p.j. day!

yep. the girls spent the entire day in p.j.'s! what a fun day! :) we made halloween cupcakes (complete with frankenstein marshmallow men on top!), painted pumpkins, had our first real tea party, and just enjoyed being "bums" for the day!

the girls are becoming really great in the kitchen! ken now does everything really well without help, mck is getting really good at pouring everything in the bowl instead of all over the counter, and kam loves anything that has to do with helping - especially if it means you get a lick of it! :) b.c. was all smiles with his first taste of frosting! yummy!

all 3 loved painting the pumpkins and spent a long time doing it . . . putting layer upon layer of paint on their little pumpkin! :) they turned out pretty cute! :)

and the tea party . . . well the girls did get dressed for that - in dress-up clothes! i let them have real tea - orange - for a treat - complete with milk and lots of sugar . . . surprisingly, kam LOVED it and had seconds . . . ken and mck only took a sip! :)

trip to the pumpkin patch

we made our trek to the pumpkin patch early this year . . . before bailey heads to china in a week! the weather was less than perfect, but daddy insisted we head there (a little background on our pumpkin patch trips . . . we can't remember a year where the experience hasn't warranted some complaints . . . it's been pouring down rain, raining and cold, 100 degrees and totally dusty, just plain old hot . . . basically we can say that every trip has sucked in some way . . . so i guess the consensus was, why not this year too?) so we headed there, minus our bff's, who were admittedly too whimpy to brave the elements! we took a few pics before heading out because i figured we'd be bundled up and not be able to see the kids' cute halloween tees! :)

to be honest, both ken and i had a meltdown about going before we left the house. neither one of us wanted to be hanging out in the rain - me - because 2 kids were under the weather and the baby isn't even 3 months old yet, and ken because there was a chance the pony rides wouldn't be going today because of the weather. so, we both left the house in GREAT moods!

when we got there, it was misty, but bearable! we actually got a close parking spot - because, hello! who goes to the pumpkin patch when it's 54 degrees out and raining! we took some pictures and headed for the ponies! ken was the first to ride and was all grins! she loved it! mck was next . . . climbing up like she knew what she was doing! and then it was kam's turn . . . she wanted to go all by herself this year . . .boy did she look tiny on that big horse! she was quiet the whole way until she got off the pony and said "thank you"! too cute!

we hung out by the goats for a bit and then we hit the hayride . . . that's when it started raining for real . . . the girls were troopers - really not minding the rain! i was not too happy. . . and was holding a trash bag over the baby because of course we hadn't brought our umbrella on the hayride with us! :) the hayride was cooler this year and the guy even stopped in the middle to let the girls climb a spooky old tree!

we picked out pumpkins in the rain . . . mck was very decisive - just a big orange pumpkin - and she wanted to make sure that hers was the biggest! ken assisted kam in picking out her pumpkin which had to be "a baby one!". bailey and i each picked out nice big orange pumpkins. the girls all helped pick a small one for bentley. and ken picked a huge fairytale pumpkin . . . she had decided on that kind a week ago! :)

so, the weather stunk, but we made it . . . another successful trip to the patch! :) is it possible that despite the horrible weather each year the trips actually get to be more fun? just don't tell bailey i said that!

fiesta firsts!

our trip to fiesta texas was a wonderful surprise for the kiddos! :) they knew we were going somewhere special . . . but didn't find out where until we were super close! :) the weather was overcast for most of the day, so it was truly fall weather . . . perfect for the halloween fun at the park!

ken and mck were in the same height category, so they could ride all the same rides . . . including their first REAL roller coaster! :) they loved it! :) mck was the first to say she would go - ken took a little convincing, but both ended up loving it! :)

kam was able to ride most of the rides by herself - just with her big sisters and actually had a meltdown when i tried to ride with her because she only wanted to ride with the girls!

even b.c. got his first taste of the amusement park and rode the carousel sitting on a bench with daddy! :)

poor mck was sick . . . so, being the great parents we are, we drugged her up, and took her along! what a trooper! she didn't complain once . . . and had a smile on her face most of the day, but if you looked at her eyes you could tell she wasn't feeling great! she didn't say anything until we got in the car to leave!

