A Pirate with No Paci

Okay, I admit it.  I've been a bit soft when it's come to getting rid of the paci.  But I've sworn that the minute that last molar is in, those things are gone.  So today when Mitchell decided that he liked wearing a pirate patch, I was excited to pounce on the camera for some snaps.  Problem was, Mitchell didn't figure on swapping out his paci for the patch.  You'll see what I mean...

happy pirate...

not so happy pirate.

The brilliant thing is that while my child was screaming I also decided to seize the opportunity to get a closer shot so that you all could see that beautiful masterpiece of a molar.  See it???  There on his bottom right, the last whiteness in the back just poking through in some spots.  That's right folks, that's what we've been workin' on for the past several months!!  One down, three to go!  God help us.

Open House at the Fire Station

Today we took Mitchell to the open house at our local fire station.  We weren't there long as it was approaching naptime, but it was still worth it.  The best part was watching his face when the LifeMed helicoptor landed just yards from us.  He was gripping onto us for dear life!

I know Reese will kill me (if) and when he sees that I've published this photo, but I couldn't help it.  He looks a bit like an oompa loompa.  But a handsome one at that.

Playing in the Water

This morning Mitchell decided he wanted to practically crawl into the kitchen sink...with the water running.  Who was I to interfere??

he was sneezing in the above picture because he had gotten so much water in his nose!

Indian Summer Days

Today it was 70 degrees here and really sunny.  Mitchell and I hung outside quite a bit today and I think the fresh air did him some good...I know it did for me!  Here are some shots of Mitchell and his sidekick, Mangus.

Makin' Molars isn't Fun When PopPop is Visiting

This past weekend PopPop was visiting.  The weekend started off great...Saturday when he arrived we had Bourbon Slushies and White Chili with fresh Italian bread for lunch.  Couldn't get any better.  Once Mitchell woke up from his nap we decided to head down to the Lancaster County Fair, the last one in the whole state of Ohio for the season.  Reese has been waiting for over a year to go to this one.  Once there it becomes super blustery.  But with only a 20% chance of rain why worry, right?  Note:  on the way to the fair I casually commented how they always get bad weather in Lancaster.  In addition, it was super muddy, and Mitchell wasn't really prepared in the shoe department for that.  Plus one slip and we're doomed-he's all mud.  But he enjoyed two rides (another note:  due to inclement soil conditions and weather, the two rides averaged out to $5 a piece...our worst average yet!).  Here's one of the rides.  That's right...it's the back of the CRAZY BUS for the Koons boys!!

After the two rides we meandered over towards the animals only to discover they had already gone home.  Well, that is with the exception of a few turkeys and rabbits.

Oh look, a clown.

That's right.  Daddy hates clowns.  And apparently Mitchell does too because he won't look at the clown and practially becomes hysterical by the time the red balloon dog is handed off.

Ironically enough it looks like it was sunny in the clown picture.  I don't think it was, but if there was a fleeting moment of sunshine it quickly ended and skies became more blustery and it started to rain. Farmers were literally running out of that place with goats in their arms.

So we packed it up and headed home, the skies of Lancaster literally black behind us!

Makin' teeth, especially molars, must be excruciating.  With the removal of my wisdom teeth freshly in my mind, my heart just aches for my poor little man and these 2nd molars.  He's rarely out of sorts, but these last several teeth have been tough on him.  So unfortunately we didn't get to do a lot more for the weekend and PopPop's big visit.  We tried going to the lake twice but Mitchell didn't want to do that.  There was a brief couple of hours on Sunday where he hung out with the men while they were stacking wood.

Sorry PopPop, that I wasn't feeling well for your visit.  But we're glad that you came.

How to Carve a Pumpkin

This past weekend we went to a local fall festival.  Daddy decided that Mitchell should have his first official pumpkin and they should bond over some carving...ya know...knives, cutting things, slimy stuff.  While Mitchell wasn't really into the actual act of carving (phew), I have to admit that my husband surprised me a little bit with his hidden artistic flair and keen sense of carving skills!  I mean, I know he can gut an animal, but I had no idea he could be so gentle and precise with a pumpkin! 

Mitchell loves his first jack-o-lantern and asks for it to be lit every night now!  Good job Daddy!

The Apple Orchard with Only Pumpkins

Today we headed out to a small village called Radnor for what I thought would be an apple orchard.  After all, that's exactly what I looked up on Google...APPLE ORCHARDS in DELAWARE COUNTY, and this place was one of them.  So we get there, and as quite often happens these days, were easily distracted by all of the kid friendly activities.  We went from one to another and wrapped it up with a hayride.  By that time Mitchell was completely exhausted and ready to go.  As we were walking back to the Jeep, I overheard a lady walking next to us mention to her family that it was time to go get some apples.  OH, THE APPLES...why we came here in the first place!  So after apologizing for eavesdropping I kindly asked her where the apples were, as I didn't recall seeing them amongst the pumpkins, gourds, kettle corn, hot dogs, hot cider, farm animals, etc.  "Oh, there are no apples here," she replied.  No apples at the apple orchard???  So beware my friends, you don't always get what you want from the world wide web.  Ah well...I guess we'll just have to go to another "orchard" and hope for the best!

ok, another goat photo...what can i say?  they're just so darned cute with those floppy ears!!

mitchell was fascinated with the windmill, which is why he's looking up