Happy Halloween!

We really enjoyed Barrett's first Halloween!  On Friday, we went out to the Halloween party at the base, where the kids could trick or treat in all the flight rooms and then participate in the carnival set up outside.  Barrett, Grandpa Kinley, and I all went out and had a great time!

Here's Barrett all ready to go!

(Look how much bigger he is in his carseat now, compared to just a month and a half ago.  

No more head support needed, and we've had to loosen the straps too!!)

We wandered around the squadron to see all the decorations, but Barrett didn't want any candy.  So we headed outside to the carnival where we...

...stopped to take a picture with a scarecrow...

...pretended to be a pilot just like Daddy...

...painted a pumpkin...

...wrote the letter "B" on our pumpkin...

...bobbed for apples...

...and then took a quick nap in Daddy's office!!

My sweet pumpkin had a great time!!

BUT...the celebration wasn't over yet!!  On Monday (Halloween) afternoon, our friend Noel, Barrett, and I all went back to the pumpkin patch and discovered that there was a fall festival across the street!  So, of course, we had to go...

This time, Barrett got to throw a football through a hoop...

...play in the water in the duck pond...

...and catch a duck to win a prize!!

Here we are with our prizes - a lollipop and a pair of cool sunglasses!

He loved that lollipop - he held onto that thing for a while!

A sweet picture with my cute little skeleton... I think he might even be smiling in this picture!

Another precious picture with my sweet baby!

After the pumpkin patch, we went back home, loaded up the stroller, leashed the dogs, and headed out into the streets for some "trick or treating".  Really, it was just a great excuse to walk the dogs and check out all the cute costumes that were running around.  We ran into several friends and had a great time.  Barrett slept for about twenty minutes, and then he stayed awake, alert, and happy for the rest of our two hour walk.  He fell asleep right away when we got back home, though! Overall, it was a really fun Halloween weekend.

And now, it's officially FALL!!!

Pumpkin Patch

It wouldn't be fall without pictures of a baby in the pumpkin patch!!

I waited all day for Barrett to take his nap, so of course, he never took one. Our poor little boy was so sleepy, but the only time he cried was the one time he fell over and hit his face on the ground! The rest of the time, he was perfectly willing to be photographed among the pumpkins. 

This one makes my heart melt a little bit :-)

Surrounded by pumpkins!!

This one is my favorite!

(We are having way too much fun with his skeleton outfit!!)

Mini pumpkins!!

Barrett the Scarecrow!

Barrett the Sunflower!

We'll probably go back and take some more when he's not so sleepy... Stay tuned!

First Hunting Trip

This past weekend, we took six-week old baby Barrett out to a ranch in Hunt, Texas for his first hunting experience.  Travis was super excited to go hunting, and I went along to hang out with everyone and take care of the baby.  We all had a wonderful time!

The big catch of the weekend was Travis' huge deer that he shot with his bow and arrow on Saturday night!

Barrett and his daddy on Barrett's first hunting trip!

The cabin we stayed in was right on the Guadalupe River, so we had a beautiful view from the front porch.  It made for some fantastic picture opportunities too!

For some random reason, there was a swing set out by the lodge that had a baby swing, so Barrett and I spent some time in the sunshine together out there.  He really seemed to like the swing, even though he was a little small for it!

 And, of course, it wouldn't be a weekend with the baby without a photo shoot!! We found a nice tree by the river, dressed up in our camo outfit, and connected with nature:

Hanging out with Grandpa

It was a fun weekend with the grandparents!

And, after a great weekend, Barrett was ready to go home :-)

Barrett's Blankets

Barrett was given some beautiful blankets and quilts from our friends and family, so I thought I would share some pictures of them! (Barrett was really thrilled about doing another photo shoot with mommy... and he was in the best mood too!!)

First, we have a beautiful, hand-knit quilt from one of my mom's friends, Anne Hightower. She knitted this super soft and snuggly blanket with one of the Air Force logos on it - perfect for our little Air Force baby!

Next, we have this adorable quilt made by my friend Lacey Quinby, decorated with cute little airplanes. (Lacey is one of the spouses I met here in Del Rio.)

She even made him a little onsie to match the quilt:

This next quilt, a beautiful blue and white masterpiece, was crocheted by Diane's cousin, Sherry Fages:

I love how this picture turned out! Barrett is the perfect little model!!

(And look how well he can hold his head up!)

This beautiful yellow and white quilt was crocheted for us by Jean Siegel, Dolores' sister and Diane's aunt. It is really soft and cozy, and Barrett loved cuddling up in it for the photos!

One of my best friends from college, Elisabeth Sperry, made this next quilt for us. I love the airplane fabric that she found!! She is an amazing quilter, has participated in several quilt shows across Texas, and has won a few awards for her work. I love that she could fit in the time to make a quilt for Barrett too!!

And here we have an adorable cowboy quilt, made by one of my mom's friends, Karla Wright. It is so cute, and perfect for our little Texas baby. I couldn't resist adding the cowboy hat in, since Barrett was perfectly still and quiet and was letting me position him any way that I desired!!

And finally, another one of my friends from Del Rio, Kristy Johnson, is making us a quilt covered in monkeys and quilt squares hand-made by our friends here in Del Rio. She is still working on it (and is teaching full-time), so I will post pictures of it as soon as she is finished with it... I can't wait to see it!!

We have been so blessed by all our creative and talented friends and family! We will enjoy these keepsake blankets for a long time, and I'm so glad I could share the pictures with everyone! :-)

Sell This House!!

After weeks of cleaning, organizing, general maintenance, and hours of inspiration from HGTV, our house is finally ready to sell. And, as of Monday, our house is officially on the market! AND, we've already shown it TWICE! I don't think either couple is going to make us an offer, but cheers to knowing it's on the market and people are noticing it!

I know everything will happen at the right time for us, and I just pray for the patience, strength, and joy to keep on top of everything. I am so blessed with a wonderful family and supportive friends, so I am not too worried about anything. :-) Now I just have to keep this house clean for the next several months and be ready to show it at a moments notice! No problem. :-)

One Month Old!!

Baby Barrett is one month old today!!

Things he's doing at one month old:

He loves watching the ceiling fan...

He has started cooing and smiling...

He recognizes Mommy and Daddy's voices...

He sleeps between three to four hours almost every time he sleeps...

And, he eats and poops like a champ!

We've decided to use the giant monkey from great-grandma to gauge his growth over the next year. He looks so little next to it right now!!

We also had the puppies pose with the baby to see how his interaction with them changes over the next year as well. Percy was a willing participant...

Rio was not as excited to play this game (since she is terrified of the camera), but we finally got her to pose next to him! :-)

He's just so cute!!!

And, to celebrate being one month old, he decided to get fancy and wear a tie!