i was so over prepared for the day . . . extra clothes, p.j.'s, snacks, drinks, i even packed a lunch to save some money . . . wouldn't you know we'd get there and the camera wasn't charged! holy crow. i was devastated. for $23.99 (yikes!) we could have purchased a disposable, but opted instead for some pics the kids took with the characters and mck and ken's first roller coaster ride (yes, they both look scared!). on a plus side, we didn't have 100's of pics to go through when we got home!

two teeth . . . already!

so just when i thought b.c.'s fussiness was ending . . . he started acting really fussy again this week . . . and drooling . . . and biting on his paci and on my hand . . . sure enough, he is getting two teeth . . . ALREADY!
my reaction, i sat on the floor and cried. i think it just hit me that things are already going by way too fast. :(
so, poor little guy has so much going on . . . growing, working on sleeping through the night, trying to roll over . . . and now teeth!

our halloween costumes arrived . . .

when the door bell rang with a ups package, we knew the costumes were here! :) i got everyone on-board with the whole "it'll be so fun if you all match" idea, figuring this may be the last time i can do that! :) so, we're going with a pumpkin theme . . . our little pumpkin patch! :)

the girls' outfits are all very girly and each picked one that they just loved . . . kam's is called pumpkin pie . . . a sweet little pumpkin fairy! :) mck's is pumpkin princess . . . a light up foofy dress that is sooooo "her"! and ken's is called pumpkin spice . . . okay, i call it "hootchie pumpkin", but it actually looks a lot cuter on her than it did on-line! (i threatened to return it if it didn't look okay!) :)

so i had to capture the images of the girls tearing into the package and trying their costumes on and checking themselves out in the mirror! :) their excitement makes everything soooooo much fun! :) i just love it! :)

(don't worry! b.c has a pumpkin outfit too . . . his was hanging in his closet and he was sleeping when we were taking pictures! :))

visit to the firestation . . .

we took a field trip the fire station for fire safety month with our playgroup! what an awesome time! :) we'd been before, but always in a huge group . . . it was nice to be up close to the firemen and have plenty of up close time with the trucks! we all got fire hats too . . . thanks to ms. j., the awesome organizer, and firehouse subs! :)

we'd been looking forward to this for a long time! :) kam was so excited to be able to "drive the baby fire truck!". we listened to the firemen talk about safety and put on the safety gear . . . both girls gave him "five" when he was dressed up . . . pretty good for them, because they look kind of scary! :) b.c. was awesome and just chilled in his seat! :) he even gave out a few smiles! :) the little guy already loves trucks!

in the middle of their talk they got a call, so many of the firemen left . . . on the "baby" firetruck. kam was devastated . . . but i told her we could get on the big one . . . well, what do you know, they got a call just as it was kam and mck's turn to get up front in the firetruck. we all had to leave the station and they took off! it was neat for the girls to see them in action . . . and all the way home (after kam's minor meltdown!) they talked about how the firemen were going to "help someone in trouble"! what a cool morning!

my bouncing baby girl! :)

kam, b.c., and i met some friends at the local bouncy house! usually we do these kinds of things with ken and mck, so this was the first time for her to be on her own . . . she was awesome! :) she did everything on her own . . . climed into the bouncies, went down the giant slide, held her own by the big kids! she did so well! on the way home i was telling her how proud i was of her and what a big girl she is now . . . her only response was, "i'm not big. i'm your baby!"

kicking off october . . . countdown to halloween!

okay, so halloween is one of my favorite holidays! (second only to christmas!) i love all of the fun traditions we've created . . . and the new ones we seem to add each year! :) so, october 1st was the big kickoff! a breakfast of bat wings, mummy guts, and boo juice and then kam got to open the first door to the haunted house! :) all the girls were decked out in their halloween tees (b.c. was asleep . . . but had one on too!) poor kam was convinced it was halloween day and wanted more candy when the girls got home. . . kam and i made the snack for the afternoon . . . boo brownies . . . have to admit, they came out pretty cute! :) the girls loved them! :) we had a cool dinner . . . okay, it didn't come out looking exactly like the picture, but i'll do better next time . . . it was supposed to look like a pumpkin . . . sloppy jacks! :) (i found the cutest little cook/idea books in the dollar section at target . . .) they were actually pretty good! :) even my picky eaters ate them . . . after a bit of protesting! :) okay, if a thursday can be this much fun i can't wait to see how much fun we have 30 days from now! :)

first "real" bath

when bailey and i went to give b.c. a bath tonight i realized how far out of the mesh sling he was hanging . . . his feet weren't even close to the water . . . so we took it off and gave him a "real" bath, sitting in the baby tub! he loved it . . . just a little old man enjoying a tubbie! :)

lunch with my first grader!

