All Treats, No Tricks

We attended the local shopping area's Trick or Treat Street again this year - it's so fun to run into all our friends who live in the neighborhood. We saw Shane & Renee Meyers, with little Isabella dressed as one of the Disney princesses (thank goodness I have boys - I can never keep them all straight!), Scott & Heidi Hace with Cowboy Will, the van den Bergs with Rowyn the rock star bumblebee, neighbors Steve & Lyndsay with the tigress Ali, and of course our good buddies MacKenzie and David:

After Ryan took a good long nap we headed out again with Ali to visit the neighbors in our cul-de-sac and beg for candy - I mean, go trick-or-treating. Ryan wore his monkey suit, with his monkey backpack/toddler leash on his back and his Beanie Baby monkey tucked in the front straps, while Jack also wore a monkey costume - it certainly feels like we live with a bunch of monkeys some days....

Ali on the prowl for CANDY

Don't touch it - it looks contagious!

Okay, wait, what is this - free candy? Can I eat it right now?
Whaddya mean "put it in my bag for later?"

Trek or Treat

We went up to Lookout Mountain Nature Center today for "Trek or Treat" sponsored by Colorado Mountain Mamas. The 1/2 mile loop was easy enough for Ryan and David to (mostly) hike on their own, and they enjoyed exploring the pine cones and other natural elements. I love taking pictures of the wonderful fall colors, so I went a little crazy today. Full slideshow here; these are a couple of my favorites.

Ava Grace McGovern

Oh, so that's what the "treat" part is all about! Ryan's first Tootsie Roll...

Eli and Raymond Saperstein

David and Ryan - the mighty jungle beasts, enjoying DumDum suckers.

Deer! Deer! DEEEEEEEEER!

Best Buddies

Making Cheerio peanut butter marshmallow bars with Jena and David (except we didn't have any marshmallows - but we did have chocolate chips and Reese's Pieces, which make everything better, right?). Crummy photos from my cell phone:

Boys Boys Boys

Ryan "reading" Thomas & Friends to Baby Jack (while wearing his Thomas & Friends jammies, of course!)

Moving in for the snuggle...

Jack makes an early effort to defend himself from the toddler love...

Finger Painting

My mom and stepdad visited last week, bearing lots of gifts for the boys. One of Ryan's favorites was a set of finger paints (and, thankfully, a smock). Click here to view a series of photos of his first finger painting adventure.


While they were painting I was mixing up a chocolate cake, and gave Ryan the mixer to lick after he finished his artwork. I love that he made a bigger mess with cake batter than with finger paints.

Brotherly Love

Ryan is very enthusiastic about showing affection for his brother, and he is generally quite cautious around him. Here Ryan is showing Jack the various attachments on the activity mat, and then moving in for a "snuh-snuh" (snuggle).

Bathtime (Jack is not yet a confident waterman)

More Pumpkin Patch

Sarah took great photos of the boys, too. Ryan has been so excited about pumpkins since the festival, though he says "pumpkin patch" when he sees a pumpkin - I think he thinks that's the full name for the gourd. He is a huge fan of these pumpkin waffles I made last week.

Look, Mom and Baby Jack were there too!

For Dra-Dra

Grandma and Grandpa Fleming (Dra-dra to Ryan) are currently touring around Italy, so Jack will have grown and developed quite a bit before they return. Here's a video of Jack and Sam having a little bonding time.

Happy Birthday Baby Jack!

Dear Jack William -

I can hardly believe that you are already one month old. Where has the time gone? We've certainly been kept busy trying to keep up with your big brother while reaching deep into our foggy, sleep-deprived brains to remember the nuances of newborn care (you go through HOW MANY diapers in a day?!).

You are a snuggle bug of the highest order. From the first day you've refused the personal space provided by your bassinet, preferring instead to burrow next to me or Dada all night long. You have the most elegant long fingers and the bluest blue eyes. You're keeping up with your brother's growth patterns as you near the 10 lb mark. Every day you spend a little more time awake and alert, gazing at the ceiling fan or instinctively holding your hand in front of your face to ward off Ryan's clumsy displays of brotherly affection.

I can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring in terms of your personality development!

Love,
Mama

Pumpkin Festival

Auntie Sarah, Ryan, Jack and I met the Haces at the Pumpkin Festival at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. Last year the weather was unseasonably warm; this year we were woefully unprepared for the chilly temps and passing sprinkles of rain. My camera batteries died shortly after we arrived, so I don't have a lot of photos. Ryan didn't seem to mind the weather and enjoyed romping around the pumpkin patch.

Hitching a ride in Will's wagon

Testing the bounciness of the pumpkins

Friends Visiting

We've had many friends stop by to visit Ryan and Baby Jack, many bringing yummy food with them. On Tuesday, Scott, Heidi and Will Hace shared chicken chili, cornbread, and my favorite chocolate cake. We also had a photo shoot with Beth Wedlake - I can't wait to see how she captured Baby Jack!

Today Jena and David came over to play, with a stop at Taste of Denmark on the way. Oh, apricot danish, you are a dream come true. And who could resist chocolate chip and cranberry scones?

The boys giggled through many rounds of "Ring Around the Rosy" - who knew the Black Plague could be such fun?

Confidence Boost

We took Jack in for his two week check up today. I just love our pediatrician's office - everyone is so nice, and they think we make the cutest babies. The nurse who took Jack's measurements said "I've never seen such a big two-week old!" What can I say? I grow 'em big.

He has regained his birth weight, and then some, clocking in at 8 lbs. 14 oz, and has grown 3/4 of an inch to 22 3/4. We got the all clear on his heart, lungs, ears, eyes and hips, and the PA commented on how strong he seemed, and how he was already trying to lift his head. Harvard, can you handle TWO Fleming boys?!

Baby Jack in Action

Green Mountain

We took Jack for the first of countless hikes up Green Mountain today. It was surprisingly warm, so both he and I were quite sweaty by the time we were done!

Two Weeks

We are quickly getting into a groove around here, trying to set up routines and keep Mama from drinking too much coffee...

Sam took off work the first week, and since the weather is still ridiculously warm, we took the boys to the nearby elementary school playground one afternoon.

Jack chilling on the patio with Grandpa...

Ryan has always been pretty independent and able to entertain himself, which helps when I'm trying to nurse Jack or to get Ryan's breakfast or lunch ready. Here he's practicing for the drum corps.

He is adjusting well to his new role as big brother, though we often have to remind him to be gentle around the baby. He is a very good helper and usually asks "Baby Jack?" as soon as he's up from his nap.

Here he shows just how closely he has been paying attention to everything I do for the baby...