Oktoberfest in Southlake

"Mom, how are we going to get this pumpkin home? I can't lift it..."

Playing at "Pumpkin Land" at a local nursery (this is also the place we took holiday photos last year).

Daddy and Jack - best buddies forever!

Wienie dog races at Oktoberfest - so much fun! The dog in the farthest left lane won 2nd place!

Is my little man cool or what?! He turns his hat backwards, this was not posed...

Spinning the wheel to win a prize at the Oktoberfest booths.

This weekend we took Jackson to Oktoberfest - an annual event in Southlake - so we could watch the wienie dog races for the first time. He was mesmerized, and so was I. First they held a costume costume - you should have seen the costumes people had on their dogs. Maggie and Gertie were definitely not cut out for this event (we left them at home). This did not go over well with Jackson who really wanted HIS dogs there but I honestly believe that Gertie would have keeled over with a heartattack at all the activity. Maggie probably would have done great but as many of you know, with siblings, you can't just bring (or do for) one. Anyway, after the costume parade and contest, the races began. Over 200 dachshunds were entered into the races so they lasted over 3 hours. It gave us plenty of time to browse the other activities and have a nice lunch. We watched the race finals - a very fast dog named Rocky one. Again, Maggie and Gertie wouldn't have had a chance against these dogs. They don't even run that fast when chasing real, live squirrels. It was a great day and we just couldn't get enough of the weather all weekend. (P.S. - For those interested, I've posted more pictures on facebook of the event).

Jackson is doing great in preschool - or at least he did last week and this morning. No tears shed for the last three dropoffs; that is huge for us. He really looks forward to seeing his friends and "Taba" his teacher. Last week, Mrs. Tabatha was out so a sub had the class for a day. When I asked Jackson who taught him that day (he knows Mrs. Brenda, the sub, but I like to ask lots of questions) he told me "Jack Jack and Kit Kat." Oh man, that must have been a day! He has been doing really well with comprehending "Big v. Little" which is something they work on at school and we reinforce at home. He's also beginning to work on sorting so we're doing that based on color... This age is so much fun. It's busy, but so wonderful!

Baby Will Update:

I had a wonderful baby shower yesterday - thanks to all my hostesses and my friends/family who attended. I'll have more to post on that later (with pictures). We are set with beautiful clothes, soft blankies, towels, new toys, keepsakes, etc. It has really made this time more exciting as we are counting down days (four weeks from today - can you believe?!) until our inducement. I will add, though, that this little man cannot come early as we are very busy this month and I still need a little more time to love on my Jackson before his brother arrives and changes the dynamics entirely. David painted beautiful sailboat prints for Will's room that I am so proud of - my husband is a fantastic artist! I only wish he had more time to enjoy painting; it relaxes him and he is so talented that I believe he could sell his prints. However, we need him to keep his day job so we'll try to make time for him on weekends to indulge my need for artwork.

At my checkup last week, everything was perfect. Will measured right on track (35 cm), my urine and blood were perfect, and most importantly, Will is now head down, way down I might add. He should stay that way and is definitely unhappy about the lack of room - he's pushing quite a bit and flailing his arms. I now begin seeing Dr. Neal every other week until the baby arrives. We arent' doing the usual every week visit because things have been going so well he feels like we are fine with simply going every other. I"m happy with that! I honestly feel pretty good, considering how uncomfortable I am. I have less swelling all over and more energy (though that isn't saying much). This cool weather has also helped put a "spring" in my step...

I have ten minutes until I pick Jackson up for school so it's time to run. More to come very soon.