Friday Funnies

I was on the phone with the doctor's office, making an appointment for Nate. They asked the patient's name, and I said "Nathan Givens." Nate was sitting right next to me and said "Yep, that's me!" :)

Nate walked in as I was changing Abby's poopy diaper on the floor. As soon as he saw (& smelled) the dirty diaper, he said "Ewwwww! I've gotta get outta here!" and ran off!!

And then there's Miss Abby Reece....I got the bright idea yesterday to put her crazy hair in PIGTAILS. Here's the result. They look more like antennas really! :)

Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite family activities of the year is going to the pumpkin patch. We took the kids yesterday, and as usual, it did not disappoint! It was our 3rd year in a row going, and the first time with TWO kids. So, it was a bit more hectic, but still lots of fun.

Perhaps the kids' favorite part of the whole afternoon was riding in the wagon together. Not kidding! We had to walk pretty far from our car to the pumpkin patch, so Greg pulled them along the gravel road in our wagon and they LOVED all the bumps. Abby actually got hiccups she was laughing so hard one time! She was really good the whole time at the pumpkin patch, even being strapped in the wagon most of the time.

We started off at the petting zoo, and Nate was NOT into it this year. He didn't want to touch or feed any animals. But leave it to Miss Priss to be our wild one...she was reaching thru the fences to get to the goats!

So we quickly moved onto the "activity area" b/c we knew that would be a big hit with Nate especially. And the corn pen, slide, tire swing, hay tower, tractors, and seesaws were!




Moving onto the corn maze...where Nate LOVES being the leader everytime. Here he is, striking a pose while he decides which way we should go:

Pulling up the rear

A new addition to the pumpkin patch this year was the train! Nate was thrilled that he was allowed to ride in his own car:

Finally, a few family pics before getting our usual treat of cookies & cokes. Another great year at Walden Farms!

Happy Saturday

Welcome to my life. I was picking up Abby this morning and she barfed on my head. Oh the joys of motherhood!! I took a pic b/c Greg was still asleep and I wanted to show him what all goes on before he gets out of bed each morning...
By the way...is it just me, or does that look like bird doo doo?!

MOVING ON...

Hallie & I took the kids to the Oaklands Mansion yesterday for a photo shoot in all the fall leaves. She did such a great job! There were a TON of good ones, but here are some of my faves:

My handsome boy


The 3 amigos

Best buds

Miss Priss with her sassy hair


Why are crying pictures SO cute!?

My sweet kiddos

Grant's eyes are the most gorgeous things I've ever seen!!!

Thanks again H for all the great pics!! :)

Friday Funnies are back!

Did you miss us last Friday!? Sorry for the hiatus. Here's a good one for ya to make up for it...

The other night before bedtime, Greg looked over to see Nate on the couch "knuckle-deep" in his nose, digging for treasure.

Greg: "Nathan, stop picking your nose."
Nate: "But I need to get this booger out!"

Now how can you be mad at a face like this!?

Whirlwind

What a wonderful (long) weekend! I got to have a reunion with my college roommates, see one of my best friends get married, and spend TWO nights alone with my handsome hubbie!! We traveled to Pinehurst, NC this weekend for Natalie & Scott’s wedding and it was so much fun. We dropped Nate in Johnson City with the Givens on Thursday and then Abby in Clemmons with my parents on Friday. It was weird to be kid-free for 2 days, but also kinda nice! :)

Natalie is one of 4 girls that I lived with my senior year at UNC, at a house on Dixie Lane. So, the five of us have called ourselves “Dixie” ever since. Nat lives in California now (pursuing her Hollywood dreams), while the other 3 Dixie members live in NC & SC. So needless to say, the five of us don’t get many opportunities to get together. In fact, I think the last reunion was at Christmas in 2007 - Nate was just 4 months old! That seems like ages ago to me. Anyways, we picked up right where we left off (as usual) and had so much fun catching up. These girls are so unique in their own ways, and so special to me.

We got treated to a fabulous bridal luncheon on Friday at Magnolia Inn (but missed our girl Joy!)

And then there was a love-filled rehearsal dinner that night. I have never been to a rehearsal dinner where there were so many speeches/toasts/slideshows! It was just such a great tribute to Natalie & Scott, and all the wonderful relationships they’ve formed over the years. A total love fest, and laugh fest. Fun was had by all. And I think they also had the largest shrimp known to man!! I had my first taste of shrimp & grits and they were amazing. We moved to a bar later that night to continue the party. I felt like I was back in college (and paid for it the next morning)! :)


Saturday we slept in till 9 am (YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY!) and lounged around till meeting Becca & Joy (fellow Dixies) in downtown Southern Pines for lunch. The wedding was an early one, at 4:30 pm, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor ceremony. I have never seen Nat look more gorgeous!

