Happy Halloween

I love this time of year.  Fall is the official kick-off to a wonderful holiday season.  As I was thinking about what I was going to write tonight and uploading pictures I didn't realize how much has happened in the last week and how many great pictures I took.  The pictures tell a better story then I often can. 

Monday night we carved pumpkins.  Miles wanted a 'scary' face and Hadley got a little baby faced pumpkin.

Starting last Sunday Miles had a fever, no appetite and was very tired.  He stayed home with grandpa and grandma for 2 days.  Here he is - trying to join in on the festivities but needing to rest his head on the table.

Hadley loves trying fun new things and loves to ham it up for the camera.

They both loved lighting the pumpkins with candles and watching them glow.

Wednesday, Halloween day, was Miles first day back at school.  He was fever-free but probably not 100% himself.  Here they are dressed in black and orange for the day.

A fun new thing at our house is to take care of our babies.  This usually results in Miles and Hadley fighting over who gets to tote around the baby carrier but when they are getting along they both love to feed and care for their babies.

 My baby feeding her baby...

 ...and then taking a little nip herself.

Halloween this year was a gorgeous, clear night.  After a hurried dinner they donned their costumes.  Miles was a dinosaur and Hadley a ladybug.

Miles knew that candy was waiting for him behind every door and was excited to go out.

Hadley was not yet convinced this was a good idea.

Ready to make the rounds!

After a stop at grandma and grandpa's for big goodie bags we went to the first neighbor's house.  We had rehearsed with Miles saying 'trick or treat!' and 'thank you.'  He did an excellent job and was excited to climb the steps and ring the bell at each house.  When our neighbor held out her candy bowl Miles and Hadley each tentatively took one.  She encouraged them to take more and all of a sudden Hadley was grabbing candy by the fistful and shoving them into her bucket.  As we left each house Hadley waved goodbye and said "bye-bye baby" and blew a big, dramatic kiss.  They left that house happily eating candy - chocolate smeared everywhere.  

Besides candy eating drinking out of a straw is the new must-do sport around our house this week. 

If you're really thirsty it's best just to throw it back quickly to get every last drop.

Miles is an excellent big brother and can open the fridge and refill Hadley's cup all by himself.  When she needs more she'll tell him "more Mimi."

Still taking care of her baby.

Lounging with his belly hanging out on Saturday morning.

Since we have so much candy if Miles and Hadley are members of the Clean Plate Club after dinner they can each choose one piece to eat.  Here Hadley devoured a Twix.

 "Did I get a little on my face?"

Miles was feeling better enough to want me to snap photos of him jumping up and down - here he is actually getting a little air.

Here's our pretty girl all dolled up. 

Yes, a bow is actually staying in!

 While we all left the room Hadley grabbed our tablet and tried to compute.

 Hadley wants to do everything Miles does.  My goofy, lovable kids.

Today the Sievers and my mom came over for dinner.  Miles and Hadley got to play with a real baby!  Lots of love was showered on Kennedy.  Doesn't Kenny look so happy?

Lots of words

I'm back!  I had the best time last weekend in Phoenix which makes it all the better to come back to my little sweeties.  We kicked off the weekend Thursday night with a fancy and fun Halloween party at the Hilton Minneapolis.  Miles and Hadley in costumes were a hit.  Yesterday we had a great time hanging out with the Nickolays and partying with Corey on his birthday.  Today was low-key family fun with beer brewing (that was mostly Mike and my dad) and dinner with my parents.  Miles is getting to be such a big helper.  He took his leaf removal job with daddy very seriously, put away his own laundry and on several occasions throughout the day was caught helping out and being extra nice to his little sis.  He's quite the young man.  One 'funny' from Miles this week happened during a trip to Costco.  We were looking at the toys asking the kids what they might want for Christmas.  Miles saw a kid's digital camera that he wants.  I told him he'll have to ask Santa for it for Christmas.  He replied "yeah, let's text Santa." 

Hadley is our little chatterbox lately.  Her language skills have exploded so the last two days I've written down all of the words she has said.  I think the sweetest phrase she has yet to utter happened for the first time this weekend when she told me "I love you!"  She got such a positive reaction out of me that she's very happy to tell everyone else that she loves them too - you just have to ask her.  Here's her vocabulary list from the last two days (in no specific order):  pee pee, poo poo, I love you, mama, dada, My-my (Miles), Ruru (Ruby), please, paci, baby, hi, apple, milk, papa (grandpa), grandma, Darcy, yeah!, oooh-oooh (monkey), up, bye-bye, ball, Alleluia, Coco (Corey), happy, more, all done, cake, puppies, Chase, uh-oh, ah-boo (peek-ah-boo), banana, cheese, car, shoe, hat, Amen, socks, cookie, and cracker. 

What's a party without maracas?

A bonus of being best-cousins with the birthday boy - playing with all the new toys!

Cake!

 

"Cheese"

Hadley is a little mama - she's checking on baby Kenny

Jumping on the bed.

Reading with Grandma.

