Bits & Pieces :: October

*Chloe likes to brush her hair upside down, hanging off the side or front of this chair.

*The kids helped me make tons of meatballs one day.  Chloe always eagerly digs right in to whatever I'm cooking and gets messy, while Evan sort of stares at the mix for a while, shivers at the thought of sticky hands, makes the usual "um, eeewwww, um..... I don't know.... okay.... eeeee... yukkkkk" and then puts his hands in.  After that you'd never know it bothered him at all.

*Chloe flips methodically through horse picture books quickly cataloging her favorites with colorful bookmarks.  Dozens of bookmarks.  Luckily in this book, one specific horse won first place in her mind.

*Working diligently on a paint-by-number set she got from Granny and Grampa on her birthday.

(Leaves and gourds sitting nearby are just a sampling of the piles of autumn goodness my kids collect every single year. My piano is covered with flattened dried leaves and the front windowsill has a pile of twenty gourds on it.)



*She's been playing with her hair a lot once again and shredding the front into scraggly layers.  I thought she was really outgrowing that, but I guess not....

*This is a card game the kids made up for their dogs and helicopters to play called "four-way war."  And even if it's 47 degrees outside (in October!) it is still comfortable enough inside to wear the minimum amount of clothing.

*This guy doesn't show up in too many photos because he's always outside on his bike or scooter or driving an RC around the neighborhood.  He and Chloe have taken to exploring our block and across the street together.  Of course these adventures are how I end up with piles of leaves, crabapples, walnuts... And if he's not outside, he's in his room with the CD player on memorizing new Sandra Boynton songs.  There is nothing cuter than hearing him singing along to this silly music he loves.

*Chloe and I spent a good portion of the morning making a mural on the sidewalk together.  She worked on a horse stepping on a rock while I drew a garden nearby.  She observed and added the same details to her side.

This is what we ended up with:

Pumpkin Farm 2012

The agonizing wait is finally over, and Evan has already started the countdown to next year.
Pumpkin Farm Day was awesome!   
(Pictures are in no real order and neither are my commentaries.  Just a jumble.)



We met up with friends and spent an afternoon in the sun (and wind), shedding and adding layers as the day progressed.  Evan and Jed have been non-stop talking about the peddle cars from last year, so that's where they spent nearly the entire time.  Fifty laps each, easily.

Animal lovers.  They found this caterpillar almost as soon as we arrived.  Chloe took it down the slide over and over again.  They also each carried their beanie baby kittens in their collars for a good part of the day.  Amazingly we didn't lose either one (although at bedtime we got pretty nervous when Evan's "Chip" was nowhere... oh yeah, it was on his bed already where he put it.)

Chloe had a lovely time with Ysabet who took her by the hand and made her feel really special all day.  This is the first year the kids have strayed from me and played without me.  It was odd, but completely perfect.  They loved it and so did I.

Chloe adores these wooden horses.  She talks about them like Evan talks about the cars.  The biggest one, the "Clydesdale," is her favorite.

Best friend.

Chloe was impressively strong this year and actually maneuvered this heavy thing almost completely by herself (there were two places on the track where she needed a small push).  She went around several times too!

Our friends left before we did, so we had a couple of extra hours where Evan and Chloe did some things together, including some more rounds on the peddle cars, of course, some sandbox digging and a rousing game of prisoner on the hay bales where yours truly was the jailer of sneaky jail-breaking children.  Tiring.

I am still in awe at how much time these boys spent on the cars, including some heavy-duty off-roading when no one else was around.  (Evan's legs are aching today from all the work he did!)

I love this little impromptu moment right before giving hugs good-bye, especially since Olivia jumped in there!   Too bad Chloe's face is behind the Clydesdale's ear.

Kings of the Pumpkin Farm!

The goat kids got quite a bit of horn-scratching from Evan -- they really liked him.

Slide pictures never turn out great, but all five of the kids were up there at once so I had to take this one.  The girls were going down together, on the same slides, and trying not to hurt each other while the boys were tobogganing like penguins at full throttle on their bellies. 

Tradition relived.  They were so NOT excited to do this....again.  But we made them.

The kids were almost sleeping at 7:30pm, and slept about 12 hours each.  Both of them have achy legs and knees today :-)

And I am sunburned.  In October.

He's Here

My newest nephew, Zakary Ellex, was born October 3rd in the wee hours of the morning.  He looks like Ajay with a bit of Stahlsmith thrown in :-)

Evan Sometimes

Sometimes he looks like my sister Brook.
Sometimes he stands on his head when he is bored.
Sometimes he laughs really loud like Scut Farkus (from A Christmas Story).
Sometimes he collapses in a heap of tears when his feelings are hurt.
Sometimes he jumps around till he can't hold it anymore then runs to the bathroom.
Sometimes he asks for more food thirty minutes after a meal.
Sometimes he squawks like a chicken in answer to a question.
Sometimes he brushes his hair so poufy it stands 4 inches off his head.
Sometimes he smells like sweat and dirt and fresh air when he cuddles up on me.
Sometimes I think I can't possibly love a little boy more than I do this one.

To the Zoo

Just a few shots of an outing this week....

Bits & Pieces :: September

*I have amazingly found a "cheetah outfit" for Chloe in size 4, 5 and now 6 :-)  How crazy, right??  It's been her favorite for all these years.  And, also if Evan wears his hat, Chloe insists on grabbing hers (which, incidentally, happens to be his old one).

*Monster trucks have become one of Chloe's favorite games to play with Evan. They shade them with these paper umbrellas and have them all ranked like the dog pack in the movie UP -- Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Dug and one they call The First Aid.  Their ranks change based on behavior, tricks, smarts and whether others like them. 

*I think all boys can be found draped on furniture like this. 

*These little cables provided an entire afternoon of play one day.  They called it "Chickens and Snakes."

*Evan wears his glasses pretty often but he doesn't like how the nose-pads get sweaty.  He seems to think that playing video games is part of getting his eyes strong, since Dr. Tracie said to make sure he wears them while playing.... makes sense.

*Oh, look who was at my house :-) 

*Dad's tools provide tons of entertainment -- these clamps that make the kids feel really strong.

*We recently had some drama with our kitties.  Ruby had a UTI and is better now, and little Roy has a fractured pelvis.  He basically just sleeps all day and the vet said that's all he needs. 

*Our third kitty is perfectly well ;-)

Swinging & Smiling