Happy Halloween!

We spent Halloween with our little rooster. Since we couldn't really trick or treat, we walked door to door, handing cookies to our neighbors. We had a good time, and Henry the rooster was a crowd favorite. Last weekend we ventured on yet another road trip to Branson, Missouri for Richard and Kelley's wedding at Big Cedar Lodge. On the way we were able to spend the night with Great Grandma and Grandpa Shamel and have lunch with Uncle John and Emily. MooMoo and Grandpa Hacker accompanied us to Branson for the weekend to babysit while we attended a couple of wedding events. Henry is such a trooper in the car. We have our 7-8 hour road trip down to a science now, and he handles it like a champ. Hope everyone is having a super fun Halloween. Henry's first airplane ride is tomorrow...we'll let you know how it goes next week.

Norris Lake

We had a wonderful weekend with friends at Norris Lake in Tennessee. Matt, Andrea and Wyatt Glassmeyer invited us for the weekend along with Adam and Kenda. Henry got to play with Wyatt and even ride on the boat! The weather was beautiful - perfect fall weather. It was warm and sunny during the day and chilly at night and in the morning. Tim and I even got in the lake for some tubing. Henry enjoyed the trip and was a good boy. He is still working on his top teeth and he is being very patient. We can feel them poking through, but they seem to be sort of stuck at this point - seems to be taking forever. His new favorite activity is to hold our hands and walk around the room. We are getting ready for a fun weekend with Grandpa and MooMoo in Missouri! We get to see Grandpa and Grandma Shamel on Thursday...only 2 more days! Thanks again Matt and Andrea for such a great weekend...we are already looking forward to next year!

60 Years

Today we celebrate Great Grandma and Grandpa Shamel's 60th Wedding Anniversary. So...Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa! We love you, and are so proud of you...and can't wait to see you in 10 days. Over the weekend, we visited the pumpkin patch! We walked through the corn maze, experienced a hayride, enjoyed hot donuts and apple cider, talked to all the animals (except the sheep, he was very scary), and sat on big pumpkins and tractors. We had a great time - and got lots of really cute pics. Henry also tried his first finger foods - mandarin oranges. We don't think he was too crazy about them...see picture below. Grandpa and Grandma Beckman joined us on Sunday for dinner after they finished the Hilly Hundred bike ride in Bloomington. They got to witness the orange tasting. We're having a great time here...hope everyone is enjoying the cool down as much as we are. Have a terrific week!

New this week...

...fun at the park with mom and dad, sippy cup silliness, brushing of the teeth, standing tall and loving it...

Six Months Old!!

We can't believe Henry is six months old. The past six months have been the best yet, and we are excited for the next six. Henry now weighs in at 17 lbs., 15 oz. and is 29 inches long. So, he is in the 60th percentile for weight, and is off the charts for height. He squeals and blows raspberries constantly, smiling always. He is able to scoot to where he wants to go. He continues to get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but has yet to actually crawl to get something. He loves his toys and his books and his Johnny Jump-Up. He is a very active boy, moving all the time. He continues to fake cough when he needs some extra attention, and then laughs and laughs when we react. He wants to clap with us as we sing, but he gets only one clap in and then his hands get stuck together. He thinks it's funny, though. For the past week he has been waving hello and goodbye to everyone we see. He is quite proud of this accomplishment. We wrapped up our week in Bolivar at Great Grandma and Grandpa Shamel's house. Grandma fixed a delicious dinner for us, complete with coconut cream pie. MooMoo and Grandpa Hacker joined us for a little more playtime and one more bedtime story before we had to say goodbye. We spent Henry's six month birthday, and daddy's 29th birthday at the lake with Grandma and Grandpa Beckman, Aunt Em and Uncle T. The weather was beautiful. We were even able to get out on the water! Tim gave Henry some windsurfing lessons on the lawn before showing him how it's done on the water. Thanks everyone for such a super fun birthday weekend!!

Playing with MooMoo at Grandma and Grandpa Shamel's house last week

Bedtime stories with Grandpa Hacker are the best

Daddy windsurfing

Waving bye-bye

Henry's windsurfing lesson

Grandpa Beckman and my new Johnny Jump-Up