Pumpkin patch

Last year I wanted to go to Cedar Hill Farm in Hernando Mississippi but Mary was just 7 months old and wouldn't have gotten much out of the experience. This year I was looking forward to taking her! It was a great day to go because it actually felt like fall outside. It seems the weather changed that day. Mary was quiet and wide eyed the entire time. She was taking it all in. She is very outgoing and social but it can take her a while to warm up in a new place or in a large crowd. I'm grateful she is cautious in those circumstances and stays close by.

In one of the pumpkin patches

Mary enjoys finding seats on random things that are her size

Mary loves Daddy

Mary points out pumpkins everywhere! She likes to tell me when we are passing by pumpkin patches in the car, there are several near our house and around town.

In the corn maze

This tractor pulled us on a hay ride to the pumpkin patches

A picture with Mommy

Mary loved running around here with Daddy and climbing up, on and over the hay

This was a cool train ride. Murray said Mary didn't move the entire time

What a good good driver

Growing Girl

One cute bunny

All Aboard

This weekend we went to a birthday party for Mary's friend Charles, he turned 2. It was a train themed party and it was so much fun! Charles is such a sweet boy and Mary loves when she get to hang out and play with him!

Mary with the train hat and whistle all the children got. I'm sad I didn't get a picture of Mary and Charles together!

Mary can say "cheese" now when we take her picture. She gets in lots of practice :)


Charles' Mom, Nicole, made an amazing train cake! It tasted amazing too!

Murr showing Mary how to use the whistle.

Upside Down

Mary started doing this a few weeks ago. She even stopped to show us in the hallway at Church. Monday night Murray taught her how to do a somersault since she was already half way there. She keeps asking "mama's turn" when she finishes a somersault. Let me just say I think it is physically impossible with the size of my belly! No, I am not going to try it!

Choo Choo

Mary and I went with our friends to the Pink Palace in Memphis to see the train exhibit.

The Pink Palace is a museum originally designed to be the dream home of wealthy entrepreneur Clarence Saunders. The Museum gets its name from the Mansion's pink marble facade.

Mary wasn't totally into the trains but she really liked the exhibit of mounted animal heads. This was so funny to me! She would point to them and say "roar" the sound she thought they made and they probably did at one time.

I did pull Mary off of this display within seconds of the picture being taken.

Ring around the rosie with Kate is always fun!

I love how we end up pushing a stroller holding everything we own but never one of the children. Now that the girls are getting bigger they even help push :)

Organization

I just added some fun things to our house to help a bit with organization. They might not be perfect but we love how they are working!
This is a shelf we got from Target. I went through Mary's toys and put the smaller things in boxes with labels. It has been a hit. We are able to play with them so much better now because all the pieces are in one place :) Mary is good at putting away one box of toys before getting out the next. She found some play food and showed me which box on the shelf it went in by looking through the clear part and doing some categorizing!
I got this shoe organizer from target too. I hung it in my pantry and put little things in it and now they are more accessible.

Convocation 2008

Murray had convocation in September. Each year SCO faculty members recognize students who have excelled academically and who have demonstrated outstanding clinical skills. Murray was mentioned with 9 other students for each of these awards in Basic Science and Clinical Science. Yea Murray! We are so proud of you!!! My husband is so GREAT!

Reading Time

Say "cheese"
Shy girl

Silly girl

Reading has become part of Mary bedtime routine. When she doesn't want to go to sleep I just have to say "Let's go read our books" and she will get excited, run to her room and say "alright"! We like to get new books at the library each week.

These are pictures I took of Mary when I found her reading library books :) I even heard her reciting parts of them. Very cute!

It's true

I made this loaf of bread! Not with a bread machine, nope, with my own two hands, not even a kitchen aid mixer was used! Keep in mind I never baked as a child, not once! My mom is a great cook but I never saw a cookie sheet in my house growing up. I did have my friend Vanetta's help which is the only reason this turned out successfully and she is way better than any kitchen aid mixer!

I went to Vanetta's house and watched her make a batch and then she turned around and said "your turn". She actually had me do everything she just did! What a cool teacher, huh?! She even sent me home with bread pans and a bucket of ground wheat to practice! We talked about different recipes, pans, yeast, wheat and buckets to store the wheat in. It was a true learning experience! Making bread isn't for wimps, I had no idea what was involved! What a neat talent that yields a truly yummy reward! Thanks Vanetta!

Mary's room

So we got Mary a big girl bed with some cute bedding. This is where it all started...then I put up these purple polka dots, painted the letters for her name and added tied ribbon, found purple crib sheets, made a curtain to match, changing pad covers (purple and blue, I bet you couldn't guess) and boppy pillow covers. I don't have great pictures of the entire room but you can see Mary's bed, the shade/valance and a bit of a changing pad cover. There is even a cute purple butterfly rug from my mom :)

This was a lot of work but a lot of fun! I learned a lot of new things about sewing along the way.

Water Balloons!

I was inside making dinner when Murray called me outside. He and Mary had filled some water balloons. They even made a target with side walk chalk. We had fun tossing them! I even hit the bulls eye with my first balloon, wow, we still don't know how that happened.

Mary and Daddy
One popped on Murray! Mary said "haha bunny (funny)"

Mary has been saying "Thank You" for everything! It is pretty cute! Yesterday she even said "Woah Baby". I knew she could say both of those words I just didn't know she could put them together!

Fire Station Fun

We had another fun outing with our moms' group and made a visit to a local fire station! We took a tour of the fire house, walked through a fire truck, got a fun hat and goodie bag and watched the lights go on the truck! Mary loved being able to sit inside and check it out. The firemen were all really nice and we had a great time!

Mary started calling me "mommy" this week instead of "mama". It is really sweet but hard when she calls me from her room when she doesn't want to take her nap! I also have to mention that I really dislike teething!

Fun Day at the Park

Once a week we go to a park with our moms' group. We have been trying out different parks each week and last week we went to a park in Olive Branch. There were a lot of ducks to feed. There were also geese that would hiss if you got too close. I only know this because Mary was fearless walking about them. I was so afraid one would nip at her!

Mary loved running around the dock behind her. I was holding her hand but she could easily fit through the barriers. She wanted to lean over them and lift her feet off the ground. I actually had to think of a plan in my mind if she fell in the water. It involved a pregnant mommy jumping in the water and hoping it wasn't too shallow or too deep. Not a pretty picture!
Mary loves seeing her friends each week! She is a social little girl!
Mary loved rocking this dinosaur! Her friend Lucy had to hold on pretty tightly and didn't even have anything real to hold onto!
Mary and Jacob are good buds!

Mommy and Me

I have this backpack that I use as a purse/diaper bag and I love it! It holds everything we need and is easier to carry than a shoulder bag. Mary must be a little like me because she would try to carry it around the house. I went and found a little backpack for her. She carries around some snacks, a sippee cup, her doll and cell phone (fisher price). When we leave the house she is always saying "shoes" "bap pap". I love spending my days with Mary!

Direct Ophthalmoscopy

Murray came home from school the other day and practiced direct ophthalmoscopy, where he looks at the retina and optic nerve. Mary sat totally still for him and seemed to like it!

School is busy for Murray these days. He has about two tests a week until finals when he will have six tests and a new daughter all in one week! We are so proud of him and how hard he works!