Fall. I love it.

 

Guess what we did last weekend?  We went on a leaf walk.  The kids thought we did it as a fun activity for them, but they were wrong.  It was something fun for me.  

 

First, we all decorated leaf-collector bags.  We each had one.  

Then we went for a walk here:

 

We found big leaves, small ones, acorns, berries, and seeds.  We took them home, looked them over, and then set them free outside.

We stopped by the park on the way home.  Here's Ms. Adventure on the rock-climbing wall:

The past few weeks have been absolutely Fall Perfect.  Crisp-but-not-cold, with a lovely leaf smell.  We even took a walk with the kids in the drizzle the other night.  After this past summer, I'm glad we are getting a real fall.

Love it.

Happy Birthday Ladybug!

What can I say about this girl at two?  

She is completely fearless about trying new things.  She will climb playground equipment designed for six year olds without blinking an eye.  When she is upset, she will SCREAM (the highest-pitched horrible noise you have ever heard), and then get over it immediately.

She loves "Bubby" and they really take care of each other, which is precious.  She goes to bed on her own with no problems, but usually falls asleep on the floor.  She holds a pencil like an adult and "writes" with absolute precision (and has also colored on every wall in our house).

She has strong opinions about wearing a particular jacket or hat or tights (or all of them at once).  She makes the most expressive little faces and is so sweet and goofy and trouble all at the same time.

Here she is blowing out the candles on the ladybug cake my mom made:

 We put the tent up in the backyard and had an "explorer" party (fitting for Franny!).  We made little binoculars for the kids and put some flashlights out there for the kids to play with.

 Opening presents (with a little help from the Doodle):

 

This isn't the greatest picture, but she was thrilled about this gift bag.  She dumped out the presents, exclaimed "My purse!" and proceeded to stand up and walk off holding it like a handbag. 

She got a baby doll for her birthday and has been so completely serious about taking care of it, it's adorable.  She's not especially cuddly, so it's funny to see her care for and love on her baby the way she has been.  I can't believe my sweet Franny-girl is two already!  We love you, Ladybug!

Happy Halloween Hilarious-ness

We went trick-or-treating tonight and we had a blast.  The kids were hilarious.  Before we even left the house, I explained to the kids what we were going to do, and we practiced saying "trick-or-treat" and "thank you."  So the first person opens the door and the kids just stand there, wide-eyed, staring at that giant bowl of candy.  We nudge them to say "trick-or-treat" but instead Atticus holds out his bag and says "Can I HAVE SOME, please?"  At least he was polite. 

The best part of the evening was the last house we stopped at.  A baby who was obviously about to take a bath came toddling up to the front door in his birthday suit, and Franny announced to everyone, "That baby has a penis!"  I almost died.  Luckily, the parents (our across-the-street neighbors) thought it was too funny. 

Our little doctor:

 

My handsome cowboy:

Franny-girl's costume is the same one the Doodle wore two years ago.  She went around all night saying "I'm a doctor!"

His is made of pieces I've been collecting from consignment and thrift stores over the past few months.  I love that pearl-snap shirt on him. 

This picture cracks me up.  Mr. Personality:

When we got home, we sat outside and gave out candy to trick-or-treaters.  The kids were on a mini-sugar rush and were having a blast giving out candy.  Atticus kept trying to "scare" people by shaking his head crazily and going "Bluuuuuhhhh."  Franny gave each person a piece of candy saying, "Here you go!"  One kid walked away without saying thank-you, and she just gave a huff, rolled her eyes, and said "You're welcome..."

She and Atticus ran around the yard in the dark acting like two little goofballs.  They just kept going in circles, Atticus going "Bluuuuhhh!" and her yelling "That's a CAZY (crazy) costume!" over and over.    

We had fun.  Two thumbs up.

Doodlebug's Fall Adventures

What!? It's raining!!

  The Doodlebug is growing up so fast!  He loves school, and he has learned how to spell and write his name (although it's usually backwards...but I think that's a good start!)  He is getting more and more adventurous about making new friends.  He loves to run and race, and loves to wear his tennis shoes ("My fastest shoes").  Interestingly, now that it has gotten cooler, he has also decided that he loves his shorts and wants to wear them every day.

Here he is at the zoo with his friend Jonathon checking out the birds:

                                      ******

The other day he came into the bathroom while I was getting ready and told me he needed me to leave so he could have some privacy to use the restroom.  He said "Privacy is when you stay in the bathroom by yourself."  

I told him I was getting ready for school and if he wanted privacy, he needed to go use his own bathroom.  

He thought that over for a minute, then shut the bathroom door and said, "New privacy is when you can have two people in the bathroom.  That's new privacy."

A Ladybug and a Bumblebee

Yesterday, Franny got stung by a bee.  This is not surprising, since she has been determinedly trying to catch one for a while now, in spite of our warnings.  She was a trooper.  She cried briefly, and then kept telling us, "It's okay."  She was eating up all the attention she was getting from her Daddy and brother, though!

I need to add a label for "Escapades of Frances" posts.  This girl can climb on something faster than you can turn around.  In just the past few weeks, she has gotten stuck on top of her changing table, we have pulled her out of the bathroom sink I don't know how many times, and last week Craig caught her on the kitchen counter, attempting to cut up an apple with a knife (she had already eaten a banana before he found her).  This girl is childproof-proof.


 Looking for worms in the garden:

 Feeding the Ducks:

But look how sweet I am:

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Chapter One: Franny

Backstory: Last week we had one of our favorite dinners planned: pasta carbonara with bruschetta.  Craig spent the morning baking fresh bread, slicing it, rubbing it with olive oil, and making it into toast.  He tossed our Farmer's Market tomatoes with garlic and olive oil so the flavors could absorb.  When I got home that evening everything was ready.  Our mouths were watering to eat that bruschetta.  

 Then Craig dropped the glass lid to our pasta pan and glass went flying everywhere.  On the tables, on the countertops, into the living room.  We couldn't stand throwing that food out, but we did and took the kids to Pizza Hut.  We almost cried.

Fast forward a few days.  We keep thinking about that meal.  We decide to try again.  Craig makes the bread, toast.  The other half of our Farmer's Market tomatoes.  I call him on my way home from work.  Everything is great, supper is almost on the table.  Mouths watering.

Craig turns around.  Where are the tomatoes that have been marinating all day with garlic and olive oil?  They were right there on the counter.  He looks around and sees this:

 

 

In case you can't tell, that's a tricycle.  In case you can't tell, the tomatoes that were supposed to be topping our bruschetta are now topping a cargo of mulch that has been hauled in from outside.

Thank you, Franny.

Chapter Two: Atticus:

Atticus walks into the living room this morning.  He has a mysterious red mark on his face.  Craig says, "Atticus, what happened to your face?"  

I had to get rid of my whiskers.

Good Grief.

On a happier note, when Craig picked Atticus up from school yesterday, the teacher said, "If I could chose one word to describe Atticus, it would be joyful.  That kid is so full of joy."

In honor of that, I thought I'd post one of my favorite flashback pictures of the Doodlebug.  Here he is at 8 months old:

Joyful.