An Army of Outdoorsmen

I am proud to introduce, via ultrasound, baby Mangum the 3rd.  Yesterday was the big ultrasound and it's always such a relief to hear that baby appears to be healthy and strong.  Stubborn though.  I quite literally had to stand on my head to get him to move enough to see his spine well.  Well, not completely literally, it was more of a modified downward dog yoga pose.  And don't worry, i waited until the tech was out of the room so I didn't look like a crazy lady, but we really didn't want to try to afford a second visit.

After having two boys I was pretty convinced that this one was going to be my girl.  This pregnancy has been way different than the last two in that I feel so much better, so I figured that was a sure sign.  Not the case though.  We are having another little boy!  At one point a friend of ours, August, made a comment to Anthony that we were building an army of outdoorsmen.  Who knew how true that statement would be?  So, Anthony is thrilled with his growing army and I can say I only felt a fleeting disappointment that this time I would not be getting my girl.  The boys I already have are so wonderful that I am just excited to meet this new precious baby boy.  

Homemade Skeleton Costume

I bought a pair of black sweats, some white felt, and double-sided iron on adhesive to create the costume.
My inspiration was this Pottery Barn skeleton costume, but the price tag was just too steep to justify for a single wear outfit.

So, I drew the bones on plain white paper to use as a pattern for my felt.  Then I cut out my felt and adhesive material based on that pattern.  Before starting the ironing I top stitched around each bone in black.  Tedious?  Yes.  But, worth it?  I think so.  It adds quite a bit of character and it's how the PB one is, anyway.

Then I just ironed on the bones in the appropriate places.  I would have sewed them on but you really can't get into sleeves and pant legs with a sewing machine.  Unfortunately, I ended up hand stitching the bones on after ironing them on because they kept falling off.  So sad.

Here's the finished project on my 5 year old, complete with glow-in-the-dark skeleton gloves that we found at the dollar store.

Musings

Credit for these plans goes to my best.husband.ever.

Today I got out the flannel bed sheets. I love Autumn.

This week I'm going to make these DIY- recycled crayon cupcakes with Lachlan.  I was just debating throwing out the broken old crayons and now I don't have to.

My friend, Natalie, got these amazing shelves built in her garage as a birthday gift.  I've been struggling with storage solutions so I asked my husband if he would build me some...and he said "yes".  I'm so, so, so excited!  He was out measuring for the shelves and cleaning the garage today and right now he's drawing up the plans.  That's what happens when you're married to an architect...garage shelves get their own plans (pictured above).

I know I already posted about it, but I'm so grateful that my little guy is finally walking.  We were able to get stuff done around the house today and he just toddled around entertaining himself for the most part.

I love this idea to make 10/10/10 memorable.  Tomorrow, with the help of my 4 year old, we're going to do 10 nice things.  My only regret is that I didn't find it sooner so I could spread the idea to more people.

In some places, it's rainy season right now, which reminds me I still need, okay want, yellow rain boots and  a yellow umbrella. Really, it's on my bucket list to own these items.  Someday...

This article inspires me to be active in my concern for others, but not to worry.

When I'm feeling especially stressed out, disoriented, nervous and generally out of sorts it helps me to see what needs to be done written down.  I think these organizers will be finding a place in my life very soon.  Have I mentioned that the organizational/storage tub aisle or the cleaning supply aisle at Target will also calm me down?

Just discovered this blog called the nesting place and I adore it.  Her '31 days to a less messy nest' project has some great ideas.

Last but not least, Anthony got a nearly perfect score on a midterm exam and Lachlan wanted to surprise him with cookies.  Actually, his first idea was for me to stay up all night baking cookies, so I suggested instead that I'd whip up the cookies while my boys were at the Kangaroo Zoo.  Even though I did all the work, I was impressed at his thoughtfulness.

Bipeds and Pedalers

On June 26, at Lachlan's gymnastics meet, Zane started taking his first steps.  He attempted to toddle back and forth between his dad and papa Kim.  It was adorable and I even got it on video.  We were optimistic that this meant we'd have a walker soon, but that was not the case.  Since then, we knew Zane at least had the ability to walk.  He would get up and walk for fun every now and then but to get around he we crawl or "walk" on his knees.  I guess that was more efficient.  Either way, on about September 17, at 17 months old, Zane decided it was time to join the bipeds and start walking.  

Here's Zane about 2 months ago...walking.

Lachlan's new development happened today.  At the beginning of the Summer, Anthony took Lachlan's training wheels and pedals off his bike.  He got the idea to do this when he saw a Skuut Balance Bike in one of his biking magazines.  The next best option to buying one was to turn Lach's current bike into a Skuut.  I have to say that it really worked too.  Lach was coasting down our driveway with both feet off the ground the same day the pedals came off.  Then, today, the pedals went back on and after very little coaching from dad, Lachlan was officially riding a big-boy bike.  It was such a proud moment for me, as a mom, to see how big my first baby is getting.

