Chatterbox

Lilah has started talking. She has been making noises that sound like words for a little while, but now I think it can be counted as 'talking'. How are these for a babies first words:

• here you go
• thank you
• hot
• dog
• a high pitched squealing noise that represents barking (and possibly meowing as well)

She LOVES dogs - she is my first child that really does like dogs, the others pretended to until they actually got within petting distance and then the charade was over and they were terrified!

Lilah has become more ... 'opinionated' and 'verbal' ... and I'm a bit worried about what will be coming out of her mouth next!

Fabulous Fall Family Home Evening

For FHE last Monday we had a great fall activity. We carved pumpkins, ate flavored popcorn and had apple cider. The kids loved it!

We made peanut butter flavored popcorn, a recipe from my mom, that uses almond bark and flavored oils, and it was a huge hit! The kids are asking for it again.

On Saturday we loaded the family up into the car and drove to the mountains to look at the beautiful fall colors, changing leaves, and fog. It rained off and on and as we drove we kept hitting fog and then coming out above it - it was a beautiful drive! The kids did really well on the way up and while we were there and then it deteriorated on the way home...

It finally feels like fall to me!

Happy, Happy Birthday Anna Elise & Lilah!

We've had two birthdays in the past week.

On Saturday Anna Elise turned 6! She picked to have donuts for her birthday breakfast. We had a Barbie ballerina cake for dessert. She got a mani/pedi kit, glitter, clothes and the new Barbie movie.

On Wednesday Lilah turned 1. She didn't know what was going on, but she LOVES birthday cake and frosting! I picked her cake, so we had triple chocolate cupcakes. She got her first baby, clothes, and a toy. She isn't very good at opening presents yet - but I think Christmas will solve that!

The birthdays were made even more special by having grandma here to help celebrate!

Grandma Came to Town!

My mom came to visit us for a week. She always comes to help when I have a baby which is very much appreciated, but not necessarily 'fun', this time she came just to play and visit and we had a lot of fun!
We were able to go to Time Out for Women here in Richmond on Friday night and most of Saturday, we went to the beach (which was windy!), to the pumpkin patch, the Yankee Candle store, the park, library, and shopping! We didn't take very many pictures - but we had a good time together!

These pictures are from the Yankee Candle store.

"Get that Owl Out of her room!"

Merva (aka Madeline - if you want to know why Madeline goes by Merva occasionally ask her aunt Jen) was outside swinging with grandma. Grandma told her that her aunt Nancy really missed her. "Do you remember Nancy?" Merva replied 'yes' and told us the following story (I've paraphrased the parts I could understand).
Merva was in her room taking a nap with Nancy. Then suddenly "whoo -whoo" a pink owl flew into her room. She looked up and saw the pink owl. The pink owl did drawed himself on himself with crayons all over him. Then he got all of the crayons to color all over the owl. Merva didn't like the owl being in her room. Grandma then asked her if she remembered Janet, Janet missed her too. Merva said "Oh yes, Janet came into my room and said 'get that owl out of her room' and the owl flew out the window". The story came complete with demonstrations of how the owl flew into her room, how it colored on itself and how loudly Janet ordered that owl out. I really wish I could've understood the whole story - who knows what else a pink owl could do in a 2 year old's room!

Here we go again!

Week 2 of Calvin's leadership skills. He has taken his creative destruction to new rooms and outside! I didn't get pictures of everything - I was too angry. It's getting funnier as I think about posting, but it wasn't a few days ago. Where to begin? How about the utility room - my utility room has some food storage, my freezer, and our 72 hour kit in it. We have a case of 20 water bottles with about 6 more stacked on top of it as part of our 72 hour hit. Calvin got one out of the utility room and dumped it out. Mike was home that day and told him it wasn't a good idea. So the next day he and Madeline dumped about 20 bottles of water out before I found them. I thought they were playing outside (which they were, but were going in and out carrying the water bottles). The water bottles and lids scattered all over my yard wasn't a pretty site. I got after him and told him not to touch my water again! The next day he took two more and dumped them on my porch - he was cleaning it for me!

Then they moved it completely outside. The next day they discovered that Mike had left the shed unlocked. They carried armfuls of tools out of the shed. They took my garden apart (it was already partially taken apart, they just made a bigger mess) and then spread my piles of gravel

and dirt everywhere with dad's tools and scrap lumber. Fun, fun!

Calvin has gotten swats and spent so much time in time out - but it obviously isn't working. He continues to do things he knows he shouldn't do. He is a very smart 4 1/2 year old. When asked about it - he has all the right answers - he knows what he is doing and knows it's wrong. He was really destructive like this when he was 2 and 3 years old but had been so good for so long that this has really taken me by surprise. I'm hoping he gets it out of his system and decides to be obedient again!

A few of the water bottles Madeline picked up and threw away.

Madeline looking deceivingly cute with her cowboy boots on (she won't call them cowgirl boots)