Baylor's Second MSU Football Game

We took Baylor to his second MSU football game a couple weeks ago.  Our beloved Spartans were playing Central Michigan University, a game we won 45 to 7.  But who was really watching the game anyway?  There was pizza to be eaten, at first with help ...

... then all on his own.

When the cheese slid off the top of the pizza, he didn't quite know what to do so Bryson pulled it out of his mouth and plopped it on the cardboard pizza slice box.  Baylor, quite unceremoniously, ate it in its entirety later on.  Awesome.

Okay, he did watch some of the game.  But he was even more interested in the marching bands.

It was way warmer than I thought it was going to be that day, so when we were down buying a Melting Moments ice cream sandwich we bought him a short-sleeved shirt to wear for the rest of the day.  (Oh, and that little temporary tattoo on his arm?  Yeah, it's a blow dryer.  He got it after his last haircut at Snip Its.)

It was delicious ... the ice cream sandwich, that is.

We went with my parents, while Christine stayed back to watch Mollie.  The little mover that she is, Mollie was most certainly not ready to attend a game.  Maybe next year ...

We tried to get him as involved in the game as we could ...

... but even stopping for a picture proved a bit distracting.

Eventually I had to break out some of the activities I brought for him.  The lace-up construction vehicles were a hit.

As most three year-olds do, Baylor eventually got a little antsy, so he went to sit up with Oma and Grandpa E for a change of pace.

Then ... *shutter* ... he sat down on the floor of the stands.  Ugggggghhhhhhh.  Thankfully, that didn't last long.

For soon he was on to inspecting the seat numbers.

All that sunshine, friendly competition, marching band music, and curiosity proved to be quite tiring, though, and the little man actually took a nap on the way home.  Yay!

Back at Oma's, Mollie and Aunt Christine had a great day together.

All in all, it was a great day!

Go green!

Raspberry Fingers and Fun at Oma's

Nothing says delicious fun like putting raspberries on your fingers.

And then decisively eating them off, one by one.

That night, Mom made lasagna.  Her lasagna.  The first I'd had of it in a long time, since she'd run out of her homemade, home-canned tomato sauce months ago.  It was delicious!

Mollie is now in love with bread, and she doesn't mind sharing with others.

Baylor got a little distracted by the placemat under his plate.

Mollie got to try Oma's lasagna for the first time and initially ate it with gusto, but she petered out after the first ten-or-so bites (just like she usually does).

She spent the rest of the dinner lounging in her chair.

She'd gotten herself dirty enough to warrant a wardrobe change, though, and Oma and Aunt Christine soon discovered that it often takes two people to clothe the little lady.  She is one squirmy worm!

Baylor, meanwhile, got to play with K'NEX in the waning sunlight.

Once she was dressed, Mollie decided that Oma's house was just a bit too messy and set to work to clean things up.

After a bit of cleaning, it was time for a book.

It's tough to not have fun at Oma's!

Baking with Baylor

Ever since Baylor got a whisk and spatula from Aunt Christine for his birthday he has been itching to bake something.  My mom and sister graciously obliged him, and the threesome set out to make some M&M cookies.  And yes, it takes three people to make cookies when you are baking with a three year-old.

I mean, who else is going to hold his hands back when the beater is on?

As you can tell by the color of his lips, he sampled some of the M&Ms.

Whisking is a vigorous "sport" when you are a three year-old boy!

My mom and sister mixed up the wet ingredients ahead of time (to save on time and mess), and Baylor was able to tell them exactly what was in the measuring cup.  Man, this kid has a memory!

Because he's a big boy now, he got to help plop the cookies on the cookie sheet.

He always has a blast baking with Oma and Aunt Christine.  (Which is great because I rarely do much baking.)

Katie's Visit

In mid-September one of my closest friends came all the way from Virginia to visit us for a weekend.  Katie and I met our freshman year of college; we were next-door neighbors in the dorms and our friendship seemed almost instant.  We've been in each other's weddings.  And though we're now living far apart we've managed to visit each other now and then.  That last part, however, is going to get a lot more difficult come January; Katie is pregnant with twins!  Which is why I was all the more excited for her to come.

She had never met Mollie before, but once Katie read to her (for quite a while) they became fast friends.

Baylor was more interested in his train set ... and getting some one-on-one attention from Bryson.

We spent most of Saturday watching the MSU football game at my parents house (though Katie and I did take a quick trip to the mall to get her some pregnancy clothes), but we got to spend most of Sunday together as her flight didn't leave until late afternoon.  After much consideration, we decided to go to the Gardens with the kids for a little walk.  Baylor led the way, and for once we didn't go to the Children's Garden!

We got to see wild turtles ...

... and ducks a-plenty.

Baylor had a little trouble staying with us.

But we kept him in check, and before long we were at the farmhouse.  Complete with a working water pump!

After soaking her sleeves, Mollie wandered off to go see the farm animal statues.

And Baylor buddied up to Katie for a little hand-holding.

Then we had to go to the sandbox ... which is always so much fun after the kids have gotten themselves wet.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this other kid who was dressed as a police officer.  Way to get the most use out of your Halloween costume, little guy!

After much digging and sweeping ...

... we took the wooden walkway back to the main building.  The fall flowers were just gorgeous that day.

Back at home, we enjoyed a little lunch before nap time.

And soon, too soon, it was time for Katie to fly home.  While the trip was short, it was so great to see an old friend and to catch up before the birth of her little loves.

Thanks for visiting, Katie!