Hocz, Cosby, & Pumpkins

For Justin's bday present, I got us tickets to see Bill Cosby at Miami University in Ohio. Pre-kids we used to watch Bill Cosby episodes and laugh hard all the time. We even own the whole first season! We made a weekend of it and stayed with one of my friends from high school. The pictures are of the weekend, but there's no Bill Cosby...didn't take a camera. Darn. He was old, but still funny.

Olivia really liked playing with Eliza. She even had a Dora dress-up doll and a Dora blow up bed that Olivia got to sleep in!

We went to a pumpkin patch while there.

Hocz Family. Todd, Kristen, Eliza, & Garrison.

We saw chickens!

We fed the goats.

Pet the pony and sheep.

The pony ate a leaf out of Olivia's hand.

We walked through a corn maze. Eliza did a great job getting us to the other end!

We took a hayride to get to the pumpkin patch.

Family pic on the hayride.

The hunt for the perfect pumpkins. Hocz's found some.

Isaac got to enjoy the action too.

I washed all of Isaac's seat covers. Olivia had a ball climbing in and out of his walker.

Isaac and Luci hanging out.

Birthdays and More

Justin had a birthday Sept. 4! This is the only picture I got of the whole thing. Eggs for breakfast!

However, his parents, aunt/uncle, and 2 cousins were able to come for a weekend visit. We went hiking in the smokies. This picture is of Aunt Jackie, Uncle Doug, Chad, and Cameron at Clingmans Dome (well, the bottom of it anyway). It's the highest point in the Smokey Mountains. On a clear day you can see super far (22 miles on an average day). We saw lots of clouds, but it was still cool.

We also went hiking on the Laurel Falls trail. We saw a bear.

Here's the gang at one of the Appalacian Trail heads. Justin REALLY wants to hike this trail over spring break. I want him to go with someone....you know...for bear safety....any takers?

See the Dome?

Olivia and Isaac did really well for the day of being outside in the rain/drizzle. Isaac got the nice stroller ride. Both trails we hiked were paved. Olivia got tossed around from person to person for the longest piggy back ride known to kids (L.F. trail 1.3 miles one way, plus 1/2 mile to the top of Clingmans Dome). I thought it was sweet when she fell asleep on my back up the Laurel Falls trail. Memories.

Monday morning before they left to drive home.


We also went to a splash pad. Olivia LOVED it. Isaac will love it.

Part of the playground at the splash pad.

So Justin got a new camera for his birthday/side job. Which is cool, except now it's super hard to post pictures on here cuz they are all so dang good! Here's a few I couldn't pass up. And if anyone wants family pictures, event pictures, wedding pictures, etc let Justin know! He needs some practice! He will travel (say to Missouri) if his expences are all paid for by the picturees. He he.

My sweetie.

I love to get his kisses.

Alright. Open wide. I'm gonna shoot.

More pictures from the splash pad that I didnt' want to take the time to rearrange.

I had to help her get used to the water at first.

Then it was OK.

Then she became a pro.

Just some more random pictures:

This one is for you, Heather! Gotta LOVE Sid!

These flowers were at the edge of our garden. They have grown enormous over the summer.

Mr. Isaac

I don't know what it is about sleeping pictures, but I love them!

He was cracking me up with all his facial expressions! He's also "talking" more now, but it's kinda funny cuz it's really high pitched and sounds a little girly. Last week he found his tongue and lips. That was funny!

This one shows his 2 teeth if you look close. And, if you can click on the picture to make it bigger, check out his eye color. Blue around the edges and brown in the middle! So what color does that make? Brue?

He is starting to lift his butt now. I see crawling on the horizon!

Hummmm....let's see....I want.....

Had to throw this one in! Awww...

Checking out his cool toes.

Great Loss.

Since I made a recent post about my friend, Shaun, who was in a battle with cancer, I thought an update would be appropriate.


Shaun passed away last Saturday, August 1 around 4:30pm while at the hospital. I was unable to attend the funeral due to travel expenses, but I was thankful that my mom and dad were able to attend and report. Shaun was a life-long friend and he will be greatly missed. Although we were hours away for several years, he was the kind of friend that you could visit when you were able to and never feel like you had to warm up to eachother again. You don't get many of those in a life-time. I was grateful he was here to be in my wedding and the time we spent as friends. I am thankful that I got to visit with him a couple times back home a few weeks before he passed away as well.

Thank you to those of you who were faithful in prayer through Shaun's struggle. Please continue to remember Brandee (wife) and Kendle (4yr old daughter) in your prayers as they are greiving their great loss. It's an overwhelming blessing to have faith in a good and sovereign God.

What is an "Ear of Corn" anyway?

Do I really need to write anything? Our first experience with food in the ear. We don't think she even knew she put it in there until Tami said something and then she felt it. I headed off to the bathroom with Olivia to get the tweesers (and the camera). While putting the camera up, I hear Olivia yell, "I got it!" No tweesing needed....sheewwww....

Little or Big....Make Up Your Mind!

Need a laugh....read on.....

OK, so a month or two ago I ask Olivia, "Olivia, can you get Daddy a small piece of toilet paper to blow my nose with?" So, like the sweet girl she is, she says, "I can get it for you," and promptly runs to the bathroom. She returns with a grateful, innocent heart and says, "Here ya go Dad," with her hand outstretched pinching a 2-inch long sliver of toilet paper. "Thank you sweetie," I say as I'm holding back the laughter....

Now, fast forward to a couple days ago....I've grown wiser now right?

I've got the kiddies solo for the evening and I was lucky enough to get Olivia fed before Isaac woke up. So I'm feeding Isaac on the couch and I ask Olivia, "Olivia, can you get Daddy a 'big' piece of toilet paper to wipe Isaac's nose with?" I decided to be smart and not say 'small piece' so I wouldn't get the sliver I got last time, right?! As she's walking away grateful for the opportunity to help, I give a hopeful request, "Or you could just get a napkin from your table in the kitchen," thinking that asking for a 'big piece' might be a bad idea too. So she bypasses the kitchen and heads for the bathroom. Olivia returns about 2 minutes later (this was fine with me because I got some quiet focused feeding time for Isaac-he gets distracted to say the least). This is what she returned with. I think she's got BIG and little down pretty good ya think!

A few minutes after getting the 'big piece' of toilet paper, Olivia tells me she has to go potty...this is what I found in the bathroom. At least it wasn't an entire roll! Hehehehe...