I asked Lach "how do you feel now that you can ride a bike?"  He answered "I feel great!"

I Love My Dirty Boys

Last Saturday my fabulous, Jack-of-all-trades, husband ran a 10k race called the Dirty Dash.  Did I mention that among being a the best husband and father ever, an insanely hard worker, and a dedicated student that he's a runner too?  No?  That's cause he's not.  Not really.  He's more of a mountain biker, but that just shows you how versatile he is.

What a great opportunity this was, too.  He ran the race on a team with two of his sisters, one of his brothers, and his brotheri-in-law/friend since high school.  They were 'Team Mossy Gums' (combining the last names of Moss and Mangum).  My brother-in-law designed their team shirts which had a picture of a smiling pig with mossy gums.  They were awesome!

A fellow runner actually thought they were a team of dentists.

At the end of the run there was a mud pit leading to the finish line that Lachlan got to cross with his dad, even though this wasn't going to be his sole opportunity to get muddy.

After the Dirty Dash, Lachlan got to participate in the Piglet Plunge.  His ticket to the event was a tattoo of a pig that he had us stick to the inside of his forearm.

The Piglet Plunge consisted of running up the "big pig climb" (a VERY muddy hill), going down the slop n' slide, and back into the mud pit.

There were a few moments there when Lachlan was less than thrilled that he was covered in mud or that the mud pit was FREEZING, but overall it was a success.  After we were back at the car Lach said he wanted to do the Piglet plunge again next year.  I think when Zane's big enough he'll want to do it too.

Cows and Pigs and Sheep, Oh My!

This is the first time going to the State Fair that Lachlan will actually remember, I think.  He loved it!  He was especially fascinated my the dairy cows being milked.  He asked those poor farmers question after question and we stayed in the dairy barn for probably half an hour.  That's probably my fault.  I have to confess that I've been on a quest to milk a cow for ages.  It's on my list of things-to-do-before-I-die.  Sadly, milking a cow has proven to be harder than you'd think.  The farmers at the fair don't want to let me milk their cows and there just aren't many dairy cows just wandering around my neighborhood, waiting to be milked.  A friend suggested to me that I could start by milking a goat, but I refuse to lower my standards.  I set my sights on a cow and a cow it will be.

We went on an obligatory pony ride, which I thought was hilarious.  The pony people (do they have a more professional sounding name?) are incredibly efficient.  The kids are herded from one waiting area to another then the pony people take a kid off a pony and immediately plop another one in the saddle without missing a single beat.

I feel like the State Fair is an appropriate backdrop for telling a story about my husband that absolutely cracks me up every.single.time.  During the first year that we were married, Anthony and I went on a trip to New York City with his classmates from his undergraduate architecture program.  Our story takes place on the subway.  Some of the boys were seeing how long they could balance without holding onto the handrails, including my husband, when he said (ON THE NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY) "this is kind of like riding the tractor back home"  Hahahaha!  No matter how many times I tell it, that story just never gets old.

Anthony grew up on 100 acres of absolutely incredible orchards.  He spent his summers picking cherries, apples, and peaches and, of course, riding the big tractor to spray pesticides on the trees.  They owned peacocks, chickens, skunks, dogs, cats, and turtles.  He was even a member of the FFA throughout high school.  That is why I couldn't resist getting Lachlan to pose for this picture:

That's right.  Those are FFA uniforms you're looking at and, unfortunately, my husband never owned one :(  Maybe for Halloween...

That cute girl wearing the female version of the FFA uniform?  That's my friend's daughter Ryah.  Lachlan loves every opportunity he gets to play with her and they have so much fun together.  It was a blast watching them at the fair.  They pet the animals, rode the rides (Note to self: My stomach is NOT a fan of the Tilt-A-Whirl) and the ponies, and went down the big yellow slide together.

I love, love, love this picture.  Don't they look sweet?  

Childhood Memories

At a church activity a few weeks ago, Lachlan was given a glow-in-the-dark rubber bracelet.  He is absolutely obsessed with it and has to charge it up in the light, every night before bed, so that it will glow it's brightest in his dark bedroom as he's falling asleep.  This reminded of some GlowWorms I had when I was little.

Luckily, my mom saves everything, so these were in a box in her basement.

It wasn't until I was lining them up on Lachlan's headboard that I remembered how dear they were to me.  The way I had set them up looked all wrong until I realized that the snail was supposed to be in the middle.  Since he's the most differently shaped of the bunch this made everything look nice and symmetrical.  I guess I was a little neurotic even as a kid.  

Just like Lachlan and his bracelet I would put them under the light from my lamp until they were charged up.  Then they would glow by my bedside, my little night lights, until I was fast asleep.  I know they're just toys, but it warms my heart to watch my little guy enjoy these bugs as much as I did.