Catch up

Before there is a public tar and feathering because I haven't blogged recently, I thought I better get this out there, fast. I really don't know where the last month went. It certainly felt busier than normal, but I can't tell you what we really did. Of course, there are the usual suspects. You know you are behind on your ironing when your iron automatically shuts off and you are only half way through the pile! There was also the matter of this child, who is not normally so contained:

And this one, who normally is this uncontained:I'll start at the most recent stuff and work backwards. I hope the neighbors don't mind that I borrowed their maple for this picture. Ours has already lost all of its leaves. Look at that sunset behind them! I can't say that I am the biggest fan of Halloween in general, but if you avoid the scary stuff, the kids sure do have fun. Matthew was thrilled just to be able to carry a lollipop, and had no idea it was better to eat than to hold. Seriously, we do not need that kid on sugar. Grace got more use out of that recital costume from last spring. I thought it made perfectly good sense to use what we had! :)

One of the other highlights of the month was trick-or-treating at Daddy's office. You'll notice we had a costume change. Grace wanted to be Snow White that day. Fine. At least she already had the ensemble from her dress up stuff. Matthew was still the ferocious lion who won't roar in public.Grace positively adores going to Daddy's office. Which is funny, because I think we've only done it twice... maybe that's part of the appeal. Notice the high heels she wore. Who makes this stuff for toddlers and thinks its a good idea? I'm surprised we got out of there without a twisted ankle. And how cute is Matthew's tail wagging behind him? Those kids made quite the cute pair going around.

Seriously, ladies, lets all give our man a giant high five for working in a little cube all day. At least Erik "graduated" to one with a view. I don't know how I could go all day without a window. Or any privacy (oh, wait, that part does apply to me- I can't remember the last time I went to the bathroom by myself).

Matthew's obsession with all things motorized continues. Here he picks out a car to buy that is way cooler than his mommy's minivan. Which- side note- he just started calling me "Mom-ee" from "Mama". I love it.

Matthew is working on being an engineer, as he sorts and organizes everything into a nice line.

I also subjected my kids to a hands-on history lesson. Exact replicas of Columbus' Nina and Pinta were in Cincinnati for a week, and being a history buff I wanted to go. I used the kids educational experience as my excuse. :) Grace and I checked out a book at the library about Columbus, and let me tell you, there should not be a national holiday honoring that guy. He was not a nice man! And to be stuck on a ship the size of my living room for months at a time, well, lets just say I would be the first to volunteer to stay on the island and get to know the locals!

We visited a farm just down the road and did the corn maze ("Mommy, I don't think we'll ever get out!" panicked Grace half way through) and the hay ride. I had been told by someone that you get to feed the cows in the field. I didn't understand what that meant until these snotty noses came poking at us. Matthew thought it was great until Mommy fed the cow. Then he cried, buried his head in my shoulder and proceeded to fall asleep. That must be his defense mechanism.

Grandma was sweet and came for a visit over Grace's birthday and to watch the kids while we did some weekend training at church.And somehow this happened along the way. My baby turned four. FOUR. Please tell me life has a pause button and you've found it!

I learned a little something about my daughter the other day while we filled out a letter to include in our Operation Christmas Child box. I'll share the facts with you. Her favorite colors are orange, purple and pink, the latter two of which have been added in the last year. Her favorite drink is a smoothie, which we had quite a lot of this summer. Her favorite food are pancakes, with real maple syrup (don't try to fool that girl with the fake stuff- she's read the book about sugaring at the library and only wants the real thing!). She has one brother, but she thinks we should have 30 kids, to which I suggested a surrogate and more parents to help out around here.

Something I didn't need to learn from helping her with the letter was that she has become such a grown up little girl. She is full of caring for others, finds something to compliment us on daily, I am amazed at how maternal she is with Matthew, always trying to help him, encouraging him, willing to read to him when he has the pre-dinner whines, and entertain him when he has the everyday whines. Of course there are those moments they fight like cats and dogs, but I love seeing how they are becoming friends. Now if only we could get Matthew to call Grace something else besides "SSSSSSSSSS!!!!!"....