Rockin' the Farmers Market

Since we grew all of our veggies this summer, it had been ages since taking a trip to our farmers market...I forgot how AWESOME it is. We went to pick out our pumpkins, and came home with like a ridiculous number. I can't help myself, I love the autumn.

Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain, NC

Margie has been visiting for the last few weeks, and we ended her visit with a car tour of the North Carolina mountains this weekend. She loves the fall and we couldn't think of a better way then to show off our state's gorgeous world famous Blue Ridge Parkway. We did a small chunk of it, getting on at Sparta and getting off at Boone. Let me preface this by saying, if you haven't done this drive (particularly in the autumn) put it on your life list...it is breathtaking. Unfortunately, it was a very grey day and unseasonably cold which didn't do our mountain view justice. Regardless, we had a rockin' good time!

A picture from the overlook, Sam was asleep in the car.

Overlooking the great Smokey Mountains, which always look blue and well, smokey.

Poor Mom, her little California butt was freezing. She toughed it out!

Once we got off at Boone, we headed into town to warm up and get a cup of coffee. Boone was packed with leaf peepers and football fans, making it a bit tough to navigate through. Cody and I decided to make our way up to Grandfather Mountain, a short drive away. To our surprise, the main attraction was closed due to ice and snow. We still got to enjoy the views and their small animal enclosure, which had some very friendly bears and an injured bald eagle.We ended the adventure at Six Pence Pub in Blowing Rock, with a pint of Guinness and some rib sticking pub food. It was a fantastic day, we rolled out at 9am and rolled back in at 9pm. It was a long and wonderful day.

Wedding weekend, Hilton Head Island

It is so hard to believe that less than a week ago, I was swimming in the 80 degree water of South Carolina with my family and now I sit here at my desk typing in a sweater and scarf sipping scalding hot coffee trying to shake the chill off my bones. I am definitely enjoying the "fall-esque" weather we are finally getting, but still...so hard to believe that a few hundred miles can make that big of a difference

Chris (my cousin) and Kerry were married on the beach at sunset in Hilton Head last Saturday. It was one of the most fun wedding weekends I can ever recall, we ate, drank and caught up with so much family. It seemed everyone tried to get to this one, so it was nice to see a few of the aunts, uncles, and cousins that aren't at the usual affairs. Kerry looked stunning! And, I am not just saying that because she was the "bride" and you "should"...she really, really looked like a something else, the dress was amazing.

The kiss...

It is next to impossible to get a picture of my mom and dad, both smiling with their eyes open. This is the only one I managed the whole weekend, with my Uncle Lou.

As when anytime you put a bunch of crazy Haucks together with an open bar things get silly pretty quick...

The happy couple...

Tristan enjoying some "ginger ale".

My aunts and uncles from my Dad's side, again a totally miracle that I pulled this picture off.Their was an after party where we all got to shake it a little longer into the night. I never managed to get to sleep that night and I have been paying for it all week with sheer exhaustion.

Cody and I got to pretend we were young and crazy again, while Sam stayed at home with his Oma. Margie has been visiting for the last week and leaves next week. We have been busy "halloweening" up the house and cooking like crazy. I am so thankful for the extra hand, it was nice to escape and enjoy all the adult festivities without a two year old. I think Nana, Pop-Pop and Uncle Tristan missed having him around, but we sure didn't miss dragging him out of the ocean in the middle of "love is patient, love is kind".

Happy 2 Joey-Bear!

Happy Birthday Joe! Party like a rock star!

Bullet Monday

Quick post on the weeks gone by...

• School seems to be going really great for Sam! He has made fast friends with the little girls in his class and has bonded nicely with his teacher. He hasn't cried once when I drop him off and doesn't seem real eager to leave when I come for pickup. I don't know how this reflects on me and my fun factor, but I am just glad he is happy.
• Cody has had a tough go at work, with the slow economy came slow business. He had to lay off one of his associates, a doctor who was a great friend, advisor and colleague. It was a hard week to be the boss. I know he will miss Dr. Potter.
• I am enjoying a bit of free time these days, with Sam in school, I am able to get so much done around the house. It is so nice to come home and run through my daily chores without interruption. I am really looking forward to watching my Monday night CBS line up without a mountain of laundry to tackle.
• I also just learned how to use the iMovie function on my Mac. Cody and I have been working on putting all our movies of Sam into one disc. It has been my new hobby, editing, adding music and sound effects. Highly recommend doing it if you have a Mac.
• We have so much to look forward to this month! We have got Oma coming in from San Diego for 2 whole weeks...my cousin Chris's wedding in Hilton Head, SC...Joe Bear turns the big 2...and I get to break out the pumpkins and scarecrows soon! I love October.

