Happy Halloween!

The Bean's hair was PERFECT for an Indian costume!

I thought RR really pulled off the cowboy look!

We had a blast tonight at a friends b'day/family costume party! Those of you who know RR well know that he is not too keen on dressing up in costume. But he was a total trooper and decided to participate anyway. His only caveat was that we not spend a lot of money and try to use what we had. So I started off with RR and I's outfits...and came up w/ cowboys. Jeans and a plaid shirt for the basic look...and being in the deep South, we could probably borrow boots and a hat (which is exactly what we did). For the kids to coordinate, I decided on Indians, since I had some scrap brown suede fabric. After buying some fringe and a few embellishments, and doing a little sewing, we had two little Indian costumes! The Bean was SO excited about dressing up in her Indian costume. Bubs liked his too, except for his headband, and he cried every time I tried to put it on him. We were even runners-up in the costume contest at the party. (There was some tough competition there!) And we all had so much fun at the party! The Bean and Bubs played so hard they didn't even eat dinner (though the Bean made time for a chocolate chip cookie and a juice box), and we all went trick-or-treating afterward. Bubs picked up on the whole go-up-to-the-stranger's-door-and-you-get-candy thing fairly quickly, so between he and the Bean, we brought home a sizable bag of candy. Happy Halloween everyone!

Is it really Fall??

"Whew!! That's cold!"

(*Note that he is holding it by the popsicle itself and not the stick. He held it that way the whole time!)

Today the Bean asked for a popsicle. Is it really Fall? Bubs had to join in too and have his first ever popsicle. Seriously folks, it's 80 degrees outside! And it's practically November!

The Pumpkin Patch

Chillin' with her good friend, Jackson...

Running around...his favorite thing to do!

Searching for the right pumpkin...

We went to the Pumpkin Patch for the first time ever this past weekend, and we had a blast! We tried most of the activities there, including the hayride and pumpkin of course, the inflatable park, the pony ride, and the "Twactor Twain". We went with a couple of other families from our Sunday School class, and I think we all had a great time even though it was quite chilly outside. I think Bubs favorite thing was either the hayride or running around outside. The Twactor Twain was a little bumpy for his tastes, I think. The Bean like the inflatable park the best. It was such a fun family day...hopefully we'll get to do this every year!

He's gettin' so big!!

All done, Mom!!

Where did my baby go?? Bubs is 17 months now, and he wants to be a big kid like his sister. If the Bean colors, he wants to color. If the Bean gets to sit in a big girl chair, then Bubs wants nothing to do with his booster seat! If the Bean doesn't wear a bib, then Bubs doesn't want one either...you get the picture. His latest thing is to sing the "Hot Dog" song. If any of you watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse then you know the song. We've only watched it a few times, but man, that Hot Dog song is catchy!! So we like to sing it. Basically Bubs just sings "dot dog dot dog dot dog" over and over...quite heartily, might I add. He is climbing on everything and getting up and down the stairs quite well. Here are a few pics of Bubs trying to be a big kid like his sister, along with just some generally cute pics...

Backpacks

Bubs LOVES to wear his backpack. If I ever put it down for a minute, he grabs it and comes running over for me to put it in him. The Bean has two backpacks now since she got a new one for her b'day, and today Bubs wanted to wear all 3 backpacks. I'm surprised he wasn't falling over! It's fine w/ me that he likes to wear it...less for me to carry!!

What happens when your husband gets the kids ready for church...

The other outfit RR offered to the Bean...very tempting! Cute and comfy!
The outfit Bubs was supposed to wear to church...

What the Bean chose to wear to church...exactly what I'd laid out for her! Good girl!

What Bubs end up wearing to church...his jammies shirt, cargo khaki shorts, and his Teva sandals.

I just recently rejoined the praise team at our church after a 3 year hiatus of having babies, being pregnant, nursing, etc. When we sing we have to be at church early, which leaves RR w/ the responsibility of getting the kiddos ready for church. This past Sunday was my first Sunday back on the praise team, so it was RR's first time (that I can remember) to get both the kids ready to go anywhere really, much less in church clothes and all. Of course I wanted to make it as easy as possible on him, so I laid out their clothes, shoes, socks, hairbow, combs, diaper bags, the whole 9 yards, the night before. So I got up and left Sunday morning, and RR arrived about mid-way through the early service. He had been planning on coming to SS and the late service, so I was really impressed! I actually turned to him and asked, "Are the kids here or did you leave them at home?!?!" After the service, he told me the "story" of the morning. He had taken one look at the outfit I'd laid out for Bubs (a button-up shirt and smocked overalls; shoes and socks were optional) and decided it was too complicated. I think RR used the phrase "like 100 buttons" to describe the outfit (there are 9 buttons, just for the record). So he just left Bub's jammies shirt (yes, jammies) on him and added the first thing he saw in Bubs drawer that matched...khaki cargo shorts. And to complete the outfit, Bub's Teva sandals. When RR brought Bubs into the Bean's room, the Bean said, "Daddy, why is Bubs in his day clothes and not his church clothes?" So as not to leave her out, RR gave the Bean a choice between the church clothes I'd laid out for her and "day clothes." And the Bean chose her church clothes - that's my girl! So she looked pretty good, except for a couple of small things. RR decided her hair was way too tangled to try to comb (it WAS very tangled), and instead of her church shoes, he put on her regular socks and Keds (not that big a deal). Also, he pulled her socks all the way up to her knees (in his defense, this is the way Bubs usually wears his church socks). But by the time they got to church, the Bean had folded her socks "the way Mama does." For breakfast, the Bean had chips (yes, chips), and Bubs had animal crackers and 1/2 a granola bar. Both of them ate their breakfast at the church. Once they got to the church, RR dropped Bubs off first. And then he couldn't find the Bean's room (again in his defense, they've just promoted to new rooms about a month ago). He finally had to go ask somebody at the nursery desk where the Bean's room was! Anyway, to make a long story short, RR did things a little differently than I might have, but the kids were both clothed and fed and present. And we were both dying laughing about the whole thing. Not bad for his first time!

Anybody want a free baby gift??

Sorry this is sideways...I was too lazy to change it!

This is so random, but I have a baby gift that I need to give away. Most of you know that I have an embroidery machine for monogramming & applique. Well, I did an adorable baby gift for a friend the other day and was SURE that the name she had picked started with an E. And I was wrong. :) It was an M. So, I have a baby gift with an E on it, and I want it to go to a good home. :) I know, you say, "Just wait - somebody will come along w/ a baby girl w/ an E name, and then you can use the gift." This may be true, but I am impatient and would rather just give it away! So my loss may be your gain. If nobody knows anyone who needs it, then I'll probably sell it on Ebay or Craigslist. To avoid confusion, the pics on this post show the M gift, but it's the E gift that I'm giving away. It's the exact same gift, except with an E instead of an M, and on the outside of the flower I used pink thread instead of brown. The gift includes a onesie, bib w/ velcro closure, and sippy cup w/ pink top and monogrammed fabric insert (which you can change out). The onesie is a 3-6 months, but in my opinion those run a little small, so I was planning on it fitting like a 0-3 months size. The fabric used for the applique is a pink, brown, and white gingham tri-check. Let me know if you can use it, and it's yours!!