Happy Halloween!

We celebrated Halloween last night at the trunk-or-treat. Tonight we will probably just watch movies. We had a lot of fun. Here are the three olders in their costumes - and I love the "deer in the headlights" looks on E and M's faces. Not sure what that was about. J was so excited about his costume. I couldn't find a superman costume at Walmart (how ridiculous is that!), so I spent $11 buying a pair of thermals and red sweat pants (that I cut into shorts). I used the cut off pieces of the sweat pants to make the symbol, and we already had the cape. I'm not ubercreative, so I was pretty impressed with myself. E was Snow White (of course), and M was a flapper girl.

M won for best children's costume. I think she's cute.

The scarecrows.

W spent the whole evening trying to eat the yarn straw from his hat and sleeves.

He's just so cute! I can't get over it!

On the Road Again

Yesterday, I decided to take my camera along as I walked J home from school.

He found this walking stick last week (unfortunately, it got stuck in the stroller wheel, so this picture shows it about a foot shorter than it used to be.)

Finding treasures along the way. Both J and E are in love with finding rocks...anywhere.

There is a row of stumps along the way. The kids were so excited that I actually let them stop and play on them instead of making time like I usually do.

And where were W and M? Snug as a bug in a rug, as they say.

M loves W's swing. I thought about not letting her in it until I realized she weighs about the same amount. I'm picking my battles. (I have no idea why this suddenly decided to underline. I'm not trying to highlight this section).

I decided to break out the exersaucer. W...tolerates it. You can kind of see the red blotches on his face in this picture. He always gets blotches when he's upset - not just when he cries. It's kind of funny.

A Taste of Hope from the Financial Sector

Matt posted an article from an economist that may shed some rays of hope on the bleak outlook. Check it out.

Four Month Check Up

Cute W went to the Doctor today. Matt stayed home sick today, so it was E, me, and W. It was REALLY nice. (Much easier than his last check up). He's 18.2 lbs and 26 1/2 inches tall. So, that's 97th for weight and 80th for height. He's a little chunk! I don't think I've ever had a baby whose weight was so much higher than height. Weird. He was so good, even though he got two shots. Smiling and jabbering away the rest of the time - and right now for that matter. I'm going to go pick up that cute, cute boy!

Another One!

Teeth are falling all over the place! J lost another tooth on Saturday morning. We can't find it. Ah well. He's still excited.

Our Living Jack-O-Lantern

We were walking out the door to go to the store yesterday when I heard a slightly panicky "Mom?" from J near the door. I ran over and he held out his hand saying "My tooth came out!" This was his first, so I think it worried him a little, but then I got excited and then he got excited, realizing this was how it worked. He is now part of the "Tooth Club" in his class. He was so excited the rest of the night. And very excited this morning to find two quarters under his pillow.

Contagious!

Yesterday, while we were driving in the car, W started laughing. About every thirty seconds he would burst out laughing again, so we asked J what he was laughing at. His feet. I guess they were funny. So cute. We, of course, couldn't help laughing too. I love baby laughter!

How Do You Learn?

My friend posted this learning styles quiz on her blog and I thought I'd share. I just love learning about those types of things. That was one of the things I loved most about majoring in psychology. http://ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/index.php

Too much?

E got new play shoes today. Upon seeing them, J said "That's a lot of sparkle for one girl."

Welcome Home!!

My baby brother, Rob returned home yesterday from his mission in Brazil. I'm so proud of him! Welcome home, Rob!!

Taking Stock

The kids have all seemed so big to me the last few days. I don't know what it is, but it has suddenly hit me.

So here's a snapshot of what everyone is like right now.

J is doing well in school. He reads like crazy and really enjoys it. Superman is his favorite superhero (though he has been enjoying a Spiderman comic book he got at the library). He loves playing make believe. He and Matt are reading the third Harry Potter together, and he gives me a status update every morning. He takes his role as the oldest very seriously, and always tries to take care of his sisters and brother.

