Fall Leaf Placemat

This afternoon Gavin made two placemats with the fall leaves we collected on our walks last week. He did a good job making sure lots of leaves with different colors and sizes were on each placemat.

Brownies!

A couple of days ago we got new neighbors, so this afternoon Gavin and I made brownies. By made, I mean poured in water, oil and eggs. They came out really good though (we had to try them to make sure before we give them away right?).

Yard Work

Last night Steven and Gavin mowed the yard. Here's some pics.

P.S. They did a great job - the yard looks great!

Fall Leaf Craft

Today Gavin, Austin and I worked on a fall leaf craft. I cut leaf shapes out last night, Gavin glued them onto popsicle sticks and pushed them into a styrofoam block I put in a flower pot. It turned out cute and makes a cheap fall decoration for the house! Austin was deeply engrossed watching his big brother.

The Boy's Bathroom

I can't even describe this bathroom when we started. It was Kraft mac and cheese orange and hot pink! Seriously! So I was going to paint it a nicer bathroom blue, but I had paint left over from Gavin's room and decided to save some money and just use what we had. We have a frog theme in the bathroom. We did change the lights over the vanity and I made the little frog signs to go over Gavin and Austin's towel bar (Austin's not really using his yet but it won't be long!).

Austin's Cowboy Western Room

Austin's room turned out nicely too I think although it wasn't as complicated as Gavin's room. It started out lilac and mint green with a yellow chair rail and trim. I had the hardest time deciding what theme to use in his room and I couldn't finding any crib bedding that really inspired me. Then I found this really cute cowboy set on eBay at a store called Cotton Patch of Virginia. I was able to tell the owner exactly what I wanted using the fabrics she had and she made it and had it in the mail within two weeks! I think it turned out really well and it fits perfectly - even the bumper.
Then I matched the red in the horseshoe fabric at Lowe's so I painted the bottom of the wall red and the top a color called Tagsdale Linen (or something like that). Anyway, a few accessories later and we have a cowboy room! Austin seems to like it! He loves looking at the cowboys on the bumper in the morning.

Gavin's Truck Bedroom

So most of you know that we just bought a new house about six weeks ago now so as we get rooms finished I'll put up some pictures. Since Gavin loves all things on wheels, it seemed natural to give him a truck/transportation bedroom. It is complete with a construction site and a car accident - both scenes he requested. We started with a blank slate in this room and the mural was actually fairly simple to paint. I just painted the top a sky blue, the bottom grass green, then painted a black road between them. When that dried, I put up the yellow lines on the road and made houses and a few trees. The paint samples at Lowe's were great for this because I picked out 4 or 5 primary colors and got sample cans so it's still wall paint. Then I used wallies for cars and trucks. I think it turned out nicely and Gavin loves it.

Gavin and Dad go to the Mizzou Game

Gavin and I went to watch Mizzou take on Furman today. Gavin has been going to Mizzou games with me since 2007, and he has always enjoyed it. He almost always makes it to the end of the game. This game, however, he wasn't feeling well about halfway through the second quarter. He still wanted to tough it out until halftime because it was band day, and he wanted to see all the bands on the field for the halftime show. We made it, and a good time was had by all.

Longtime Mizzou fans will recognize the fellow in the cap and black shirt with the gold megaphone on the back as Spider. When we got to our seats (two of the four held by a friend of mine from college and law school), Spider was sitting right in front of us. I didn't think to take a picture until he was headed down the aisle, exhorting the crowd to "Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!" It was nice to see he's still healthy and cheering Mizzou on to victory. The Tigers were up 42-0 when we left, so I think it's safe to say this one was a victory.

For the Birds

The previous owners of the house left a pine cone dangling from a string in front of the kitchen window. Steven somehow knew that this was supposed to be a bird feeder...so, yesterday Gavin, Austin and I got some bird seed and today we slathered peanut butter on the pinecone and Gavin rolled it around in bird seed. Dad was nice enough to hang it up for us - and he loves to get his picture taken so I took the opportunity for a nice photograph!

Solid foods - sort of

So last weekend we started Austin on solid food. We tried the rice cereal, but quite frankly, it looks and smells gross and I don't see the point of feeding it to a poor child. So, Austin finished a jar of apples and a jar of carrots this week. I don't know anyone who is allergic to apples or carrots so I figured it's got to be safe!
He seems to really like it. He always makes a horrible face when it first goes in his mouth, but he doesn't spit it out and he eats a lot (for a baby)and he already is opening his mouth when he sees the spoon coming. These pictures are of him eating carrots this afternoon.

Soccer Class

This morning Gavin went to soccer class. This was his fourth one. He really enjoys it and listens very closely to his coach. It's so fun to watch the kids run around trying to do what Coach Adam is doing! The pictures are kind of blurry because I can't get my camera to take good action shots for some reason...

A Trip to the Fire Station

This morning Gavin's preschool class went on a trip to the fire station. Gavin had a lot of fun. He learned to call 911 for emergencies and to crawl on the floor to get out of a burning building. Then he saw the fireman's living room, kitchen and bedroom before going to see the most important thing - the fire truck! The fireman pulled out the truck and raised the ladder and Gavin very sadly told the fireman that he has a little playroom and a firetruck with a ladder wouldn't fit in it. Then he looked in the truck got a sticker. He had a great time.