October

In October we took two trips to Athens, GA for both the Alabama game and the Mizzou game. For the Alabama game, we stayed the weekend in a rental house with Mama and Grandaddy.  The kids stayed at the house while Matt and I went to my college ministry's reunion dinner.  It was so fun to be with two of my best friends from college and see several friends whom I had not seen in awhile.  Then Matt, Grandaddy, and our friend Chris went to the game in the POURING rain while the girls all hung out in the warm and dry house watching the game on TV.  Unfortunately it was not the outcome we hoped for, but it was a wonderful weekend!!  The house had a set of guitars that Hannah and Ethan had a blast playing.  They sang "Hey Bartender" all weekend, and it was hilarious!  For the Mizzou game, Matt and I just went for a day trip and left the kids with a babysitter at home.  It was a long day but so worth it!  Since Mizzou joined the SEC, Matt and I have not missed a "family rivalry" weekend!  We also had lots of fall fun in October.  We went to a pumpkin patch that had a hayride, face painting, and a petting zoo.  The kids got to go on a firetruck when the firefighters came to visit Hannah's school.  One weekend Timmy, my cousin, came to town for a Panthers game, and made the time to come out to dinner with us!  It was so fun to see him and we are so thankful he wanted to see us!  We also had lots of fun enjoying the cooler weather, by playing at the park.  We finished the month with a trip to St. Louis for Halloween and to meet our sweet new nephew Ben!  We had a great time with family and the kids LOVED trick or treating, even in the rain!!

Charlie is 5 months old

At 5 months, Charlie continues to roll over like a champ.  He almost immediately goes to his stomach if you put him on his back so pictures this month were a bit of a challenge.  He can kind of balance himself while trying to sit up, but quickly leans all the way forward until his on his belly again.  He got his first tooth a few days before turning 5 months and I think the next one is coming in too.  He has not stopped drooling or chewing his fingers!!  He has the best laugh and absolutely adores his big brother and sister.  For some reason, Ethan in particular mesmerizes him.  He has gained about a pound and is 15 lbs 2 oz.  He is still wearing his 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. Charlie is still an awesome sleeper, going from 8:30pm to around 8:00/8:30 am.  This month he also finally got the hang of napping in his crib.  He falls asleep on his own and most of the time without even a peep!  He is still nursing 5 times a day with an occasional 6th feeding thrown in there, and from the way he watches me eat, I imagine he'll be ready for solids soon!!!

September

September seemed like a super busy month.  The kids and I went down to Atlanta on the Thursday before Labor Day to spend the night in Grant Park and go to the Atlanta Zoo with my dear friend Emily on Friday.  The kids had an absolute blast seeing all of the animals!!  They loved the Giraffes, Gorillas, and Panda Bears the best!!  We then headed up to Lake Lanier where Matt met us the next day at my parents house.  Hannah and Ethan loved riding on Grandaddy's boat and they even got to help him drive!!  Hannah loved getting on the tube and they both loved "whimmin" as Ethan would say.  We had a wonderful visit with Aunt Lauri, Uncle Ron and most of their kids while we were there too!!  We are so thankful that they made the trek out to my parents to hang out for the evening!! Unfortunately, that same night we had the first broken bone in the family.  Ethan fell off of Grandaddy's stationary golf cart and broke his collar bone.  He was a trooper and did a great job at the ER for his X-rays. The next week, Hannah started preschool and absolutely loves it!!  It's so fun hearing about what she is learning and the friends she is making!  On the 13th, Charlie was baptized and we were thankful to have Grandaddy and Mama visit for the occasion.  We are so thankful for our church community and were so excited to celebrate Charlie and the promises God has made to those who love and follow Him.  We went of a church retreat towards the end of the month and went apple picking while we were there.  We had a blast hanging out with other families and getting to know them better.