The Warren Family

We had a very happy Halloween with our little Jake-a-Pooh (that's a costume hint)! We have called our little man Jake-a-Pooh since he was born and he LOVES his Pooh bear so our costume choice this year was easy. He loved it! He even had to put it back on as soon as he woke up this morning. He said ... "Mama... costume... wear it, wear it".

It has been a fun week filled with pumpkins, candy, family time and hiking. We've been able to hit the trail several times this week and really enjoyed the cool Fall weather and the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. Jake is hiking more and more on his own... on Thursday he actually hiked a whole mile! He even cried when we made him get in the back pack but he was exhausted and starting to stagger so we had to make him stop :)

Mama... don't you think I look just like Pooh...

Let's see what they put in my pumpkin bucket...

Look Mama... Uncle Don gave me a flashlight with candy in it...

Daddy made me pumpkin shaped pancakes with chocolate chips for Halloween.

I'm such a lucky boy to have such a great Daddy!

Yummy! Thanks Daddy!

It looks like its raining leaves Daddy!

This is one of my favorite meals because it has asparagus, mushrooms and pasta!

Wow... this tree is really, really tall...

What do you mean... I can't keep these in my room!

Mama... this leaf is my favorite...

I think this "hat" needs some more work....

I'll fix the "hat" ... while Daddy works on the face....

Are you gonna help or just take pictures Mama?

Do you want me to do that Daddy?

Look Mama... eyes!

I'll put his "hat" back on Daddy.

My friends came by to help me make my very first leaf pile.

I can hike by myself but I can really enjoy the views from here...

Aren't the leaves pretty?

Do you like my smile? Mama asked me to smile and this is what she got...

Hey Daddy... can you help me carry all of these?

Mama says that I'm her "punkin" but I'm not even orange...

I have to have this one... it's just my size!

This pretty yellow tree is right outside our kitchen window.

I love hiking!

We've had a busy month and I'm very behind on my posts so here comes another big one. Our little man is growing like a weed. Jake is climbing on everything... counting up a storm (gets to 14 now without any help) and talking all the time. He loves all kinds of balls... golf clubs... flash cards... letters and books and he's combining more and more words like "nice shoes" and "big car".We've taken a "birthday" picture on the 14th of every month since Jake was born. Well this month... we almost missed it which should give some indication of how hectic this month has been for us. We had been out of town. Jake had missed his regular nap but was beginning to melt down so against our better judgement we let him go to sleep at around 6pm. His normal bed time is around 9pm so we figured that he would either take a short nap and slightly delay our normal schedule or that he might actually go to sleep for the night since he was so worn out. We were wrong on both assumptions... he slept for three hours and then woke up ready to go so we were downstairs getting him a snack at around 10pm when it hit me that it was the 14th so we hurried him up to his room to get a couple of shots. It was so late that we just left him in the outfit he had napped in ...superman t-shirt, pajama pants and socks. I'm so thankful we didn't miss it!

Happy 20-Month Birthday to Me!

Daddy, I love it when you juggle to make me laugh!

Jake and I got to tag along on another one of Trip's business trips. This time it was for a whole week for their big fall conference in Raleigh. We had a rough start to the week. I think we must have a molar starting to push through because Jake had a slight fever and was not himself on Monday and Tuesday. Lots and lots of crying and some acting out in frustration made for a couple of tough days for all of us but our sweet little boy was back by Wednesday morning so we were able to enjoy the rest of our stay. On Monday night we had dinner with my cousin Kenny. It was so great to see him and have a chance to catch up but Jake was having a very difficult evening so Trip and I took turns taking him outside during dinner. I really, really wanted to get some pictures of Kenny with Jake but it just didn't work out so we'll have to try again next time we visit the area. Jake loves airplanes and starts looking up at the sky and saying "airplane" as soon as he hears one overhead so we thought it might be fun to go to the airport in Raleigh. Luckily they have an observation deck where you can watch take-offs and Jake loved it! He would say... "again"... "again" each time one took off. We also took him to the State Fair for some "health food" and a chance to see lots of farm animals in person. He loved the fresh cut fries... the corn dogs and the homemade ice cream but he especially enjoyed seeing all the animals. He named each of them and made their sounds which was just adorable. We saw lots of great produce on exhibit too and some of it was HUGE! We saw a 10 lb sweet potato ... a 182 lb pumpkin and a 211 lb watermelon. Jake once again enjoyed staying in a hotel. When we got home last night.... he looked a little disappointed until he spotted the motorcycle in the garage and then got to see Circles for the first time in a week.

I love these honey sticks that we bought at the fair.

I need a nap. It's been a long, busy week.

Mama... look a baby calf!

Look... I can get off the bed all by myself now.

We also visited Boone this month and took Jake to eat at the restaurant where Trip and I first met almost 20 years ago. It was beautiful as always up on the mountain in the clouds. It always feels like home when we visit the High Country and we have hopes that our little boy will want to go to ASU just like his Mama & Daddy did once upon a time. Jake is absolutely fascinated with the Harley and loves to sit on it and he LOVES Daddy's helmet (motorcycle hat). He regularly makes Trip wear his helmet when he's in the house now just watching sports or cooking dinner :-)

Okay... I have my helmet and my Appalachian shirt so let's go to Boone!

I'm so tired that I can't hold my head up any longer.

When we go hiking now... Jake has to "hike" on his own and he really does very well. He hiked over a half mile the last time we hit the trail. There is a little bridge along our trail and he can now walk across it all by himself. He was so proud of himself that he crossed it over and over and over again.

Watch this Daddy!

I'm just resting for a minute before our big hike.

Driving is one of my favorite things to do!

Cooking "canpakes" with Daddy.

We had a blast earlier this month at the Serge family picnic. Jake got to see lots of family on his Daddy's side including Grandma and Grandpa. He also got to play with two of his second cousins who are only a couple of months older. The picnic is an annual event and one we look forward to so we can catch up with everyone and see how all the kids have grown. Some of the pictures below are from Grandma and Aunt Lynne and we appreciate that they shared them with us.

I'm ready for some picnic fun with my family.

Grandpa helped me fly like Superman.

This is my cousin Nolan.

Hey Uncle Paul!

This is my 2nd cousin Brice.

He is 7 months older than me.

This is my 2nd cousin Tyler.

He is 2 months older than me.

I had fun throwing rocks in the lake at the picnic.

Here I am with my boys and my 2nd cousin Natalie.

I still love to swing and the park had a great playground.

Again Grandma... again!

This is my Daddy's cousin John. I think they look like brothers.

Catch me John... here I come...

This is my Grandma (on the left) with her sister and her brother.

I loved this stump. It made a perfect seat for me to rest and drink some milk.

Grandma brought craft supplies so all the kids could make something for Halloween.

The little girl in the middle is my 2nd cousin Natalie... isn't she pretty?

I picked a moon and a cat for my picture and Mama helped me put it together.

Bye bye Tyler!

It's just us now Grandma so you can feel free to spoil me rotten!

I had so much fun playing that I slept right through supper with Grandma & Grandpa.

Grandma & Grandpa... I'm really glad that I got to see you guys!

Here are a few more pictures and videos from the past month... enjoy and look for another update after Halloween. We've already gotten Jake-a-pooh's costume and we're going to the pumpkin patch today.

Watching my cousin Gage play some great football with my Papaw.