Second Child

In the span of about a week Ava, our precious second child has been on a tear. She has begun unplugging things. Things with cords connected to electricity. I would assume a lot of electricity. She opened the car door as we were driving 70+ miles an hour down the Highway 78. The door did not actually fly open, but it was certainly ajar. And then we come to tonight. She got her portable training potty, moved it to the living room rug, used it, and then dragged it across the living room to use it as a stool by the backdoor. Let me paint a more descriptive picture. She dragged it sloshing and splattering liquid across the living room floor.

I promise we supervise her.

Campout

We have been trying to camp out for at least a year now and between bad weather and sick kids, it took us a while. Of course we did pick the night the temperature got down into the 30s. Cate was a real trooper though. She was determined to sleep outside in the tent with Joe and me. She kept telling me to make sure she didn't fall asleep in the shed/house so she could sleep in the tent. We piled in there like 3 sardines and actually stayed pretty warm. The kids had fun checking out the cows and horses, feeding the donkeys apples, and drinking from the overflow well. We stayed at a beautiful site on the Eaton's land in good ole Tippah County. The boys played guitar and sang into the night. It turned out to be a nice getaway.

Trunk or Treat

We went to Trunk or Treat at the church the Wednesday before Halloween. The girls had a good time. Cate's favorite was getting her face painted. She fell all to pieces when we had to wash it off at bath time, wailing, "I never want to take a bath again." Living with a princess can be trying at times.


Princess Ariel and Minnie Mouse


Organized chaos at Trunk or Treat
Nichole and Ava- finally got a sweet smile.
Cate and her buddies from preschool and church.

Happy Halloween

Ava had croup this week and I had a hard time getting her in the mood for pictures. She did rally for trick or treating and loved going door to door. This is the first year they've both really gotten into the whole deal.





Cate and Lauren on the hay riding from door to door.
The whole bunch, minus Ava.

I Don't Know What This Says About Mama Sue's House

Ava has been on this kick of telling all of us that we are mean. Tonight as I was brushing her teeth we had this conversation:

Ava: "Mama, you mean."

Me: "Ava! Stop saying that."

Ava: "I sa-id, Mama, you mean."

Me: "Ava. I said to stop saying that. That is not kind and we are not going to say that in this house."

Ava: "Well I'm leaving. I'm going to Mama Sue's."

Ava's First State Game

Other than having a screaming fit when Bully walked in front of us at the bouncy slide, Ava had a pretty good first game. There was a lot of wallowing on me in the bleachers and the poor man in front of us went home with small Keds prints all over his back, but she was an overall good sport. Cate loved every minute of it and thankfully the dogs pulled out a win.



Ava "ringing responsibly".




Having a big time at the tailgate with Mary "Princess" (Frances)
Cate and Dolly
Cate had been talking about wanting her face painted for weeks and we had to take SEVERAL pictures so she could see it.

The Pumpkin Patch

I went with Cate and her class to the pumpkin patch in Kossuth. The weather was perfect and the crowd was slim. It really couldn't have been a better trip.

Riding the train.

The big slide.
Playing crack the egg.
Holding the bunny.

Riding to the pumpkin patch.
Feeding the catfish.

Wardrobe Malfunction

Ava still sleeps in a diaper at nap and at night. If you let her, she'll keep it on and use it instead of going to the potty. So, the first thing I do when she wakes up is take her diaper off of her. This afternoon I sent her to get her panties and this is how she returned.

And the classic thumb-sucking with the pacifier pose.

Ducks and Dirt

A fun morning at Ballard Park with a friend.

Happy Birthday Tucker! (9/17/10)

All the children in Cate's class take turns being child of the week. That week they are recognized in various ways. One of the days they are allowed to bring their pet to school. Cate told Ms. Harriet, "Our cat will tear up the room," which is a pretty accurate statement. So, Tucker got to visit her class and it happened to be on his birthday. I don't think he could have spent it any better, getting cheese treats and lots of back scratches.

Cohorts

We check on the girls before we go to bed every night, usually a few hours after they go to bed. They both know better.

One Would Think...

One would think that after I got finished washing, drying, and folding the enormous pile of sheets, towels, and pajamas after Cate threw up 7 times on Sunday that I would have not forgotten to put a diaper on Ava last night. One would think...