pics at the pumpkin patch

These are the pictures we took after the wagon ride at the pumpkin farm we went to last weekend. Note to self: next year dress Andrew in a fall-ish looking outfit.At least one of them is smiling for the camera. Slight chaos... Can't get them to both look at the camera and smile -

pumpkin picking!

Last Friday we had such a fun family outing! We headed down to south Charlotte and went to Hunter Farms - they had an awesome (45 minute!) wagon ride that stopped at a little barn with a petting zoo. They handed out food for the kids to feed the animals. Caleigh was SO brave, she actually stuck out her hand and fed the goats and the sheep (a huge change from our trip to the zoo in July) - we were so proud of her. After the hay ride we went and picked out pumpkins (each of the kids got a free pumpkin - 5 pounds or less) and took some pictures. We had a blast and hope to make it a yearly tradition. Enjoy the plethora of pictures!

a little more lovin'

Just the day to day sibling love...

andrew is 4 months!

Here is a video of our little man laughing it up right around when he turned 4 months old (2 weeks ago!).

Andrew's 4 month stats:

• 15 lb 1 oz (55th%)
• 26 inches (86th%)
• head circumference: 16 1/4 inch (26th%)

We were on a good schedule until the week that he turned 4 months old. Since then we have been in the midst of an intense growth spurt - sometimes eating every 2 hours (up to 7 times a day), which is completely exhausting and frustrating because he is so unpredictable. Thankfully his nights have still been great and after waking him for a dreamfeed at 9ish he will sleep through the night until 8 am. We tried solids because of his frequent desire to eat but he really isn't ready - he doesn't open his mouth and when he does and we manage to get some cereal in there he spits it right back out with a disgusted look on his face. I am still nursing him and am still dairy-free due to his milk protein allergy. I have tried being a little less strict about my diet and sometimes he will do totally fine with it and sometimes he will have a really fussy day. The hard thing is that now that I know a potential cause to his fussiness I will always feel guilty whenever he has a bad day - with Caleigh she would have bad or off days too just like any baby would - with Andrew I feel hyper-aware of them. He really is such a social baby - that is the best word I can think of to describe our adorable little guy at this stage. He will stare a hole into you until you look at him and then as soon as he sees your eyes he will give this huge open mouthed drooly grin - I love it. A funny thing about his 4 month check-up - our pediatrician, Dr. Ball (who we love!) was holding the light in front of his eyes to make sure he could track it from side to side... she tried it with the light on in the room and with the light off in the room but Andrew wouldn't look away from her eyes. Finally she resorted to moving her own head back and forth and he followed that with no problems. I really can't imagine life without our little guy - we love him so much and it feels like he has always been a part of our family.

is it already time for this?

The title of this post describes the general feeling I have about the stages that each of my kids are at - I can't believe I have pictures here of Caleigh on the potty and Andrew is already loving the Exersaucer. Caleigh has been talking all about the potty so one day last week we bought her a potty of her own. Here she is trying it out...

And here is her saying, "I did it." To be clear she didn't actually 'do' anything besides sit on the potty and talk about it a whole lot. To be honest I am so glad that she still hasn't done anything in it yet because I am totally not ready to potty train her yet - we are leaning towards waiting until the spring to attempt that fete. Somehow potty training a kid seems like the hardest thing I will have to tackle in my parenting years to date. And our little A is a big boy - already spending time in the Exersaucer and absolutely loving it. I just CAN'T believe he is 4 months old. Where has the time gone? Caleigh also thinks the Exersaucer is one of the best things she has seen in a while and she enjoys entertaining Andrew while he is in it. Wow time is flying by. And there are 34 degree lows in Charlotte this week. I think fall just totally passed me by.

2 girls, 2 dolls

caleigh loved her playtime last week with milla!

sweet boy

Love this picture of my little guy! I think I caught him mid-laugh. He has really been laughing a lot lately - especially when you gently tickle his chin - it is absolutely adorable.

And mid-roll... And talking... loudly... We really love this sweet little guy so much! We had a hard transition with him and a hard several months adjusting and sacrificing, but praise the Lord - things are SO much better now. I am really really enjoying both Caleigh and Andrew's ages right now and all the time I am able to spend with them. We are definitely now in the midst of the 'stuck at home phase' as Andrew is taking 3 naps a day and won't sleep in his carseat at all. In the midst of it I really am so thankful for my sweet little family!

Caleigh's new favorite pasttime

Caleigh has recently rediscovered all the baby toys since we pulled them out for Andrew. Her favorite at the moment is the gym - she like to crawl under it and lay in it with Andrew.

sibling love...

This is how Caleigh thinks you pick up babies (since of course this is how you pick up baby dolls, therefore this is how you pick up human babies... not quite) - apparently Andrew thinks its funny - and he only thinks it is funny now because Caleigh isn't strong enough to actually lift him up like this (thank goodness)...

Ok mom, I'll be nice and kneel here next to Andrew so you can snap a picture... but the second you turn your back I'm going to stick my finger down his throat and gag him...

dyers/dirks playdate

The boys played together...

And the girls played together (though it looks like Maggie is trying to make a quick getaway)... And fun was had and a mess was made and picked up. Andrew enjoyed his first real playdate.

Andrew's baptism

On Sunday, October 4th Andrew was baptized! At Uptown Church it is customary for the father to perform a blessing on the child being baptized. Here is Adam reading the blessing:

Andrew's blessing: Andrew Curtis Dyer - you have brought us so much joy in the short 3 months you have been with us. In the Bible, Andrew was one of the first disciples that Jesus called. John 1:40-42 says, "Andrew, Simon Peter's brother was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah (that is the Christ).' And he brought him to Jesus." Our prayer for you, Andrew, is first that you will believe in and follow Jesus as Andrew the disciple did and secondly that you would be quick to tell others about Christ. In Greek the name Andrew means strong, warrior, courageous. Your middle name Curtis is after your paternal great grandfather Curtis Carroll Jack Kemmer. He is a strong and hardworking farmer who served his country in World War 2 and loves God and his family - he just celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary! We pray that you would be like your great grandfather as well - strong and hardworking - that you would persevere through adversity - leaning on Christ as your strength. And on this note we have chosen Isaiah 58:11 as your life verse, which says, "The Lord will guide you always; he sill satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Andrew's baptism was especially special to us because he was baptized by our sweet friend and pastor, Rev. Dave Kulp. And, Dave wore a Carolina blue bowtie to mark the occasion... Andrew and Caleigh both did great! Andrew started to whimper a little when he felt the water on his head but otherwise he took it like a man. We always thank God for you, little guy.

bojangles + friends + park = great way to spend gorgeous fall evening

And our kiddos monopolized the swings (Maggie, Sam, Henry, and Caleigh) - unfortunately Andrew and Foard had to miss out on the swinging fun for now.

Caleigh's new bows...

The other day Caleigh got some new bows (the next size up - I would have never known before I had a girl that bows come in different sizes) and this is the scene I found on my camera after returning from work.

our little loud mouth

Andrew really is a loud-mouth. When he 'talks' it is loud and adorable. When he cries, it is extremely loud - piercing, even and not quite so adorable (though that, the crying, is lessening these days). My favorite thing about him (and his loudness) is that he seems so social - he loves to 'talk' as in the video below. It is adorable. He definitely seems to be the more outgoing and social one of our children.

I absolutely adore having a little boy!

big boy in bumbo with big blue eyes

I couldn't choose a favorite so here are some pictures of our big baby boy in the bumbo.

I think it is hilarious when he opens his eyes super-wide like this.

playing dress up...

in daddy's favorite shirt