Ode to Fall

Pumpkins, chili, caramel apples, and hay...

That was actually how I started Hadley's 1st birthday invitation.  It was a Fall Festival themed birthday party.  Why, you ask?  Because I LOVE everything about Fall.  It's actually a bit of an obsession for me.

I love decorating for the Fall.  I start looking forward to it in July when Hobby Lobby puts out their decorations.  I love the sights and smells of Fall such as burning leaves, Fall Festivals, scarecrows, Halloween, Thanksgiving, pumpkins, hay bales, mums, chili, our annual Gatlinburg trip, football, cooler weather, and Orchard visits.

                                  

I tend to get crafty during this time of year, too.  Notice the Indian corn in corn kernels and "BOO" written on scrapbook paper and framed.  Simple but fun touches for me.

 We couldn't forget the playroom.  It even got a few fun decorations!

Nothing like decorating the front porch to really celebrate Fall.  Mums from the Amish Farmer's Market and pumpkins from the back of a pick-up truck at Wyatt's Service Station.  Gotta love the unique places people sell their goods.

Another beautiful reminder of Fall to me??  Little Debbie's special fall snacks and Reese's pumpkins.  Yes, they totally deserve their own shout-out on my blog.  ;)

 Finally, this is one of our favorite bedtime books to read right now.  Last year I used lots of my Scholastic bonus points (from my classroom) to collect Fall and Christmas books.  I am so glad that I did!  I love every page of this sweet little book.  And I love that Hadley requests "The Faw Festibuw" book every night!!  Happy Fall Y'all!!

Canaan's Nursery

To say that I have had fun planning and decorating Canaan's nursery would be a major understatement.  The first purchase I made was this bedding set, at a consignment sale last spring.  This Pottery Barn set was a super deal and I thought the vintage airplanes on the dust ruffle were just precious.  I was also drawn to the bright colors.  Now came the fun part of pulling the rest of the room together!

The canvas painting and hanging airplane were both found at consignment stores in Bowling Green. 

This is the same changing table we used in Hadley's nursery.  We painted it the shade of blue from the crib set.  I painted the cross and need to get Canaan's initials written in the center.

I thought the trunks were a nice accessory since airplanes are in the whole transportation theme.  I spray painted the lantern red.  I really loved using some pops of red in his nursery.  I said I was drawn to bright colors this time, didn't I?

 

















This dresser was also used in Hadley's nursery.  I ordered the airplane message board from etsy and placed Canaan's ultrasound pics on it.  The lamp is a Ball jar filled with multi-colored marbles. Justin used it in his room as a child.

So my parents technically got this wagon for Hadley for Christmas, but I thought it was a cuper cute decoration for Canaan's room.  Hadley knows it is hers and she can play with it anytime she would like.  Curious George and Ernie are two momentos from Justin's childhood that also made it into a basket of toys.

The rocking chair was also from Hadley's nursery.  I found this minky dot fabric, which was a perfect match, and had the chair recovered.  Grandaddy Hughes made the book rack on the wall, and it is super special to me.  I hope Canaan likes to read as much as Hadley does.

Finally, my most recent touch in Canaan's room are the letters spelling his name.  I told you that I loved pops of red, didn't I?  I hope baby Canaan feels at home in his room.  I certainly had him in mind the whole time I was planning it.  And I guess that's all that really matters!

Canaan Dale Stinson

Canaan, our precious baby boy, entered the world on Thursday, September 13th.  I was 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant and longing to have my baby!  I actually worked up until the day before he was born (Wednesday) and even attended a faculty meeting that afternoon.  Although....the meeting was a bit of a blur at that point.  Thursday morning, I had a doctor's appointment at 8:45 and we were praying that our doctor would send us on over to the hospital to be induced.  Justin and I dropped Hadley off at daycare that morning and, after being checked by my doctor, got the amazing news that we would be parents (again) that day!  My labor and delivery was a wonderful experience.  I was in labor for a total of 7 less hours than with Hadley and only had to push for 30 minutes, as opposed to 2 hours with Hadley.  Canaan weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long.  We are so in love with this little fellow.  God is so good!

