Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday we ventured out and explored the local pumpkin patch.  It was a beautiful morning, but we had some snow a few days earlier so the ground was really soft & muddy.  Made for an interesting & pretty messy visit for a certain 2-year-old who shall remain nameless, but I tried to not worry about the mud (on his brand new shoes!) & we still had fun.

"Cheese"

 So many choices, so little time... (so much mud!)

 

 Owen "helping" with the wheelbarrow

 

 

 Although you wouldn't know it from the pictures, Owen was absolutely terrified of the tractors at first.  People probably thought we were bad parents, as we forced him up on the seat... but we knew he would love it once he was up there.  Yep, he did!

 This little pumpkin slept the whole time, so of course I had to snap his picture once we were home! 

O & P

Owen loves to do what Porter is doing (Porter is drinking a bottle...then Owen needs his milk too!) and to be where Porter is (Porter is on the playmat, well then Owen needs to get in there too!)

It is pretty cute to watch Owen interact with "Baby Porter".  He sure loves his little brother (90% of the time) and I can't wait to see how much better it gets as Porter grows.

Here are some random pictures from the last couple of weeks. 

Owen loves to hold Porter on the "U pillow" (boppy).  He often comes up to us asking "Owen, Baby Porter, U?"

 



Porter had lots of helpers to give him his first bath.  And he loved it!  Must be a true Hardcastle boy!

I love how Owen is holding P's hand in this one.  So cute!

A random mid-morning shot of my boys!



Owen probably enjoys hanging out on the playmat more than Porter does... I always find him laying in there!  In this case, I'm guessing it was to watch "Toy Story" (notice the toys in the picture) his new favorite movie!

Porter- 1 Month Old

 Porter at 1 month old

 

 

And just for fun, here is Owen same age & same outfit

 

What do you think?  Any similarities?

Alpine Loop

When Porter was 10 days old, I was feeling extremely stir crazy (still am 4 weeks later...) so we hit the road and headed over to American Fork Canyon to drive the Alpine Loop.  We were a little late for the reds & oranges, but the golden Aspens were beautiful!

 

 

We stopped at Cascade Springs for a quick walk around the boardwalk. 

Owen was a little less than thrilled whenever we stopped for pictures, he wanted to be "exploring"!

 See?!  Thrilled for another photo op!

 



 

Since I'm still in recovery mode, we've pretty much been homebound the last month except for this adventure.  One more week, and then hopefully we can get out and enjoy this beautiful Fall weather!  My favorite time of year!

First Week at Home

I was lucky enough to have my Mom & sister Taryn come out and help me with for 10 whole days after I had the baby!  It was wonderful.  Taryn was the best helper with Owen... he adored her.  Sometimes he "adored" her a little too much, but overall they had a lot of fun together.  My mom was so much help to me & baby as I recovered from delivery.  I don't know what I would have done without them. 

 

 

 

 

 

Owen & Taryn... best buddies!

 

 

 

Porter sporting the BYU Baby Burrito look! 

 

 

 

 Aunt Taryn getting in some quality Porter time

 

 

 Owen's new obsession... good thing, because we have been watching this movie daily and it gives me 1.5 hours of quiet time.  Ah!

 

 

Catching some sleep whenever we can!

 

 

 Porter was pretty bruised on his eyes when he was born.  You can still see it a bit in these pictures.  

 

 

 

 Although he still has his moments, most of the time this is how Owen is with the baby-- a doting big brother.  He loves to alert me when "baby Porter" is crying, spits up, or needs a pacifier. 

I sure do love these two little guys!

Newborn Pics

Last week we had some pictures taken of Porter.  Although he was highly uncooperative throughout the entire shoot... the photographer still managed to catch a few really cute pictures. 

 Porter Mark Hardcastle, 10 days old

Photos by Captured by Amy Lee Photography

 

 

And just for fun, here is Owen's picture from about the same age.

 



I was surprised how different they look when comparing the pictures side-by-side, because they've seemed a lot more similar to me!  It will be fun to see how Porter changes over the next few months and how alike/different they end up!