Gwydion is enjoying the weather quite a bit, as you can see.




because the trees are shedding their leaves. It's been 85 degrees all weekend, no rain in sight. I'm glad it isn't snowing, but a few cool, rainy days would be welcome! Gwydion is enjoying the weather quite a bit, as you can see.

Visit with the Heplers

There was a big party this weekend for my uncle Dean's 70th birthday, so we got to see a lot of family we don't usually see. We had a very nice visit. Check out the pics below.

Grandma Hepler, me, Gwydion, and Rick.

Me, Gwydion, Grandma, and a little bit of Uncle Dean.

Michael holding Goblin, Gwydion and Rick. He loves his new toy!

Rick and Gwydion.

Halloween!!!

We didn't get very many good pictures of Gwydion trick-or-treating, but he had a great time! We went to Grandpa Don's house and to Grandma Diane's, mostly to show off Gwydion in his cute teddy bear costume.

Two new additions...

...the first being a kitten I rescued. We're still hoping to find him a permanent home (other than ours) but he seems to be getting along with the other cats pretty well. He's a handsome boy and we're calling him Goblin. He's quite the little ankle-biter.

Goblin the fierce (at least he thinks so!)

And here's our other new addition. We bought a new car!! We've traded the truck in and finally gotten a 4-door car. I know it's nearly Halloween, but I swear, it is only coincidence that it's orange.

And finally, some actual Halloween-related pictures. Gwydion went to pick out his pumpkin with Grandma Diane and had a wonderful time. First there was sand to play in...


which was incredibly fun, no matter which way the wind was blowing.


Then there were tiny ears of brightly colored Indian corn and ornamental gourds to play with...



And then there was the petting zoo! Goats, sheep, llamas, turkeys, ducks, chickens, cows, pigs, rabbits, and even a buffalo calf!

And finally, of course, choosing a pumpkin!

October, so far.

There's always something going on around here! It's been a busy month for us. Gwydion has finally gotten all his teeth in (at least until his 2 year molars) and when we went to get his flu shot, the doctor said he was doing well. Gwydion, unfortunately, didn't agree with her. This visit was the first time he remembered getting shots. The poor little guy was crying even before he got poked!

He's also started talking a lot more lately, though 99.99% of what he says isn't intelligible. Words he's started saying in the last week: apple, bubble, and of course, burp. It figures, the kid won't tell me when he's hungry or thirsty but he can say burp. He also called Uncle Matt by name, much to Matt's surprise. And just today, he figured out how to drink from a straw. It's a good thing too, I wasn't sure how many different ways I could try to teach him- I mean, how many ways can you drink from a straw?

Below are some pictures from recent outings.

What happens to little boys who skip their naps? This....


Hey mama, I want to help!


The remaining pictures are from our trip to the fair. Gwydion had a great time, eating brats and corndogs and pineapple whips. He liked the lights and the animals the best though.

This is the one game we played. I really thought he'd grab a duck, but as usual, he only does things on his schedule. Right then, he didn't feel like picking any ducks. I ended up picking all the ducks and won him a little stuffed lion (which of course, he completely ignores. He'd rather play with the zippers on his shoes).


Playing in Kids World at the fair.


Looking at piglets, also taken at the fair.