Hello All!  Vacation is over and our routine is back to normal.  I must admit that after two weeks off, I got a little spoiled.  It was really nice to sleep in and be lazy.  We made no plans for our vacation and just did what we wanted.  It was very nice and relaxing and just what I needed.  We had a great time just hanging out and being a family.

A couple of things happened with Laura while we were on vacation.  The first is that she is a full-fledged walker now.  She was walking a little bit here and there before vacation.  During the first week off, she decided she was going to walk everywhere.  She very rarely crawls now.  It is so much fun to watch her toddling around and really enjoying herself.  The second thing is that she decided she only needed one nap a day.  Towards the end of the first week and into the second week she would nap in the morning and then simply refuse to nap in the afternoon.  She just wasn't tired.  We would lay her down for her afternoon nap and she would be quiet for a bit, but soon everything in her crib would end up on the floor.  So, we just kept her really busy in the mornings and wouldn't let her nap.  It worked wonders.  Of course, our daughter really doesn't like naps anyway and never really sleeps for long.  A nap that lasts more than an hour has been a great nap.

Other than that excitement, we had a nice vacation.  We went shopping one day.  We went to the Les Bourgeois Winery another day.  We took Laura to the park one day.  We went to the College of Business Football Tailgate.  We relaxed a lot and Andy and I played a lot of World of Warcraft.

In October news, Mizzou plays Nebraska this weekend.  A friend of ours from St. Joseph will be coming into town for the game.  We will tailgate before the game.  Andy and B will go to the game and Rachel, Laura, and I will go home.  The game isn't until 8:15 pm on Saturday so there is no way we can take Laura.  Sunday would be a nightmare with tired toddler.  Laura will wear her cute Mizzou Cheerleader outfit to the tailgate though and I promise to take pictures!  Next weekend, we will take Laura to McCoy's Pumpkin Farm outside Centralia.  We checked it out last year and knew that Laura would love it this year.  The following Friday is the Herbert J. Davenport Society Banquet for the College of Business.  It is a black tie event that Andy and I attend every year.  This year I went to David's Bridal and bought a new dress.  I spent more money on it than I care to think about, but I LOVE it and I can't wait to wear it!  The following week, I go to National FFA in Indianapolis.  Finally, the month ends with Halloween.  We found a cute dragon costume at Target for Laura.  I can't wait to put it on her!  We will take her trick-or-treating to a few people's houses Halloween night.

October will be busy for us!  Before we know it, November 2 will be here and Andy and I will be celebrating our eleven-year wedding anniversary.  How time flies.  Seems just like yesterday that we were at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church being married.  Andy and I faced some challenges this past year, but we've come out on the other end shining.  Having a baby changes a lot!