The ceremony was so "Nat"....just little things she adlibbed here and there, she kept pulling up the top of her dress & giggling, and she took time out of the ceremony to go and hug her family as well as Scott's.

Now presenting Mr. & Mrs. Scott Forte!!

We headed over to another outdoor area for cocktail hour while the bridal party took pictures. They had the MOST delicious appetizers, but man was it starting to get cold quick!

Their first dance was quite impressive! Dancing lessons really pay off.

In addition to this cake, they had a cookie cake for the groom's cake. SO good!


The reception turned into quite the dance party, which was a good thing b/c it was COLD. As long as you stayed dancing, you kept warm. They even had my fave fall drink - hot apple cider - for those that were chilly.


We finally managed to nab Nat for a quick Dixie picture. Love these girls!!

We sent them off in style - in a horse & carriage!

For those that were at the wedding, we will never forget:
1. The Jane Jetson/suit of armor dress
2. The underwear lady
3. The drunkard
What a circus! But such a wonderful night too. Dixie - I love you all and miss you already! :) Xmas reunion please??

And of course, the kids were in good hands with their grandparents all weekend and each had A BALL being spoiled :) We picked up Abby on Sunday afternoon from my parents' house, and heard that she has perfected her waves, is cutting FOUR new teeth, is in love with their dog Sophie, and was very entertaining with all her funny faces:

She also barfed on a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch but had fun doing it:

And she had a nice visit with her great-grandmother, Deedee:

Then, Sunday night we all stayed in Johnson City and got to hear how Nate was on his best behavior, went to a park and pumpkin patch, and picked out a few new guns at Toys R Us:

He loved his little throne at mealtimes:

And, he might take after his dad and be a piano prodigy! :)

Thank you again to Nanny, Poppy, Mum Mum & Granddaddy for taking such good care of our kids! It was nice knowing they were in good hands and we didn't have to waste one minute worrying about them. (I think this is the first time in 4 years I have had two nights of 8 hours of CONTINUAL sleep! What a gift!! :)

11 Months Old!

Baby Girl is 11 months old today! Once again, it's been a busy month and full of lots of "firsts." She mastered the crawling stage, and quickly moved onto pulling up on everything, standing on her own, and cruising along the furniture. In fact, this month has been quite the whirlwind, now that I sit & reflect on it!!

We have been experimenting with more table foods at dinnertime. Her first official meal was something we like to call "Nelly Telly," which is just an italian dish with sausage. She LOVED the noodles and the spicyness! Pizza crust, shredded cheese, pieces of bread, fruit bars, diced apples, mashed potatoes, strawberries, french fries, hush puppies and SNICKERS CAKE have also been popular.


Abby has also turned into quite the sassy-pants. She is already going toe-to-toe with Nate over toys, and winning half the time! She has quite the attitude and is very vocal about what she wants. It's hilarious! Check out her sassy poses:


In fact, she could not be MORE different from Nate, which baffles me. They are so opposite in so many ways already. Abby is completely fearless, which, if you know Nate, is not a word I'd use to describe him. More like CAUTIOUS. Abby loves to get dirty and play in the grass/rocks/dirt and Nate thinks most things outside are "icky." And then there's little Miss Busy-Body....she doesn't stay still for 5 seconds whereas Nate has always been able to sit & entertain himself quietly. I love the differences between them, and although she's exhausting me already, I do love our little spitfire!

As of today, Baby Girl has 4 teeth in! And is cutting THREE more right now. Fun times in the Givens household. She is also talking a lot...saying "uh oh" and "mama" :) the most!

Anytime we're in the kitchen, she makes a beeline for a few things when I open them. Like the fridge, dishwasher, and pantry. I have to make sure she's not around when I want something out of the fridge, otherwise, she is trying to climb inside of it in 2seconds. She is a fast little booger!

My favorite thing she learned this month is how to wave!!! She's on about a minute delay, but still, SO cute!! Of course her favorite person to wave hi/bye to is her big brother. Yes, the love affair continues.

Baby Girl - you have grown so much this month and turned into quite the personality. We love you so much and can't wait to see what you do next!