Cuddling with "papa"

Oh its on! (a guest blog)

With Sarah away this weekend I got to spend a lot of one on one time with the kids. We had a great weekend but I'm glad Sarah will be back tonight. Both our kids are very easy going and keeping them entertained isn't to hard since they like do just about anything. I like to tell Hadley to go do stuff like she totally knows what I'm talking about and most of the time she does it. I'll tell her to go get a specific toy or tell her to hug her brother. Its amazing to me that at 17 months how much she knows and comprehends. Miles too, he'll say something and I'll think where in the world did he hear that and then a few days later I catch myself says the same thing. Kind of scary how much they absorb from Sarah and I, well more scary from me then Sarah but you know what I'm saying.

Every week brings something new and the new thing that I noticed this weekend is that some times things escalate and its on.  Sometimes its a toy... well its almost always a toy and one wants it while the other is playing with it. It use to result in whining or crying but now Hadley doesn't mess around and if Miles takes her toy watch out she has a wicked slap to retaliate against toy swiping.  And I know first hand, not that I took a toy from her. We were playing in the basement and her head came up and hit me under the chin pretty good. I thought I took the brunt of the blow but she started crying and as I went to comfort her she smacked me in the face like I hit her on purpose. Now the hitting goes both ways and its hard not to laugh at them because they have little kid technique when it come to hitting which is, well... funny. But I have them walk away or apologize and they do but I know this is only the beginning. For the most part Miles and Hadley are buds and like to play with each other and when they hug each other it will make your heart melt. Here are some picture from this weekend, just dad and the kids.

We played outside with shovels. yes shovels! there fun!

Did art projects

I know Hadley looks very smart in this picture but I actually made the pipe cleaner glasses

glasses or cute headband with bow?, you decide

acting goofy

she was smiling then right as I took the picture this is the face I got. classic!

Camera phone moments

I didn't take any pictures with the Nikon this week (a rare occurrence).  Our camera phones were more easily accessible during the busy week and laid back weekend.

Tuesday night daddy worked late and we had no groceries in the house so the kids and I headed to Byerly's for pancakes.  Hadley insisted on holding her own cup and drinking out of the straw and Miles did color commentary on the goings-on of the restaurant. 

After a Saturday morning trip to Costco and unloading the groceries the pear protectors made really fun head gear. 

Hadley Newton John

A little angel

The Sievers and my parents came over for dinner Saturday night.  Everyone loves the new baby.  Hadley - our little mama - tried carrying Kenny around in her car seat but when that didn't work toted her doll around happily.  She also insisted on wearing a hat and after a big dinner let her belly hang out in all of its baby fat glory.  Hadley calls Corey "Coco" (we all do), Miles "Mi-Mi," Hadley is "Hadley" and Kenny is "Baby."  Graham's in the picture because Hadley has a little crush on him and was his sidekick all night.

Today we visited the Chanhassen Fire Department.  The kids were both enamored with Sparky and probably gave him high-fives about 3 times during the course of our visit.  We road in a fire truck and Miles impressed us with his fire safety knowledge.  Me:  Where do you go if there is a fire inside our house?  Miles:  Outside!  Me:  What number do you call in an emergency?  Miles:  9-1-1.

Hadley was so enthusiastic about riding in the fire truck and wearing this hat that one of the fire fighters joked that they'd see her in 18 years.

Leaves and Pumpkins

Ahhh - Fall!  We celebrated the new season this weekend with a lovely dinner of roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, apples and raspberry rhubarb pie with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jon.  We also raked leaves and took a walk to the local pumpkin patch.  All of these seasonal activities were very exciting to the kids - Miles gets us all pumped by jumping up and down yelling "yeah! yeah! yeah!" 

Miles continues to do well at swimming lessons and is getting good at the back float and is a pro going down the water slide at the pool.  He is asserting more independence lately - especially when it comes to what he's wearing.  Everyday he demands "comfy pants" which are either track or sweat pants.  The only time he won't wear these is when all of his pairs are dirty and (gasp - the horror!) he's forced to wear jeans!  He also only wants to wear t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts and a red Nebraska Corn Huskers hooded sweatshirt.  He cries if I try to get him into a sweater or collared shirt.  He's going for comfort over style these days. 

Hadley is also coming into her own - she has a solid grasp of the word "no" now and uses it often - even when she means 'yes.'  She's at that age where she likes things a certain way too.  We don't dare break up her morning granola bar and put it in a bowl.  She now insists we open the wrapper just a little and give her the whole thing to munch on.  If the granola bar accidentally breaks in half (which happens often) it really seems to be the end of the world at our house.  Mike and I learn her preferences the hard way because although she has a good vocabulary she can't quite articulate all of her likes and dislikes yet.  We're learning. 

We also feel like referees a lot of the time between Hads and Miles.  One is always taking the others toy or running over someones foot with the riding toys.  Once Hadley gets a little older we're going to let them figure out these disputes but for now Mike and I might as well be wearing white and black stripes everyday.

Living large in her new snowsuit on this cold, Sunday morning.

Helping shovel leaves.

Relaxing.

Working hard.

These two found some toy teacups and insisted on bringing them to the pumpkin patch.  Spot of tea anyone?

Finding a good one.

Pumpkins are heavy!

Cute!

Making faces when mommy is trying to take a nice picture.