mommy and dalton love pumpkins

Last Friday mommy and Dalton took Grandma and went to look at MORE pumpkins...we love pumpkins!  Well we used to anyway...Dalton is more interested in the hay this year than he is with the pumpkins...oh well more for me:) 

Two fists full of hay!

Dalton always finds time to stop and smell the "mums"...these were HUGE!

The sea of pumpkins...they had every kind you can imagine...but today we were searching for a traditional orange pumpkin for carving...SOOO many to choose from!

The perfect pumpkin and a short hay ride for Dalton...FANTASTIC TIMES!

random...getting caught up

Just a few random happenings...

Mommy has a new obssession...consignment sale and garage sale shopping!  I just have to keep reminding myself that's only a good deal if it's something that we need! 

The $3 brand new Stride Rite shoes...consignment sale find!

Another consignment sale find...we are trying to move Dalton away from dressing up in old dance costumes and we thought that this clown costume just might do the trick!  He didn't care for it at first but now he LOVES it!

We have been gathering baby items to take to Grandma's since she is taking care of Dalton's baby cousin while her mommy and daddy go to work!  We can't believe she is almost 6 months old...this activity center/jumpy thing will be perfect!  Dalton wasn't so sure about letting her borrow it...we also let her borrow his rocking chair from his room a couple of weeks ago!  Actually we borrowed it from my parents when Dalton was born so I guess we are giving it back!  We still miss it a little bit but it allows for more room for his toys:)

Just one last jump!

I think my OCD is wearing off on Dalton...we were putting his ride on toys up the other day and we had just pulled them in the garage no special order.  I turn around to walk inside and he is rearranging them like the picture below...OCD or just a parade I am not sure!

Too funny not to take a picture!  That's my boy!

Dalton is developing a new very demanding personality...he wants everything "right now"!  He has recently gone through some magazines and informed me that he wants these things "right now"!  And usually ends in a pretty big fit so the first day we talked about how these were things that Santa might bring or you may want to ask for your birthday...well then he just demanded that I call Santa "right now"!  We eventually did and that worked until the next day so mommy decided we would start a wish list...mommy cuts out the pictures and Dalton gets to glue them on and it hangs on our fridge!  So far so good...however there will be NO Christmas catalogs in our house this year!

Dalton's wish list!  He told me he would help me haul my flowers with his John Deere tractor!  Such a little helper!

happy grandparents day

A couple of weekends ago was Grandparent's Day!  I haven't been able to blog about it because I have lost the cord that connects my camera to my computer...bummer!  I don't want to buy a new one because I just know it's here somewhere...if I had to guess Dalton may have had something to do with the disappearance.  I had my parents and siblings over with their kidos and we had dinner and fun with the family!  We feel so fortunate to have my parents so close and Dalton's other Grandma not to far away as well...we sent her a card and spoke with her on the phone earlier in the weekend!  He's a lucky lucky boy...we just wish he had the chance to meet his other Grandpa!  But that wasn't meant to be...Daddy lost his Daddy when he was in college many years ago!  From what Dalton's daddy has told me I think they would have been good buddies and would spoil him just like the other grandparents do if not more:)

Dalton with Grandma Beverly...opening up her Grandparents Day card...this one was voive activated and he just smiled and smiled when he heard his own voice!

Showing Grandpa Delaine the card too!

The granparents and the cousins!

The grandparents and the "silly" picture!

just having fun outside

Well, for those of you counting like me...today was Dalton's second day of MDO and once again he made me proud!  He couldn't wait for the door to open to go in, we saw his Aunt Dawn in the hall and got a high five and he didn't even have time to help put up his backpack and lunch because he was off to play!  He wanted to show me a few trucks that he likes to play with and so I did and then told him I loved him and would see him later alligator!  He followed with a bye bye and a hug and off I went...I worried and worried about Dalton starting MDO over the summer until we started going to our old/smaller congregation church!  I just know it has made all of the difference...getting him slowly used to being with new care givers and a small number of kidos!  It sure built of his confidence level for MDO...SO PROUD! 

