Indian Summer...

We've been having incredible weather lately. The boys helped me harvest some carrots from our garden last week. Half-pint loves to dig with the hand shovel. I generally try to work in the garden when Quarter-pint is asleep, but this time he joined us. He gleefully sat between us on the garden border and played in the dirt. He even cleaned my shovel with his slobbery mouth! The boys lost interest in the garden dirt, and moved to the play structure and grass. I know it's a lot of pictures, but they are all so cute!

Halloween...

For weeks, Half-pint has been asking me "It Halloween yet?" or "Time to twick-or-tweat? I NEED tweats!" Poor kid, the past few weeks have passed slowly-thankfully we've had a few distractions, like swim lessons, beginning preschool, and speech therapy (he had a 2 week Fall Break mid-October). This morning I awoke to a joyful squeal-I immediately knew that Daddy just broke the news-toady was Halloween! We began our celebration yesterday actually when Half-pint got to wear his bat costume to preschool. He was pretty excited. Then the celebrations continued this afternoon. We kept up the tradition of all converging at Daddy's office for trick-or-treating. Since Daddy's work is a family affair, Grammy, Grandpa, and all his Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins (on one side) are always there also. It's so fun for the adults to watch all the kids (6 under the age of 5)run around in their adorable costumes. Half-pint remembered going last year and was looking forward to it again this year.

This evening, I took the boys out just in our neighborhood. We hit quite a few houses. I was a little surprised how many houses were dark though. The weather was unseasonably warm-the warmest in the past 50 years! The warm costumes that are generally perfect for our cold Halloween evenings were almost too hot this year! I certainly got hot lugging Quarter-pint up and down the street.

Half-pint really enjoys answering our door and handing out the Halloween goods. I nearly had to drag him out the door so he could enjoy a little trick-or-treating himself. Rest assured, he quickly enjoyed himself, and even cried when we got to one house with an empty candy bowl on the front stoop.

Quarter-pint was a little unsure of the whole process, but he definitely didn't want to be left out of the Halloween action. At nearly every door, he wiggled until I put him down and he stood, patiently waiting at the door with Half-pint. He quickly became an expert at choosing his own candy-I had to pry him away from nearly every bowl.

(Yep, that's a banana in Quarter-pint's Monkey-suit pocket!)

Quarter-pint Saga...

My poor little Quarter-pint! He's had a rough past few weeks! He and Half-pint both came down with colds about two weeks ago. Quarter-pint hasn't been able to shake his though. Finally we took him to visit our favorite pediatrician this morning. Turns out his cold settled in BOTH of his ears, causing a double ear infection. That would explain the whining, crying, bad nights of sleep, not eating well, etc. (never pulled at or batted his ears though-I didn't have a clue!)

So the "saga" begins to emerge when you understand the rest of Quarter-pint's ailments the past few weeks. On top of his cold/ear infections, he is also teething-now we're up to two more molars and the other bottom front tooth (so that's 3 separate teeth at the same time if you're keeping track). Also, he has had a nasty diaper rash (I have a feeling it's related to the teething issue). In addition, he has been sporting matching bruises on his left cheek (one above his eye, and one below-two different incidents; not shown in this picture though). So, between his sore bum, and everything that's been going on with his mouth, face, nose and ears I am surprised that he hasn't been totally miserable!!! Quarter-pint is a super-trooper! He hasn't complained nearly as much as I would expect him to under the circumstances. He has generally been a happy, fun kid, still running and playing with Half-pint (but at times he obviously did not feel well). That's why I was completely shocked to hear the ear infection diagnosis (so was Grandma K, with whom we spent all of yesterday and last Sunday; just for the record)!

Autumn Adventures...

We officially partook of some autumn adventures today! We met my Mom, and a few of my sisters (and one brother-in-law, and one neice) at a pumpkin farm. There were also corn mazes (three to be exact), farm animals to visit with (but "please keep your hands away from the fence, the animals are friendly but like to nibble"), and a huge inflatable slide for the kids. We had a great time!!! Half-pint is interested in mazes so I knew he would have fun in a people-sized maze. They had a map (another of Half-pint's passions) with six "punch stations" in each maze and a card to record all the punches on. Half-pint really enjoyed finding each "punch station". Between the three mazes, the farm proclaims 5 miles of maze trails. I'm sure we didn't walk all of the five miles, but we spent a good couple of hours roaming between the corn stalks.



