To My Best Friend

Dear Uncle CC,

Thank you for pushing me around the kitchen in my Cozy Coupe. Can you believe they let us drive in the house?

Thank you for pushing me on the swing when no one else wanted to.
Thank you for teaching me what an excavator is. My Mom says most two-year-old kids don't know what an excavator is.

Thank you for the endless amount of toys you've given me in the past two years. I have more trucks, tractors, bulldozers and backhoes than a boy could ask for.

Thank you for going on family vacations with us. I will smile every time I see the pictures of us playing hide and seek in the condoooo!

Thank you for keeping a basket of toys for me at your house, and sharing your special John Deere toys with me.

Thank you for cooking your yummy ribs for us. I know I never wanted to eat, but the few bites I did have were always tasty!

Thank you for playing with me in Nana's playroom. I think I must have said "come on, CC, play with me" a million times.

Thank you for taking me on my first camping trip. 

Thank you for reading books with me.

Thank you for singing "baby steps" and "fruit salad" with me. 

Thank you for keeping my Dad company at family things. I'm sure you guys have shared a lot of laughs over the years!

Thank you for growing yummy vegetables in your garden.

Thank you for always promising to "check on chief" when you got home.

Thank you for loving my Aunt B with all your heart.

Thank you for showing me what it's like to have a best friend.

See ya again one day, CC! I will carry you in my heart forever.

Your Buddy,
Austin

Lake Trip - {Nov 5 - 7}

The First Annual Farrar Women's (+Austin, Kyle and John-John) Lake Shopping trip kicked off early Friday afternoon. Everyone was excited to get to the lake and start spending that hard earned moolah! The Con-dooo couldn't have been more perfect. The layout and decor was perfect for the weekend that lay ahead. Austin was so excited to see the "pond." He told us he was looking for dolphins!

The first night we relaxed and enjoyed dinner at Kyle's favorite restaurant, JJ Twigs. Austin loved all the attention for his cousins. The most excitement came when the fire alarm was set off. Everyone was in a panic and certain we were about to be evacuated. Turns out the heater hadn't be on all summer...

We also took time to celebrate Aunt B's birthday! I have a feeling Austin is going to be a big helper when it comes to opening present during Christmastime...

Saturday we shopped until we dropped...There wasn't a credit card left uncharged! He was such a trooper! He rode along in and out of every store without a complaint. I was worried he'd need a neck brace after running into so much stuff in the overcrowded stores all day!

Sunday we visited a Christmas store and chowed on Mexican (another Hentis Family favorite!) before heading home. Mama put the pedal to the metal and we were home to our men in no time.

...And that's the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in your mind. ~ Dave Barry

Halloween Pictures - 2010

I decided to take Austin for Halloween pictures after seeing how cute he looked at Bella and Chase's party. We hadn't been to Portrait Innovations in quite a while, so I wasn't exactly sure how he'd do.

The first 10 minutes went like this...

 

He wouldn't crack a smile or move a muscle when the photographer was around. Finally, after a lot of coaxing from Aunt B., we started to see the tiniest smile...

Is this guy for real?

Here we go... Finally, a happy Bob!

I think he was going to his happy place at this point...

"Dad? Get me out of here!"

Cheese!!! Happy Halloween!

Can we find a costume??

Yes, we can! Finding a costume for Austin was so much easier when he didn't have his own opinion! From early to late September, he was going to be a vampire. I found the costume at the Gymboree outlet and it looked so cute with his spiked hair. A few weeks later, he decide he "no like" the vampire costume! He had decided on a pirate thanks to Moose and Zee's pirate adventures on Nick Jr. I scoured the Internet for the perfect pirate costume. I finally settled on one that came with boots and long pirate hair...this was going to be prefect! You know where this is going, right? Yep...he hated it! He politely said, "mama do it" and pushed the pirate hat back at me. Back to square one...

I started racking my brain for easy, less traumatizing costumes for him to wear. I told myself I should go with something he likes. Cars? Trucks? Tractors? M&Ms? Finally, while watching the same episode of Bob the Builder for the 100th time, it hit me! Bob the Builder! That's it!! He agreed and the rest is history....

Getting pictures of Bob was hard. He moves fast from job site to job site, never taking a break to smile at the camera. A builder's job is never done! Here are a few from our weekend of trick-or-treating.....

Our family and friends know Bob well... He needs a new workshop to store all of his loot from Halloween!

Was the costume "drama" worth it? Yes, it was! Did he look just as cute as any vampire or pirate? Yes, he did!

(PS - do you need a 2T vampire or pirate costume? I just might know where to find one!)

Pumpkin Picking {2010}

We waited fairly late in the Halloween season to head down the road to the local pumpkin patch. Thankfully, we were still able to find the perfect pumpkin for our front porch. 

Did you know that pumpkins now come filled with Tootsie Rolls? When Austin would tell us he wanted to "pick another one" -- he was talking about Tootsie Rolls, not pumpkins!

There were lots of "warty" pumpkins in the patch this year! (or maybe that's all you can get when you go last minute!) We had a blast running along the trails and hunting for the perfect pumpkin.


He loved playing in the ball pit and on Thomas just as much (if not more!) than picking pumpkins. He jumped up on Thomas and said "come on, guys, all aboard!"
We had fun running through the corn maze. It took us a bit longer then most people because we had to stop and inspect every piece of corn laying on the ground.   We are so thankful for one fun activity we don't have to drive 30+ minutes to enjoy!

Bella's Halloween Party

Austin was invited to his first costume party! We were super excited to head to Bella and Chase's house for a fun afternoon of Halloween fun.Bob the Builder, Chase the spider and Bella the Cupcake....
Austin really enjoyed himself at the party. He isn't big on actually playing with other kids, but he loved making crafts and playing with all of Bella's toys. Everything, even the exact toys we have at home, were new and exciting!
His favorite part may have been the chocolate cupcakes. Yummmm-o! Bella's mommy makes a tasty cupcake!
Thanks for inviting us, Bella! We had so much fun!