pumpkins

I read somewhere the other day that pumpkins are canvases from God. Decorating pumpkins is a fall favorite for me. I carved pumpkins as a child and continued the tradition with college roommates and with my students when I taught first grade. When I found out my friend Kaye had never carved a pumpkin, I got even more excited to dig in with her, though she wasn't a huge fan of pumpkin inards:), and to my disappointment, neither was Carson. He wanted nothing to do with the slimy pulp and seeds. Silly boy wouldn't even give it a try. Maybe next year:)

This year, pinterest inspired me to try out a couple new techniques.

Instead of carving a face, I used a drill and made a polkadot-o-lantern.

I painted thumb tacks black to embellished this pumpkin.

I was able to do this in early October and it wasn't shrivled by Halloween.

I also LOVE baking, smelling, and eating anything with pumpkin, but I normally let Libby do the hard part for me. Maybe this year I'll attempt making pumpkin bread with an actual pumpkin. We'll see...

take me in to the ballgame

come on in, y'all. the rangers are in the world series again!

nope, you won't even need your sun screen or bug spray in our living room.

we'll have lots of fun cheering for ron washington,

michael young,

josh hamilton,

mike napoli, and more!

but beware, we might invite a cardinal fan

or two:)

thanks for another fun season, texas rangers! we had lots of fun cheering for you!

what a difference a year makes...

I'm on a blogging roll, which is fun, but very unlike me:) I just can't get enough of my adorable little pumpkin boy. Look how much he's changed in only one year!! Time flies when you're having fun. What will he look like this time next year?!

2010

2011

Thanks for two fabulous costumes, Granny!! I'm totally gonna steal this idea from Annalee. I need to find a book about a little lamb and another about a jack-o-lantern. Then, I'll glue a photo of the corresponding costume in the front of each book, and take them out to read each October. How fun!

pumpkin patch

We had the very best time at the pumpkin patch!

family pic with the pumpkins

Carson's favorite part was playing in the big tub of corn!

He also got to decorate his very own pumpkin with stickers,

climb all over lots and lots of pumpkins,

take the mini pumpkins in and out of the basket,

and have a costume dress rehearsal!

He was the very cutest pumpkin in the patch!

He got to play in the corn one more time before we headed home.

We saw so many gorgeous trees along the way. Fall in middle Tennessee is so beautiful it takes your breath away. I love love love seeing so many rich and vivid colors.

What a fun fall family day!

Happy Halloween!!

We had lots fun trunk-or-treating with our church family and the absolute most darling little jack-o-lantern I've ever seen! Thanks so much for the fabulous costume, Granny! We're looking forward to lots of trick-or-treaters tomorrow night.

book review: parenting with positive guidance

As Carson leaves babyhood behind and enters the exciting new world of toddlerhood, I've been thinking a lot about discipline. I want to discipline him in a way that encourages self-control and motivates him from within, rather than simple compliance in the moment as a result of some external motivation and/or punishment, and I've struggled with how to go about it. I want my interaction with him to align with our family values, rather than contradicting them. For example, I don't want to spank him while teaching him that hitting is not how we solve problems. I want to use logical consequences and take advantage of teachable moments. It's easy to begin feeling overwhelmed with the great responsibility of raising a human being, so I'm thankful for all the help I can get!

I was excited when I saw that the author of one of my favorite blogs, Amanda Morgan, wrote an ebook on discipline, Parenting with Positive Guidance. Because I always enjoy and learn from her blog, I had high expectations for her book, and it did not disappoint. It's a quick and easy read, with only ten chapters and 100 pages. The chapters are organized in three sections: Building Discipline from the Inside Out, Inside the Toolbox, and Bringing it All Together. She includes both theory and practice and offers practical ideas without pretending there's a one-size-fits-all solution for every child or every family.

One of the things that stood out most to me was when she explained that we have to teach children appropriate social skills just like we teach them to read or tie their shoes. Learning takes repetition, and just like reading and shoe tying are not learned overnight, neither are social skills. Children aren't just testing our patience and being ornery when they repeat inappropriate behaviors over and over and over again, instead they're learning what behavior is acceptable, just like they repeat various sounds over and over before combining them to read words and practice looping their shoelaces over and over before mastering shoe tying. I hope that recognizing this basic principle will help me be more patient as I teach Carson appropriate social skills. I realize that disciplining is hard work, but I hope that by being proactive and "teaching for long term growth rather than controlling for short term results [I] will be able to step back more and more as [he] becomes increasingly capable of monitoring [his] own behavior."

I recommend this book to parents interested in an intentional and logical approach to discipline. In addition, I also recommend her blog, Not Just Cute: Intentional Whole Child Development. As parents and teachers, it's easy to spend time on activities just because they're cute, rather than choosing developmentally appropriate activities that foster growth and learning. In the same way, it's easy to see young children simply as cute, rather than recognizing them as complete people. Amanda titled her blog "Not Just Cute" because she writes articles and highlights activities that are more than just cute, because young children are so much more than just cute.

i gotta find daddy, 'cause i think he needs a teddy bear:)