Um...Yeah...Obsessed!

I think I got it! So. Obsessed. I know.

New Moon Countdown Official Poster

There is a new trailer out and it rocks!!! I am trying to figure out how to post it.

Day in the Park

The local city park has an annual "Day at the Park" sponsored by the arts council. They bring in bands to play music, bouncy houses and vendors from all over the city to sell their wares. The kids come out eat a hot dog, ride the train that goes round the lake, make crafts and generally have a really fun afternoon with their parents for next to nothing.

Sam and Cody are in the second car.
Sam wanted to ride it over and over again, he had a really good time.First time in a bouncy house, he was a bit intimidated at first but eventually got brave and had fun.

The best part of the day was the lollipop!

And the carousel was pretty good too!

We just mainly relaxed this weekend, it has been a crazy around here for so many weeks! It was good to just chill. Cody and I had our first session of "canning" from the remaining tomatoes and peppers from the garden. It went well, but it was definately a two man job. We made up a huge batch of salsa and got 5 big quart jars and one jar of Romas that we will save for marinara. I have some squash and cucumber coming up for a fall garden, but they aren't doing as good as in the spring. I am not sure I am gonna get anything.

For Grandpa!

Happy! Happy Birthday to the original Sammykins! We love you, and hope your day is great!

San Diego trip

Our whirlwind trip to San Diego was much needed, and I am so glad we went. Our good friends Mike and Sharlyn tied the knot, on Sept. 11th! This was the motivation to get out there, but we certainly packed in the family time too. The wedding was lovely, held in an old Catholic Church in Little Italy. It was very traditional in some respects with a twist of Filipino culture and tradition. Sharlyn was born in the Philippines, and immigrated here as a child. Have you ever been to a wedding before when the bride and groom are just dripping with love and devotion to one another? This was Mike and Sharlyn, you walked out of that church absolutely certain that they would grow old together with many children and grandchildren making them happy all the days of their life.The gorgeous San Diego skyline from the bayside view, the reception was help out on the naval base. Mike is from a long line of sailors, and in fact Mike to this day lives on his sailboat at the Marriot Marina. I am not sure how this will change with marriage, but I know they will still spend half their time on that boat. Sharlyn has been bitten and loves to sail as much as Mike.
In fact, they sailed into the reception.
Another couple just dripping with love and devotion, **wink, wink**!
So, like I said we spent the rest of the time relaxing with the family. Sam and Sam chillaxin' poolside. You just can't deny those genetics can you?
Let's trade Grandpa?

Uncle Ryan was a big hit with his body slams and movie watching.Oma and Sam had a great time together at the UTC mall, it had lots of fountains, playgrounds, train rides, bouncy houses...we met Oma's friend Jan up there for lunch. Sam held Oma's hand the whole time, and explored. His favorite part was watching the "Zamboni Man" drive on the ice rink with Oma.Since the whole wasp sting incident, Sam is terrified of bugs...all bugs, from ants to butterflies. Oma was teaching him that bugs aren't scary, they were checking out the filter to see if any bugs were floating in there that they could rescue or drown, not sure which!We went to the beach and met some of my girls for breakfast, I didn't get a single picture because I was so distracted with Sam. Everyone looked beautiful and has been getting on so well. I got to see Sarah who has been gone for ages working in AZ, and Courtney flew in from San Fransisco! Laurel brought her family, her daughter is the picture of her! Melissa glowed...I am so happy for her. Mimi made us laugh, and I think Sammy crushed a bit on her. No matter how much how time passes, those girls are just the same like kindred spirits. I can't wait to see them again in a few months.

We also got to meet the new ladies in the boys life, Norah and Jen. Ryan is like a new man! It is amazing how life changes so rapidly in a year. Norah and I got on like peas and carrots. Jen was quieter, like Scott. I hope to get another opportunity to get to know her. She looks like she has alot of interesting things talk about. She had that artsy wistful style about her. We had dinner and went out for drinks too.

