Camp Rudy Birthday Bash!

We decided to host a joint birthday party for the boys this year since Henry was turning 3 in mid-November and Charlie was turning 1 in early December.  I'm not sure how many years we can get away with doing this but it worked out great!

Thanks to Pinterest, we came up with the idea of a camping theme which was perfect for the boys. There are so many cute ideas out there and I think we pulled off a pretty cute camping party, mostly thanks to my mom for her craftiness :)

I have to share some of the cute details first and then will post some family party pics!

Adorable Teepee Kit from Paper Source

The weather was not ideal so we ended up moving the fishing hole inside :) 

Super cute and delicious cookies and S'mores cupcakes!

Boards and banners made by my Mom :)

Ryan grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone.  We kept it simple with chips, fruit and veggies for the sides. 

Now on to the party.... this boy was soooo excited!

I'm not so sure how excited he was but he sure was cute!

Best family pic we could get :)

Henry was all about the scavenger hunt and loved finding the lizards, frogs, snakes, flashlights, etc. in the yard!

Time for cake!  The emotions on his face were priceless.  He was so excited about everyone singing Happy Birthday and then he had such a shy grin on his face while we were singing :)

Next up... cake for Charlie!

Charlie wasn't so sure about the cake and wasn't a fan of getting his hands dirty... 

This boy didn't have any problems digging in though!

Time for a few presents... 

And that's a wrap!  It was such a fun day and we are so grateful we were able to celebrate both birthdays with our friends and family!

Charlie at Eleven Months...

Charles Davis... you are eleven months old!

How is it possible that you will be one in less than a month?!? At eleven months you weigh 20 pounds and are wearing size 12-18 month clothes.  You continue to take 3-4 bottles a day and I know we are going to have a hard time weaning you off a bottle here soon and putting you on whole milk. Not much progress on the eating front as you continue to not show an interest in real food.  This has been pretty frustrating but I know you will get there. You mostly want baby food and lately you would prefer to eat this out of a pouch yourself than us spoon feeding you.  You still love puffs but that is the only semi-solid food you like to pick up.

You have started taking a few steps at a time but still prefer crawling to get around.  We bought you shoes recently which I think really has helped.  Especially since you always want to be outside next to Henry.

Speaking of Henry, watching you and your brother is seriously the best.  He adores you and is always talking about his little brother Charlie.  You typically want to be right near him and playing with his toys and you get frustrated when you can't keep him.  Won't be long though until you are running right beside him!

We have had a few challenges this month with teething being the biggest one.  You finally have three teeth that have popped through with another one on the way.  Your hands are always in your mouth and you are constantly drooling.  Not to mention, extremely fussy, especially in he evenings.  I don't remember Henry having this much trouble with it but just like everything else, you have proved to very different than your brother.  Going outside is one way we can distract you from this pain!

Now on to the dreaded sleep subject... one day you will sleep through the night and that is all that matters.  You are really close and most of the time make it until 4 or 5 am and will take a bottle and then go back to sleep for a bit.  I know teething has been bothering you lately which is part of the reason for your 2 am wake ups.  As for naps, you mostly take one, two hour, nap at daycare. I'm surprised you are not sleeping more during the day and on some weekends you will give us two naps but not always.  You are also becoming a pacifier boy and want this at night and during the day when you're fussy.

You are such a mama's boy and I love it!  Most of the time... I love when you reach for me and come over to me to be held.  You also love to snuggle your head into my shoulder which is so sweet.  This can be a little tricky though when I'm trying to get dressed or cook dinner but for the most part I'm not complaining.  You can also say mama which is your only word!  A few of your other tricks are waving to people and signing for a bottle.

Charlie boy, while this month had a few bumps with you teething, it is always such a joy to be around you.  You have the best smile and laugh and are such a happy boy.  I can't believe that we are celebrating your first birthday in just a few weeks!!

Halloween 2014

Halloween was so much fun this year and I love that Henry was so excited for all the festivities.  He talked about trick or treating for weeks and couldn't wait to be a "Fireman".  They had a costume parade at school and Henry insisted on wearing his costume that morning even though the parade wasn't until the afternoon.

Charlie was dressed as a Shark and it was so cute to see all the babies come through in the cribs. Charlie seemed a little confused as he came by but he sure looked cute!

Henry was so excited to see that we were there and couldn't stop waving at Ryan and I through the window of the other classroom when he saw us.

 Henry was also pretty excited to see Mimi!

 Family pics are near impossible...

 All dressed up and ready to go to the party at the park before trick or treating!

 Shark boy!

 Henry insisted on bringing his lawn mover to the park....

 Henry and the girl down the street.... I think we're in trouble with these two!

 Cutest shark!

 Love these two :)

 Mimi & Pops came by for a quick visit...

 And so did Nana...

Lined up for the parade... Henry got Best Costume for Two & Under!  Just barely made the cut by two weeks!

I didn't get any other pics at this point since it was dark and we were busy going door to door.  It was such a great night and I loved watching Halloween through Henry's eyes.  He was so excited to say trick or treat and loved trying to keep up with the older boys down the street.  Charlie was also quite the trooper and hung out in his stroller most of the night.

It was such a great day and I can't imagine how fun it will be next year with two boys running around!