Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Friends!

We just had our friends Joel & Kate (and their two kids, Addie & Walker) in town from Oxford. It was really good to hang out and swap stories, and it was fun for Justus to have two friends living with him! He was a little freaked out the first morning when he woke up and came downstairs and their were two kids taking over his playroom!! But he quickly adjusted and it was super cute to watch all the kids together.

Walker and Justus playing soccer in the backyard.

Playing with literally every single toy they could find in the playroom!

Once Justus sat in his tool bin, they all wanted to sit in there...at the same time! So cute.

Justus getting some love from Addie, who repeated called him 'gorgeous' :)

We all went and walked around the cathedral grounds on their last day here. I love this picture of Justus with the cathedral ruins in the background.

At one point, all three kids were chasing each other around the graves! Maybe slightly irreverent, but so stinking cute. We miss them already - the house is too quiet!!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Just Another Day

Just a glimpse into some of Justus's everyday activities...

A walk down the street (he loves pointing out birds and saying "bah" which we all know means bird!)...

Reading his favorite books (over and over and over)...

And of course, snack time while watching a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse :)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Happy Halloween!

So they do celebrate Halloween here, but definitely on a smaller scale. Only one group of trick-or-treaters came to our door (well, here they call it "guising" - as in disguising, I think) and it was our neighbors. It's probably for the best since I hadn't bought any candy anyways!! (Don't worry...the neighbors got to choose from my own personal stash of Twix, Snickers, and Mars Bars!) We started off the day at Cairnie Fruit Farm with our new friends Kendall and Andrew. It was a gorgeous day and we spent the whole afternoon outside (this is the same place we went for Justus's birthday - so once again we wore ourselves out!). We got to pick out our own pumpkin and they carved it for free. Later that night we went to a Halloween party at which we entered this very pumpkin into a pumpkin-carving contest and won!! Ha ha! We never told them that it was professionally carved but we didn't feel too guilty since the prize was a candy bar. You fools!!

Every kid needs a picture sitting with some pumpkins...this is that picture for Justus. :)

Our sweet (and fun) friends, Kendall and Andrew.

We went as a golf-trio: the professional golfer - Justus, his caddy - Travis, and the marshal (to keep the crowds quiet) - Jess. The best part about the costumes is that they didn't cost a dime (or a pence, I should say)!

Golfer and his caddy. Notice the glove hanging out his back pocket. And he carried that club around the entire night!

He's made his club selection...

Hanging out in the middle of all the older kids. What a cutie!

Cheating at a pumpkin carving contest and winning...priceless. Ha ha ha!!!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Swept Away

Lately, Justus is soaking things up like a sponge. It's so fun...we can show him how to do something and, for the most part, he can do it. So why pass up the chance to teach him how to do a little household cleaning??! We were outside on the deck the other day and he found this mini-broom. He loved it. He carried it around with him the entire time we were out there. I showed him how to sweep and he got the hang of it right away. It was the cutest. I'm sure soon enough he will turn into a smelly slob (as most boys do) but I will enjoy these moments while they last! :) Now...what else do I want him to do for me? Isn't this why we have kids in the first place (right, Kay Kay? Ha ha ha!)!




Monday, October 26, 2009

New Moves

For about a week or so, Justus had a ridiculously fun bedtime routine which involved a night time dance session to "release his wiggles." Of course, this is what some might consider the exact opposite of getting your child to calm down before putting them to bed, but still, it worked. And he loved it. And he has mad dancing skills. His two signature moves (as you will see) are waving his arms and squatting. If everyone who reads this post does these moves on the dance floor at the next wedding they attend, then their friends will see it and do it at the next wedding they attend, and so on and so forth, then this new dance craze will spread across the world like wildfire. Trust me, you want it to catch on. Then you can say, "Hey, I know the kid who started that!"

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Another Birthday, Another Castle...

Ha ha! There seriously are castles everywhere over here! So the choice was obvious for what we should do to celebrate Trav's 32nd birthday...a visit to Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument. It was a cold day, but not raining, so we all bundled up and headed out. Justus was such a little trooper, as always.

Here is the William Wallace Monument (if you don't know who that is (mom) then rent Braveheart!).

It was a little bit of a hike up to the base of the monument. Justus had it easy, in my opinion, but somehow he was still pooped when we got to the top! (Well, let's face it, so was I!!)

But it all paid off when he got to walk around the base of the monument in the muddy grass all by himself. He is seriously loving being able to walk around on his own.

Then onto lunch before heading over to tour the castle.

Ah, Stirling Castle. One of the largest and most historically important castles in Scotland. We hooked up with a tour and learned more than we ever needed to know.

Justus even snuck off into the "King's Old Building" and dropped a bit of his own history into this place (in other words, he walked back into this little corner, squatted and pooped!). Gotta love this little guy! There's a birthday present for you, dad :)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

In My Room

When we moved into our house here, Justus inherited a whole new set of toys (and books, and stuffed animals, etc., etc.). Thankfully, the people we are renting from have two boys so they left plenty of toys to keep Justus entertained. He is still exploring everything and sometimes he finds things that I didn't even know we had! But he loves being in his room...everything is just his size and nothing is a "no" (not that he ever disobeys or anything!)!