Petting Zoo Fun

This weekend we spent some quality time as a family. While we probably should have raked our yard (ours seems to be the only one in the neighborhood with a solid coating of leaves), we decided to wait until next weekend since that's when Manheim Township comes around to pick up the leaves. That gave us more time to just be together. Friday night after dinner, Joshua was really tired so we laid him down after his bath and some snuggle time with Momma. Then Shawn and I cozied up to a movie, which was hilariously funny.

Saturday, since the Bean had been so sick for so long (he's still having loose stools, but the doctors said to expect that for awhile), we decided to do something just for him. I've been trying to teach him his animals, so we decided to take a "field trip" to the petting zoo in Leola. While we didn't get any food out of the machines - we were afraid he'd try to eat it - and didn't let Joshua actually touch the animals (they were soooo dirty and Mom said something about a recent news story on kids getting Ecoli from animals), I think he enjoyed his time there. We showed him the animals, and he enjoyed watching the other kiddos surrounding us who were feeding the animals. We saw pigs, kangaroos, llamas, something from Asia that neither Shawn nor I had heard of before, donkeys, goats, peacoks, ducks, birds and a slew of other animals. It was fun! I think Joshua will enjoy it so much more when he's a little older.

That afternoon, we went and bought a pumpkin, bale of hay and pretty new mum for outside. We also bought a costume for Joshua since the one we have Shawn thought would be much too big on him this year. What will he be? It's a secret...but I can tell you it's super cute! While we won't do "real" trick-or-treating, we're hoping to take him to see all the family members who live in the area. I also cancelled my night class for the evening of Halloween so we can be here to answer our door (and most of the students really didn't want to be in class that night anyway). I love fall, but I actually wish it were just a little cooler. Whoever thought it would be 86 degrees in the middle of October? I'd be thrilled with 65-75...
Saturday we also worked on our family budget. It's one of our least favorite and most important things to do together, but I think we need to get better at keeping track of each penny we spend, as Dave Ramsey would tell us.

This morning I went to church since it's my Sunday to be on the worship team. Shawn & Joshua stayed home since we want to make sure that we don't pass any sickness Joshua may still have onto other kids, and we also don't want Joshua to get any sickness that other kiddos may have right before his surgery on Tuesday morning. Today, the first Sunday of October, is dedicated to praying for the peace of Jerusalem, so that's what we did. It was a nice service.

After I got home, our little family of three bought a chocolate cheesecake and took it over to Mom & Jamie's and visited with them awhile. Then we came home and Bean & I passed out for an hour while Daddy watched the football game. When I woke up, Shawn offered me the opportunity to go to the gym while he watched Joshua. Hooray! I had a great workout.

After I got home, I made parmesan-crusted chicken with mashed potatoes and Shawn baked biscuits and made peas & carrots. I really thought the mashed potatoes would be the "hot seller" for Joshua, but instead he had two good-size helpings of peas & carrots, ate an entire piece of chicken by himself and an entire biscuit. He had two bites of potatoes and didn't seemed thrilled by them. Part of me thinks that's because I insisted on feeding him those rather than have his hands all through them - he was already a little bit of a mess. All in all, though, he ate like a champ! He drank well from his sippy cup, too. I was glad to see him have his appetite back. We started a new medicine after the hospital visit, and he's been known to scream while eating, which makes me wonder if it's his reflux or what's going on. But, not tonight. He devoured all of it like it was going out of style. I gave him a fork and spoon like Mommy & Daddy. Most of the time, he held the spoon or fork with one hand while putting food into his mouth with the other. But, toward the end of the meal, he started putting a little food on the fork itself and then did actually eat one bite himself with the spoon without our coaxing. Hooray! I don't know what the "normal" age is for eating with silverware, but I can't wait for him to master it. I say that, but I don't want him to grow up too fast either. He's so cute, and we love him just how he is!

The other thing I did this weekend is start to go through the 18-month clothing lent to us by Aunt Alicia & Cousin Jordon and Aunt Gayle & Cousin Grant (thanks so much, guys!). While he has plenty of room in the waist for 12-month clothing still, many of the shirts are too short and the shorts are becoming too small, etc. Much of the 18-month clothing is fitting a little nicer, so I'm packing up the borrowed items to give back and put my 12-month clothes in a bin for little cousin Daniel who will probably need them at 6-months the way he's growing!