Cuteness Overload

You have been warned. I am loading this post with ridiculously cute pictures of John. Of course I think they are, and I might be a little biased :)

John had his "school pictures" taken at daycare a few weeks ago. It cracks me up that they even have pictures, and I only bought the cheapest package since I had no clue how he would do. We got them back today, and just wait...are you ready for it???

Isn't it the cutest??? So of course I HAD to go online and order some extra. I just can't get over how old he looks in the picture. He is getting to be such a little boy!!!

My sister, mom, and I also took John and Libby last weekend to try to get some pictures taken for Christmas. The last time we attempted this, it was a complete and utter disaster. This time, we were able to get ONE awesome shot of the two of them and I don't think it could have turned out cuter (I love how his hand is in his pocket :).

I also love this one of John...be warned, it might make an appearance on your Christmas card this year :) He was saying, "Cheeeeesssseeee!"

And, in other cuteness, here are some pictures from Halloween. He totally got into trick or treating, just wasn't too sure of some of the costumes. Once he realized he was getting candy, he was all for it. He actually had an even better time handing out candy. We were lucky it was a pretty nice night out, so we sat on the porch and he would hand out maybe 5 candy bars to one kid, and then 1 to the next. So we had to help him even it out a bit, but otherwise he had a blast. So on that note, I will leave you with some Halloween and random cute pictures. Enjoy :)

The other morning I was getting ready (our bathroom is across from his room) and I could hear him talking away. I peeked in and saw him "reading" to himself and I had to catch it on camera. He was so engrossed in the book, it was so cute. He loves to sit in his rocker and read.

He eventually got up to get a different book from his bookshelf and saw me. This expressions cracks me up, like he got caught!

See you later!

Well Doesn't that Stink??

Another eventful week! Last weekend my in-laws came to visit. They got in on Friday evening and John went to bed around 8 or so. We were all hanging out downstairs when our dog, Allie, came to the door to come back inside. My mother-in-law noticed her eyes were squinted, but I thought it was just her hair. So she came in and the second she did, we all got a whiff of the worst smell ever. Our dog got sprayed by a skunk. I have to say, it was the most unique, worst, powerful smell I have ever smelled. Within an instant, our entire house filled with the scent. Horrible! You can imagine the scene, all of us shouting and trying to figure out what to do. After some strategizing, stressing, and googling, Brad's parents ran to CVS to buy some products for a "Skunk Bath." They said that the minute they entered the door at CVS, the woman working there exclaimed to her boss that a skunk must have been hit outside. It was that bad that it stunk up their whole car, and saturated in their clothes. What a night. And what that shows family will do for you! :)

Brad and I ended up bathing Allie in the garage in John's baby tub and then aired out the house. Our house has stunk all week. My sister and Libby came over on Thursday to air it out and do some researched remedies to try to eliminate the smell. I have to say, today when I walked in the house was the first day it didn't hit me when I came in. Geez!!! Darn dog!

But, we did have a great weekend despite smelling like skunk. At least we got a few good laughs out of it! We went to the Cider Mill on Saturday morning and then went back to the Zoo Boo that evening for some more trick-or-treating. This past week we had John's Halloween party at his daycare, which was fun too. He is getting into Halloween now and is getting the hang of "Trick or Treat!"

Thanks Don and Nan for all of your help this past weekend! We really appreciate all of your "de-skunking" efforts!!

Here are a few pics from the past week:

The petting farm...John got really scared when this guy stuck his head out.

Yummy doughnuts!!

At the cider mill with Papa and Grandma

Zoo Boo!

Our first "family" pumpkin!

Eating cookies with his daycare buddy Matthew

Getting a cool pumpkin tatoo with Miss Cassie. He was so proud of his tatoo!

With Mommy at the party

Libs and John showing off their Halloween flashlights.

