Painting Pumpkins

We finally had some time this weekend for the kids to paint the pumpkins they picked a few weekends ago. We thought this was better for them than carving one at this age. And I think they agreed.

Madeline got very serious and focused on her painting. She had a vision!

Fia was a little more playful with her design.

I'd say they turned out pretty well.

9 months old!!!

Wow, what a big month for Sophia! Lots of developments to talk about.

- First, her new stats: 21 pounds even (75-90th percentile) and 28 inches long (50-75th percentile).

- Her left eye finally fixed itself!!! Mostly. She's had a clogged tear duct since birth and we've had to wipe her eye constantly. I was getting ready to make the eye doctor appointment to get it fixed when I noticed I wasn't wiping it anymore. It still gets kinda wet at times, but it's nothing like it used to be.

- Her two, front upper teeth are about halfway in.

- Her hair has gotten just long enough to where I can even comb it a little.

- She's rolling over!!!!! She can only do it from back to front but she does it frequently now. And she doesn't get mad right away that she is on her stomach like she used to.

- She can eat chunky baby food and has even started eating graham crackers. She loves them!

- She is still a messy eater. With her bottles, her mouth, chin and neck will be covered in milk. Naturally, with baby food she gets it everywhere too. And it seems like once with each feeding, she will sneeze her food all over us.

- And last but certainly not least, she is smiling a ton now. All we have to do is look at her and she'll smile. I love it!

Park and the Library

Sorry I'm getting behind on my posts, but things have been so busy around here. Andy's back has been getting much worse so the poor guy hasn't been able to do much. That leaves me with picking up the slack and I'm just plain exhausted.


So here is a quick post of pictures from two weeks ago. It was a beautiful October day and I just had to take the girls out for a walk. I had no idea where we were going, but it didn't matter because it was gorgeous outside. Our first stop was the park. Fia enjoyed the swing while Madeline ran around on the slides. I had my work cut out for me keeping them both entertained and chasing Madeline all over the place.

See Fia's left foot ever-so-slightly onto Madeline's side of the stroller. Well, Madeline wasn't in a loving mood that day. I had to keep telling her to stop kicking her sister. I didn't think the sister fights would start quite this early.

Our next stop was the library. Madeline was in heaven. Fia didn't know what to think, but she was having fun.

Madeline was super excited with her new books!

All in all, the trip was a little over 3 miles. We had a blast but I was pretty darn tired when we got home. Not so sure if I'll be doing that again anytime soon, at least not alone anyway.

Apple Bread

I love my new helper in the kitchen! We made Apple Bread with all the great apples we picked last weekend.

She was pretty proud of herself.

She did a great job and the bread was delicious! We will definitely have to make another batch.

Apples and Pumpkins

Ever since we went apple and pumpkin picking last year, I couldn't wait to go this year.

We started out looking for just the right pumpkin.

Madeline found one that she liked.

But it didn't make the final cut. Daddy helped her find a good one.

And I helped Fia.

They are too cute for words.

After the pumpkin patch, we took a hayride and went apple picking.

Yes, Madeline finished that whole apple herself.

We stopped by the pear trees too. Fia seemed to like it.

This adventure wiped Fia out. She was asleep before we even finished picking apples.

Sophia's Favorite Activity

By far, this is Sophia's favorite activity. The noisier the toy the better.

8 months old!

These pictures came out a bit grainy. :( I guess the lighting wasn't working with me. But you can still see this cutie and her big smile. I call her our quantum physicist. The last picture shows her expression the majority of the day. Like her Daddy, she isn't amused by most things. She is bored with baby toys. It's like she's already doing complicated math problems in her head. Her favorite thing to do now is bang a noisy toy on her highchair. We obviously aren't thrilled with this but she just throws any quiet toys we give her off the side.

New developments this month....

- sitting up

- eating 3 meals a day of oatmeal and either a fruit or veggie

- Daddy got her to laugh for once

Having fun while Daddy is away

Andy went on a business trip this week so I tried to make things extra fun around here. I just happened to be changing the sheets and thought a fort would be a ton of fun. I think the girls agreed.

A Budding Artist

Nana Lair would be proud.

Buckeye Fans

Look who is sitting up!

She decided to bypass rolling over and just go straight to sitting up.

She can reach down for toys and not fall over if she really concentrates. But she just started doing this a week ago, so there have been quite a few face-plants into the carpet.

Then Madeline joined the fun. She was dancing and wanted Fia to join in.

Diapers for One

Madeline is doing great with her potty training! The past 3 days she hasn't had any accidents and she wakes up dry in the morning and after nap time. We still put her in diapers while she is sleeping just in case, but we may stop doing that soon too. She tells us when she needs to go and we are always reminding her if it's been awhile to take a "potty break". The only bad thing so far has been public restrooms and the automatic flushing toilets. One flushed on her while she was still sitting on it and scared her. Now as soon as she is done going, she immediately jumps off. Even at home. At least she'll still sit on it to go, I guess. And I can't tell you how awesome it is to only have Fia in diapers now. Love it!

Toy Story 3

We took Madeline to see her first movie in the theater this weekend. We figured Toy Story 3 was perfect since she watches "Woody Buzz" (a.k.a. Toy Story 1) every day. Andy snapped this quick photo on his cell phone when we got settled in.

Then....the previews started. She immediately stopped eating her popcorn and was scared stiff, literally. She spent the next hour on my lap. Even though she was scared, she didn't ask to leave. I think she was still curious about what this all was, especially since Woody and Buzz were on the screen. After awhile, she warmed up and by the end she was talking and walking around our seats. Good thing there weren't many people there. When it was over, we asked her if she had fun and she said she did. So I think it was a success even though it didn't start out well.

Fun at Daycare

It doesn't appear that Fia was enjoying this activity too much.

This butt shot is hilarious!


Meanwhile, Madeline and her classmates were watching guys mow the lawn.