Ethan at 8 months

Ethan hit the 8 month mark last week. He is such a busy little boy. Although he's not crawling yet, he's rocking a lot on his hands and knees. He has also figured out how to go from the crawl position back into a sitting position. So if he sees something he wants on the other side of the room, he rolls/scoots/twists his way there, and then sits up close to the desired object so that he can reach it with both hands. Fortunately, it still takes him a while to get anywhere, but he already requires much more supervision than he used to. When he starts crawling, life is going to get pretty crazy!

Leaf Fun

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here the last few days...highs in the low 70's and lots of sun. Jeff raked a leaf pile for Kaitlyn to play in. Needless to say, she had a blast. What kid doesn't love to play in leaves?? Ethan didn't quite know what to make of the interesting textures. But he was content to sit in the pile for a few minutes.

Thank you, God, for beautiful fall days and simple fun with family.

Life with a Two Year Old

Like many two-year olds, Kaitlyn's favorite word these days is "No!"

Me: Kaitlyn, let's put on some pants.
Kaitlyn: NO! I want to wear shorts! (even though it's 40 degrees outside)

Me: What do you want for breakfast?
K: No.

Me: Let's sing a song. How about Twinkle, Twinkle?
K: No, no, no, no, no, no, no mommy! I sing it all by myself!

Me: What book do you want to read before nap?
K: (silence as she ignores me while playing with her toys)
Me: How about Dora's Perfect Pumpkin?
K: No, Mommy! I not read that one!
Me: OK, well pick out one.
K: (She selects Dora's Perfect Pumpkin)
Me: What a great choice! I wish I had thought of that!

Sometimes her contrariness can work to my advantage. On the way to preschool, a car almost pulled out right in front on me, and I honked my horn a couple of times. I hear giggles from the backseat followed by, "Beep, beep!" And then she kept saying it over and over. And over. After about 30 or so repetitions, I was ready for a change. So I tried a few different methods to get her to stop saying "Beep, beep!"

Me: (Method 1: distraction) Hey Kaitlyn, look! There's a school bus!
K: Beep, beep!

Me: (Method 2: direct order) OK, Kaitlyn, that's enough beeping. Please stop now.
K: Beep, beep!

Me: (Method 3: ignoring the annoying behavior)
K: Beep, beep! Beep, beep!

Me: (Method 4: Reverse Psychology) Kaitlyn, I think it's really cute when you say "Beep, beep!" I want you to keep saying it all the way to preschool. Can you do that for mommy?
K: (solemnly nodding--she likes to be a helper almost as much as she likes saying no). Beep, beep!
Me: Great job! Keep it up!
K: Beep, beep! Beep, beep!
Me: Wonderful! Say it some more!
K: (much less enthusiastically) Beep, beep. (Followed by silence)
Me: Kaitlyn, come on! Keep saying "Beep, beep!"
K: No, mommy! I not want to say "Beep, beep!" anymore!

Ah, mission accomplished! I am still smarter than a 2-year old...well, at least some of the time!

Halloween Weekend

We went to Memphis for Halloween weekend to spend some time with Jess, Adam, Noah and Baby Eli. While we were there, we had Jess take some family pictures, as well as pictures of Ethan since he is changing so much! Here are some of my favorites.

It was fun getting all four kids dressed up. They all look so serious in this picture, but it's the only one with all of them looking at the camera. Eli was just adorable in his pea costume! Kaitlyn and Noah did some trick-or-treating in the neighborhood and were so excited about getting candy.

The bumblebee and the giraffe are sizing each other up.

There was a train exhibit nearby which we knew Kaitlyn would love.

Here she is "driving" the caboose and loving every single minute.

While it's definitely a challenge traveling with two little ones, it was well worth the effort to spend time with loved ones.