The past couple of days he has been talking about how he will be sad when they have to go inside from playing outside and then of all things today was rainy so they played in the indoor gym.  So the first thing he told me about his day was that they didn't get to go outside...luckily I knew about the big gym and all of the fun ride on cars and climbing toys and balls, etc. that they have just for days like today!  One of the teachers told me that he was so great at riding on the tricycle...apparently theirs are more age appropriate because he can't reach the pedals on the one he has at home.  And that was the first thing he wanted to try when he got home and was a bit disappointed when he couldn't reach them to say the least!  Also, on the way to school Dalton kept asking me where the sun was...he could tell it was daylight but you couldn't see the sun because of the clouds.  SO MANY QUESTIONS these days...and so age appropriate!  And on the way in to MDO it was sprinkling and we talked about that!  And then on his MDO sheet in the comment section it reads  Dalton had a wonderful day!  We've decided that he is going to grow up to be a weather man!  Hopefully he was sharing all of the good information I shared with him on the way and not arguing with them about the sun being out and that it was okay to play on the playground when he was told that they were playing inside...not sure if I want to know!

We also stopped and I let Dalton pick out his very own cookie and he picked out a sugar cookie decorated like a lady bug...have I mentioned that when I asked him a couple of weeks ago what he wanted to dress up like for Halloween he said a lady bug!  Anyway we got a lady bug, a frog and an OSU one for daddy...he ended up wanting the frog and mommy got the lady bug!  That's what I figured would happen and it did...mommy's are so smart!  When we were eating our cookies I asked him to tell me about his painting from school and he told me it was "a boy with toes"! 

"boy with toes"

SO...we ate our cookies and played outside for a LONG TIME!  And I caught a few scenarios on my camera that I wanted to share.

Giving teddy bear a ride on the tractor just like his Uncle Todd gave him a ride on his tractor...that's what Dalton told me!  He was telling teddy bear all about the tractor!

Going round and round the tree...hold on teddy bear!

Dalton and teddy bear hauling his weed eater!

Anytime we go for a walk this fire hydrant gets an inspection from Dalton the firefighter inspection guy! 

We check out one side and then...

...the other side!

Dalton has spotted one of our neighbors on his skateboard...doing tricks!  That's what Dalton calls skateboard stunts! 

So much for the safety inspection he's off to see some "tricks"!  You can see our neighbor if you look real hard...but he looks pretty small!

Mommy and Dalton had a great day playing outside together after being away from each other most of the day...I just love the look on his face when I come to pick him up!  I am assuming it's the same one that daddy is lucky enough to get everyday when he returns home from work!  He is SO EXCITED to see just little old me...his mommy:)

neighbors

This past Tuesday Mommy and Dalton got together with a couple of our neighbors for a play date!  Carrie and her two boys Carter and Graham recently moved out of state and were back visiting and we were very excited to see them!  Carter and Dalton are just about one year apart...they played so well together...it would have been fabulous to say the least to have been able to keep them across the street!  But their Daddy had other plans...we are just glad they still have family in Oklahoma so they have to come back and visit!  Our other neighbor that came over is Sharon and her little guy Jonas he will be one in October and he is the perfect play mate for Carrie's little boy Grahma who just turned one in August!  Just wanted to share a couple of cute pics...

Graham and Jonas checking out some toys...they aren't walking yet but they are definitely on the move!

Dalton and Carter wearing silly glasses...giving their good-bye hugs! 

mommy knew the day would come

Being a stay at home mommy has been both rewarding and challenging at the same time!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE staying home and would want it no other way but there are days when I would also LOVE LOVE LOVE to have more than one 2-3 hour stretch a day to myself other than when I am sleeping!  Which is why I have been looking forward to Mother's Day Out for so long and believe me I am sure that Dalton LOVES LOVES LOVES me too but if I had to guess he is ready for a break from me too! 

