Cut n Gut 2012

For years now we have been carving pumpkins with Chris and Kayla.  But this is the first year that Julie and Andy have been awake for the whole party!  They both got to cut their own pumpkins (although, I did most of their gutting for them).

Andy loved getting to use the knife.

Julie and Uncle Monster collaborating.

Hard at work. Not sure how Kayla managed to avoid being in every single picture.

Finished products were pretty impressive.  Here is Johns:

And Chris (the sneering man) and Kay's (the kitty!):

Julie's! She really did most of this on her own.  Notice the "J" on it's cheek.

Andy got a little more help, but he still did a lot of the cutting. He was very proud of his final product.

And mine.

 

After the kids went to bed, we cleaned up and the pumpkins took on a life of their own!

Another successful "Cut n Gut" and now our house looks really ready for Halloween!

Andy is Cracking Me Up!

My absolute favorite "Andy Phrase" right now is, "When Sadie turns into a kid...." usually goes something like, "When Sadie turns into a kid, she is going to LOVE marshmallows." Or, "When Sadie turns into a kid, is she going to want to sleep on the top bunk?"

I love my boy and his sweet concern for his baby who will one day turn into a kid.

We were talking about what Julie and Andy wanted to be when they grew up. Andy wants to be a fireman and a train driver. Julie a nurse and a teacher. I said, "I want to be a monkey!"  Andy quickly replied, "you already are."  Ha. I laughed so hard!

Tonight he said to me, "Mommy, you look like a tea cup."  I am not sure that is any sort of compliment, but it's true and pretty funny!!!

 Of course, the thing I love to hear the most is, "Mommy, I love you."  Which is something he says a lot, out of the blue. Melts my heart every time.  

Steps!

This little stinker just took 3 steps! From John to me. With both Andy and Julie cheering her on!  Go Sadie Jo, Go!!!!

Colony Days

This morning the kids (and therefore, John and I) were in the Colony Days Parade. The kids had a blast riding in the back of the truck. We were technically doing it for Julie's soccer team, but only 2 other team members showed up, so there were actually more kids in the back of the truck that weren't on the team. But no matter what, it was a lot of fun.

This is Julie and Andy with River and Iris. These two kids are so cool. They have so much fun together. And they have a baby brother Moses who is just a few months older than Sadie.

Andy is a bit smitten with Iris. He has been talking about her all afternoon.  Can't blame him, she is adorable.

Go Green Dragons! John was driving and the rest of us parents walked (jogged) behind them.

We had a great crowd cheering us on. We saw Uncle Justin and Lauren, Sue, Memere, and this silly bunch.

It was not quite as relaxing as sitting and watching the parade, but still a great time.

Little Andy Catch Up

We brought Andy in for his 4 year well check today. He is weighing in at a whopping 46 pounds (96 percentile) and 42.5 inches tall (88 percentile).  It surprised me that he is so high in the weight percentile because he no longer has any baby fat on him. He is all muscle and bone! But muscle is heavy right?  He got a clean bill of health and educated Dr Patterson on the more obscure dinosaur species and terminology.  Dr Patterson also loved that his knees were skinned, his nails were dirty and we guaranteed him that his bathwater is always murky.

Our big man got an A+.

11 Months Down

 And only 1 month to go before Sadie's first birthday!!!!

This is going to be a picture heavy one because we went to the park tonight and she was just having so much fun in that swing!

 Sadie is still a happy girl. She is happy when we go to the doctors office. She is happy at Memere's and Grandma's. She is happy when the big kids are there, and maybe a little less happy when they aren't.  She looks up to her big brother and sister and thinks they are hysterical. She laughs at their silliness and cries when they are sad.

She says "Momma" and "Dadda".  The other night, she was sitting on the floor and John said, "Hi Sadie!" and she said, "Hi Dadda!"

She still gives kisses with a big open mouth and LOTS of tongue!

Doesn't she need a halo in this one??  Don't let her fool you. She has her naughty side.  No drink is safe with her around. She will knock it over, or put her hand right in it.  She sneaks off with the big kids toys when they aren't looking. She usually doesn't get to far because her own shenanigans make her giggle, catching the attention of Julie and Andy.

 She likes to wave at everyone! When we are on a walk, every car gets a wave. And a smile, of course.

She has lots of teeth! Actually, probably the same as last month, 4 on the top, 3 on the bottom. But, they are growing in really fast, so they are long already. And they show in her sweet smile.

Sadie isn't quite walking yet. She has taken a step or two, and she can stand on her own for a good 20-30 seconds.  But she is still content crawling and climbing. Not being able to walk doens't slow her down in the least.

When you ask, "How big is Sadie??" this is what you get.  We taught all three of our kids this fun little trick, and it seriously never gets old.

This was from the other day at Avila Valley Barn. I just couldn't resist adding it in because she's so funny, and confused about this big orange thing in front of her. She is using her silly pretend smile.

Oh Sadie Jo, we love you so! Can't wait to celebrate your big birthday with you next month!

Another Goodbye

On Saturday night we got the news that Mimi passed away.  She had fallen a week or so before and just couldn't recover.

Every single time we went to her house, she was excited to see us. Even though she had seen us every week, at least once a week, for years now. She would ask how I was, how the kids and job were treating me, ask about my day. She was so caring and so genuinely interested in everything you had to say.  She told me all the time how great my kids were, and I know she really meant it.

She used to sit on the porch, near Andy's huge train table and watch him play.  He would talk to her the whole time. Most of the time she couldn't understand or hear what he was saying, but she was there with him and he loved it. He told her the name of every train. He told her all his grand plans for his trains.

Both Julie and Andy would crawl up in her chair with her and a book. They would tell her all about the pictures. And again, usually she couldn't hear them or see them, but neither party cared, they just liked to be together.

Mimi's warmth and sincerity will be missed. She will be missed.  She is a woman I feel privileged to have known.

Beach Day

I have been trying to do this blog all week, but I just never could find the time, energy, or feel like I would do it justice.

Last Saturday, after soccer and John and Chris got off work, we hit the beach with Auntie Kay and Uncle Monster.  When the kids and I got home from soccer, there was a boogie board waiting by the front door. We have asked around but we can't figure out where it came from! It has 3 turtles on it, just like John's new tattoo.   So, if anyone has any information on it, send them my way! And thank you!!

The weather was absolutly perfect. And I can honestly say that we had way more fun than I have had at the beach since I was a small child.

The kids dug in the sand and played in the waves.

When I took this picture, Andy actually said, "I am just having too much fun digging my hole, I can't look at you!"

Chris and I boogie boarded! Like, whole body in the freezing water, riding the waves to shore. What a blast! It was so fun! The waves were big (well, but for us old folks on a boogie board) and Kayla was spotting us while John and the kids sat on the sand and watched (most of the time shaking their heads wanting nothing to do with it!)

Sadie was a little apprehensive of the sand. And the water. She much more enjoyed watching Julie, Andy, Daddy and Uncle Monster build their sand tower.

The tide was coming in and their construction area was eventually flooded.

But not before Uncle convinced Sadie to get her hands a little dirty.  Look at Auntie Kay looking all pretty back there.

We started packing up as the sun went behind the mountain. We were all covered in sand, Kayla and Sadie were the only ones that didn't need to use the outdoor shower to eliminate what we could of the sand before we got in the car. I think we would have stayed longer if the sun (and our growling stomachs) had allowed it.

We went to our favorite fish restaurants for dinner and it was a very quite car ride home with sleeping kids and content adults.  It was one of those nights where you plop down on the couch and say, "Wow, best day ever."