Jack-o-Lantern!

Last night, we carved Brody's pumpkin. I haven't carved a pumpkin in years, so I was looking forward to it! Brody wasn't as interested in it as I would have liked. But, Ryan and I had fun! I started out carving it, but Ryan soon took over. I knew he couldn't resist. He's the creative one! Here are some pictures of our night.

Tomorrow is Trick-or-Treat! Brody is going to be a Pittsburgh Steelers Football Player! I hope he has fun. Ryan is on call, so he won't be there. He had to work last year as well! I'll be so glad when there are no more call nights! We'll probably venture out in our neighborhood for a while to see all of Brody's little friends, then head over to my parent's house. Happy Halloween!

A'Hiking We Will Go!

On Wednesday morning, we got all bundled up and packed the car and headed east to Red River Gorge. Ryan and I loved to hike before Brody came along. We haven't gotten to go in awhile, because it's really not an ideal activity with a baby. But, Brody is now 2, and we thought he was ready to try hiking!

We went to Creation Falls, a really great hike for little ones. The whole hike was only about 1.5 miles. Brody loved it! He walked for about 2/3 of the way. The way back up the mountain was the hardest for him. He spent most of that time on Daddy's shoulders! It was so nice to get outdoors and in the fresh air. We took our time and let Brody do what he wanted, within reason! Ryan was in front, I was in back, so Brody was very safe. We can't wait to go again, maybe next weekend? Brody will LOVE it if his cousins come with us. He loves his cousins, and he will have a blast if they come along too. Hope you enjoy some of the pictures we took.

Sleep Issues

Ryan is on vacation this week, yea! But, he has been golfing both days so far, so we haven't really benefited from his presence yet. This week we plan on going to the pumpkin farm again, and then to Red River Gorge for a nice little hike. It will be fun, especially since the leaves are changing colors and the scenery will be beautiful.

Brody is doing well, except for his sleeping. He is afraid to fall asleep on his own now! Grrrr!!! Talk about frustrating. Yesterday, he screamed in his room for over an hour refusing to fall asleep for a nap without me laying next to him on the floor. I know he is not ready to abandon his nap, because when I lay with him, he will sleep for about 2 hours. At nighttime, same thing. He will finally cry himself to sleep, only to wake up 3 hours later and cry again. This repeats until about 530am, which is when I give up and bring him into my room until his normal wake up time, 730am. So, I am super grouchy, tired, and overall just pissed! I really do require sleep to function and to be a happy and loving mom every day. The last month or so, Brody has had this horrible cycle of sleep. Ryan keeps saying it is just a transitional phase, he will outgrow it. But, I'm having trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We have a consistent bedtime routine, nightlight, fan running for noise, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. Nothing seems to comfort him, except us in there. I REFUSE to have to lay down next to him for the rest of his life. I don't know if that's mean of me, if it is....I guess I'm mean. For those of you with kids and experience in this area.....any suggestions?? I am becoming very desperate.

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather like I am. I am so glad to put jeans and sweatshirts on Brody. It's always fun to enjoy new seasons and the new clothes that come with it!


Here are some pictures of Brody's trip to Evan's Orchard. I am also posting a picture of Brody with a black eye. He got it after he hit his head on the slide at the park. Black eye #1 down....many more to come, I'm sure.

S.W.A.T

OK - Here's the craziest story.....

My dad and Brody and I are in Perkasie, PA. We're visiting my grandma and aunt. We leave tomorrow morning. We've had a good time, but last night was unreal!

My grandma and aunt live in a townhouse subdivision. Their neighbor across the street has had a reputation for drinking excessively and taking pain medication. Let's just say, he's always trashed. His girlfriend recently moved out of the house, and he had a fight with his son. He also has several guns/weapons in his house. This is good background info for what happened Sunday night.

At 7:30ish, we started noticing cops outside the house, hiding behind cars, behind trees and mailboxes. My cousin was here visiting, with her dog, and they were trying to leave, but the cops said no one is to come or go. We had just ordered dinner, so there went our meal for the night!

After my aunt called around the neighborhood, we found out this crazy neighbor had called his girlfriend and threatened to kill himself. The girlfriend (ex-girlfriend) called the police, hence the police scattered all around the area.

At 8:30ish, Brody was getting tired, so I put him to bed. Shortly after, we saw a SWAT van pull up the street and all of these SWAT officers got out dressed in their garb. The van parked itself in my grandma and aunt's backyard! They had spotlights out and everything, all focused on the crazy guy's house. Two of them knocked on my aunt's door and asked if they could stake out in her bathroom, which had a window that overlooked this crazy guy's house. I started to get super nervous. Brody was upstairs, sleeping, not knowing any of this was going on. The SWAT guys told us to get downstairs in the basement. They were going to start negotiating with the crazy guy via bullhorn and were trying to get him to come outside. They said things could start to get hectic and they might have to shoot tear gas inside the house. Well, of course, I told them I am not leaving my son asleep upstairs by himself. So, I stayed outside his door, while the SWAT guys were upstairs in the bathroom window.

We could hear the police outside (there were like 20-30 of them!) trying to get this guy to come outside, answer his phone, trying to help him. This went on until midnight! Finally, I heard this BOOM! and they shot gas into the house. Minutes later, the crazy guy came outside and the ordeal was over.

We were all exhausted/excited/nervous/anxious the entire time. I can't tell you how strange it felt knowing that my 2-year old son was so close to danger. It was the worst feeling in the world. I just wanted to grab him and fly away to somewhere safe. I know horrible things like this can happen anywhere. That's what makes life so strange. We want our children to grow up safe and sound. But, as much as I try, I can't control everything. It was an experience we all will never forget. Thank goodness it ended as well as it did.

So.....crazy story, huh????

Welcome Fall!

We are so happy that Fall is here! October is one of my favorite months. Keeneland starts, yea! The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing colors, football is in full swing! Tomorrow, Brody and I are headed to the Apple Orchard. Pretty soon, it will be Pumpkin time! There are lots of fun things to do this time of year.

Brody had a great day of school today! I was so happy for him. He got dressed real nicely for pictures. He looked so cute, although I am pretty biased! He didn't cry at all until we got to his room. And, he stopped pretty quickly after I left. His teachers said he had a great day. Brody even smiled for his class pictures! They got to see a fire truck at school today, so he thought that was pretty neat. I'm just so happy that he is starting to feel more comfortable with school. Next week, I am going to leave him for the full time, and pick him up at 2pm. I think he is finally ready.

We all went to Brody's friend Audrey's 3rd birthday party last weekend. It was at Chucke Cheese. This was his first party there. He took a while to warm up, but after we ate pizza, he was running around like a crazy boy! When Chucke came out, he was a little reserved. He wasn't too sure about that big ol' mouse! He was very curious, just kept his distance.

Last weekend, Ryan and I met with our builder. We got to walk through a house recently finished that is the exact floorplan we will build. It was really awesome to walk through it knowing our house will look a lot like it! I am so excited and ready to move next year. We have really out grown this house. It will be sad to leave Lexington, but we are so ready to move on to a bigger and better house for all of us!

This weekend, we don't have much in the way of plans. UK plays Alabama, so we will definitely be watching the game on TV. Go Cats! Next week, my Dad and Brody and I are going to make the big road trip to Perkasie, PA to visit my Grandma and Shelly and Billy. I'm looking forward to seeing and visiting with them. It will be fun!