Hadley getting her very first glimpse of baby brother. 

Hadley was thrilled to hold little brother for the first time.  She kissed and kissed him and talked to him so sweetly.  What a special moment it was to watch her hold him and see our family of four together.  He was finally here!!

Canaan even got Hadley her very own special gift.  An entire set of goodies to take care of her baby dolls, just like the real-life ones we have for Canaan.  She just had to open it in the hospital.  She felt so big!

We had so many precious friends and family members visit us at the hospital.  What a blessing it is to be surrounded by people who share in your excitement.

   It is no secret that Justin and I struggled immensely with deciding on a name for baby boy.  Five years ago, I had a student in class named Cainan.  When I came home and told Justin about his name, he LOVED it.  We said, then, that if we ever had a boy, his name would be Canaan (Biblical spelling).  But when we actually had to make the decision, it was really hard for us to pull the trigger, so to speak, on a name.  Well, the morning AFTER baby boy was born, we were told that our beloved pediatrician, Dr. Fraser, was on vacation and would not be able to do the circumcision.  In fact, we were told that no other doctors in his practice even performed the procedure.  Later that morning, Justin and I were enjoying some much-needed quiet time (alone), talking and praying about what to name our baby.  About that time, the door to our hospital room flung open and in walks Dr. Fraser.  I say, "Dr. Fraser, we thought you were on vacation."  He said, "I was!  I just got in at midnight last night.  Congratulations on your baby.  What is his name?" Justin and I look at each other, rather sheepishly, and I say, "Well, we think we have decided on Canaan."  Knowing that Dr. Fraser is from India and unsure of his religious beliefs, I start to explain to him that it's from the Bible.  He abruptly cuts me off and says, "That's where I just got back from. The Holy Land. It's amazing to watch the Bible come to life right before your eyes." 
Canaan....the land of milk and honey.  What a sweet blessing you are to our family.  Welcome, baby boy!

Honeybear Room

Hadley's little world is full of changes right now and my heart gets so heavy at times worrying about her.  But being in education for 10+ years now, has taught me that kids are very resilient.  For that, I am grateful.  We started Hadley in actual "daycare" back in January, when Justin and I went back to school after Christmas break.  The first two years of her life she stayed with Ms. Betty and Ralph, enjoying laid-back, carefree days at their house in Scottsville.  But after our move to Glasgow, we realized the writing was on the wall for me to try to get a job closer to Glasgow and go ahead and transition Hadley that direction as well.  I was also longing for her to have a little more "structure" in her day.  I mean, she couldn't stay in her pj's all day, every day, could she?  We heard wonderful things about the daycare at TJ Samson hospital, so that is where we ultimately landed.

Since she was already 2, she went straight into the Sunshine Room, the room for 2-3 year olds.  It has been the perfect environment for our girl.  She was surrounded by her sweet friends, Shayla (Say Say), Sawyer (Saw Saw), Weston, Abby (as they are affectionately called by Hadley), and many others.  The daycare provides all meals and snacks for the kids, so we don't send any food at all.  Hadley really looks forward to breakfast at school and LOVES the gravy & biscuit.  The crafts they create just blow me away.  They have circle time, where they say their ABC's, count, recite days of the week and months of the year, and even discuss the day's weather.  They also pray before lunch, each day, which is so encouraging for a public daycare.  

I really didn't think she would move up to the Honeybear Room until a little closer to her birthday, but she is.  This room is designed for 3-5 year olds, but because all-day preschool is so popular around here, beginning at age 3, the number of 5 year olds at the daycare has really dwindled.  Oh, couldn't we just hold on to the Sunshine Room for a little bit longer?  Why am I so sentimental about her becoming a Honeybear?  Because I'm 8.9 months pregnant?  Probably not.  I just get very emotional about her growing up, in general.    

We are so proud of our "big" honeybear!