More pictures

Nothing exciting, just playing with the
camera at dinner. My kids crack me up, so now you have to look
at them too!

An Eve
montage…



And a Lex
montage…




I moved some of Lex’s books because
the shelf was getting too crowded and I think that’s why he
hasn’t been reading as much lately. After my handiwork he
jumped right back into reading (proving my point) and with the
reading comes the fancy book placement. Tonight he made a “book
road” with the books he finished reading. See how it even goes
under a tunnel? Very clever boy.



Notice both vehicles have drivers
and the school bus driver is even in a wheelchair. He regularly
rearranges the school bus people so that the driver is in the
wheelchair. I’m not sure what his logic is behind that, but I’m
sure he’s got something in mind.

New Camera!!

Yay!! Alan let
me open my birthday present from my parents early. Yay for me
and yay for all of us! Thanks mommy!! Here are a few thank you
pictures and a little movie of Lex singing. I’ve been wanting
to get a video of this for awhile.


Eve is trying to crawl. She gets up on her hands
and knees, but hasn’t figured out the next
step.

Now relax. (on an unrelated note, I don’t think we’re going
to need bibs on her much longer.
yay!)


Lex reading Dick & Jane to
himself.


Look at all the goodies that came with the
camera!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKsxuPc6dRE]

Here is Lex singing Old McDonald
with his radio. “Ya ya yo,” he says :) He loves this radio
(again, thanks Mom!) and loves to sing along. The funny part is
that he sings much slower than the music plays, so he plays the
song over and over while he sings. Cracks me up. He does this
in the car a lot. Towards the end of the video he decides that
mommy, no daddy needs to fix his drum :) It’s a little hard to
understand him, but hopefully you can get most of
it.

Enunciate

Lex was an early talker and has always had
an impressive vocabulary for his age. He has been frustrating
me lately though because his enunciation has gone from
“acceptable for a toddler” to downright unintelligible. Maybe
it’s because I usually understand him so he doesn’t bother
trying anymore? I’ve been working with him on looking at people
when he talks to them (he prefers to look at anything but the
person he’s talking to) and using people’s names. Now I have to
start getting him to speak more clearly — like he used to!
It’s interesting to see him with other kids though. For a long
time he was ahead of the crowd, but now a lot of the kids are
speaking very clearly, using people’s names, saying please and
thank you, and sounding like little people. Suddenly my little
guy isn’t leading the way! It’s a shocker, I know. I’m not even
concerned with that so much as suddenly I can’t understand a
lot of what he says. :/

More Halloween pics

These are a few we took with Michelle’s
camera at the Halloween playgroup.

Eve is
thinking “What did I do to deserve this?”

Trying
to get Lex to pose for a picture. Not the best picture, but it
made me laugh.

Halloween cuties.

Lex and
Dylan sat down to eat a snack so I popped Eve in the middle and
grabbed the camera. Dylan is a bat and VERY excited about it
:)

Eve and
ladybug Lily

A very
tired monkey.

Happy Halloween!

What a strange holiday. Let me preface by
saying Halloween is not my favorite of the holidays, but I do
my best, especially now with kids. In the last week or so Lex
has learned about skeletons, ghosts, grave yards, spiders, and
candy. All about candy. Alan’s mom got him a book that just
names candies and treats. He, of course, has the book memorized
already. Fortunately this year he’s just learning words. I have
no idea how I’m going to explain things next year when he asks
why he’s getting cards with skeletons on them.

All that said, we had a good day today. We
went to a special Halloween playgroup this morning. Lex didn’t
want to put on the monkey costume, but when we got there I took
off his hat and shoes (like usual) then his pants and shirt and
he didn’t object. I think he was so distracted by the other
kids running around in costume that he didn’t even notice
himself becoming a monkey. I got a great picture of Lex, Eve,
and Dylan together, but it’s on Michelle’s camera. I’ll post it
when she sends it to me. Eve wore her costume all morning with
a resigned sort of look on her face.

