Pumpkin Carving

Last year we never got around to carving our pumpkins. Mostly because the squirrels beat us to it! Since Chase picked out a great big pumpkin at the farm, we were determined to make a Jack O' Lantern this year. The little man was very interested in digging out the inside(the kit had a small shovel), he tolerated touching the guts and even snuck a raw seed while we weren't looking!

Digging in!

Still not so sure about this

While Daddy was carving, we took a break to get a bath. Wardrobe change to pjs!

No candle needed yet. Just hold it up to the light:)

Chase was too mesmerized by the pumpkin to look at the camera

Not too bad for our first attempt. Templates don't hurt:)

Before and After

A while back I posted pics of the main living spaces in our house. Chase's room was the first room finished- but I keep forgetting to take a picture, and currently he is napping so his room's pics will be in a future post. We still have a lot of work to go, but we've been trucking along painting, getting new light fixtures etc. Always a work in progress right? The house was very outdated when we moved in, and I think that some other prospective buyers couldn't see past the pink, green, and beige walls, lovely wallpaper, and mint green carpet upstairs. We still haven't tackled the "purple" bathroom, but we did finally get the chance to rip up the carpet in the master bedroom. A huge thanks to my parents for taking Chase to the shore and keeping him overnight so we could get the work done, and go to our first Flyers game of the season last night!! No need for a long post. I think the before and after pictures are enough in themselves.

This is what the master looked like at our walk-through. Super hot right?

I think we asked the previous owner and our realtor at least ten times to confirm that there was hardwood throughout the upstairs.

We painted about a month ago.

4 hrs. to yank everything out. Lots and lots of staples. The floor was in near perfect condition however!!

I've always wanted to throw a carpet, or anything to be exact out of a second floor window!

The finished product. The columns give it character:)

One more small renovation...

We had a lovely pink flowered glass pendant in our breakfast nook. Not really our style. Jas walked me through the process and I wired our new pulley pendant light!

Need some help fixing stuff?

We Love Fall!

Look at my crazy hair

Please don't let go! I'm still not ready!

Hanging by the creek

Fall is my favorite time of year. Although some days it seems like we might bypass the season all together-I went to the beach on Monday, and this morning its time to use the fireplace again. Despite the nutty weather, we've moved into high gear with participating in this season's activities. Since the beginning of the month we've attended a local Oktoberfest, an apple festival, and went to the farm for a hayride and pumpkin picking. Jas likes to say that these events are actually for me, since Chase is too young to remember. Well, to be exact Oktoberfest was actually a mommy/daddy event, and compared to Baltimore's, quite a change for us. It's not to say that our town's shindig was a bust, it was just different. One of the attractions for us down in MD, was that we were surrounded by such a diverse crowd. You were surely never at a loss for entertainment, and who doesn't love people watching? Don't get me wrong, I love our new area-it's just a little cookie cutter. Like I said- not bad, just different. Somedays I feel like I am drowning in a sea of UGGs. Thankfully the Jersey hair phase has passed:)

(Yes Jason, Chase may be too young to remember going to these places. Your loving wife however, is rarely without her camera and I am determined to excessively document as many moments as possible. Have I not moved away from making you wait as I take pictures of the dishes that I create?) Juggling getting food ready for the impatient little man has put that hobby on hold for a bit.

Ready to go fast!

Yay! Pumpkins!

I'd like this one please

Why does it have to be orange?

Okay, Let's get this one!

16 Months Old and a Few Firsts!

I can't quite post that Chase is walking yet. We practice everyday, and he just got a new pair of kicks, but he has yet to take more than one step solo. He will walk while holding just one of your hands, but he is hesitant to take the next "step" toward walking:( He gets around plenty well, and thoroughly enjoys getting into everything. Going up and down the steps over and over again is definitely one of his favorite activities. After a little practice he now thankfully knows to turn around to come down the stairs backwards. So that was "first"#1 for October-going down the steps backwards.

The next "first" and a very important one-a baby book milestone my friends:) Chase got his first haircut! After many weeks of saying it was about time, we finally took him to get rid of the mullet. I am pleased to report that he was awesome. Not a single tear was shed, and he loved sitting in the silver antique race car. I think he may have been confused as to what exactly was happening, but he cooperated the entire time. It probably doesn't hurt that he recently started "driving" with daddy in the race simulator, so he is all about turning steering wheels. Although Daddy would have liked for Chase to keep his "hockey" for the start of the Flyers season, we decided it was time for him to look a little less redneck. We got a certificate and his little locks in a pouch. These two things I explained to Jason made it work the twelve bucks. He thought we could just cut Chase's hair ourselves. After I watched the little man turn his head from side to side to see what was going on, and how much the girl danced around to keep his head straight-I'm pretty sure if I cut his hair it would have looked terrible and I potentially would have nicked him.

