Caroline's first self-portrait!

Carving Jack-O-Lanterns

We carved Jack-O-Lantern's this week. Caroline (a.k.a. miss Mess) had no problem reaching in and scooping goup out of the pumpkins. Clayton, on the other hand, chose to carefully try with a spoon.

While carving the pumpkins, Clayton wanted to use the little sawing tool I was using. I told him no and that only Mama or Daddy can use it because it's sharp and dangerous. He disappeared for a moment. My little problem solver returned with his little play toolbox and got out his screwdriver, a tool he knows he IS allowed to use. It was so cute seeing him try to carve with that little screwdriver.

Halloween Pictures of the kids

Happy Halloween everyone!

Caroline's school Halloween party

Caroline's class Halloween party

Caroline and her friend Sarah (the 2 little blondies in the class!)

Swingset!

Kevin's parents just got the kids a swing set! Yippee! They LOVE it!


Orange day


On the move...

Three boos in the tub!

Austin in the big tub!

Pumpkin farm

And Caroline draws her first Jack-O-Lantern!

Fall pics

First time in a swing!


Playing dress-up - my flower ballerina fairy and my cowboy witch!


Smiling Austin!

Girly-Girl

In case you haven't already noticed, Caroline is my little girly-girl. (And am I secretly, or actually not-so-secretly thrilled by this? YES!)

Every single day, she insists on either wearing a ballet leotard and tutu, or her Cinderella dress. In fact, it's difficult to keep the kid in regular clothes! I'll get her dressed in the morning and she'll disappear a few minutes later, only to return clad in princess gear.

Before bed last night, she told me how she was excited to dream about Cinderella and insisted on my reading her La Princesse Coquette (a french book about a little girl that wants to wear dress-up clothes instead of the warm clothes her mother chooses for her.) Will this stage last forever? Probably not, but she'll probably never insist on only wearing jeans and a baseball hat either!

My grandma and all her great-grandchildren!

Baby in a basket

I did this photo shoot of Caroline and Clayton when they were babies - put them in this little sweater outfit and put them in the laundry basket.
Here is Austin's turn...

Sick!

The past two weeks has been rough. I have literally been sick with one thing or another for 2 full weeks. It started as a terrible hacking cough, moved on to a random 24 hour bout of stomach flu, turned into a day of actual exhaustion and nausea where I could barely stand up. The cough continued for a few more days through a full blown migraine (again with getting sick to my stomach) and then finally got better, but only when it was replaced by bad nasal congestion and a sore throat. Ugh! To add to the fun, Caroline also had a terrible, keep-her-up-all-night cough, which she passed on to Clayton and Kevin got the sore throat version of this nasty virus. We are like an infirmary around here! THank GOD Austin has not gotten sick. (of course he has decided to stop sleeping through the night, but that is another story.)
Please, pray for healing in our house!

Austin crawling

Here's a video of the little man on the move...(please excuse the fact that Caroline is running around in her underwear in the background!)

Playing in the leaves!

The family

Growing with Mr. Bear - 6 months

He's gorwn and changed SO much sincehis 1 month picture!

Go Bears!

Mama and the boys cheer on the bears.

And at 6 months, Austin learned how to sit on his own. Hurray for Austin!

All clean!

Austin turns 6 months old!

Happy Half Birthday Baby Austin!

The past week...

What have we been up to this past week?

- Caroline's first full week of school

- Painting outside

-Going to their first lemonade stand


-Sparklers

-And the cutest moment of the week came when Daddy started mowing the lawn. Clayton momentarily disappeared in the garage (which is a regular occurrence since he LOVES the garage). He came out with his little lawn mower and proceeded to follow Daddy around the lawn "mowing". He had this priceless look on his face like "I'm doing something really important."