Cow-o-ween (part two)

Halloween is not just a super fun excuse to dress up our super cute kid in a cow costume; it's also a wonderful occasion to take lots of cute photos of him with his friends. Both of our playgroups (the Five Points Half Pints and the Stroller Strides gang) hosted fantastic costume parties this year. Court was especially excited to spend some costumed time with his besties Oliver and Gigi. Oliver plays a particularly significant role in our Halloween memories, since Court crawled for the very first time while watching Oliver do the same at a costume party on October 28, 2009. Fast forward a year, and these two are still dearest of friends!

Take note of the ridiculously adorable hand-holding!

Cow-o-ween (part one)

We're a few weeks behind schedule with this post (ah, the life of a working mom!) but Court is still talking about the "cow jacket" he wore for Halloween. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper toddler holiday without multiple costume parties and lots and lots of candy. Sadly, it started pouring rain at 4 pm on October 31st so our neighborhood costume parade was cancelled and we only made it to a few houses for trick-or-treating, but Court still had a great time. He was extra excited to show off his costume to his Grammy Carol and Papa Courtney, who came into town to share the evening with us.

(note the M&Ms in his right hand!)

Pumpkin Season

As I have mentioned before, we are big fans of the State Farmer's Market, which operates year-round and provides a fantastic farm-to-home format for continual access to some of the state's best produce. We especially love the market during Autumn, when the fall bounty offers tons of inspiration and color. Court especially loves the pumpkins at this time year!

Block Party

A few weekends ago, we joined our neighbors for our first annual block party. With the permission of the Raleigh PD in hand, we blocked off a segment of our street and let the kids run wild while we visited with friends new and old. Court particularly enjoyed playing with his buddy Carver, who lives on our block and is just six weeks younger than Court. They are two peas in a pod!

Big Changes!

We are kicking off a new stage of our lives today, as I prepare to return to the workforce this week. The Local Government Commission, which is part of the NC State Treasurer's Office, received a copy of my resume through a professional acquaintance and approached me about an opportunity in their debt management division. Ultimately, they offered me a position working in my exact field of study and they have agreed to allow me to work thirty hours per week, thus affording me with the ability to continue to spend a lot of time with Court every day. I will be working Monday through Thursday from 8 am until 4 pm, during which time Court will attend the Infant-Toddler Center in downtown Raleigh, directly across the street from the State Capitol and just two blocks from Jon's office.

Today was Court's first day at his new school and he was amazingly calm and happy - no tears! He has been attending a two-day morning preschool for the past few months so he understands the general concept of school and now he'll be attending full-day school, four days per week. He already knows his three teachers by name and they said that he was a true sweetheart to them and to the other children. We are excited and nervous about the transition but Court makes it look easy!

NC State Fair

Court let us tag along with him on his annual visit to the NC State Fair, where he visited with some friendly cows and horses, sampled cotton candy and NC State University ice cream, rode the Merry-Go-Round and a leisurely boat ride, and visited with the Wake County Fire Department. The day was a highlight of the fall season!

Fall is here!

We have been so busy having fun in this gorgeous fall weather that we've been neglecting our "Holding Court" posting duties. But we're back, and we'll be much better about keeping you current on Court's comings and goings, we promise!

Last weekend, we traveled to Youngsville, NC to attend a fall festival at Hill Ridge Farms. We expected a simple hay ride and pumpkin patch, but what we found was a mini-theme park complete with a steam engine train, an 80' tunnel slide, a farm animal corral, and lots of space to run around like a wild man (which is Court's favorite activity, as of late). It was a lovely day. Happy fall!

(Court loves tractors, but he apparently doesn't love for his mom and dad to prop him up on a tractor tire and plead with him to smile for the camera!)