We also picked several pumpkins from the fields. It was fun to explore between all the gourds and spy funny looking pumpkins. We found some rotten and rotting...all Half-pint could do was stare, point his little finger and say
"EEEEwwww! Dross! Dross! That's yucky, eeewwww!"


Here are a few more pictures from our adventure today!



Quarter-pint enjoying the pumpkins (I couldn't get him to look at me!)

Quarter-pint and Aunt C!

Potty Training Progress?...

A few days ago, we were getting ready to head out the door to Half-pint's swim lessons. I asked him if he would use the potty before I changed him into his swim diaper and swim trunks (we usually just change in the locker room, but we were running a few minutes late). I told him he needed to keep him pants dry until after swim lessons. Instead of running to the bathroom (like I hoped he would do) he ran into the office, scooped up some paper and a pen and soon emerged with this wonderful drawing. I asked him what it was...

"It's me Momma!" he proudly told me. Good, now I know what it is...

"Are you wearing a hat?"

"No that's my hair."

"Are those your shoes?"

"Nope, that's my feet. Look, I have eyes!"

"Do you have any arms?"

"Oh, no, I forgot..." he disappeared and quickly came back with arms on his self-portrait.

"Look Mom, I have socks on my arms..."

"What's that colored spot on your belly?"

"That's pee, in my underpants (aka pull-ups)"

I never did get him to go potty before we went to swim lessons...

Half-pint Snapshot Update...

Over the past few days we've had variations of this...

If begins with Quarter-pint doing something Half-pint either doesn't like or doesn't approve of, then I hear Half-pint's little voice talking to whoever will listen...

"See, I told ya...Baby-Buddy (that's what Half-pint often calls his little brother) is bad baby! We get a puppy now?"

Half-pint Snapshot...

A conversation between Half-pint and myself this morning:

"I buy a puppy?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because they are a lot of work."

"We buy a new baby?"

"No, we already have a baby (Quarter-pint)."

"We take him back and get a new baby?"

"NO! You'll miss him."

"I not miss him. He go back in your belly and be nice and warm."

(Just for clarification...) "Where would we take him back?"

"In your belly. He be warm all by himself."

Then Half-pint went on to something else. He really does love his little brother and he would miss him! I never know what he's going to say!

Quarter-pint Words...

Quarter-pint is beginning to try to talk. He has a few words in his little repertoire, admittedly, the sound is basically the same, but the inflection is completely different. (That makes it difficult to write.) He is working on "Hi", "Hot", "Mom", and "More". Whenever he hears the oven indicate it has reached the baking temperature with a beep, he runs over to the oven and points with his chubby little index finger-"Haaa" (translation..."hot"). Last week I made a pie for a friend. Quarter-pint heard the oven beep, and ran over to look through the window in the oven door. I turned on the oven light so he could see what was inside.
"Mmmm, Haaa, MMmmm"

The next thing I knew, he was licking the oven door window! He also tells us when he needs more to eat with a very sincere "mooor".

I took Half-pint and Quarter-pint to the zoo last week. This was the first zoo trip I noticed Quarter-pint paying attention to some of the animals. It was fun to watch him spot the animals, point his little finger (he points a lot; I guess that's how to get your point across when you really don't have many words) and get excited. Half-pint LOVES to bird building. We were at the zoo on a chilly weekday, so it wasn't very crowded. We were the only people in the bird building. There are a couple of rooms where the birds are free to fly and walk around, with a walking path through the middle for us bi-peds. In those free-flying rooms, I caught Quarter-pint chasing the birds-I had to scoop him up before he hit the mud (off the trails). I was a little surprised with his enthusiasm. He also liked looking at the snakes in the tropical discovery building.

Quarter-pint has also been working on a few new teeth. I noticed yesterday a new one growing on the bottom-it's HALF-WAY in! I also noticed another molar working through the gums. All of this recent this tooth-growing has created quite a lot of drool.