Not a fan of goats...

...but obviously a fan of raspberry lollipops. This is a picture from our trip to the Ledford's Fainting Goats Farm. These kind of goats stiffen up and sometimes even fall over when they are nervous. Lucas was not really into them, but he gleefully chased the cat inside the house.

We visited the farm after meeting Kazak and his litter mates for the first time. Kim was our personal dog whisperer in the dog finding process and I still often think "what would Kim do" as I'm learning to raise our first dog. Thanks Kim!

Pumpkin patch

Better late than never - this is us at the pumpkin patch before Halloween.

Our Aussie

I just can't believe how our new puppy has grown in the last two months. He looks like a little cotton ball in these pics! They are actually outdated, but the best I could do right now. He is now about 32 pounds and the vet says he will be nearly full grown in a month.

When he is not being a wild maniac, Kazak is patient, smart, obedient and just makes you want to smile. Lucas ADORES him and they have a blast together now that Kazak is finally learning to not bite him. He sleeps much better than Lucas (11 hours at least) and when he wakes up, he waits like a fluffy sphinx for the hustle and bustle of the day to begin.

If any of you are wondering where we have been lately, we have been very busy socializing the pup. He has made an appearance at Pike nursery numerous times, too many parks to name, the local farmer's market, children's parties & picnics, puppy playdates and cruising around the ATL in the back of my car.

But we are more low key now that I am officially exhausted (Lucas's sick schedule has been unbelievable this fall and I've finally caught something too.) Kazak is happy with a good walk or two and several wrestling sessions with the basketball in the backyard.

Chef Lucas

IKEA came out with the cutest little kitchen! As many of you know, Lucas is passionate about his food, both real and pretend. He just loves this kitchen - maybe even as much as I do. The burners light up and the pots, pans and cooking utensils are very realistic.

He makes culinary masterpieces using his Melissa and Doug food, "washes up" afterward, and then reorganizes the kitchen. His latest thing is taking orders and serving us. The other day I asked him what was on the menu for dessert and he said bread chunks. I'm having flashbacks from my childhood!

"I think I am going to like this"

Here is a picture of Lucas on his first day of school, provided by his teacher Deedee. As you can see, he is a genius. It was such a joy to receive this after spending all day prying a very small amount of information from him:

"Deedee ring bell and I STOP."

What did you have for a snack? "Cwackers and cheese." Who made it for you? "Kaffy."

He is enamored with "Kaffy" (Kathy, the teaching assistant.) He looks off into the distance, starry-eyed whenever her name comes up.

The only child he mentioned was Jody who is not listed on the roster. Although he was saying clearly and repeatedly, JODY, I thought he was confusing the name with Josie, a girl in his class, but he insists it is a boy. It's a mystery!

After dropping him off, I was not overwhelmingly sad, although I did feel a bit emotional and expect this to continue in the coming weeks (years, rest of my life...) More so, I felt my heart nearly leaping out of my throat...an overflowing feeling of love and gratitude that Lucas can blossom unencumbered in this wonderful place, Arbor Montessori.

Practicing for school

It's only 5 days away! Lucas is the youngest child in his Montessori class (we figure it's never too early to learn to share, slice fruit and mop spills.) His teacher's name is Ms. Deedee. This mysterious woman often appears in his bedtime/potty stories. Over the summer she sent him a postcard from Argentina. He found this very interesting, bordering on bizarre. We know he's going to love it.

Summer days

Sorry to have fallen off the planet after returning from Europe. We have been busy bees! But we have had time to enjoy the summer. We've been hanging out with Lucas's buds, going to the pool and playing at parks and in the yard. That about sums it up but each day is a new adventure. And guess what - Lucas now yikes ice cream!

Here are a few pics of our first trip to the neighborhood pool:

Lucas & Carter in our front yard. All of his little friends have a lawnmower exactly like this one.



Here are the three muskateers of Sunset Acres. Zoom in on Zane in the back. Priceless!



Here we are with Zane, Melissa, Carter and Anna.



First dip in the baby pool. I think it was a hit!