So Thursday was the big day...and it was FANTASTIC...oh wait that was Wednesday...okay how about SUPER DUPER!?!?!?  That is a great way to describe it...Thursday was SUPER DUPER!  The day went like this...wake up earlier than usual and get ready, then Dalton gets up and eats his big boy breakfast that we talked about the night before...it's one of his favorites "scrambled eggs with cheese and ham" with milk to go with it!  Mommy finished packing his yummy and tasty too school lunch (PBJ, goldfish, banana, fruit chews and ice water) while Dalton finished breakfast and then moved on to packing his backpack!  Mommy gets Dalton dressed and attempted to take some pictures...that didn't go so well!  We are out the door early for two reasons...one so we won't be rushed and two for a quick detour to see one of his favorite things...clocks!  I don't think that I have posted about his fondness of clocks yet but he definitely has one...everywhere we go he spots them BIG or small inside or outside that boy finds them!  The first one he ever found can be spotted from his school and it is on the campus of UCO and sits at the top of Old North!  Go Bronchos!  So we drove through the parking lot to let him take a look at it before his first day of big kid school! 

Dalton not wanting to stand up for a first day of MDO picture!

Apparently the zipper on his lunch box is much more interesting then saying cheese for mommy!

We head into school Dalton holding his lunch bag and mommy holding his backpack...he seems more confident than I had expected...YEAH for Dalton Thomas!  We are a little early and so are several others and the hall is starting to get congested...and about the time Dalton is starting to get uneasy the door opens...thank goodness!  We walk in and I show Dalton his cubby...his very first cubby with his name on it and we put his backpack in the cubby and put his lunch box on the top shelf!  Then Dalton is off to the trucks to play...there are several kidos crying already and I am starting to get nervous wondering if Dalton is going to be okay and then he looks at me and says "bye bye momma...love you" and I simply say I will see you after lunch and your rest time I love you too...SO PROUD OF HIM!  I told the teachers I was leaving while he was still okay and I didn't look back and I was fine no tears...then I see my sister and we both are a bit weepy!  These past 2.5 years have gone by so fast...I was crying mainly because I am SO PROUD of him...he has come a long way in the past 6 months with his seperation anxiety!  HE IS A BIG BOY!  I got myself together and headed to Sonic for a much deserved LARGE vanilla diet coke and picked up a cherry limeade for my mom and headed to her house for a quick visit!  She is watching my niece who is 5 months old and so I loved on her for a little bit while I was there and that made me a litte weepy too!  I guess it just reminded me how not long ago Dalton was that tiny and they do grow SO FAST...it is so true!  And then I headed home to tackle the folding and putting away of more laundry than should be allowed in one day as well as a bunch of dishes!  I kept looking at the clock and being amazed about how much time was left before I picked him up!  I think this momma is going to love Thursdays...lots of little projects that I would like to tackle without my little helper!  I stopped on the way to pick him up and got yummy decorated sugar cookies for his teachers and Dalton too!  This day deserved a celebration for everyone...did I mention that my sister called me after lunch and told me that she had spoke with one of his teachers and they said he was doing great!  Come to find out the only tears that were shed were when it was time to go inside from playing outside!  Not surprised about that one and I wasn't surprised either when they mentioned they had to move his nap mat away from the other children because he was humming!  Their nap time is about 1.5 hours earlier than his nap time so I am surprised that he slept for them at all!  There was another mom in front of me at the door to the classroom but Dalton and I spotted each other and gave a BIG WAVE he was SO EXCITED!  He came running to the door and then Ms. Tracey softly reminded him that he needed to pick one toy to pick up and then he could go and sure enough he did it!  I tried to take some pictures in front of his classroom after school but they didn't turn out so well either...oh-well!  In the car he told me about how he got sad on the playground about having to go inside and later told me they moved his mat!  I also caught him singing Itsy Bitsy Spider several times one of which being on his monitor when he went to bed...melt my heart!  It was listed as one of the songs they sang that day:)  They are such little sponges at this age and I am glad that he is soaking up all the good stuff that we can possibly give him! 

