Zoo trip...did anyone see the animals??

We took yet another trip to the zoo. Braden loves it there, but it was the week before Halloween so there were pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns EVERYWHERE...so I am not sure if he even noticed the animals. He was so excited about all the pumpkins that he couldn't concentrate on anything else! Geesh - so I paid money to look at pumpkins..are you kidding me?!? We could've done that at home since we had so many for decorations. BUT...Overall it was a really fun day. Mark had to work because it was on a Friday, so we took nana (my mom) with us and had a great time. Braden was in heaven with his two favorite women along for the day. It was a cool, crisp day which meant the zoo was all but deserted; it was a perfect day to go.

Here are some pictures from our day...

Halloween...late

So, I haven't found the time to post lately...so I will start back at Halloween. A few of us in our neighborhood decided to throw a neighborhood get together before everyone headed out to trick or treat. Basically a meet and great for those who were new to the neighborhood or who lived on opposite sides and hadn't gotten to meet one another as of yet. It was wonderful! We had a great turn out; we have so many nice neighbors. We basically set up a table of "goodies" between our house and a neighbors and have everyone come by and snack and talk. Most of the kids, and some adults, came in their costumes and everyone had a great time.

After that dwindled and everyone parted ways, we took Braden trick or treating. This was his first official year going door-to-door. He was Thomas the train this year and he was so excited. We went around the neighborhood with another couple and their little boy. They were both so cute and couldn't wait to push the other one out of the way to yell "Trick or treat" and get some candy. All in all, a wonderful Halloween was had by us all.

Lost in a sea of corn...

This past weekend, the kids (Braden & Mark :)) and I went to the Mayfield Corn Maze in Athens. We went with our neighbors (Jason, Julie and Joshua) and had a wonderful time. They have several things to do and lots of fun for the kids. They have corn silos, two different lengths of corn maze (2 vs 8 acre), several animals to see (rabbits, goats, sheep, cows, and pot bellied pigs), a pumpkin patch, hay rides, and a bon fire to enjoy as well. We decided to try our luck at the 2 acre corn maze and got lost, but it was still so much fun. The kids were going in opposite directions at each juncture! We also did the hay ride and let Joshua and Braden pick out pumkins. I can still hear each thud as they picked up each one and literally TOSSED it down trying to make their final decision. I almost forgot the most entertaining part - milking the fake cows!! Yep, you read that right. They haved cardboard cows with "utters" that you can "milk" into a bucket. Josh absolutely LOVED this part. He smiled ear to ear as he ran around screaming "I'm milking the cows" over and over while giggling. It was so cute! Braden, on the other hand, was not so sure about this particular event. He tried his hand at it (pardon the pun) a couple of times, but then enjoyed watching Josh take it from there.

Here are some pictures of this weekend's adventures:

Braden picking his pumpkin:

Josh and Braden mugging for the camera:

The family on the hay ride:

Can we have it all? Really...

I have been thinking a lot lately about trying to be a mother, wife and full time employee. I have come to one major conclusion...it's HARD! I look at my little man and can't imagine how he sees me. I hope, it's in a good light, but with me spending less time with him than I should, I am not sure. Don't get me wrong, I try, but there aren't enough hours in the day for me to do all I need and want to do. Occasionally, I do think that maybe life would be better for all of us if I just stayed home with him, but then I love my career life as well. I just hope I can reinforce, in the small window of time that I have, just how much he means to me. I wonder if he knows how much my heart fills with love when I see his smiling face at the end of my work day... Maybe that is the answer I have been searching for all along. Should there even be an option to NOT spend every minute I can with him when I look at this smiling face?

Here we go...

Well... hello all! I have finally decided to enter the exciting world of blogging. I have been inspired by many of you who faithfully keep up your blogs on a weekly (if not daily) basis. We'll see how I fare in comparision... I will be posting a real entry soon. I know you're on the edge of your seats! :)