Halloween Fun

Halloween was a blast this year. We had a Halloween party for lots of little people on Friday. Andrew & Ellen had so much fun; they haven't stopped talking about it. Saturday, we went trick-or-treating in Conroe. (The kids were adamant that they get to go with Grampa in the golf cart.)

Andrew was Super Andrew for about 20 minutes before he morphed into naked Andrew. (Apparently, his costume was not soft enough for him.)

So, he happily wore his bumblebee costume from last year and was thrilled to be in yellow just like Madeline & Ellen.

Ellen was the proudest baby chick I've ever seen. She kept that hot mask on all Friday night and most of Saturday night.

Sophie was a cute pig but her mask wouldn't fit over her cute, round face. She slept through the entire party Friday. (It started at 5:30, her bedtime is 5. I tried to keep the babies up but they were fussy and tired and ready for bed.)

**On a side note, Sophie is a walker! She walked halfway across the room this morning. It won't be long before she is keeping up with Ben.

Here is our crew, the only ones on the street before 5:00. We were the first trick-or-treaters and finished up about the time other kids were coming out. But, I think Andrew & Ellen had just as much fun passing out candy once we went in.

Ben was an adorable puppy dog but he didn't care for his mask. Andrew referred to him as a "cow-dog" because he was convinced that they were cow spots on his costume. (I guess he has never seen a dalmation.)

Andrew was so funny because he was determined to get to as many houses as he could and fill his basket to the top. He ran as fast as he could to each house, grab some candy, say "thank you, let's go, and he was racing back to the golf cart. I think he may have gotten some pre-Halloween coaching from Pablo.

When everything comes together

What a great, great day. Everything seemed to miraculously come together and we had an all around perfect day. Here are some of the things I am grateful for today:

1. The Perfect Weather: Cool, low humidity, & bright, blue skies. The Woodlands doesn't get much better than today.

2. Andrew: I got to his school a few minutes early and sat in carline, right next to the playground, and watched Andrew's class play. I have been hearing, from his teachers, that he is not social and rarely smiles. I was so happy to see him smiling, running, playing, and having a great time. He saw me, said hello, and then kept right on playing. When playtime was over, all the kids were supposed to line up against the wall. I saw him running the opposite direction and thought, "Uh oh, this can't be good." But then he came running back with a hair bow that one of the girls had dropped. What a sweet helper!

3. Room to Play: On a beautiful day like this, I am so grateful for our spacious backyard and the many windows that look out to the yard. I am sitting at the kitchen table right now with the windows open, watching Andrew & Ellen play. They have been out there for 2 hours and are having such a great time that I hate to make them come inside for bedtime. So, until they begin the meltdown (which will be any minute) they can keep playing in their imaginary world.

4. Happy Babies: I am so grateful that Ben & Sophie are such happy babies. They are a pleasure to take care of and so easy-going. Ben woke up today and decided that he is finished with crawling. He is solely walking now and is so proud of himself. Sophie is working harder every day to be an independent walker. She and Ben make each other laugh all the time and it is so funny.

This is my short list because I am going to try and clean the kitchen while all is quiet. But, I knew I better make a record of all the positive things right now so that I can refer back to it during one of our "moments".

"I'm Sorry"

It's true: It is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

Ben & I braved the torrential downpour this morning to go into Houston to visit a good friend and her baby, who is the exact same age as Ben & Sophie. When I got home I was greeted by some very hyper and excited children.

Andrew: "Mommy, guess what? We've been eating candy corn!"

Me: "Who said you could eat candy corn? You know that only Mommy & Daddy open the candy jar."

Andrew: "Nobody said we could."

Ellen: "We ate so much, Mommy. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mama. Sorry."

And sure enough, half of the candy corn is gone. Sneaky, sneaky.

In other candy news: Ellen made this "letter" to her Tio Jorge in Chile asking him for more candy. Her letter included 3 E's and 1 L. "so he would know it was from Ellen". Give these kids candy and you've made a friend for life... and a penpal!

Ben is walking all over the place and getting very fast!

Sophie is a little more motivated to walk because she is having trouble keeping up with her brother.

Sophie is also getting very possessive of toys. This was a tantrum she threw when Ben wanted to share a toy. Major drama - but no tears!

I'm not sure why but I seem to have no pictures of Andrew this month. He must run the other way when he sees the camera. He spends hours in his room with Ellen playing "Dinosaur Train" and "Mommies & Daddies" - both games invented by the two of them.