M is just delightful. She really loves laughing at things. I know that sounds silly, but she does. She is so purposeful in all she does, and you can see the joy in her face. She loves dressing up like her big sister and I've noticed her copying the way E moves and the things she does. She loves Dora the Explorer. Yesterday, she was asking to watch Dora. Matt turned the tv on, and Little Einstein's was playing. Matt asked if she wanted to watch that, and she responded "I don't like it!" She very rarely speaks in complete sentences, so it was so funny to hear her say it. She is a very physical girl and loves running, jumping, throwing, kicking and dancing. She also loves reading stories together.

My boy is racing through life! Last night he rolled from back to front. This morning he did it twice more. And there you have it. My next blog post will be talking about his first day of kindergarten. He still sleeps nearly 12 hours every night, and we're starting to get into a more predictable routine during the day. He smiles all the time and loves to laugh. He loves "Pat-a-cake" and is VERY ticklish.

E is all imagination. She loves princesses and horses and, since our trips to the pet store, cats. She loves reading stories, but enjoys made-up stories better. She and J play pretend for hours on end. She throws herself completely into everything she is doing...or feeling. She is quite the drama queen. It is fun to watch.

Our family is going. Work is going well for Matt. I'm starting to get a handle on life and feel like maybe soon I will be able to feel back to normal after birth. I've started writing again and have really been enjoying that. I hope to finally finish the novel I started writing three and a half years ago! No more news on the house. We are just acting as if they won't be purchasing it and we're moving forward with life. I do want to find out for sure so that we can tell J (who still thinks we're moving in January). Well, that is what our family is up to today.

Red and Yellow on Green

I love the changing colors during Fall. Maybe I just didn't notice it back West, but in North Carolina, the leaves change in patches, so you see bright, healthy green leaves right along side vivid red ones on the same tree. The contrast is awesome. I just love the red against green scenery that has been popping up everywhere. Like the red clay against the green grass. I wish my pictures could do justice to the beauty that is all around me.

My Day, in three word segments

Cozy misty morning

Two diaper blowouts

Lots of pictures

Sweet, cuddly puppies

Kittens and girls

Preferring stuffed dogs

Three wardrobe changes

(Just for me)

Bright fall leaves

"Don't Mess" Attitude

Gorgeous blue sky

Bills, bills, bills!

Go Speed Racer!

Cute scooter girls

Ginormous anthill discovery

Darling baby boy

Happily doing homework

Sibling Chat

Teeth Party with a Hint of Salsa

E got a tea set for her birthday, so we have been having tea parties. M started calling them "teef" parties, perhaps because she's never heard of "tea". At our last shindig, we had tea with cream, yogurt, and...salsa to pour into our tea (all make believe of course).

Little Princesses

Yesterday we had E's friend party for her birthday. We were sick on her birthday, so we just spent the time as a family (which I absolutely loved). I let E choose five friends she wanted to invite, to keep it small. The girls' parents all dropped them off which was a first to me. I actually liked that - no pressure! Each girl was decked out in her favorite princess dress for the festivities. They were so cute. I loved how deadly serious they were about acting the part of "princess".

It's interesting to me how the most enjoyable and successful things tend to be the ones that we don't plan out. Two of the girls hadn't yet arrived, but the rest had been there for about fifteen minutes and were starting to look around for something to do. I decided to "introduce" them to the "ball". They absolutely LOVED that. They came up when I introduced them and gave their most dramatic curtsies then entered the ball. They loved it so much that when each of the other girls arrived they all wanted to be introduced again. After being introduced, I played some music and they danced.

They weren't just playing, they really were princesses for just an hour. I loved the time when I could lose myself so completely in a make-believe that reality no longer existed for awhile. I think that's why I enjoy writing so much. I love being completely lost in that other world and experiencing events and feelings that have been bursting to be released. It's also nice to be able to pack them back away and return to my real life that I can see with fresh eyes.

We had a princess lunch with little finger foods, and then made bracelets that they could take home. I'm glad E had her party and had so much fun.

Smiles