Big News

My baby's smile is forever changed.  Check out this gappy grin!  And yes, the tooth fairy stopped by last night and left him some gum and a dollar.  We have a very happy, very big boy here!

Snowy Halloween

Come snow, come sleet, we'll trick-or-treat!  I've shoveled an inch of snow off our porch throughout the evening, for crying out loud, but our clown and Pippi Longstocking persevered and scored a good pile of loot!

Big kid news

Look at him go!  We have had a great summer, and this big guy is definitely ready for kindergarten next week!

Chug-a, chug-a

Our commuter rail service has been on a hiring frenzy lately--check out their two newest engineers!  Chug-a, chug-a, toot, toot!  No, really--it was a Metra visit day.  We had an excellent time exploring the inside of a locomotive and a passenger car (well, we'd explored those before, but we were never allowed to run around and climb the stairs so much before!), we visited the shops and saw how they fix sick trains, and we met some very cool workers who keep our trains running.  And we learned that, to make the train bell ding repeatedly, the engineer only has to press the button once!  There's another button to make it stop.  Rachel and Nathan put both buttons--and our eardrums--to work.  Thanks, Metra!

Crazy hair day, year two

Last week Rachel's school had Crazy Hair Day.  She wore a stunning green wig--which changed her appearance more than I would have expected! 

And, in case the wig got too uncomfortable to wear all day, we made her real hair a little crazy, too!

Hoops time, minus the hoop

One of the coolest things about my kids being at the ages they are now is that they think I'm good at sports.  (I harbor no such illusions; soon they, too, will learn the truth!)  Nathan received a basketball recently and loves going outside to dribble.  (I taught him a few passing techniques, which got me some cred.  He doesn't know that my expertise ends there.)  He's pretty good, and it keeps him busy!

Mustachioed Munchkins

It was Mustache Day at Rachel's school today.  Nathan got into the act, too.  Pretty cute!

Five

Well, it happened again.  We went to sleep on Saturday night, confident that there was a four-year-old in our house.  But when we woke up on Sunday, we found a five-year-old in his place!  Quite a fun little guy he is, too.  He keeps us in smiles and laughs through much of the day.  He fancies himself as Dash ("I can run faster than anyone I know!") Incredible, loves numbers, music, and his big sister, prefers to read the part of Piggie in the "Elephant & Piggie" books, and is always ready to help with kitchen, laundry, and yard jobs.  Believe you me, we are awfully lucky to have this five-year-old living in our house! 

Nathan had a pretty good birthday, I think.  After church, we went to lunch at a diner where there is a train track on the counter and your food comes in a box car!  Then Nana and Papa met us to see Free Birds, which provided both laughs and popcorn.  The fruit van visited (Thanks GM and GP!) and we sang to the fruit man.  (Does everyone sing when they see an Edible Arrangements van, or is that just us?  "Fruit van, na na na na na, fruit van, na na na na na!")  There were some pretty sweet gifts, and we had macaroni-and-cheese-with-ham-and-broccoli and a turtle cake for dinner.  Yes, I think Nathan had a pretty good birthday.   Today he took treats to share with his class, came home wearing a crown, and built some impressive structures with new legos.  It is good to be five.

Madeline and her dog

I caught Rachel looking darling between the raindrops at her school's costume parade.

 Her brother was not quite so cooperative about getting his photo taken--or about leaving the black makeup on his nose!

 But once the main event arrived, everyone was in good spirits and had a lot of fun--and it got even better when the skies cleared!

Fancy fall fun

We've been having all kinds of fun around here lately.  There was apple picking.  There was a baby shower that brought three pregnant bellies to our house all at once.  Nathan spent some of the warm early-fall days rocking the galoshes-and-boots look.

Since summer backyard forts are not in the cards for another few months, my children have been finding other places to nest.  Closets are a favorite, as is anywhere they can pile a few couch cushions.  And they each have a corner of their room that they refer to as their "nook."


Rachel's school had a fun run on Sandwich Day (that's our name for The Day Between the Birthdays around here).  Remember what a dickens of a time we used to have, getting her to smile for pictures?  Look at this cheese!

Our newly-minted seven-year-old had a "fancy" birthday party, with hairdos, pedicures, and crafts.  They ate canapes (taquitos and mini corn dogs--gotta know your audience!) and petits fours and drank fancy punch.  A good time was had by all.  (Many thanks to Nana for her help massaging little feet and painting teensy toenails!)