Then we came home and Lex asked for a banana for lunch :)
So cute! So we read stories while he ate his banana and milk
and then it was nap time. Eve slept through lunch and stories,
but woke up just as Lex was falling asleep. I was desperate to
get a few bills paid (you can only put that off for so long!)
so Eve “helped” me pay bills for awhile.

This evening Alan’s parents came to visit and we got
everyone dressed up again. His mom stayed to hand out candy so
the rest of us could go out trick-or-treating. Again, I felt
weird walking my 2yr old around the neighborhood with the sole
purpose of collecting candy. We tried to at least get him to
say “trick-or-treat,” but he usually he didn’t and people oohed
and ahhed and gave him candy anyway. Several tried to give Eve
candy too. We had to politely decline, so they gave Lex extra
candy instead. When we got back he plopped down on the floor
and ate more candy than he has ever eaten in his whole 2 years,
5 months, and 6 days of life (so says the ticker above). When I
put our candy in the basket this afternoon, Lex was playing
with it and asking what each different kind was, but not once
did he ask to open or eat the candy… but after tonight I
think that innocence is gone.

Anyway,
putting my cynicism aside, we did have fun today and the
kiddies were adorable in their costumes. Thanks to Grammy Lynn
for getting them!!

Some pictures:

Lex
waits patiently while Eve gets ready.

Parrish
the pirate and his big sister Chloe.

Off we
go!

Knocking
on Parrish’s door.

So
cute.

I’m not
sure who’s happier about the candy
collection.

Eve
helps herself to some M&Ms.;

Being a
duck is hard work!

I didn’t
know monkeys could read!

(I hung his Halloween cards on
the hearth and he’s been going over to them all week and
reading them, like books.)

Storytime for the chocolate-faced
monkey.

7 Months!

Eve is seven months old today! Go Eve!!
She was so happy she started clapping :) And how did I reward
her… I put her in a big, fluffy, movement-hindering duck
costume! She spent the day with a “what the heck is going on?”
look on her face. Welcome to life, Eve!

Up and running!

I got my first childcare baby today. She’s
7 weeks old and doesn’t actually start coming here until the
beginning of December. So I guess I’m off to a soft start, or
something :) Anyway, she’s adorable and her mommy works with
Alan, so she is right near by. I’m excited. I’m also going to
run a classified ad for a week to see if I can get a few more.
Wish me luck :)

Baby shower

We had a great weekend. Saturday
we went down to MA for Julie’s baby shower. Anna, Jim’s
sister-in-law, threw a spectacular baby shower. Julie was happy
and radiant and glowing and very pregnant. Lex and the men went
out for BBQ and ice cream, while us ladies played games and
decorated bibs. Eve got to play with Julie’s 6mo old niece,
Lucy. Eve talked up a storm while Lucy explored. Actually, Lex
was really funny when we first walked in. We’ve been there
enough that he knows their place and is comfortable there, but
when we talked in the place was all decorated (presents
everywhere, stuff hanging from the ceiling, Jim on a ladder
hanging more stuff from the ceiling, etc.) and Lex was mind
blown. He just walked around in awe. It was great.

After the party we had dinner with Alan’s parents. Mac
& cheese, yum, yum! I think there was some sort of meat
product as well ;) And a good time was had by all. Sunday we
stayed home and relaxed. The kids (ok, the parents too!) were
soooo tired! Nap schedules always get messed up when
traveling.

PS. Thanks to
Grampy Don for the use of his camera! We can’t go to a party
without a camera.

Waving

Eve has just discovered that her hands
open and close. This fascinates her! She sat through dinner
last night fixated on her opening and closing hand. So far it
seems to just be the right hand that opens and closes, but then
she’ll bring her left hand over to touch and feel her right
hand, like she’s trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s
amazing how everything is so new and interesting to a
baby.

Little monkey

I had Lex all snuggled up
in his duck towel after bath tonight and he was so happy. He
loves the duck towel. Then I said “next week you get to be a
monkey” and he immediately said “want to wear the monkey
costume!” So we went down stairs and he put it right. Hat and
everything. He was so happy and, I’ll confess, he’s sleeping in
it now!