Adieu Miriam

My sweet friend Miriam has left Bloomington this morning to head back to Paris, France. I was so sad to see her go. We have become very close the past few months and I don't know what I am going to do without her. She has a son the same age as Hayden and is now 4 1/2 months pregnant. I hope she has a girl! I love you dearly Miriam and hope that I can come and visit you someday in your amazing city!

I love putting Maya's hair in pigtails and Hayden always sees me doing it. A few days ago he asked his dad to do his hair, so Jason put it in three different ponytails. He is such a beautiful little boy, he could almost pass as a girl! The shirt he has on in this picture is pretty special because it was actually one of Jason's when he was Hayden's age. His mom kept it all these years and gave it to me.

The other day I was in the kitchen and asked Hayden to bring Maya a toy. When I came out to check on them I saw this. He brought her a toy alright! I thought it was so sweet of him since half of the toys he brought her were his. He is such an awesome big brother!

We recently went to an IU soccer game and boy was it freezing! I am not the biggest fan of the cold but Jason loves soccer and Hayden loves going for the hot dog. We didn't get to stay for the whole thing, thank goodness, but it was still fun.

My little Maya has got alot of hair but it is just as staight as a board. I thought I would try giving her hair some volume by putting some curlers in it. Unfortunately she looked alot cuter with the curlers in than when they came out.

Hayden loves to jump. He will jump off of many things but his favorite place in the house to jump from is the stairs. Don't worry it is ONLY the bottom step.

This is another great shot at the national forest. Fall is Jason's favorite time of year so he was just in heaven. He had been looking forward to seeing the millions of trees change since we moved here.

Fall is absolutely gorgeous here in Bloomington. There are only a couple of weeks where the leaves are really colorful so we went to Brown County State Park to get the best view.

Festival of the Falls

Last weekend there was a large Halloween festival for the kids at Cascade park. Maya went as Belle (since she really is such a princess) and Hayden went as a frog (or a toad for the two go together quite well). We ended up spending over four hours at the festival going on the hayrides, the trick-or-treat trail, getting Hayden's face painted (twice), and listening to the live music. The kids had a blast, or rather Hayden had a blast. Maya was held the majority of the time and slept the rest.

Hayden's little run is hilarious on it's own but when you throw him into a frog suit it's ten times better. I just had to share this with everyone. Make sure you turn on your volume so you can hear this frog ribbit.

Yet Another Hayride

A couple weeks ago a friend of mine invited us to a large family potluck where there was going to be a hayride. Hayden LOVES the hayrides and lucky him he has gone on four this fall. Of course he is hanging out with little girls. He sure does like the ladies!

I can't remember the name of this game that I played as a child but all you do is hit the ball and watch it wind around the pole. So simple but so enjoyable. Look at Hayden's face. What a classic!

I just love this picture of Maya! She is just such a darling little girl and such a sweetie. She is finally able to wear the hat her grandma Besecker gave her and it just looks adorable on her.

My little girl is the happiest baby I have ever seen. I don't know how I got so lucky. That smile of hers just melts my heart!

This past weekend we went to a bonfire and potluck at one of the professors house. They let Hayden ride on one of their horses and he was ecstatic.

Baseball diamond

Hayden just loves running through the dirt. Unfortunately I caught this clip right after he was done. You can see the dirt flying behind him. Isn't his little run so silly. He makes me laugh.

Maya and I sat watching Jason's soccer practice the other day at the park. She just sat there pulling at the grass and kickin her sweet little feet into the dirt.

Hilltop Garden & Nature Center

Here is Hayden and his new little buddy Etan. Etan just moved here from Paris, France and he and Hayden have spent nearly every day together. They enjoy spending time together even though they cannot talk to one another since Etan can only speak in French. They are hilarious because they walk around holding hands alot.

Thompson Park

Here's my little flower girl at the park. It was an incredible area but I probably will not return. I ended up getting bit about eighty times by chiggers. OUCH!!!

Lower Cascades

Bloomington is a small town so everything is just a short drive away including this gorgeous little waterfall. Only about ten minutes and your here.

Chihuly Art Sculpture

When we first arrived in Indiana we took the kids to the world's largest kid's museum. This glass scupture greets you as you walk in the door and is four stories tall.