Jack's 8 months old!

A subdued little dude - SO happy I was able to get at least one of him sitting with his sign in view!

my other attempts, as expected....

I'll post a full update in a few weeks after his 9-month checkup, but here's a snapshot:

*6 teeth - those top 2 middles are finally coming in, so he may not look like a vampire come Halloween...bummer, it would have at least been timely!

*Crawling full-time, unless he's pulling himself up on something

*Just started waving and clapping his hands - both are so cute!

October is birthday month!

So right after the scarecrow party, we headed over to Brenley's house for her birthday party. Jack had his own set of wheels when he got there...

And couldn't resist checking out the strangers behind the glass. About 7 seconds after this photo was taken, he began bawling in fear....about 30 minutes later when the dogs came inside, he was totally content to pet them as they walked by...weird!

The princess girls enjoying their pizza...

The goody bags came early, just so they could get all dolled up with princess jewelry before setting off on a scavenger hunt...

Then on to the pinata, which took every part of forever to break!

Meanwhile, the male segment hung out inside enjoying some sports on TV, and Jack wrestled with this banana...

Brenley's Grandad produced a surprise gift of a home-made balance beam in honor of their gymnastics fun, and it was quite a hit for all the guests (including the adults!)...

And bedtime was near, so Fidgit occupied Jack during presents!

And we move on...

A sleepover at Brenley's was followed by another birthday party for Kate's friends Max and Colin at the Fire Museum today...

Pizza, Capri-Sun, and cupcakes....who could ask for more!

Brenley's mom was roped into pushing this crew around in this little moving fire truck thing... (that's Max with the girls)

Those are some tired eyes after such a crazy couple of days...and some creepy teeth too!

Scarecrow Party!

Friday was the annual Scarecrow Party at Kate's school. Thank goodness the blue sky appeared before it started or we would have been stuck inside with hay bales and 3 year olds - not a good combination! Instead, Kate painted a pumpkin inside...

and then we all went outside!

Sorry for the weird face....I tried to catch her "pretty" smile!

Jack enjoyed his first experience on the slide!

And finally, chaos ensued. Making the scarecrows usually ends up being a parents' activity while the kids continue their outside playtime with their friends. Many of the boys decide to have straw-throwing fights (unfortunately, this takes place where the afore-mentioned adults are assembling straw people), and the girls are usually less interested in the mess....except for Kate and Brenley. They were a giggling mess out there yesterday!

The kiddos...

Kate is such a great big sister. Even when Jack wakes us all way too early, and she comes into his room with me all sleepy-eyed, her face quickly lights up when Jack smiles at her. They find ways to "play" together, despite Jack's limited experience!

I regularly have to load the car before I can actually take the kids outside with me and head out for daycare/school, and a few days ago, I came back in to find them both so content and patient (let's just say it's usually not so pleasant!)...

Mommy had another hotel event this week, but we were able to take the kids. There was a jazz band playing, which piqued Kate's interest, and she reaaalllly wanted her brother to dance with her!

Come play with me!

For those of you who don't get to see us and feel like Jack is a totally different kid each time, here's a snapshot of "playtime" for the little guy.

We love fall!

I hope that EVERYONE went outside this weekend, as it was perfect fall weather! Jesse was traveling with a team all day, so it was just us three trying to get some fresh air, to cure some kiddie-cough symptoms, and to get all of our wiggles out!

In case you can't tell, Jack LOVES to swing!

He also loves to munch...on anything. He was following my rule of staying on the blanket to play, however, he would lunge forward to grab some leaves and grass, and then make his way back onto the blanket to examine, and attempt to eat them!

I've been so eager for moments like this, they're so sweet together, and he can finally "play" with her!

Grocery shopping at Wegman's. We were actually able to utilize their double-wide kiddie seats on their big shopping carts, and it helped everyone get through the trip much easier!

Gymnastics class!

Kate started her first "class" a couple weeks ago, taking a gymnastics class taught by the Towson Gymnastics coaches. She LOVES it...and so does Jack!

And then, for lack of another post, here's a fun shot of Jack taking a ride in the hamper (I had to bring both upstairs and I debated two trips, but decided combining the two was more efficient!)