Thanksgiving at the Groff's

We had the chance to do one more family adventure to PA this Thanksgiving before baby #3 arrived.  Fun was had by all.  There was food, fellowship, geocaching, tickling and lots of laughter.

Benjamin at 13 months

Our baby boy has definitely entered the world of toddlerhood.  New adventures every day and new things to explore.  We don't have a lot of space for the kiddos to run around in the house, but Ben has found he loves going up and down the stairs.  Thankfully he has finally mastered going down on his belly.

He is loving having soft, furry, playmates around the house.  Aunt Holly's dogs have been great entertainment for both the kids.

Ben is not saying a whole lot of words at this point, but a few we know he is saying is uh oh, baby and more using sign language.

Ben has grown fond of a baby doll we bought actually as an incentive for Emily to be potty trained.  The doll makes cooing noises and he loves to carry it around.  The doll has served as a training tool for the soon-to-be entrance of Baby Groff #3 by helping Ben understand not to pound on the baby.

Baby Shower for Baby Groff #3

I was overwhelmingly blessed again during the recent baby shower for Baby Groff #3.  The hostesses put together an amazing evening that was full of laughter, fun, worship and of course yummy food.  After we ate, my friend presented an awesome devotional that was very encouraging for me as a young Mother.  Thank you all for everything!!!

Of course there was a moment of tears when I opened the homemade quilt made by my Mom.  Thank you so much for the love and many hours that went into making this. 

Emily - 4 years, 3 mo. - Nov. 16

Life with Emily is always exciting.  She has a very vivid imagination and loves to talk about all her adventures.  There's times she repeats herself, but probably because she feels she needs to be heard above her Brother's jibber-jabbering.

"The Cat Girl" as she is nick-named is now up to 9 stuffed beanie baby cats.  Emily will play with other toys, but always comes back to her beloved cats which makes me chuckle. 

These days Emily is practicing her big Sister role for the new little one-to-be not only by telling her little Brother to stop pulling her hair when wrestling, but also telling my Sister-in-Law's dogs to sit and stand whenever she feels necessary.  Yes, there's quite a bit of bossyness in her.

Ben and Karley's Combined Birthday Party

Since Ben and his cousin Karley's birthdays are so close together, Karley's Mom and I decided to have a party together.  It was a lot of fun and we all thoroughly enjoyed watching the babies dive into their cakes.  Ben had his own personal cake the week before on his actual birthday so he was a pro.  Thank you to Aunt Kristen for coordinating everything for the party and thank you to all our friends and family who joined us!!!!

If you want to see a video of the little ones enjoying their cakes click here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=524518289781

Benjamin at 1 year

Yes, our little baby, Master Benjamin, is already 1 year old. This date last year at 7:06am Benjamin joined our family.

This month has been fun watching him master walking and of course venturing up the stairs.  Coming down the stairs is a work in progress, but we're getting there.  He loves to push around our new Little Tikes grocery cart, but shows some frustration when it gets stuck in certain parts of the house.

The best part about turning one is no more formula! He’s made the switch to whole milk with no problem, and seems to really like it. The second best thing about turning one is getting to turn him around in the car. It’s got to be better than facing backwards, and he seems to really enjoy looking around at the scenery.

We gave Ben a strawberry shortcake on his actual birthday and he demolished it, unlike his Sister who didn't even want to put her hands in it.  Surprisingly there was not a lot of cake in his hair or on his clothes.

 Looks like he's checking under the plate for more strawberries.

Happy Birthday Ben!  We love you!

Trunk or Treat with Preschool

Emily's preschool had their annual Trunk or Treat recently.  We were able to use the bumblebee outfit for a second year.  We thought with so many costumes on the shelves this year that surely there wouldn't be another bumblebee in her class, but sure enough there was.  No biggie....they had fun buzzing around together.  It was a VERY windy day, but the kids, parents and teachers had a lot of fun.

Fall Family Festival

Our church had our first annual Fall Family Festival a few weekends ago.  It was a lot of fun and very well organized.  There was lots to see and do for the whole family including face painting (or belly painting as seen below - thank you Mrs. C for your artwork), live entertainment, balloon animals, a cake walk and lots of games and food.  Thank you to all the folks who spent many hours planning and preparing this event.  It was such a blessing.

Circleville Pumpkin Show

What a great place to visit to bring in the Fall season.  If you like pumpkin, this is the place to go - pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pies and even pumpkin burgers.  There were lots of food vendors and a few vendors selling arts and crafts.  Thank you to Mom and Miss Mabel for letting us join in the fun.