The Night Watches

Since it has almost been a week since my last post, this is going to be a long one! We have had some full days, and I have lots of pictures to share! My boy is just getting so big... climbing on things every chance he gets! All he wants to do is stand up and climb all around! I spend most of my day being climbed on, and keeping things he should not touch out of grabbing distance! Saturday, we packed our backpacks and headed to Great Falls and did some hiking with our great friends, Rob and Mary. The day was beautiful! You cannot ask for a more lovely day! Our little family! The guys kept getting quite a bit ahead of us, as either Mary or I had stopped to take a picture! We gave Tyler a piece of beef jerky to knaw on... and he loved it... you never know what he will enjoy to chew on. It usually is most things though! We ended up hiking quite far, so by the time we got back to the cars, the sun had set and it was quite chilly! We ended the evening with a fire and some roasted hotdogs and...

The other day, a friend told me that one day I will walk into Tyler's room and he will be standing in his crib.... well that day has come! I can hardly believe it! As of last week, he began to flip himself over and crawl around his crib, grasping onto the sides like a prisoner trying to break free... so we lowered the crib mattress, so that any escapes would be prevented. We thought finding him standing would be a little while off, so we had some time to kind of enjoy the baby-ness of his laying still. Now, he crawls all around the crib, and pulls himself up to standing pretty much every time I put him in it! He also has discovered the joy of turning big paper pages... So, when did he become my big little boy? The time has gone way to fast! But we are still loving every minute of it! He is my sweet big little boy!

Our backyard has three trees that produce a lot of leaves! So this past Saturday, Jordan got to work on them. Before long, we had a huge pile of leaves in the middle of our yard. So, I thought..."How fun! Tyler will love this!! " So we eased him into the pile, feet first of course! He was a little nervous! I thought he would be fine, based on his past experience with leaves last week! After some enthusiastic encouragement from us, he decided he had enough of the big pile! It soon turned into a scary experience for my little boy... and nervous giggles turned into a cry! No big leave piles for this boy, this year! Dada came to the rescue and we returned to the safety of our living room!  

So sorry for the lack of posts lately. But here is something sure to bring a smile to your face! Last night in the bath, Tyler decided to taste the bubbles... It left him with a face full of bubbles, and I just could not resist taking pictures! So, here is his bubble goatee... and nose puff.... And here is what my boy will look like as an old man! Still cute though!!! He has a bubble beard!! It was so cute, I was dying laughing!  

I forgot to post the update on Tyler. We went to the Dr. last week for is 9 month check-up. Dr. said he looks great and we even made it out of there without any shots!! Here is the latest: 19lbs 1 oz (only the 30th percentile) 28.75 inches lonh (70th percentile) He is getting skinny!!! Although he doesnt look it at all! Here are a few pictures of my big boy this past week!  

Oh how I love Fall! This has been such a fun fall to prepare for! In past years, I have not had my own home to decorate or a little boy to introduce to all the joys of the changing seasons! I introduced Tyler to the abundance of leaves already collecting in our back yard yesterday. He tried to eat the leaves at first, and then just piled them in his lap. He was intrigued at how they felt in his hand. It really was so sweet to watch. I saw this on Better Homes and Gardens.com. You just collect some leaves from your yard, dry them in a book, and then attach them to a colorful piece of paper. Then insert into a frame, and you have a nice little welcome to guests in your home! Here are some of the little things I have done around our house to make it feel a little like fall inside! I just love this season! Me and my boy... I just love the priviledge I have to inrtoduce this little one to so many new things. What a gift from God! Our dining room table... more fall goodness... My sweet...