Halloween Festivities

For Halloween being my favorite holiday, this year I wasn't the best at picture taking! We had a lot of fun participating in different activities but I guess I got so caught up in the moments, that I forgot to whip out the camera! I'm shooting myself in the foot now.  Our church had a Halloween party that Justin helped be in charge over. He made homemade root beer for the chili cook off. I actually won a prize for "The Most Unique Chili" whatever that means. :) I did a basic yummy chili and I am not sure exactly what to take from the sound of that prize. :) But the judges did tell me they loved my chili. So I guess that's a good thing. There was dinner and different rooms of the church had activities for the kids to participate in. There was a fishing pond to get little prizes while the kids throw a fishing line over a sheet. The youth were telling spooky stories, there was donuts on a string, a little spook alley, and of course the big finale the Trunk-Or-Treat. We were combined with another ward so there was LOTS of people and lots of trunks! I dressed up as a football player, Justin was the referee, and Zayden was our little football. It is cold in Illinois so I was thrilled to find such a warm costume for him! He loved it and Mommy was happy and not worried about him getting cold.  With all the hustle and the bustle of getting the party set up and I had to run around and pick up a few families so they could attend, we didn't get any pictures of our family! So I think  we'll have to get all dressed up again for a quick picture. Thank goodness they weren't high maintenance costumes.  We had a great time at the party and Zayden did go around with Daddy to collect candy in his bucket. He sort of got the hang of it. He doesn't say trick-or-treat but he does say hi and wave at you. (He tends to wave and smile more at pretty girls than he will guys) That's my boy! Mr. Casanova. 

So here we are on Halloween. We got together with a few families to go trick-or-treating around a housing complex. It was about 40 degrees on Halloween so we were all bundled up! 

 His costume was so warm! It was that soft minky material on the outside then it felt like a sleeping bag on the inside. Footie covers, hand covers and a hood! It was perfect!

 So we had a few mishaps during the trick or treating. Zayden got a little too excited and ran into an old lady's house before we could grab him. When she opened the door, he ran right in! I was so embarrassed! It happened one other time to a friend's house but we know them really well so it didn't seem as bad!

 Zayden also has learned to knock on doors. If one of us goes to the bathroom and shuts the door, he'll run up to the door and knock until we open it up for him. He loves knocking on the doors. Usually it was Mommy's job to get the candy and Zayden!

 He also gets very side tracked. Because of that, Justin had to carry Zayden on his shoulders so he wouldn't wander off and find a stick to sit down and play with. Zayden loves to laugh and be on Justin's shoulders. So whenever he's getting a little difficult to handle, up he goes. He's getting heavier to hold in my arms now! Shoulders are a great spot!

Oh, Zayden is now 15 months old! Running, talking, throwing, giving hugs and high fives! Every mom says that every stage is the best stage. Well, I have agreed with that every step of the way. The first 9 months had their own challenges with adapting to a baby in the house and giving up everything for that baby. When Zayden hit that 9 month mark, he started giving back which has made it more rewarding. Every month he gives a bit more! Smiles, hugs, giggles, longer sleeping periods, more interaction with us or other people. He's really at such a fun stage right now. 

We took away the bottle finally last week. At first it was rough, he wouldn't drink milk from his sippy cup and we couldn't get him to drink milk anymore. Well that bridge is crossed and he's back to his old self drinking LOTS of milk.  Our next challenge will be to take away the pacifier!  It's a love/hate relationship with that pacifier. It helps and he won't sleep without it but then I hate the scramble to find a spare if he's lost it. So before the newest arrival comes, that pacifier will be gone from his world! 

Some Stats:

Weight: 21 lbs 13.5 oz (13th percentile)

Height: 30.7 inches long (33rd Percentile) 

He's doing really well health wise. He's a bit of a picky eater but we're working around that. He's an AVID reader! Oh my goodness. He is constantly bringing me book after book throughout the day for him to crawl up in my lap and I will read it to him. His favorites are Five Little Pumpkins, all the Busy Baby books that have words or shapes or pictures, and his tractor books. He LOVES tractors. He'll point to one and say "Trac" he can find a tractor anywhere. If he's not playing with a tractor, he's playing with cars and anything with wheels. Balls are another favorite toy. Any kind, if you show up with a ball, instant heaven. He also is a stuffed animal baby! He loves soft things and loves to snuggle stuffed animals, bears are his favorite. He knows the difference! We've tried to trick him! 

He's getting the hang of eating with a spoon...kind of. Mostly he gets it everywhere else, gets tired of missing his mouth then sticks his hands in the food and starts shoving it in his mouth!  This was cream of wheat. 

The other big news, WE'RE HAVING A GIRL! I am due March 20th and we just had the ultrasound to let us know she's healthy, strong, and FEMALE! Oh boy...Just as I was getting used to having boys in the house. Zayden is still clueless but we are THRILLED! Everything looks good and now we get to start collecting pink cutesy things. I am pretty excited about that. Back into baby mode instead of toddler. More posts for that to come with updated pictures. I am almost 21 weeks and doing great. I haven't really started gaining weight yet. I lost about 10 lbs and I only gained one back last month. So I need to kick it up a notch but so far so good! 

I truly am blessed with a beautiful son and wonderful husband! 

November being the month to be grateful, I am very blessed to have a great family and great support from extended family. Babies are the death of my body but it's worth it. I love being a momma to this little man and future little girl.