Halloween/Reformation Day

We aren't big into Halloween around here, usually celebrating Reformation Day. With the advent of a 3 year old around here though we thought we should at least participate Halloween in a small way this year. Aaden dressed up in his engineer/conductor outfit and he and his Daddy set out to trick-or-treat at the neighbors' houses. They were pretty cute:

Owen donned his pumpkin hat and hung out in the Baby Bjorn with Mom and helped answer the door (while our crazy, barking dog was locked upstairs in the bathroom). We had nearly 100 trick-or-treaters (hence my hesitancy to participate other years, the barking at the door bell alone could make you mental). I think all-in-all, we had fun though.

Happy 3 Aaden!!

Saturday was Aaden's 3rd birthday. We celebrated in a big way, by taking him {and all of our close family} to the Northwest Train Museum in Snoqualmie. Aaden wore his engineer's costume and was thrilled to be able to ride the old train from N. Bend to Snoqulamie and back. The day happened to be their Halloween train so many people were dressed up. He did crafts, drank apple cider and wandered around the train yard during our picnic lunch.

After our adventure we all headed back to our place for naps/snacks and a train-themed birthday party. We had all of his favorite foods {hot dogs, burgers, corn on the cob, pickels, broccoli and cake} for dinner/dessert. He was very spoiled/loved on and has been talking about his birthday for days now.

He had a great 3 year check-up on Friday too - hadn't seen the Dr. since his 2 year check-up and was told he was an extremly healthy boy. He was 37.5 lbs {95%} and 39" {90%}. No wonder everyone thinks he looks older/bigger than 3!

Thanks to all of our family for helping us celebrate our sweet, loving Aaden!

Evenings w/ the Dobelsteins

Just a glimpse into what our evenings are like...

Daddy plays video games, while watching the boys so mom can go to the gym.

Mama reads to her boys in bed before they drift off to sleep.

6 Weeks & {Almost} 3!!

Hard to believe that this week Owen will be 6 weeks. Where has the time gone? He has definitely grown! We went and visited our neighbors who just had a baby boy last week (8lbs), and Owen at 11lbs looked huge! He continues to be an every 3 hour eater, and I expect that this week will be another growth spurt with feedings dipping into the 2-2.5 hour range. He has been giving me 4-6 hour stretches at night, but the usually fall before I've gone to bed. So sleep is still minimal. He is getting a lot better about going down after his feedings though and soothing himself back to sleep after gas issues. We've found that a few gas drops at night really helps him through the rough patches. He is also doing a lot better taking naps in his bed rather than in our arms. This has been a huge help to me as I can scramble and get a few things done between feedings and also spend more focused time with Aaden. He continues to be such a joy and a sweet love to have around!

Speaking of...Aaden will be 3 in a little over a week! Every day I am shocked at how big he is and how much more mature he has become. We work on helping Mama all day long. He still LOVES to play with his cars, trains and can spend hours playing outside or reading books on his own. I love having such an independent boy!

I snapped a few pictures of my growing boys today...

 He still has blue eyes, and here is the proof! :)

The Great Pumpkin Hunt

We headed out to our favorite pumpkin patch, The Farm in Snohomish on Saturday. Uncle Tim & Aunt Lacey came along for the adventure. It was crazy busy but we still managed to have fun and find some pumpkins! I think this is our 6th year going, this year was extra special with baby Owen in tow (in his cute pumpkin hat courtesy of Nana Elaine).

Naps are delicious!

I'm working on getting Owen on a nap schedule where he can fall asleep on his own in his bed. At 5 weeks he is quite the trooper, but is still eating a ton so this Mama is hoping for little breaks here and there. Here is proof that I'm getting some! :)

Meeting the Family

This past weekend was busy! Owen met both the Bartsch and Dobelstein extended families including great-aunts/uncles, great-grandparents and cousins. We had so much fun that hardly any pictures were taken. I'm realizing that baby #2 just doesn't get the pictures that #1 had. I'm hoping that other family members will have a few pictures to send along...

In the meantime here are a few from my families' "meet and cuddle" day!

 Great-Uncle Mike (& my mom) finding the family resemblances 

 Great-Auntie Kathryn and Great-Aunt Anne checking out Owen

 Cousin JoPo giving some burping love

The cousins at the bar. :)