kam, b.c., and i headed up to have lunch with ken at the family cookout . . . still can't believe my baby is in first grade. all the first graders look so much bigger than the kinder kids . . . can't believe it's going by so fast . . . ken was so happy to have us there! :) kam and ken LOVED their hotdogs . . . and the cookie! kam really had fun sitting next to ken and her friend g . . . and acting like a big girl. b.c. snoozed until recess time and then decided to freak out . . . so we had to head out before the end of recess . . .

i'm two months old!

wow. two months old. already. time is just going by too quickly. you have stolen our hearts. you really are such a sweet baby. your smiles melt my heart. you are starting to "talk" and really look as though you are holding conversations with us! you watch everything so intently . . . and love when your sisters talk to you! mck loves to give you hugs, kam just loves to touch your head, and ken is so good about trying to soothe your cries.

you love your paci, although i am convinced if we let you become a thumb sucker you would! you love to have your special blanket right next to your face . . . and you love to be held! you are spoiled . . . no, really spoiled. you like to be held by me more than anyone . . . you seem to calm almost instantly when i hold you. you're a mommy's boy already!

you are becoming so strong - holding your head up and looking around at everything. you love your bouncy and will occasionally settle for some time in the swing. you are a big fan of your play mat and smile lovingly at the light-up star!

you are filling out all of your clothes and will soon outgrown your first set . . . at your two month appointment you were 10 pounds 14 ounces and 22 and 3/4 inches long! wow, how you've grown!

we love you little guy! :)

a family loss

we lost codger, bailey's dad on sept. 17. this is a huge loss for our family. bailey was so close to his dad and his dad just adored the kids! we were lucky enough to have 2 visits with him in the past 2 months. he even got to meet bentley twice! codger was a pretty amazing guy. he truly took care of his family before himself and will be so missed. it was amazing to see how much he touched other people's lives. everyone wanted to share a story about how he had helped them, made them smile, or encouraged them. what an amazing man.

they had a really special event for him at the ball fields. . . bailey took some beautiful pictures of the girls.

weekend at grammy and grampy's

we had a great time hanging out at grammy and grampy's this weekend. . . the weather, despite some rainshowers, was great! the girls loved playing in the pool and just having fun! :) b.c. had a weekend of firsts . . . his first roadtrip and his first "dip" in the pool (okay, only his toes touched the water, but it was a first!)! the girls also enjoyed a little bit of time with "baby sophia", whom they just adore! :) we had a great cookout and some yummy dessert before heading home on sunday! :)

a weekend with corduroy

ken had her first school assignment this weekend . . . hanging out with corduroy! :) on the first day of school the kids had a scavenger hunt for the bear . . . then each kid gets to take him home for a few days! :) well, corduroy got to travel to grammy and grampy's with us! we enjoyed letting him in on some pictures! :)

family visit

we got to visit bailey's mom in the hospital this weekend. the kids hadn't seen her in a very long time and she had yet to meet b.c. it was a great visit! she is doing sooooo well . . . a miracle really! she was anxious to hold him! it was great to see mama and bill, and for all the kids to see each other again!

mommy time or music time?

i was so excited to take kam and b.c. to a music storytime at the library . . . b.c. was crashed in his carseat the WHOLE time, so i thought kam and i could have some time together . . . i guess she had the same idea. she spent the whole time sitting on my lap or being carried while i sang the songs and did the motions! so not her normal spunky self. i thought she had gotten nothing out of it . . . then we got in the car to go home and she started singing several of the songs! :) what a crazy girl! :) she just wanted mommy time more than music time! :)