A Little of Our Halloween

We enjoyed a nice quiet day at home. The last few years I've bought costumes for the kids and they've worn them to see my sisters and parents and Jim's parents and sister. Nathaniel never seems too excited about it and he has several superhero suits and a cowboy suit and recently a detective suit (dress pants, shirt and tie) he wears around the house regularly, so I decided not to get costumes this year. Instead, we wore Halloween orange and black and just spent some time together.

In the afternoon, we went to the back yard for a few photos and then headed to Target for some supplies for the evening and pizza from Nathaniel's favorite place. Nathaniel's been mentioning a snack he's been wanting lately. Since I love the color of the Halloween M&Ms, we picked up the supplies for pretzels with Hershey kisses and M&Ms and I made a snack for the evening.

After finishing up supper, we each picked our pumpkins and designs to carve and got to work. Haley sat in her Bumbo and kept us entertained. Nathaniel worked on his bat, Jim his vampire cat, and me on my witch... imagine that.


A few photos from the day:


My favorite of the kids for the day...

Haley sitting up so nicely... I wondered if I'd ever see that day.

It almost looks as if Haley's giving Nat a kiss...

My favorite of Haley... Caught a smile!

Nathaniel flashing me a smile...

The treat he's been asking for...

Carving of the pumpkins...

A look of determination...

Our pumpkins found a home in the

fireplace at the end of the evening for

us to enjoy throughout the week...

A Couple of the Kiddos

I've been going through pics from the last month or two (I will get to beach pictures) and I love these two from the first weekend of October when Jim, the kids and myself took a little walk around a nature trail close to our home.



I love how Haley's sweet nature shines through and those blue eyes...
You can tell she loves to be outside!





And here's one of Nathaniel... He lost that front tooth earlier in the week and I think the other one will soon follow. He woke me up nearly in tears at 4 AM to tell me the tooth fairy didn't stop by. Luckily he fell back asleep and woke up close to 7 AM a much happier little fellow when he located the money under his pillow. That darn tooth fairy! At least she came through...

Bathtime in the Bumbo

We found a new use for the bumbo and Haley loves it. The extra one bought for daycare was sent home when a therapist brought one in. We debated about what to do with it and one evening, at bathtime, I decided to try it in the tub. Haley is too small even for the seats that suction cup to the bottom of the tub but the bumbo is perfect. She can sit up and kick her feet now. I think her smile tells all.





(Oh, the photos are grainy because mommy refuses to use flash and her camera doesn' t handle low light well. She just wants to show how happy she's made me with my new bath seat.)



Natty has decided he likes to read to Haley lately.


Haley listening and watching very attentively
as Natty reads her a story in the tub.

We have noticed Haley is really paying attention to the details lately. She looks at us differently and really studies our faces. She now goes to circle time a couple days a week at daycare and her attention and ability to focus have been commented on there too by staff and therapists. Yeah Haley!!!

Fall Beauty at Little Buffalo

We figured nice days were getting limited so we took off to Little Buffalo for a hike. The weather was beautiful and I was pleasantly surprised when I began looking at the pictures on the computer. I had forgotten what all Little Buffalo had to offer and I believe this was our first time ever there in the fall. I was wishing I would have time to line up a photographer for family photos... Maybe next year. We've not had any done since Nathaniel was 2 yrs. old.


The little red caboose below the lake...


Nathaniel running ahead on the trail along the lake...


Daddy and Haley along the trail...

A few scenery shots along the way...

Timeout for a little play...


Nathaniel enjoying the monkey bars...






Nathaniel giving Haley a ride on the slide...

Haley giving the slide a try on her own...

Nice catch Nathaniel!

Nathaniel giving Haley hugs...

Haley enjoying the swing with Nathaniel...

There were no infant swings so Nathaniel said, "I'll give her a ride!" As you can see Haley was quite satisfied with that. It's so nice to see moments like these! They do have a unique and special bond. Nathaniel is so good with Haley and he will be an excellent dad someday!

Nearing the end of the hike...

Hanging out along the covered bridge...

I wish I would have had Jim hold Haley up in the air for this shot.

I love how it turned out! If only...

Rails to Trails Ride

It was a beautiful day! It was very breezy and cool but perfect for a bike ride. It was very clear and some leaves were starting to change. I put Haley's hood up under her helmet to try and keep the air off of her ears. It was evident from her smiles and chattering that she enjoyed the ride. Anytime we'd stop, she'd kick her feet to let us know she wanted to keep moving. Two of my sisters and niece joined us for the ride. We managed to get in 10-12 miles before Nathaniel got tired. (Not too bad for a 7 yr. old!)


Daddy and Haley


Chatting along at a leisurely pace...


Loving the color in this one.













Haley did very well on this ride since she is getting stronger and sitting up so much better. I knew it'd be a long ride though, so I wrapped a fleece throw around the front bar on Haley's bike seat and secured it with a quick release strap. It was perfect for when Haley needed a little rest. She'd lay her head down and look off to the side.


Haley taking a milk break along the way...


Nathaniel resting along a tree beside the stream.


A few shots of the beautiful scenery along the way...

This stream flowed beside the trail for most of the ride adding to the country atmosphere surrounding us. So peaceful and serene...

At the end of the ride we all enjoyed ice cream, especially Haley, even in the cool, breezy outdoors. Nathaniel ended up finishing his in the truck because he was too cold.

This is definitely on my things to do again next year, maybe spring and fall. There is no traffic to worry about with the kids. Most importantly, it is something we can do as a family that Haley can participate in and enjoy. Our interests have always been in the outdoors and with Haley's diagnosis, we were unsure of the effects on that part of life. Fortunately, Haley loves the outdoors too and as she makes progress, it's nice to know we'll be able to find ways to still enjoy some of those things.

I can remember back to this time three years ago... It was a cool fall day and Nathaniel was playing in his sandbox with Jim. Haley was in her swing and I looked out the window at Nathaniel in his sandbox and was overcome with emotion. If Haley had not been born with 4p- , she'd have been sitting right there playing alongside Nathaniel. I felt as though we were all being cheated. That was part of the grieving process. It's an ongoing process but it does get easier over time.

Now, 3 years later, I can say we are probably better people than if Haley had not been born with 4p-. Yes, life is more stressful and there is little time for all the things we used to do... Yet, just to be able to do something together and see Haley get excited and enjoy it with us means the world... To see Nathaniel get excited for Haley and love her so much makes me very proud!

We stopped in at Jim's parents on the way back from the ride. Apparently Nathaniel was not as tired as he led us to believe. He played outside and I decided to work on some photography skills since Haley was being entertained.

My most favorite... This captures his genuinely sweet nature.