After his first big day!

When we got home we sat on the back patio and had our cookies and talked some more about his day!  And then he was more than ready to jump on his John Deere Tractor and ride around and around the back yard!  But not for long we had a cookout at Daddy's school...the College of Business at OC!  Mommy took her camera along and caught a few shots...Daddy got Dalton his first OC t-shirt today and he was very excited to wear it!  Also, while they were busy giving away door prizes Mommy and Dalton went on a walk and Dalton found some ledges he could jump off that Mommy approved of and he was just having fun jumping on and off and on and off again!  And then the clapping for the door prizes started and Dalton thought that every time the people clapped they were clapping for him when he jumped off...it was SO FUNNY AND CUTE TOO!  And then if he jumped and there wasn't clapping he would say "they didn't clap?!?"  How awesome it must be to be two and a half years old and your only worry be if a crowd of people are clapping for you when you jump!  What a great ending to such a super duper day!

Yummy Elmo cookie and lots of messy icing!  Yeah for Dalton for having a great day!

Another one of Dalton's favorite clocks on OC campus...Dalton and  Daddy are at the bottom of the clock...they look very tiny!

A better picture of Daddy and Dalton in their OC shirts!  Go Eagles!

Trying out the stairs...we made several trips up and down! 

Daddy's picture in the OC library...they featured several professors and their favorite books!  Daddy LOVES to read and has lots of favorite books he is quite the book worm and we hope that Dalton is the same way!   

wednesday was fantastic

Wednesday we all had a busy morning planned...mommy, daddy and Dalton headed out early for hair appointments for daddy and Dalton!  It's usually a family affair...the same hair dresser that has cut daddy's hair forever now cuts Dalton's and mommy's too...it's just easier that way!  She has been SO PATIENT with Dalton much better than Snipits (sp) ever was and she has been cutting his hair for 1.5 years or so!  Each time has been a new experience...sometimes he was okay, sometimes he wasn't and sometimes he really wasn't okay!  Screaming like he was getting shots...now those of you who have seen Dalton's long hair you know why I put it off!  However, we are making progress...we have figured out that a BIG sucker works wonders and if she doesn't use clippers until the very end and does as much as she can around his ears with just scissors everyone is SO MUCH HAPPIER!  And today was the best day yet...mommy, daddy and Tricia so proud!

Sitting still and by himself...that's a first or maybe second time!  Usually mommy or daddy end up holding him and by the end of the hair cut we are all covered in hair clippings...ugh!

Surprise...squirt squirt!  I think Dalton will bring his spray bottle next time and see how she likes getting squirted...ha ha!  What a funny expression and honest...isn't that what we really want to do when the hair dresser is squirting us?!?!?

Someone actually looks like they might be enjoying themselves! 

After the hair cuts we headed to Dalton's MDO for his "meet the teacher(s)" day!  He was very excited to say the least and so were we!  He held both of our hands going in the door and as soon as he spotted the trucks he took off and didn't look back!  We are so lucky to have found this MDO program and even luckier that my sister teaches there...not in his room but she is there and knows all the teachers...what a blessing!  We dropped off his school supplies...paper towels, glue sticks and wet wipes and let Dalton play in his room for a short while and then we went upstairs and visited my sister in her room and finally to the play ground!  Such a big boy the whole time...check out the pictures!

Dalton making himself at home...could he have some more trucks to play with!  BIG SMILE...our little guy loves his trucks of all shapes and sizes!

His teachers Ms. Cheryl and Ms. Tracey! 

I am impressed that he wanted to stand with them and have his picture taken!

Checking out the play ground...I think he likes it! 

He really likes this bouncey, teeter totter kind of toy! 

And for Dalton there was a perfect ending to a fantastic day...Daddy mowed and edged tonight two of Dalton's favorite things!  Dalton's John Deere tractor is now fixed thanks to his Uncle Todd and he wanted to race daddy with his big riding mower and daddy's push mower!  Daddy was happy to do so...and of course Dalton won!