Happy Halloween!!

Nick and Ellie had a wonderful Halloween this year. There was a party in Nick's class today, complete with costumes and a parade. He was full of smiles and stories when we picked him up at lunch time. But no younger siblings were allowed, so we have to take his word for it! Ellie got cold feet about trick-or-treating as we were getting dressed tonight, but changed her mind when the doorbell rang. A couple of little girl's about her age were there dressed as pink unicorns, and they thought her Cinderella costume was just beautiful. Thankfully, the compliments swayed her in favor of going out and she had a blast! Nick was ready to roll from about 3pm today, so no one had to tell him twice to get into his Luke Skywalker costume! William was pretty much ready for bed at 6:30 when we were trying to take photos. So we did a few token pictures of him with the big kids, and he went straight to bed. The kids came home with lots and lots of goodies and wanted to devour all of it straight away. Some hot cocoa (very cold night) and ONE piece of candy and they were off to bed too. Good Night to all. Happy Halloween!

Yeah! He Likes It!!!

We finally found a food that little guy will eat.... sweet potatoes! BUT, he must have his own spoon. I think we have another strong willed toddler in the making.

First Snow! And Attempt #1 at Christmas Card Photos...

It snowed here overnight! Yeah! The kids were really excited to get outside and play in our first snow fall. Since it was also William's first snow ever we decided to commemorate the occasion with photographs. And why not use the photos for our Christmas cards?! Well, needless to say these won't be going out in the mail. Ellie and William cooperated by dressing in their attire, but as you can see from photo number two Nick was absent. Payton tolerated her Christmas bow, but wouldn't stop bouncing up and down long enough to be in an outdoor photo. You'd think at 8 years old she might have settled down a little... William was being cute as usual. Our sweet, angelic girl decided not to smile for the camera. Now that it's afternoon the snow is all gone, so we'll try again next snowfall. After all the stress I'm ready for a glass of wine!

William at Six Months

Here is our little man at six months. He is still a delightful little guy. Very happy and social. Loves his Mom and would like to be held at all times if possible (it's not). He is learning to push up on his hands and knees, and is almost there. He can sit upright on his own for brief periods of time. He has noticed his surroundings more in the last week and tries to get his little hands on everything! We need to babyproof yet again! He likes to try foods, but so far we haven't found anything he will actually eat. Not a fan of cereals or fruits. He takes two long naps during the day and likes to be in bed for the night at 6:30pm. He will sleep until 6:30 or 7 in the morning, waking up just in time to take the big kids to school. He loves baths, anything he can chew on, his feet, and flirting with people (ladies especially). His appointment is next Tuesday so I will keep you posted on height and weight. I am guessing he is a little over 14 pounds and maybe 25.5 inches? Still a peanut!

William

Such a big boy! William is six months old tomorrow. Time flies....

What is this thing?!

William's first up close experience with a pumpkin. He wasn't too sure what to make of it. And most disappointingly, it didn't fit in his mouth.

Silly Cherub

Our Little Angel

Trying Out the Exersaucer

I finally dusted off the exersaucer for William. At five and a half months, he is about six weeks older than the other two were when they first started using it. The trials and tribulations of being the third child I guess! But don't let the smiles fool you, he actually hates it. I managed to photograph a random smile here. A typical scenario goes like this: I place him in the seat, he looks at his surroundings for a few seconds, then looks around trying to find me, then wails pitifully until I pick him up again. He really just wants Mom to hold him all day.

Our Little Punkins'

Here are the little angels posing not so angelically for their group photo. Ellie wouldn't sit next to Nick, Nick would only sit if he could hold the wiggling William, Ellie would only sit if she could hold William, William didn't want any part of it, and poor Nick was coughing and sneezing from all of the hay.

The Hay Bale Maze

The hay bale maze was a big hit and the perfect size for small children. (Karen, I couldn't face another corn maze after last weeks experience. I may be scarred for life, or at least this year...) Nick actually did the maze the way it was intended. Ellie however decided it was soooo much easier and faster to just climb over the hay bales until you reach the center. Why waste time?!

Checking Out the Farm Animals

There were a few animals on the farm for the kids to see which was a nice surprise. Ellie liked the pigs (me too!) and wanted to bring one home (definitely not). Nick enjoyed feeding the goats and fortunately did not want to bring any of them home. Too smelly he said!

The Pumpkin Patch

We headed out to Rock Creek Farm today to choose our Halloween pumpkins. This was a pick it yourself farm, a first for us. Nick had a lot of fun searching the fields for the perfect pumpkin. Ellie was in a rotten mood from the start of the expedition, so tripping over the vines and uneven soil did not improve her mood. Unfortunately I wasn't able to help much carrying the pumpkins back to the car as I had William in the front carrier, and at one point was also carrying Ellie on one hip. But a good time was had by the majority of us, so we will definitely go back there again next year!

The Princess in the Park

Eleanor decided today was a wonderful day to be a princess. We dressed her in the most beautiful and fluffy pink dress, tied a bow in her hair, and put on some lip gloss. Then we headed for the park. Ellie decided to take her ballerina bunny with her as a dancing partner. It was a wonderfully sunny and warm morning, almost too sunny. But Princess Eleanor had a lovely time doing ballet in the park with her bunny and exploring the garden areas. William was less than enchanted as it was his nap time and he refuses to sleep in the stroller. Such a lot of compliments (and giggles) we had from the joggers and dog walkers this morning!

Enjoying the Autumn Sun

Such a beautiful afternoon, warm and sunny! We headed outside after naps to play in the backyard. William practiced sitting up solo, much more successful when leaning against the ball. Probably because he isn't fond of the grass. Ellie blew bubbles and enjoyed talking on the telephone for a half hour. I think we are in big trouble in about ten years! Nick played Star Wars and perfected the art of the death scene. My personal favorite was when he was "shot" by a Stormtrooper on the play structure and spent five minutes in the throes of death whilst simultaneously sliding down the slide.