Pumpkin Carving!

We're getting excited about Halloween around here! Tonight we, well mostly Scott, carved our pumpkin. Jacob showed slightly more interest in the pumpkin carving process this year than last, which was fun. He was fascinated by the seeds and pulp, but did not want to actually touch either. (He hates to have dirty hands.) While Scott carved the face, we roasted the pumpkin seeds, which turned out deliciously!

Yesterday, Scott and I were able to have a date day! MeMe graciously offered to spend the day with Jacob so we could have some kid-free time together. We ate breakfast at Tupelo Honey, one of our old favorites, and then I was treated to a pedicure! We ran a few errands, which I know doesn't sound super date-like, but it was great to get some things marked off the "Before Baby Checklist" without having to drag Jacob to a million places. Then we headed to downtown Asheville for a late lunch at Rhubarb, where Craig and Lori had given us a gift card last Christmas. It was absolutely delicious! We topped dinner off with dessert at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. Its been a long time since we've been able to go on a date, and we know once the baby arrives it will be even longer, so we really enjoyed our time together!

Last Monday, Grandma and Grandaddy came to spend the day with us, so they could get a feel for Jacob's daily routines in case they end up staying with him some while we're in the hospital. We hadn't seen them in quite a while, so it was really fun to spend time together. And to top it off, Grandaddy offered to hang towel bars and a shelf in our master bathroom. It has been on Scott's to-do list for quite some time, but he hasn't been able to get to it yet with everything else I've had him doing. I can't even explain how happy it made me to be able to cross another project off!

Another highlight of Jacob's week was probably the evening we headed to the Fire Department to get the car seats inspected. Scott installed the infant seat and moved Jacob's seat over, so we wanted to make sure they were in correctly. I'm proud to report that Scott received an +A! While the inspection was going on, a few other firemen let Jacob take a closer look at the fire trucks and ambulances. They even turned the lights on for him and gave him stickers and a fire helmet! To say he was thrilled is an understatement. We went to Earthfare afterwards to pick up a few things and to have a little treat. Jacob sported his fire helmet, as well as a good bit of chocolate on his face!

I know I've said it millions of times, but I really cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone. I will be 39 weeks on Wednesday. Our bags are packed, the nursery is ready, and the car seat is in, so that probably means she will be late! :) But I'm just fine with being patient a little bit longer!

Sky Top Orchard

This weekend we took our annual family trip to Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock. Despite the cold weather and big crowd, we still had a great time. We started off with a hay ride around the orchard and then visited the goats, sheep, and ducks. Jacob loved running through the bamboo forest and playing with Daddy on the playground while I stood in line for fresh, hot pumpkin doughnuts! We packed a picnic for lunch, but decided we were too cold and ate in the car on the way home. It was a sweet morning together, just the three of us. I'm feeling really sentimental about these last outings together before Baby Sister arrives. I'm coming up on 38 weeks, so it won't be long now!

During the past couple of weeks we've been keeping busy and enjoying Fall! Jacob picked out his "punkin" and is really excited about it. He's also decided his favorite chore is to help rake leaves. However, his version of raking leaves includes very little raking and lots of jumping in, kicking, and throwing leaves instead. He constantly brings me armfuls of dead leaves and says, "These for you, Mommy. They're from Ingles." He also really likes to wear his Halloween bucket on his head and pretend to be a Fireman. I'm crossing my fingers he'll agree to wear his Halloween costume when the time comes. So far, he likes to play with it, but refuses to put it on.

I was finally able to snap a few un-blurry pictures of Jacob and Kason where both actually have genuine smiles! They were busy "talking" and "texting" (or as Jacob says, "taking a text") on their phones.

This picture was taken about a year ago in the same chair. Its crazy to see how much these little guys have changed and grown. They really have gone from babies to boys!

Jacob had his flu-mist last week and was such a big boy at his appointment. He hasn't been to his Doctor's office since his two year appointment in May, which was a complete disaster. Last time he started panicking as soon as we walked in the door, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but he did great. We talked about it a lot beforehand, and I think that helped. Its really amazing how much he understands now compared to 6 months ago. Recently, he watched Scott and I get TDap shots. Afterwards, he said, "Mommy and Daddy be brave." I asked him if he was going to be brave when he got his flu shot, and he said, "No. I going to cry." While he did cry some, it was not nearly as dramatic as it could have been. I told him he could pick a place to get a treat afterwards, and he chose Rita's. However, when we pulled up in the parking lot we found out Rita's had closed and was completely gone! I'm sure you can imagine how well that went over with him! Luckily, "Chick-a-lay" was nearby, and after a milkshake all was forgiven and right with the world again!



Last Thursday, Scott's office had a little baby shower for us during lunch. It was so kind of them and fun to celebrate Baby Sister with his co-workers. Jacob was really excited to go to Daddy's work and entertained everyone by singing, "Boy on the Bus" about 30 times! His favorite part of lunch was the cupcake, of course!

I absolutely love this picture of Jacob and his best friend, Monkey. Lately, he's been giving Monkey bottles, changing his diaper, putting him down for naps, and putting him in time-out for jumping on the furniture. He's taking Big Brother preparations very seriously!

Jacob has always loved books and being read to, but this past week he has started "reading" to himself and to us. It is the cutest thing ever! He's memorized parts of his favorite books and "reads" with lots of inflection and emphasis! I've tried to catch it on video, but no luck yet! Right now, Boy on the Bus is his favorite. He also really likes Baby Beluga, Llama Llama Red Pajama, Is  Your Mama a Llama? (we have no shortage of llama literature), Curious George Goes to the Restaruant, and Baby Brother. As a former English teacher, and book lover myself, it makes me so happy to see him enjoying reading!

Celebrating Baby Sister!

My neighbor and friend, Erin, hosted a baby shower for us last weekend! It was so fun to get together with friends and family to celebrate our upcoming arrival!

Despite the look on his face, Jacob had lots of fun seeing so many people he knows and loves in the same room, as well as eating cake, specifically icing. He must have mistaken "smile" for "scowl" when this picture was taken!

I thought he might like opening Baby Sister's gifts, but he was much more interested in playing with a tractor. Everyone was so generous, and all the little pink outfits and accessories made things seem much more real!

I am so grateful for my sweet friends and family, those who were able to come and those who were not. Baby Sister isn't even born yet and is already loved by so many!

After the shower, the family came over to our house for lunch. Grandma Bradley treated us to 12 Bones, and it was so nice to catch up with everyone. Jacob was really excited to have everyone over and loved playing with his Uncle Craig and his cousin, Ava.

I started babysitting Ava when she was a little younger than Jacob. Its hard to believe how quickly she's grown from a cute toddler into a beautiful young lady! And what's even harder to believe is that she's now old enough to baby-sit my children! I had to include a picture of the two of us from our younger years!

It was also really special to have Craig and Lori with us! They recently moved to Georgia and are now less than 3 hours away. We're all very excited that living closer together means we'll get to be a part of fun things going on in each others' lives, like baby showers! Jacob cried and cried when they left that afternoon. It was really sweet!

Unfortunately,  Scott had to attend a Continuing Ed course on Saturday, so he missed all the fun. We saved him a piece of cake, though! We spent the rest of the weekend together...only a few more where we'll do that as a family of three!