Catching Up.

Things have been busy busy for the Boyds lately... Before John headed off to Japan we made our yearly trek out to Boyd Orchards (no relation) to search out the perfect pumpkin and of course get the first REAL apples of the season for some apple pie! We had a fantastic time because this year our great friends Kim and Andrew got to come along! Jack had the best time exploring the pumpkin patch with his buddy Andrew! The hit of the day was definitely playing in the dirt - lots and lots of dirt! The boys were covered head to toe! It was a great day to spend with the family before John headed out.
Before taking him to the airport we got to go to a fantastic brunch at Kathie's so Jack got to see his big cousin (and idol) Aiden, and the distraction was quite welcomed! We got John off and just kept busy the whole week... We had Great Aunt Anne, Grandma, Grandpa, Ben and Josh over for dinner on Sunday, we went to dinner at Mary's on Monday, Tuesday we met Kathie, Emma and Aiden at Fazolis for dinner, Wednesday Grandpa, Ben, and Josh came over... Whew! And there was still more to do!!
On Friday we went to Cincinnati with Grandma, Meam, Julia and Bianca! What a fun trip! Jack had a blast swimming in the hotel pool and LOVE LOVE LOVED the zoo! We were all a bit disappointed that the giraffes were not there (they are redoing the exhibit) but that's okay - Jack loved watching the elephants throw dirt on their backs, and growling at the lions! He again was completely fascinated by the manatees and thought it was hilarious they were eating lettuce! He thought the peacock was about the coolest animal he's ever seen and loved going on the train ride through the zoo! We met my cousins up there and Jack thought it was pretty cool to eat lunch with the big boys (Drew and Zach) and loved getting the chance to meet Andy and Jen's new baby Nora - she is SO beautiful! It was a fantastic weekend!
We got to pick John up at the airport on Sunday and Jack is convinced that he saw "Daddy's plane" land and was so cute when John walked out to the car he insisted that he sit right next to him in the back! We missed John so much, but were very thankful for the busy week to distract us from him being gone!
So things are getting back to normal around the house - we're all ready for Halloween (I finished Jack's costume yesterday - it's so cute!!). Check back next week for pictures from the big night and check the photosite for some pictures from the pumpkin patch and zoo!
OH! I almost forgot to mention this: Jack can count to ten!!! I don't know what happened, but something just clicked!! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!!!!!!!!