Anthony Helps with Yardwork

We were doing a little yardwork a few weeks ago...raking leaves and trimming the trees. As you can see below, Anthony was a very big helper with the rake!

Believe me, I plan to take full advantage of his helpful spirit once Lucas gets here!!!

I'm Cool!

Just chillin' wit my homie Bear-Bear

Oh Yeah!
Momma's shades are da bomb!!!

Cousins Playing Together

Anthony had fun "showing James the ropes" regarding all the toys on his exersaucer.

Note the look of concern on James' face!

Okay, that's the look of full-blown panic--"Stop, Anthony! You're going to break it!"
(He was being a little rough with it!)

I just love how sweet these boys play together!

Here's a quick movie of Anthony playing on James' swingset...I think he liked it!

Anthony's First Trip to the Zoo

Well, Anthony and I ventured off to Memphis on our own in early November. We flew one way on Southwest Airlines. Mario had to work during the week and had a friend's wedding he was a groomsman in over the weekend up in North Carolina, so we decided it was a good time for me and Anthony to visit my family, and he could pick us up on the way home. Of course, I was a little daunted by the task before me...navigating an airport while being about 8 months pregnant with an active toddler in tow. All in all, the trip went very smoothly. Anthony did excellent both in the airport and on the plane (we made sure we had lots of snacks!). We did use a "backpack" Anthony received from his MeMe. It came in very handy. It is a bear that straps on his back, and this bear has a loooooong tail that Mommy can hold onto. Anthony is very obedient, and I don't think he would have run off. However, while being pregnant and having my hands full of luggage at times, the bear backpack definitely provided some peace of mind!!! We also used the backpack during our trip to the zoo (see pics below). We went to the zoo the next morning after we arrived...It was Anthony's first time. Our little bear backpack came in handy once again, as Anthony had some freedom to roam around while remaining within reach!

Anthony watching the planes and trucks before we boarded the plane

Anthony and MeMe

Anthony LOVES animals...he's watching the monkeys swing

I think Anthony enjoyed watching the waterfalls and kicking the dried leaves just as much as he enjoyed seeing the animals!!!

My nephew James enjoyed watching the waterfalls too!

Anthony and MeMe watching more monkeys

Anthony and Mommy saying hi to the giraffes

You can't really tell, but Anthony is sitting on a big rock watching the huge iguana through the glass

Oh, THERE'S the iguana!!!

Anthony and Mommy...my sweet boy!

We enjoyed the indoor area with the reptiles because it was so warm...even the rock was warm.

Outside was getting awful chilly!

Cute smile from my nephew James

Anthony and MeMe both loved the penguins

The only animal I think he would've enjoyed that he didn't get to see is the elephant. He was already inside eating his dinner! Oh well! We have something to look forward to on the next trip!

Sisters Melanie and Mandy

Cousins Anthony and James

We had fun!!!

We'll have to come back when the weather warms up!!!

Pregnancy Progress

30 weeks


33 weeks

Happy Halloween!!!

We had some friends join us for trick-or-treating this year...My friend Jenn from work, her fiance Joe, and her son Brody. Brody is 10 days younger than Anthony. Anthony wore his skeleton bones costume, and Brody was a shark. We all had so much fun, and the boys loved it!!!

Posing together before we left the house

Sitting in the wagon with our "frankenstein" pumpkins, ready to go

Anthony LOVED carrying his pumpkin around all night

He was such a big boy that he ran on ahead of Mommy

He wanted to do it all by himself

(I think this was the house that scared him! The hanging bats would shake and move when anyone walked by, and they had some creepy sounds and music.)

Pointing out all the pumpkins (or "papples" as he calls them...like "apple" with a "p"!)

Daddy letting Anthony ring the doorbell.

"Yay! We got some more candy!"

Loving on my Daddy

Brody waiting for Anthony in the wagon

Mommy letting me eat "nerds" for the first time!

Enjoying the "fruit" of our labor

What's the fun in going trick-or-treating if you can't eat the candy?!?

Just enjoying our friends

Pumpking Carving!

We were kinda rushed at the last minute carving our pumpkin the day of Halloween (right before some friends showed up to go Trick-or Treating with us)!!! However, we didn't want Anthony to miss out now that he's old enough to enjoy the experience! So, we did a "fly by the seat of your pants" carving from a template I printed from the computer. The final result didn't really look that great in the daylight, but it did look kinda cute all lit up at night!

Sweet boy sitting with his pumpkin




Definitely warm enough for shorts and T-shirt!

"Wow! What's Daddy doing?"

Okay, for those who freak out about sharp objects (Mandy), the knife was nowhere close to his hand!!!

"Well, here goes nothing!"

"Hmmmm, this is interesting..."

"Whoa! What IS this stuff???"

Anthony "stirring" the pumpkin while Mommy collects the seeds (which by the way, never got toasted. They just sat in our fridge until I got tired of looking at them; then they got thrown out! Oh, the aspirations I have on my to-do list that never come to be!)

He definitely liked using the spoon better than using his hands!

The "not so cute" end result!

Hey, what do ya know...He's kinda cute!!!