Off to Atlanta!

We finally got to go to Atlanta to meet Caleb (my nee nephew) and visit Mary Katherine and Justin. Caleb was born at the end of September but we couldn't get our trip planned until now (end of October). We decided to break up the long car ride by stopping in Charlotte to see family. 

We left Raleigh on a Tuesday morning and drove to my parents house in Charlotte. 

I sat in the back to try and entertain the screamer (Reece). The kids did well in the car (Hailey is usually a great traveler) and they even both fell asleep for the lady 30 minutes! 

When we got to my parents house they had lots of energy to burn. We went to the neighborhood playground, played in the playroom, jumped on the "trampoline" (pool cover) and just spent time outside on such a beautiful day. 

But the highlight of our night was getting to

Go see Tucker play soccer!

It was Hailey's first sporting event! Ha! My mom kept Reece at her house so we could stay out past bedtime ;). Hailey had a great time eating chicken nuggets, cheering (which lasted all of 3 minutes) playing in the dirt, and playing with Mack. 

The next morning we got up bright and early to drive to Atlanta! It was a longer drive and the kids did pretty well. We stopped twice but we didn't want to waste any time because we were going to see Caleb! 

We were all SO excited to meet him! 

Reece did not like me holding him at all. But he was very curious of him. 

While we were there we visited the aquarium (more on that in a separate post) went to the park 

Painted toe nails 

And just hung out 

We even got to babysit Caleb one night. Hailey helped give him a bottle and was in heaven. 

Reece, not so much 

We were sad to leave after a few days but so glad we got to go. On our way home we stopped back in Charlotte to see Ryan's parents. We had a great time reading with Mimi 

Visiting with poppi and seeing Pawpaw. (Ryan's grandfather)

We had such a fun trip and can't wait to see everyone again soon! 

State Fair

We went to the State Fair a few weeks back. Hailey had been asking about it and remembered going last year and winning a shark by playing a fishing game so we were excited to go back. 

First we looked at the animals but Hailey was so excited about the rides we quickly made our way there. Of course she wanted to ride the Ferris wheel again. 

Reece and I just hung out and took selfies while we waited 

Then she "fished" for a prize. 

She chose a sting ray

Then Hailey and I rode the carousel 

Time for a funnel cake!

Reece may have gotten a tiny taste 😉

After our yummy snack we headed over to the UNC-TV tent. Hailey had fun taking pictures with her favorite characters, Daniel Tiger and Curious George. 

Then we took some pictures with a GIANT pumpkin. 

Hailey got to ride a few more rides 

And then we had to get some Howling Cow ice cream to end our day! Can you tell we all enjoyed our day at the fair?!

How Ryan Carves a Pumpkin

Hailey was super excited to carve a pumpkin this year. 

That quickly changed when the slimy guts needed to be removed. We had to bribe her to even touch them. 

Overkill?

When Ryan switched to carving with a knife Hailey got her"tools" to help too. 

The finished product

Reece is 8 months old!

Reece is 8 months old and is growing and doing new things every day!

He weighs around 18 pounds and is wearing mostly 9 month clothes. He has some size 3 shoes that we've yet to wear and a size 3 diaper. 

If you can't tell by the big bags under his eyes, sleep is still our main battle. Still takes a 30 minute nap every two hours and goes down around 7 at night. He wakes up once or twice and is usually up for good around 5. Some days daddy can get him back to sleep by cuddling on the couch. I will say we had a good sleep week last week but the last few days have been rough with waking up at 4am! 

This little boy still nurses every 3ish hours during the day and takes a morning and bedtime bottle. He eats three solid meals. He still won't eat fruit unless it's mixed in something else. He will sometimes eat s few bites of banana if I let him hold it. He loves butternut squash, I'd say that's his current favorite. He loves puffs, Cheerios, mum mums, Mac and cheese, black beansand mandarin oranges. Reece is not fond of whole peas. 

He started saying "dada" this month and can do and use the "more" sign. He usses it all day, about everything. More puffs, more tickling, more water, more climbing the stairs. He likes to follow Ryan around in the mornings doing the more sign to ask for food. 

I'm starting to see the little boy come out in Reece more each day.  He likes playing with balls and is beginning to enjoy pushing cars and trucks across the floor. He loves to climb! I have found him in the frige, the dishwasher, on the stairs, on top of us and now standing on things to reach something higher up. He will finally let me read books to him! 

Reece still loves being outside but hates the stroller. Lately he just wants to crawl around and try to eat grass. His new favorite thing is to try and climb the stairs. He can actually get to the top with us standing behind him. 

Hailey can still make him laugh the easiest. His love for daddy grows everyday. Lately he gets so excited when Ryan gets home from work. He crawls over to him and just lays his head on his shoulder. It's precious. 

Life with a little boy is busy! Who knows what's coming next?! We love you Reece Anthony!

Funny Moments in Month 7

Tomorrow is Reece's 8 month birthday so in honor of that here are a few funny moments from the past month. 

Reece found my dangling earrings months ago so I've been wearing studs. Well he found those too. 

Our neighbor gave Hailey a balloon. She spent many a day clipping it to unsuspecting victims, usually Reece. 

Someone learned how to pull the gate down. 

Reece is dying to eat finger foods and loves to feed himself. I have him a little Mac and cheese the other night and he was in love. So in love that after dinner he crawled under Hailey's chair and found some for dessert. 

Being silly with Hailey's glasses

He has figured out how to drink from a water bottle 

There are no words

The only picture I got the morning of his dedication. 

Yep...

Can you tell someone learned to climb?!

Oh Reece. You sure do keep us on our toes!