Could these 2 guys be ANY CUTER??

Sheriff vannyB and his Deputy Daddy

van seemed a bit concerned at first,

but quickly got into character..

We had a fun time trick or treating with our cousins tonight.  We also spent some time with them this weekend carving our pumpkins.

First we had to pick one out at the patch..

Then we had to get a’carving!

van helped his Daddy with the hard work.

Apparently I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.  Oops!  Oh well- there’s always next year!

Hope everyone had a Safe and Happy Halloween!

People, when I say we are moving and shaking over here, it’s a bit of an understatement.  vannyB is B-U-S-Y from the time he wakes up till the moment he goes to bed.

His current fav’s are 1) WALKING ON HIS OWN!! 2) walking while holding onto my index fingers 3) throwing whatever he may be carrying at the moment 4) pointing at things and 5) reading his books

Just yesterday van was playing on the floor and went from a sitting position to a standing position all on his own.  And then once he was stable, he walked across the room. Mr. vB and I just looked at each other and grinned from ear to ear!

The Lil’ Dude’s Personality is also starting to shine through!  He can be very serious at times {just like his daddy} and then bust out with a grin and a giggle {like his mommy}!  His laugh makes my heart melt…

And in-case you want to know, Current Stats are 25 lbs and 33″ tall.

We {ok, mostly me} is getting quite excited about the upcoming birthday festivities.  I already teased you with photos of the balloon birthday wreath and the high chair.  I’ve got a few more DIY’s up my sleeve, but I’m not ready to reveal them just yet.

I know, I know.. what a tease!  But I WILL share what van is going to be for Halloween!

Giddy Up!

Here’s a recap of what we’ve been doing the past 2 weeks…

1. Philly Day 2011 - we took our nephew Philip out on an adventure for his birthday.

First stop was the State Fair.

Too bad Philip fell asleep shortly after eating the biggest corn-dog EVER, cause he missed

the chickens

And a Bull with REALLY big horns!

But he woke up in time for us to also go to Build-a-Bear.

and build him a bear. Kung Fu Bear to be exact!

vanny seemed a bit bored with it all..

But in the end we were all smiles!

2. Birthday Party Sneak Peek- I started prepping for the big Birthday Celebration next month.

It included some of this..

A Balloon Wreath

And the Prince’s Throne.

3. Tile Demo Anyone? That’s right.  Bye-Bye Orange Tile!

4. Making a Halloween Costume- any guesses as to what I am making?

5. And Keeping up with my little dude!

I’ll hit you guys with more details on everything shortly!

Last weekend we headed out to the pumpkin patch with our good friends the Hansen’s.

{Parker, van }

{and Taylor}

We had so much fun finding our way through the hay maze..

And played in the pumpkins..

There was also a tractor..

And a swing & slide..

Let’s just say we all had a blast.

And vannyB was sound asleep in his car-seat before we even pulled out of the parking lot!

**UPDATE**

Per Request- Please see the below picture of me this time last year at the Pumpkin Patch!

This one’s for you Amy Cox!!

I found the cutest shirt at my local Target yesterday and wanted to pass it along..

Merona-Boatneck Tee Geneva Stripe.. $16.99

How cute is the neck detail?

I wore it today with light gray dress slacks and navy heels, but I think it will also look super cute with jeans and tall boots!  Happy Shopping!

Here we are another month closer to the Big Day!  10 Months Down, 2 Months to go!

Mr. Butter-Bean, as I am affectionately calling him these days, has busy cruising along any and all vertical services at full speed. I even got to witness his first 2 steps last week! {and by the time this went to press several more steps have been had!} They were super wobbly, but steps none the less!

vanny is also chatting up a storm!  His newest word is “arf” and specifically says it after boots or bailey barks!  He also loves to say bye-bye and has started waving {at himself}.  We are working on that.

ButterBean also likes to “pat his momma” which melts my heart.  He loves to pat me on the back/shoulder with his left hand when I carry him around.

Last but not least, van started back to daycare last Thursday after being out for 5 weeks.  Our beloved daycare provider, Ms. Sutton, needed hip replacement surgery so Mr. vB and I had to “wing it” while she was out.  And let me tell you- THAT WAS STRESSFUL!! But I loved every extra minute with my boy!  Just look at this face…

I LOVE LOVE LOVE him!

One of my daily reads highlighted my favorite nursery yesterday on her blog!  What a honor!  Thanks Jennifer…

The end of my Kitchen cabinet is getting a bit of a makeover…when I’m finished it should have quite a magnetic personality! {okay- bad pun}

Before:

During:

Per the directions I applied 3 thin coats, letting each dry completely in between applications.  After the final coat, I thought it would be smart to test drive its “magnetability” {is that a word?} before I painted it white again.  Good thing I did, cause the magnet that started at the top, slid right to the bottom.  Guess that means several more coats are needed.  Stay Tuned!

That’s right, the vanEdwardscom families just returned from our 2nd annual beach week…

We had a packed house full of grandparents {Honey and CeCe}, great-grandmothers {Mamie}, Aunties and Uncles {Marty, Travers, Me and Mr, vB} and the 3 cutest grandsons ever {Travers IV, Gus, and of course vannyB}!  Oh, Boots and Bailey went too!

Our cottage was located in Duck, NC and was just perfect for a week’s getaway.  It was beach front with a fabulous pool and porches to relax on!

I tried to stay away from all technology- iPhone, laptop, TV, but couldn’t resist snapping a few photos.

Mamie and van

Gus-sie

Trav

Before and After Mr. vB buried van’s arms in the sand…we all see how that turned out!

Honey and his boys

We had to put Big Travers in time out

van’s 1st chocolate donut!

It was a great week letting the boys play in the sand and surf and despite no photo evidence- the adults had a blast too!

Have you guys been back over to Cheap & Chic Nurseries lately?

I saw another familiar nursery featured this week.

This one created by my good friends, Kathryn and Phil Purgason!

It’s pretty darn amazing if you ask me!

Phil drew the images on the wall by hand and then they both painstakingly painted in all the details!

For the full scoop- check out the link to Chic & Cheap Nursery here.

You guys did an awesome job!!  Congrats!