A Happy Fall

I live in North Carolina. I am originally from Minnesota where the fall weather shows itself much earlier. Last week it was still in the 90's here and I was miserable. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate warm summer days, but it is the end of September and the Minnesota blood in me is calling for some crisp fall air.

So yesterday was the first day that it was "cool" enough to celebrate the start of fall! It was the perfect day: cold (70 degrees), dreary (always a good fall indicator), and raining (bonus!). So I packed up Sammy and we headed to the mall to find a good fall candle to burn all day. We were in luck because Bath and Body had a 2/20$ candle sale and I purchased a few yummy caramel apple candles.

I also cooked my first pot roast of the season in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots. The husband was pleasantly surprised by the aroma filling the house when he got home. I highly recommend making one. All I do is:

1. Coat the roast in flour

2. Brown it on all sides with some oil in the frying pan

3. Chop 2 potatoes and a bunch of carrots ( I love cooked carrots) into large pieces

4. Add veggies to the bottom of the crock pot

5. Put roast on top

6. Mix lipton onion soup mix with 3/4 cup of water and pour over roast

7. Cook on low for 8 hours.

8. Enjoy Yummy tender roast and delectable veggies.

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Because I adore fall and I adore blogs especially blogs that teach you how to make/do something, I decided to make a fall banner to make the home feel even more festive. I got the idea here. It was easy, cheap and I already had all the materials. The tutorial uses newspaper, but I had lots of pretty scrap book pages to use up, so that's what I used. The possibilities are endless. So here is my Happy Fall banner.

Sammy is just hanging out while I made a mess.

Here it is! Bad lighting and all.

Hope you are having Happy Fall Ya'll

Toys

Just thought you might want to see how we entertain ourselves on a daily basis....

Meet "Whirly Bird" My mom aka Grandma Barb named him/her when she came to visit a month ago.

This is Samuel's most FAVorite toy. I say Sammy, here comes.....WHIRLY BIRD! And he shrieks in delight. I don't know when babies actually start to belly laugh. Mine seems to scream or yell when he is happy. Anyways, if you know anyone who is going to have a baby, whirly bird is a gem to have. His actual name by the way (on the tag) is Jacque the Peacock.

Other things my little Sam likes:

This guy "Monster Man"

I sing the song Macho Man but replace those words with Monster Man. He was a gift from my husband's aunt Karlene. Sammy likes to chew on his horns. And he makes a yuck face when the fur gets in his mouth.

This crazy contraption is called a jumperoo. Sammy was very confused the first time I put him in it. But now he is thoroughly amused by it :)

That is all for now. I'm hoping to post more often :)

5 months

Dear Sammy

You are over 5 months old now. My heart still fills up when you smile and talk to me. I am so darn lucky. You grasp things regularly and when I carry you around you reach out at the things you want to touch. You love your daddy. When he comes through the door from work, I say "Daddy's HOME!" and the smile you make fills your entire face. You are showing interest in the food we eat now. Soon enough you will be starting solids and sitting on your own and maybe you will even crawl soon? :) You love the soft books that auntie Katie sent you. She sends us lots of awesome things like shoes and books and jammies. You moved up to size 3 diapers. This is a big deal. You are growing so fast! I love the rolls on your thighs and how your cheeks are filling out so well ;)

Today it is raining and you and I slept in. It hasn't rained here in about a month. It was so nice. Then when you decided it was time to get up we played with your little bumble bee rattle and practiced sitting up. You drool a lot and when I kiss you I get slobber on my face, but I don't care. I love your sweet baby drool. I never knew I would like being a mom so much. I hope I can have more babies just like you someday, but different because there is only one you.

Oh one more thing I need to tell you. This weekend your dad and I ran a 5K race and he won a prize for being the first person to finish with a stroller! You made us 10 bucks this weekend! Awesome huh? We hope you will love to run like us someday. Ok little boy, you are awake from your nap and it's time to PLAY again!

Love Always,

Mom