December can't come quick enough!

Back Pack Modeling

School bells ringing, children singing....Sam had his first day of school last Wednesday. He was such a big boy, walked in and settled into playing very easy. I can say he was a bit bashful, but warmed up quicker than I expected. There are only three children in his class, both are girls. He is going to get lots of practice in being told what to do and when...lol. Poor guy! I was very proud that he made it all morning with no pacifier or milk sippy, both are his "comfort" when he is tired, nervous or sad. Mrs. Richmond reported that outside time was his favorite.

Cody and I both picked him up at noon, and he took a nap. We woke him at 1:30 for our flight to San Diego. I will post a few pics from our whirlwind trip soon.
An extra thank you to everyone who sent me encouragment through emails, comments, texts and cards...I have the best friends and family in the whole world, I feel very blessed.

It seems the world has moved a little fast, and the earth has been quaking beneath my feet lately. I was on top of the world, no less than a week ago. Cody and I were about to celebrate our 5 years wedding anniversary and I had begun sharing the wonderful news that we were going to have another baby. Don't get excited, as soon as I got comfortable with the idea, I lost the baby.

It happens, I know. It is God's way or natures way of taking care of an unhealthy pregnancy, I know. It is so common, I know. There is nothing I could do to prevent it, I know. I have heard them all and it doesn't make it suck any less. I loved that little baby from the moment I saw the hint of a double blue line with all my soul. I feel empty. I feel sad. I feel frustrated. I feel sad. Did I say that? Oh yeah. None of my thoughts about the whole thing are rational...

There was a tiny, little silver lining, my mom was here when it happened. And, boy is that a time when a girl needs her mommy. My poor husband has to deal with the hormonal aftermath that is me, I am trying to be easy on him.

So since that was Cody and my "antiversary" as we have been affectionately calling it, we did get a little alone time together on Saturday. My folks packed up the sugar-booger and took him down to Charlotte to be with his cousins, so we could absorb was just happened and try to reconnect. We needed some cheering up and nothing says cheer like Chinese food and the"Hangover". By the by, if you haven't seen this movie...go and bring a change of clothes...you might pee yourself it is that funny. Really. We ate, we laughed, we drank midnight champagne and chocolate cake, and slept till 10:00 the next morning. It was strangely, after all the badness, one of the best nights I have had with Cody. It makes me thank my lucky stars that I landed such a perfect husband, it amazes me how he can make me feel so good when I feel so bad. I did have a shiny moment in the weekend, it was wrapped in that beautiful, robins egg blue box of shear girly wonderfulness...a total surprise. He picked out an elegant band to celebrate our 5 years together.

We drove down to Charlotte on Sunday to barbecue with my brother and his family, Sam had been having the time of his life. And, as if the cosmos decided to just end the weekend with a bang...little Sambo had his first kiss-with a wasp! The boys were playing outside, when Sam came running to Holly crying and cradling his hand. Joe kept yelling, "A bee, a bee!" We all thought it just got him on the hand, until about 5 minutes into it his mouth started to blow up. I thought he was going into anaphylactic shock from the sting, we all scrambled a bit, threw him into the car with the intention of going to the drug store or hospital. We had Holly's epi-pen in case he started to have trouble breathing, but we all soon realised he must have just been stung on the lip also, most likely in reaction to the sting on the hand and he put the wasp in to his mouth, where it nailed him again. It was very scary! We got to Riteaid and gave him a big dose of Benadryl, the swelling went down within a few hours. Uncle Hamp and Pop-pop killed them a whole mess of wasps, there was a nest built in the fence. Lucky for the other boys no one else was stung.

So, tell me...how was your weekend? It had to have been better than mine.

A few pics of my poor swollen babe

Science Center

We spent the afternoon yesterday at Greensboro's Science Center, it has a small walk around animal enclosure and lots of indoor exhibits. We saw dinosaurs, a two headed turtle, a tiger, sharks and lots of other really fun stuff. Sam enjoyed the dinosaurs the most.

Checking out the anteater
The tiger was really active, and we got to check him out up close...Sam kept saying "Hi Shere Khan, Hi!" Shere Khan is the mean tiger from Jungle Book.
Playing on the giant tree frogs