The day we decided to check out a local pumpkin patch turned out to be the hottest day in October. It also happened to be the one day that everyone + their grandma had the same idea we did and decided to go to the pumpkin patch with their kids. The whole place was crowded and didn't offer much for young kids to do. The very few things that were available for Joel's age had hour long wait lines. (I wish I was kidding.) I wish I could say we had a blast but that would be a lie.. and I'm all about keeping it real on here.. so honestly.. it was a drag. We did manage to knock enough people down so we could hop on a hayride though. The hayride was the only way to and from the actual pumpkin patch where you could pick a pumpkin. Seeing this little cutie's smile on the hayride and then when he saw all the pumpkins was totally worth the long hot wait we had to suffer through.

July Fun

July was filled with lots of fun for us. We played outside (or "zoutzide" as Joel calls it) almost every day. We also went to a water park, the county fair, and a zoo.

Jeremy took a day off from work so we could go to the water park. We thought we would be avoiding huge crowds, but apparently everyone & their mama in Ohio had the same idea! It was packed full of people. We had a blast though! The kid area is huge and we were able to go on it with Joel. We also brought him into the wave pool (with a life jacket on of course!) and he LOVED it. We definitely want to go back soon.

Jeremy's mom went with us to the county fair. She took Jer and his brothers every year when they were growing up, and according to her it hasn't changed since she was a little girl. I think it will become a tradition for our little family too because Joel loved seeing the farm animals and the tractors. He also loved the pony ride.. and y'all, he was a pro at it! It made his Southern mama proud! :-)

The Cleveland Zoo involved lots of walking. Seriously, the place is SO spread out. Joel's expressions when he saw the animals were totally worth it though! I think his favorite things that day were the wolves, the dinosaurs, and riding a camel with mama.
 

* Proof that we are a normal family and we won't always get "perfect" pictures! *

 * Fun playing "zoutzide" *

Independence Day

Our town did fireworks on the 3rd. We were able to watch the fireworks from our backyard which was awesome! Joel LOVED it. Jeremy and I loved that we didn't have to leave our house and deal with traffic. haha 

On the 4th we went to a carnival. I personally don't like carnivals (I don't like the rides, I think the food is gross and the prices are ridiculous), and Joel didn't seem too impressed either. He only rode on a few things and he barely cracked a smile during it.

Later that day we had family over for dinner, and when the sun went down we had fun with sparklers. 

I don't have any pictures from my childhood 4th of July's but I have the best memories. My dad would always take me to a firework stand to pick out whatever I wanted. We lived next door to my mom's sister so we would usually combine our fireworks with whatever my cousins had. We would have a big firework show in our backyard. I would run around with my cousins, laughing and having a blast. Those were good times. I hope we make lots of good memories like that with Joel so he will look back when he is older and smile. 

Weekend Fun

Saturday we went to the aquarium and then to West Side Market. Joel had fun at the aquarium, but the market was my favorite part of the day. We had gyros for dinner from Steve's Gyros... It was seriously the BEST thing I have ever ate!

Whipps Ledges

We took Joel hiking at Whipps Ledges for the first time. He LOVED it. We didn't think we would be able to take him to the top but he climbed up there almost without our help. He would have stayed out there in the woods all day if we had let him!

The first time Jeremy brought me to Ohio to meet his family (in 2007) he took me to Whipps Ledges [in the rain] and almost let me fall to my death! Ok, I am exaggerating a bit, but I did slip and get hurt! I also got super sick after being outside in the cold rain and was miserable (and embarrassed) the entire trip. Nice way to meet the future in-laws right?

We were so young.. and skinny! 

Great Lakes Science Center

We went to the Science Center in Cleveland with Jeremy's brother, Danny, a few weeks ago. It was so much fun! There was a bunch of hands on stuff to do and the kid play area was awesome for Joel. The day we went the Titanic artifact exhibit opened for the first time.. We decided to buy a ticket for it, and I personally think that was the best part of the whole day! Photography wasn't allowed in the exhibit though, which was a bummer. It was amazing to see some of the artifacts that still looked brand new after being under water for all these years. 

Behind the Science Center is an amazing view of Lake Erie. I wasn't expecting the lake to be as blue as it was.. I guess I'm just use to the dirty brown lakes in the South. haha

Journey To Ohio (in pictures)

Washington

We stopped at the Montana-Idaho border to play in snow!

Half way thru the trip we started to go a little crazy!! :)

We had to stay in North Dakota for two days due to a snow storm. We didn't mind too much though.. We needed a break from the road! We had fun playing in the indoor pool.

Once the snow cleared we went out to see what the town offered. We stopped at an outdoor/sporting store that had a ferris wheel inside the store. Joel thought it was cool.

Chicago! My favorite part of the whole trip! We stopped for lunch (Chicago pizza, of course!) and we walked around Millennium Park. We also stopped by the Disney Store, which I'm pretty sure was Joel's favorite part. I definitely want to go back for a weekend to see more of the city.

Bug Museum

Joel has shown an interest in bugs and reptiles lately.. He loves to find pictures of bugs or snakes and then show it to me so I will freak out. He think it's hilarious when I shriek in fear and run away! Friday afternoon we took him to a local bug museum and he LOVED it. His mama.. not so much! haha!