Side note- Years ago a woman told me a story about how her young daughter tripped and cut her temple, and how she and her husband decided to use liquid bandage instead of taking her to the hospital. Her husband mind you, was a doctor. As she said "Make sure you hold her hands tight" the husband let go, and the little girl swiped her hand across her face. You get where I'm going right? One of the little girl's eyes ended up getting glued shut, and of course they ended up in the emergency room. This was my argument for why cutting Chase's hair ourselves was a bad idea. Jas remembered the story, and didn't argue with me as we headed to Kids Kuts.

Where am I? This definitely doesn't look like the basement.

My pretty long mohawk

Oh so handsome and serious

Some post-haircut photos...

On to "first" #3. Today Chase took his "first" bike ride. Not on his trike-he's an old pro at doing laps around the house(being pushed of course), but in the bike trailer. Jas brought his helmet home a few weeks ago, and Chase was not a fan at first. I don't think he exactly loves it now, I think tolerates is a better word. Since it was such a beautiful day, and we had already gone to an apple festival and a Halloween-themed birthday party(more pics in the next post I promise)-we figured we'd fit our inaugural bike ride around our neighborhood in before dinner. Jas rigged up some padding from an old stadium seat in the trailer, we harnessed Chase in, and we were off! He kind of seemed indifferent, but I couldn't tell if it was from lack of sleep or that he just wasn't a fan of the experience. For the first part of the ride he had his hands flailed out to his sides just like the first few times he took a bath. It looked just like when you grab the "Oh Sh**" handle when you go around corners, but in the bike trailer. If you've ever driven with Jason you know what I'm talking about. Since Chase wasn't crying, and eventually loosened his grip we rode around for about an hour. We checked out some of our neighbors crazy Halloween decorations and based on how over the top some yards look, I think it's definitely going to be like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation around here in December. We finally have outside outlets!! Woohoo!! Again I digress:)

You can't see in the picture, but he has an "I Trike Baltimore" shirt on.

Appropriate for his first bike ride I thought!

Off we go!

Another activity packed day tomorrow..hayride and pumpkin picking, Eagles game, and replay of the F1 race-heading to bed...

Family Time

Despite the circumstances, I wanted to make sure I got some photos of everyone while were all together a few weeks ago. In no particular order...

Squirmy with Great Grandpa!

Our first night all back together. Pizza and beer helps make everything better.

Football time! My brother hadn't watched an Eagles game in years.

At MomMom and PopPop's house. Chase's great-grandparents.

Messing up PopPop's hair. As you can see Chase clearly needs a haircut.

How do I look? Given our poor eyesight, Chase may be destined for a pair of glasses.

Chase got passed around to all the tables. Hanging with my great aunt! He also ate bread and dessert at all of the tables. People love when I sign "more!

Where to Begin?

Many of you know my recent absence is not without good cause. For the past few weeks I haven't really been in the blogging mood, sorry. All I can say is-Chase is truly the glue that holds us all together, and his smile can get you through anything. Roughly two weeks ago we had planned to have everyone get together at our house for a housewarming party. I was in my usual party-planner mode, and tending to last minute details. Would our vegetarian guests be attending, did we have enough food, and the two people with special diets I forgot about-would they eat before coming? In hindsight, all of those things are trivial-family and only family is the most important thing in life.

There is no flow to this post, and I can't hit the backspace key anymore. I've been debating for two weeks about talking about this...

The back story is that I grew up with all of my grandparents, and had many of my great-grandparents around when I was little. Two weeks ago I lost two of my grandparents within two days. I was the oldest grandchild and only granddaughter on that side of the family. My grandfather called me "Doll". Chase was their first great-grandchild. He was also the reason our entire family was able to make it through such a difficult time. He brings us so much joy, and we are lucky that he was able to know his great-grandparents even if for a short while. Theirs was the ultimate love story, and their passing and joint services were a testament to that love that encompassed nearly 70 yrs. Although part of me is still in disbelief, I look forward to sharing the stories of their world travels and traditions with Chase as he gets older.

To be honest, I still can't decide at this point if I want to hit the "publish button". I wonder if some of you will think this is a topic that should be considered taboo, and judge me for deciding to write this post. I deliberated quite a bit on this one, hence my silence- but I am choosing to remember the good times. People say unfortunately you only see family during weddings and funerals. This event of course brought my brother home from Wales. It had been five months since we'd all been together. Too long, and frankly Chase grows too fast. We were able to share some laughs and reminisce about spending so many wonderful weekends at our grandparents' house at the shore. Would I have wished circumstances were different? Of course. Ultimately it is another chapter, no matter how difficult. We should celebrate their lives.

Getting back to blogging will keep me busy, I just needed to take a break and recoup. Thanks to so many of you for your thoughts and prayers.

-Katie