It finally occurred. Hunter finally "fell" out of his crib. Last night, Mark and I were cleaning up the kitchen after having put Hunter to bed. Suddenly, we heard a loud THUD! come from Hunter's room. We dropped what we were doing and went sprinting upstairs to see what happened.

Now, we have a very cautious child- maybe we could say a methodical thinker. He rarely has had a bruise or a scrape and needs to be persuaded to try new things, so you can understand when I say that Mark & I never thought he would get out of his crib.

We're ready to put him in a twin bed. We have 2 quotes for a mattress/box spring, and even stopped yesterday afternoon for the second quote. So, how odd is it that he decided yesterday was the day to get out of his crib?

Back to the horrific, death-defying story. ;) On the way upstairs, all I could think of was what Hunter broke- his arm? his neck? his nose? That's when I think I may have had a heart attack. Upon opening his door, I bumped him with the door and started weeping. Mark hugged him and started the inquisition into how he got out and if he was hurt, while I sat and wept. It's amazing how upset I got at the thought of injury or maming of my little one. There really is something in that parental bond.

Oh, and we never did get it out of him "how he did it" and he was not hurt. However, he was very upset at watching his mommy crying her head off. I hope he scared himself out of doing it again.... at least until his new bed gets here!

Yesterday, I was reading Hunter a Dr. Suess book about the shapes of things. As we were discussing the shapes of random things, I asked him what the old-timey telephone was: "a cellphone," he said. Of course it was! I asked him what the broom was: "a Swiffer!" he replied. Of course- he is a prime example of a 21st century child- never having seen a corded phone. He calls our cordless phones at home cellphones, as well. We own a broom; however, I have always had a deep-seated dispassion for them, so I choose to use a Swiffer. Hunter loves to run around with it, too. It's so cute!

Tonight, I watched a friend's little munchkin for her to go exercise. Hunter went up to her and said: "I wike your shirt, Kiewra. It is pwettttty." I got a face cramp from laughing and grinning so hard! Who do you think teaches him the finer things of life? ;)

Here he is in all his glory- my barefoot Cookie Monster, trying on his new duds for his production director (me!), to make sure he could wear it. A dear friend gave us this costume and I just barely squeezed Hunter into it. Phew!



Doesn't he look just good enough to eat?! Sattchi thinks so. I apparently cut off the eyes, but you get the picture.





We were on holiday (as my South African friend calls is) in Florida for Halloween. We took Hunter trick-or-treating at our resort's store and restaurant area which was around a super nice pool. Once our Cookie Monster saw the pool, he wanted nothing to do with trick-or-treating. Poor guy- he was, after all, walking around a pool on a warm, sunny afternoon in a fuzzy suit!



He managed to provide candy for me and Mark for days! ;) Plus, he ate his first M&M candies! Boy did he have his eyes open to a whole new world of teeth-rotting, appetite-ruining delicacies. I guess he is 2-1/2 years old.







He's flaunting his emtpy wrapper here in his diaper in our suite. How sweet!

So many of you have been wondering how Mark did in his marathon. I'm happy to report that he finished! Not only did he finish, but he finished in the top 14% of 20,000+ runners! He came in at 3 hours and 47 minutes. Way to go, babe!



I couldn't be more proud of him. Seeing him run by during the marathon brought me to tears and I wanted to just kiss him! Not seeing him at my first stop also brought me to tears. It was stressful, okay?



At Crystal City (mile 22), I got a great picture of my handsome runner. Sorry, ladies. He's all mine ;).





Now that he was so successful and he actually enjoys running 20 miles at a stretch, he's ready to sign up for another marathon. What have I done?!

We've been BUSY!!! Sinusitis, 24-hour stomach bug, 2 MOPS events, OB visits, a marathon and a week of vacation- that was just the past 2 weeks. Thank you, God, for vacations!


After addressing 100+ emails, unpacking and dealing with a cranky toddler, I'm ready to share.


Our little family has had a very fun, active fall season already. This is new for us, as it is our first year not heading into Blacksburg for all the home football games. It was crazy, especially with a toddler! Though I really miss the excitement of watching the VT games live, spending time together as a family without the stress of traveling is just wonderful.


We went apple picking in Maryland which was a precious time together. It also affirmed to me I am married to a perfectionist. Our apples were perfect, as was our pumpkin.
























Hunter and I met some buddies out at a fabulous local farm, Cox Farms, for some fun in the hay. This place is great- lots of kid-friendly activities, like slides, an amazing hayride, toddler-sized play equipment. Can I just say TRAIN?! We had a blast!
















Yes, Hunter looks a little worried, but he said he liked it. I was so proud of him! Renee was at the top with him. She asked who wants to go first and Hunter said, "Hunter." Down went my cautious child. Way to go, sweetie!

I couldn't be happier about our new found family time. We're still spending 3 hours on the weekend watching the games- but we love to watch them! Go Hokies!

Okay, this wasn't the first time but maybe the second. Hunter was eating breakfast this morning and munching on one of his "blueberry man" waffles with whom he said would he share his toy motorcycle. He looks over at me and says "I love you, Mommy." Does he understand the serious, focused look I gave him when he said that to me? It's like I wanted him to know how much it meant to me. I wanted to capture his voice in time and frame it for the future to pull out when he's older and not so in love with me.

I know you can't be good at all things but do think a video camera could work for this moment? Um, yeah. Let's go pull it out. It was meant for such a time as this. (Thanks, Esther.)

I made my second annual trip to Old Mine Ranch in Dumfries with my MOPS group. It's a large petting "zoo" with ranch animals. Hunter, however, bypassed the animals and went for the dirt area where all the toy trucks were. He proceeded to camp out there until I drug him over to feed some goats. He seemed to care less about the animals.

The next activity was lunch- which he didn't eat because he was too busy crying. I think he must have gotten over-heated and didn't feel well. He was soon all-better after setting his sights on the tractor and hayride. He loved it! Check out last year's pic compared to this year's.

I have to say it. They grow up so fast; don't they? What a sweetie pie!

Our last adventure? Horseback riding. See for yourself.