Sneak Peek

Shannon is an amazing photographer with the patient of a saint. She endured the drama of trying to get 4 stubborn kids to smile... at the same time. Here is a sneak peek of the pictures:
www.skphotographytheblog.blogspot.com

Also, I know I left a hanger on the last post. I was waiting to confirm the news and now I can share. Carmen, our nanny, will be bringing her 1 month old granddaughter with her to work. So, if you come to visit, you will see one more sweet baby at our house. As she said, we really should just open a daycare. :)

Other news: Emily Catherine Kacher was born yesterday. I was able to be in the delivery room for the C-section and it was amazing! She is so cute; you can see pictures of her on the Kacher's blog.

Have a great week!

- Jennifer

Fall Fun

We played hooky from church today and spent the day outside enjoying some beautiful weather. Even though we didn't go to church, we said many prayers thanking God for the perfect weather. What a gorgeous day! I hated to spend one second in the house.

We loaded up all the kids and headed to Old MacDonald's Farm in Humble. Surprisingly, it wasn't too crowded and the kids had a blast petting all the animals, riding the train, playing on the many playgrounds, and picking out a pumpkin.

Pablo took the kids on their first train ride and they had a blast. So, I decided to take them one last time before we left the farm. To Andrew's excitement, the train became derailed and we got to watch as some very strong dads on board the train lifted it back on the tracks. Andrew kept telling me that it was just like his Thomas the train on his train tracks - it keeps wanting to jump off and he has to fix it just like the strong men.

We came home and carved our Jack-O-Lanterns. Andrew & Ellen picked out some extremely detailed and time-comsuming designs from our pumpking carving idea book. So, we had to do some sweet talking to convince them to go with a regular old face - I think they were happy with the outcome. Let's hope they don't rot or get eaten by an animal before Halloween. I don't think Pablo is ready to do anymore carving this season.

Ellen is trying to imitate the Jack-O-Lantern face in this picture. She thinks this is a very scary Halloween face! (And, to tell the truth, this face scares me very much when I am with all 4 kids, by myself, and they all have this face!!! It means we are in for a long afternoon!) Didn't Pablo do a great job with his carving!

We finished the day off with bike rides and laps around the cul-de-sac. Andrew is getting very fast on his bicycle and Ben can push his push toy around and around and around the cul-de-sac without getting bored. He got upset every time I tried to get him to take a break but, poor thing, he was wheezing and exhausted! I am hoping that his current ear infection is the last one he will get as an infant.

Finally, Madeline came over for a sleepover because tomorrow Baby Emily will be here! Jessica has her C-section scheduled for 8 AM so keep her in your prayers! I'll post pictures of Emily when I get a chance tomorrow.

Oh, and we will be having another little baby in our house... stay tuned for more information! (I know, it really isn't fair to leave a hanger like that.)

Baby Fun

My parents were brave enough to keep Andrew, Ellen, & Madeline Friday night. (Thank you!!!) Dealing with only 2 very happy babies was like a mini-vacation. They can't talk so there was no whining, no fighting, no tantrums. Just sweet baby grins and giggles. And just for the record - they knew they were alone and they loved getting all of our time and attention.


But, we did miss Andrew & Ellen and have been having fun with them all afternoon. They love arts & crafts and can sit for hours working on their "masterpiece". Thanks, Grammy, for all the Halloween stickers. We have enough Halloween pictures to decorate our whole house now! :)


Their curiosities got the best of them while they were playing in my bathroom. Here they are "caught in the act". (Don't you love their baby leg warmers?!)



Sophie had a fashion show with her pig costume. She wasn't sure about the hat at first. Her very big and very round head doesn't quite fit (even though it is a 24 month costume) and we had to squeeze her fat cheeks into it to get the Velcro to close. (This is the only Halloween preview - you will have to wait for Halloween to see the rest and they are too cute!)

After a minute, she decided she was pretty darn cute.

Ben practiced his walking but got very frustrated with his slippery socks on the wood floor.

He also got tired of me trying to get him to smile for the camera. I can just hear him thinking, "Are you kidding? Put away that camera with the bright light and play with me!"

So simple

Sometimes it is so easy and simple to make a 3 year old happy. (other times, not so much)

Last night, Ellen decided that she was going to wear "piggie-tails" to school today. So, she laid out her "pretty dress", her new, clean, "fancy sneakers", and her hair accessories.

Normally, she screams and hollers when I brush and dry her hair - not today. She was watching every move I made, making sure I did not mess up her "bootiful hair".

After I was finished, she showed it off to everyone and insisted on a photo shoot. She "twirled and swirled" to get her "piggie-tails" to "dance".