Fall Frenzy

Wow, it seems like yesterday it was Halloween and suddenly half of November is gone! We've been busy and our camera is on its last leg, but here's the best of what I've taken lately.

The girls at the zoo on RL's birthday...LL wearing the clown suit my mom made me when I was about her age, and SJ wearing my first dance costume.


Sisterly love!


We never made it to a pumpkin patch, so on Halloween day after church I took a few of the kids in our yard with the pumpkin which became our jack-o-lantern a few hours later...






What's this?


Gotta really check it out...


5 little pumpkins


Sunday afternoon snuggle fest


Trick-or-treating around the neighborhood...notice the costume changes since the previous weekend at the zoo. The original plan AG and LL came up with was to just switch costumes on Halloween so AG could be the clown and LL could be a princess. At the last minute AG decided she wanted to be Pollyanna, so we threw this together using a passed-along dress, hat, and suitcase. Even though very few people, if any, probably knew who she was, it made me so happy!


So that's a wrap on our October...finally!

A little more about RL...

A few more "birthday" updates on our little guy:

Official weight at well-check on Oct. 29: 20 pounds, 11 ounces. I had hoped he'd be at least 20 pounds, but wasn't sure. He's loving his new view as he faces forward in his carseat!

He's cut two more teeth in the last week, top and bottom "partners", to complete the front four on top and bottom now. Several people have commented lately, "Look at those teeth!"

Last Thursday he took about 5 steps without holding onto anything! This was sort of sudden, and has only happened once or twice since then. I wouldn't say he's really even cruising much, but he's getting better at balancing and when the mood strikes, he'll get his feet moving.

Last night at bedtime he very suddenly said, "Nigh nigh" and I am so glad AG was there with me to hear it or else I might have thought I imagined it! When we brought him out of his room to see if he'd sat it again to T and the other girls, he looked a little baffled and reverted to the sweet goodnight wave he's been doing the last few weeks. He's doing a ton of pointing and very deliberate babbling, but "Ligh" is still his only consistent word.

He'll sit still for a short book or two sometimes, but he really dislikes being held back, especially to be dressed. He can make some of the loudest protest noises I've ever heard!

He likes his new swing:


He'll drink from a cup pretty well at times, but often holds it upside down.


He's a mess, but such a fun one!

SJ Sweetness

SJ has always been such a sweetie, but lately it seems that she is constantly saying or doing something that makes us laugh out loud. First, my personal favorite for obvious reasons as you'll see, is that several weeks ago she declared about her own tummy," This is Mommy's tummy...Mommy is in charge of my belly button." To say that is a role to be coveted is putting it mildly. She is quite a cuddly little girl, and if ever there has been a tummy worth vying for at our house it is hers, so I was delighted with this announcement. Since then T has managed to be worked back into the "in charge of the tummy" picture to the point where the last time the topic came up, we were given joint custody. I'm happy to share :)

When T was not feeling well a few weeks ago she heard me comment that maybe he had "a bug." Later she said, "I think he's sick...that fly got him!"

A few nights ago while we were getting settled to read a story, she got up from her seat beside T and moved down the sofa to sit by me. He made a lighthearted comment about it, and she explained, "I wanted to sit by somebody older." Well, good choice! I have no idea if she really understands that I am a little older than he is, but good thing I am not sensitive about my age...:)

She is a super-eager prayer. Before meals or at bedtime the words, "Let's pray" are not even off our lips before she is getting started. She always remembers to pray for people who are sick, and this week that has included "people with scratches, people with bruises, and people with blisters" so if you are in one of those categories, be encouraged that you are being lifted up!

Earlier today she chose a pair of day-of-the-week panties to wear, and though it's Wednesday, she wore "Sunday" the rest of the afternoon. Tonight as she was changing into her pj's, I heard her tell T, "These say "Church"!"