Trick or Treat

So with the pumpkin carved (design by a very proud Johnnie) & sitting out front we were ready for the big night to arrive. And arrive it did. Halloween came & went quickly this year. We decided to let the boys pick out their own costumes. And then we in turn tried to choose costumes that would go with. Johnnie decided that he wanted to be a parrot. But not just any parrot. A Pirate's parrot. So we found a Pirate costume for daddy because what is a parrot without a shoulder to perch on. And daddy made a fantastic pirate. He was quite the swash buckler. Our friendly dog wanted a picture with the pirate too & I think he thought the sword was a bone. Knowing that Holly would probably sleep in the stroller the entire night I wanted to get her a costume that would be really comfy but still cute. So a ladybug seemed perfect. But a baby bug needs a mama bug to protect her so that's how my costume was chosen. A few more pictures & we were ready to head out. Our 4 cuties & a family photo. At first the boys would walk up to the door together. They would all say Trick or Treat in unison quickly followed by Joey telling every neighbor that he is Scooby Doo (in case they couldn't tell.) But it soon became obvious that Jimmy as Elmo wanted to go at a slower pace. So Daddy stayed with the big boys, I stayed with Elmo & thankfully Auntie Kim enjoyed pushing Holly (who was alseep) in the stroller. This year we made it 2 block & 45 minutes. Not bad!

And of course we had to check out the loot before we could let the boys (& ourselves) eat any. It really was a Happy Halloween.

The Pumpkin Patch

It's that time of year again. The time when we all pile into the car & drive the whole 3 miles to our local pumpkin patch. Not a lot has changed at George's Pumpkin Patch. Nothing fancy. No hay rides. Only a few animals wandering around & rows of pumpkins. But the boys are still happy just being pulled around in the wagon. And of course they still love picking out their pumpkins to take home. Johnnie always goes for the big ones but the rule is that we will buy the one he can carry himself. And he did. A perfect round one that we will carve for Halloween night.Jimmy spent a lot of time with grandpa trying to pick his perfect one. At one point he tried to convince us to get two but in the end he settled on one. And once again Joey was connected to daddy who helped him find his pumpkin. With the pumpkins picked out this left us free to get some photos. A little grandpa love& photos of our baby girl's 1st visit to the pumpkin patch with her auntie Kim, her biggest brother & her mama. And before we went home we took the chance to get a family photo. The first of many I hope since for now it's like pulling teeth to get all the kids together but that's okay since it gives me such joy to see the whole family in one photo.

My little 2 month old

Time flies or it could just seem like that now that I'm getting some more sleep at night. Holly is now 2 months old. She sleeps 12-16 hours a day. She eats every 3 hours during the day & every 4-7 hours at night. She is finally starting to wake up happy & is spending more time smiling now. This month she had her first haircut, attended her 1st birthday party, had some play dates & has been such a joy to have around except when she is screaming at me because she is angry about having to drink a bottle.

I have been in bottle training mode for the past week so pictures have been sparse. Johnnie is loving swimming & spends a lot of the weekend swimming with his friends at the neighbor's home. This leaves Joey & Jimmy at home to play together. They get along really well when they aren't fighting that is. Lately the favorite game has been using Tinker Toys to play make believe kitchen & cooking. Naptime has always given us a 2 hour block of time to clean up, rest, get chores done & enjoy some quiet time. Well since the boys share a room & Johnnie has given up naptime so have the other 2. We still make them go in the room to rest for at least an hour but this weekend when I opened the door to check on them this is what I saw. The 3 of them huddled over a book reading together. Doesn't Johnnie look worried that I just caught them not sleeping? At least one of our children took a nap. And daddy's arms & chest seem to be her favorite place to sleep these days. And at 8 weeks old she is finally waking up happy in the morning & smiling more throughout the day! And this makes her mama smile more too.

I tried for the Tuesday 10 but it's Friday.

1. Last week Holly got her 1st haircut. We have done this to each of our children between 5-7 weeks old & I personally think she looks adorable. And look at the little piles of hair. Thanks daddy.2. Her after shot.3. Here is a shot of each of the kids after their hair cuts. I personally think she looks EXACTLY like Johnnie.4. Johnnie had his 1st school photo this Wednesday & so last weekend we practiced a little. I think he looks cute but lets hope he looks at the camera. 5. Say cheese Joey. Okay he says but only if he can take the pic with daddy.6. Jimmy is such a little entertainer. Always making us giggle.On this day he was laying with daddy & playing hide and seek with his blanket.7. Daddy spending some time with his baby girl. I guess they were both tired.8. It's always been difficult to get a picture of the 3 boys together & now trying to get 4 of them to cooperate is going to be practically impossible but I'm up for the challenge. 9. I have been trying to train Holly to take a bottle for 5 days now. I basically nurse her in the morning & then only offer bottles until bedtime. She still screams & cries for that 1st bottle, takes the 2nd one, pushes the 3rd one around & drinks some of it & then tearfully takes the 4th. WOW! She is stubborn.

10. My girl is 7 weeks old now. Her BFF's mom described her to a tee. Very focused & intense & maybe that's why she is so stubborn about the bottle.