The cold has set in... This week we woke a few mornings to temperatures in the teens so it seems winter is here. Tom had to adjust the thermostat to avoid icicles from appearing on our nose. Ryan is getting so strong and just the fact that he sits in his highchair by himself is a true sign that he is getting to be a big boy. Although I am sad to be away from him when I'm at work it is an amazing feeling to see his beaming smile the minute I walk in the door and he realizes I am home.

Olivia has outgrown this toy that hangs down with flashing lights and fun music. We really appreciate her letting us borrow it for a few months. Ryan was so excited the minute he saw it - he started wildly kicking his legs and whipping his arms around and had the funniest expressions on his face. The picture below almost seemed like he saw some sort of UFO for the first time. Isn't it amazing that the simplest things bring us so much happiness - what a great reminder for us all.

Last weekend was Fall clean up as you can see Tom on his "Forrest Gump" mower in the back yard. I think he put in over 8 hours working in the yard - what a stud :) I know this sounds funny but I think it is very attractive when my husband works hard around the house...

This week I found myself on a hormonal roller coaster and thank goodness the ride has come to a stop - lets hope it isn't temporary... Anyway I really started to question our priorities in life, why do we have all this stuff, it means we have to spend more time working instead of enjoying each other - why is my hair so long, it takes so much time to style when I could be enjoying it with my son - why do we live in an area where the economy is in the gutter and the seasons are soooo extreme??? I have found myself missing my family to a point where my sole aches. I miss getting together for no reason, I miss taking the dogs for a walk along the beach, I miss Ryan not growing up with his cousins, I miss that Nana Lynn hasn't seen our little man smile yet and I miss that not one of my brothers has met Ryan. Ok, so now that I have shared the depressing facts I need to remember what Lynn told me when I first moved here. Especially at this time of the year I need to start the day with identifying something beautiful or positive around me. This should help lift my spirits :) Life isn't completely horrible, I have a loving husband, a darling little boy, some awesome friends and we're enjoying time with Tom's brothers family. I guess I was spoiled growing up - we had it all - a loving family, great friends and beautiful weather - what more could a person wish for... Ryan is reminding me to add milk to that list - gotta run the boy is calling for breakfast :)