Hello Sunshine (Parks & The Zoo)

Proof that Spring is around the corner: the sun has actually been shining in the Pacific Northwest! It's still cold but we don't even care. We have been taking advantage of the sunny days every chance we get! We love to explore different parks/playgrounds in our area. Joel always has a blast. He would stay outside all day long if we let him, so we definitely need to find a house in Ohio that has a big yard!

 

Our monkey--always climbing! He is brave but his mama is usually a nervous wreck! HA!

. . .

 

Today we went to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Joel and I have been to the PD Zoo once before with my friend & her little girl, but Jeremy has never been [other than today]. The last time I brought Joel he was only a year old.. It was fun to see how he reacted differently to everything this time. He seemed to be more aware of the animals today which was fun. I think he really enjoyed the aquarium because he made us walk around it three times. :-) It was exciting for us to see him point at the fish and then actually say the word "fish!' {Joel has speech delays caused by tuberous sclerosis complex.} He also liked seeing the elephants and the tigers.

 

 



ONE YEAR OLD!

My precious baby boy is one year old today!!

I took him to an indoor playground today to celebrate and he had a blast! We stayed there for three hours and he played nonstop. The only thing missing was his daddy. :( {Mean 'ole Uncle Sam decided Daddy was needed elsewhere for a few weeks.}

We had Joel's birthday party last Saturday (the 28th) since Jer had to go out of town. The best part of the party was seeing Joel demolish his cupcake! It was too funny!!

This year has flown by way too fast! And honestly, I still can't believe God blessed us with this little miracle! Last night as I was rocking him to sleep I cried while thinking about how far we've come. For years I felt so hopeless and thought we would never be able to have a baby.. and yet, here we are.. blessed beyond measure with a gift sent straight from Heaven above! I will never be able to thank the Lord enough for my sweet boy!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, JOEL CAMERON!!

MAMA & DADA LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE!! 

(Catching Up) Thanksgiving / A Trip To The South

We spent our Thanksgiving traveling. We took a red-eye flight to the South.. and let me just tell ya.. we will never fly a red-eye ever again. Oh man, it was terrible. Thankfully Joel slept during the long flight, but Jer and I didn't get any sleep. We were beyond exhausted when we finally arrived in Mississippi. The long trip was completely worth it though after I was able to see family that I've missed!

We had a birthday party for my nephew on the first Saturday we were in town. The party was suppose to be a surprise but the stinker figured it out! He had no idea we (Jer, Joel, and I) would be there though, so the look on his face when he walked in and saw us was priceless! He ran over and gave me the biggest hug I've ever had! He kept telling everyone it was the best birthday he has ever had--just because I was there. :)


Other highlights from our trip:

• finally getting to meet my new nephew, Eli!
• seeing my baby play in my old room with his cousins
• taking my nephew & niece bowling
• taking Joel to the same beach park where we took our engagement pics
• spending time with a good friend/Joel's godmother
• getting my nose pierced (thanks to peer pressure from my hubby & mom of all people! haha)
• watching football games in the "Saints room" at my dad's new house

We had a fun trip, but we definitely missed our own beds. And yes.. we kinda missed WA too.  ;)

(Catching Up) A September Day in Seattle

At the beginning of Sept we spent a day in Seattle to celebrate my birthday. We started our day at Pike Place Market. We went on a week day hoping we could avoid large crowds, but no such luck. It was very crowded--mix that with a baby + a huge stroller, and it was little overwhelming at times. Overall we enjoyed it though. My favorite part was all the beautiful flowers for sell. I wanted to buy all of them!!

We headed to the EMP Museum after walking around the market for a while. I mostly wanted to go the museum just to see the Avatar exhibit (yes, I am a nerd like that), but the rest of the museum turned out to be really cool. It's definitely something you should check out if you are ever in Seattle.

Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday we spent the day at a local farm with our friends the C's. We walked a corn maze, picked out Joel's first pumpkin, and attempted to take took a couple family photos. We had a great time with our friends, and definitely enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather! (I may or may not be getting spoiled by the PNW weather. I will never admit it though. HAHA) I can't wait to take Joel again next year. :)

Point No Point & Hurricane Ridge

A few weeks after we returned home from our trip we bought an SUV. It was much much needed! My compact car was too small for us as a family of three. In fact it was so small that we would have to move the passenger seat up as far as it would go just to fit Joel's car seat in. No I'm not kidding! haha It was ridiculous! We knew we needed something bigger, and thankfully we found the perfect SUV on the first day of looking. We seriously luuuuvvv it. Anyway ~
Now that we can all fit comfortably in a car together we decided it was time to explore Washington! Our first adventure was to Point No Point. It was nice.. Nothing to write home about though.

PNP Lighthouse

Our second adventure brought us to Port Angeles. We spent a few hours walking around downtown enjoying the beautiful weather. For dinner we went to the restaurant where a fictional character from a famous vampire book went on their first date. It was extremely overpriced for what they had to offer, but hey.. at least we can say we went there.

After dinner we headed to the Olympic National Park to visit Hurricane Ridge. J had been dying to go since we moved here, and I'm so glad he talked me into it! It was BEAUTIFUL!! The drive up the mountain was scary at times but the view was so worth it.

The drive down