Fall Happenings

Luke's little "girlfriend" at preschool:)
Howdy, partner!
Our little fairy princess, cowboy and "rebel" racecar driver
Sarah and Luke after winning a cake at the "cake walk"

Boy, it sure has been a busy couple of weeks! Between pumpkin picking, tractor rides, picture taking, college homecoming, fall festivials at school, various church events, and camping we have been on the go! At times I wish life would slow down, but once it does (probably not until 2025...that's when Andrew graduates from high school!) I know that I will be missing all the noise, laughter and joy that makes our home so full of life these days. It is truly a blessing to be the mommy and wife to three precious children and the best hubby in the world! I have posted a few snipits from the last couple of weeks.

College Reunion

The Fam.....where it all began
Luke watching the parade
Go bulldogs!
A few weeks ago we headed to our alma mater for Homecoming Weekend. We had a great time catching up with college friends, showing our kids around the campus and sharing stories of those awesome four years we spent there. Sarah and Luke LOVED the parade (especially the candy that was thrown at them!) We also ate lunch at the "caf", walked around campus and played in the fountains (in fact, David and Andrew nearly fell in one!) Hard to believe that it was 14 years ago this month that David and I met on a trip with BSU choir. We have soooo many awesome memories of those days at college and it was so special to be able to walk those same sidewalks with our three little blessings.

Camping Trip

This past weekend, we braved the colder night temps and took our three little munchkins camping in the "real" woods. Honestly, I was pretty apprehensive that day before we left.....Is it too cold? Will we get any rest? Do we have everything we need? Are we crazy to take 3 little kids camping? Are toilets available close by? And the questions kept coming and coming......
However, my fears were all for not. Everyone had such an awesome time! We got to the campsite (about an hour drive from our house) and found the perfect little spot. Up on a fairly flat little ridge overlooking the woods and lake below. Just beautiful with all the fall leaves. And most importantly, close to the bathrooms! We (meaning David and me.....the kids were too busy playing on the logs and rocks nearby) got to work right away putting up our massive tent. Just picture if you can a pack-in-play, blow-up double mattress for mom and part of dad, two sleeping bags for Sarah and Luke, bags of clothes, extra blankets, and cooking supplies with room to spare! We definitely got the mac-daddy of tents!!
After set up time, we took a stroll down to the lake (or what was a Lake.....severe drought in our area right now). Sarah and Luke enjoyed running and finding little treasures along the shoreline as Andrew peeked out from behind Daddy in his backpack. After a dinner of Chick-fil-A (I know, we had to cheat a little....) the sun began to set and the kids immediately got out their flashlights. We started a fire and spent the rest of the evening roasting marshmallows and watching the stars in a little clearing above our tent. Then it was bedtime! Luke could not wait to sleep in the tent. He had been asking all night when he could sleep in his sleeping bag. We all put on two layers and bundled up for the night.......everyone slept well (except me....of course, I kept waking up worrying if everyone was warm enough...especially little Drew) It did drop to about 44 degrees by morning. I had Andrew in 3 layers, plus two blankets at night and coat and hat in morning....He looked like the little brother from the movie Christmas Story. He could hardly move, but he was sure warm!
David got up about 5:30 am and ended up staying up and starting a fire for all of us for breakfast. What a man!!! We cooked bacon and eggs over the fire...and then gathered up all our gear and headed home. But of course, no camping trip (Shaw style) would be complete without stopping by the local Starbucks and getting a hot chocolate.

Fair Time at Last!

Am I tall enough?
The brothers
Hey, I want to ride, too!
Look at me!
Daddy and Sarah on the Ferris Wheel

Two weeks ago we went to the local Country Fair. Sarah has been talking about going since last year....literally. Every few weeks she would ask when the fair was coming back....so needless to say, she was ecstatic when the time finally arrived. We got there early because of the free admission during the first hour and stood in line for the Ferris Wheel. I was planning on staying with Drew while Sarah and Luke went with Daddy. However, once we got to the front of the line the operators told us that Luke was too short to ride.....he was disappointed, but once I convinced him that he could go on the Merry-go-round with his little brother, he was fine. He loved riding with Drew and being the "big" brother while his little brother held onto him. We had such a blast! The kids rode tons of rides, ate cotton candy (a must at any fair!), watched the local Indian tribal dances, etc.... We ended up spending over 4 hours there!! Sarah and Luke have already been asking when the fair will come back again..... only 355 more days guys:(:(:

More Birthday Pictures

Granddad making me laugh
Whose birthday is it?
Andrew's little helpers
Cousins:)

Andrew's 1st Birthday Party

Our Little "Pumpkin"

Icing little bro's pumpkin cake
The cousin table

Andrew LOVED the cake!
The fam

This past weekend we celebrated Andrew's first birthday. We decided at the last minute to have a party a week early since my sister and two little nieces would be in town from Charleston. We had a wonderful day celebrating our little "pumpkin's" first birthday. We ate pumpkin cake, painted pumpkins, grilled out, and spent time with family. We cannot believe that he is already one!! What a precious little boy that God has given us!!!!

Crawling.......Finally!

Andrew "officially" crawled two weeks ago. I really thought he would be content being an army crawler (crawling using arms only with legs extended) ; however, out of the blue two weekends ago he finally figured it out. In the picture above I caught him wedged under the living room chair......his world just got much bigger!!