Fall Happenings

October already. We have had a fun and busy fall so far and I feel like Christmas is going to be here before we know it. We have been keeping busy with trips to football games, the cider mills, Indiana, Ohio, weddings, The Zoo Boo, and just hanging out. Life has been good. I ran as part of a relay team in the Detroit Marathon today which was a very cool experience. There were over 20,000 runners today, and I got to run through the tunnel from Canada, so it was a lot of fun. I have been trying to get back into running and been training, so it is a good feeling that I did it :)

John is doing great. He is talking and communicating more and more each day. He absolutely loves day care and has so much fun there, which makes going back to work so much easier. I am really liking my new job. It definitely has its challenges, but I am overall very happy. Brad is doing well too. We are looking forward to his parents coming to visit soon and take them back to the Zoo Boo. I will try to narrate the pictures as they come. Sorry about the spacing...Enjoy!

Notre Dame/MSU game in South Bend
The Monhaut family sporting Notre Dame shirts
John's favorite meal...not sure if he likes wearing it or eating it more. He thinks it is hilarious when he pulls out a noodle. Ah, the small things in life :)
Got one!
Great to visit with some high school friends at a wedding. Congrats Paul and Emily!
Wedding = Date night! :)
We went with our parents group to the cider mill. John loves hus buddies Luke and Brayden.
He also loved this tree/bear. It was just his size and I think he would have been happy sitting in here all night.
With his "dadda"
Yates Cider Mill
Perfect spokesman for the cider mill!
With his friend Gavin at the petting zoo...he wasn't too sure of the animals.
Zoo Boo! We started going to the Zoo for their annual trick or treating event last year. We went again this year with my parents, Jenny, Doug, Libby, and Doug's sister and her family.
Trying to get his shoes on, but I thought this was a cute picture :)
Libby and John with Grandma Sheila and Papa Joe.
Holding hands trying to trick or treat.
John finally got into it after half way through. I think he started realizing candy and chips were involved.
Posing with the pumpkin giraffes.
"Trick or treat!"
My cute little puppy dog.
So happy to eat a doughnut at the end.
This was from today. After we got back from my race and took a nap, John and I played outside while Brad raked leaves. He really can't decide what he wants to play with.
My little cutie pie...he is getting so big!

I hope you are all having a great fall too! I promise I will try to update more! Have a good week!

18 Months

18 months. A year and a half. How is that possible?? I took John today to get his 18 month pictures taken. He was a little goof. They turned out good, and of course once again I spent way too much money. Oh well. He is worth every penny!

At 18 months, John is a little boy! He is not a baby anymore. He is talking so much. I can't even think of all the words, but he can say mama, dada, papa, libby (bibby), night night, hi, bye, all done, yeah, no, elmo, spoon, bowl, book, lawn mower, airplane, up, cheek, teeth, truck, more, out, allie, slide,ball, and more but I can't think. :) He will repeat things (in his own way) if we say them too.

He still loves his snacks and is getting better about real food. He is officially off the pacifier and is *almost* there with his bottle. He loves his "buba." The past two weeks he has been back at daycare and it is going so well so far. He is in the toddler room this year and LOVES it. They all have naps at the same time and on cots instead of cribs. I was really worried about this, but he has been a rock star and has been sleeping for about 2 hours without a problem so far. Luckily he has Miss Shelley this year again as his primary caregiver, who is amazing and we love her so much, which makes this so much easier. We are slowly but surely getting back into a routine with getting back to work. He has been waking up EARLY, which is not so fun when we are trying to get ready or on the weekends. But, hopefully he will adjust to this new time schedule soon. Knock on wood he has been healthy so far...he had a little runny nose/cough last weekend but it never escalated.

He loves any type of truck, animal, train, or vehicle. He really loves his books and computer videos. He loves watching Elmo and "The Wiggles." I know its bad when I have them stuck in my head all day at work. Speaking of work, it has been good so far. I have started my new job and am a bit overwhelmed, but am enjoying it so far. I am taking over as our math department chair this year and I didn't realize the amount of little daily tasks and phone calls that involves, but hopefully it will calm down once I am more familiar with how it all works and the school year gets underway. But I am happy so far, I think this year is going to be fun.

Well, I know there is a lot more to write about since I haven't updated in over a month, but I am so tired and can't really think about all that we have done. So I will leave with some pictures, since that is the best part anyways! Enjoy!