Happy Halloween!

We have many Halloween adventures to update you on, but in the meantime, Happy Halloween from our two treats!

Future buddies?

As Zach has gotten older, it's been fun to watch him begin to actually play with other kids. And he's always had a good time with Kasey, our friends' daughter (who is a year younger than him). Last Sunday we had the opportunity to see if the next "generation" would get along too:


^Reagan (4 mos) & Charlie (6 mos)


^What is that stuff on the top of your head??


^Checking each other out



I think these two are going to be quite a team, especially when it comes to defending each other from the "big kids"! We're looking forward to watching them grow together.

More laughs

I hope this never gets old.

A Fall Celbration*

The last few years our friends have hosted a fall party, and this year the celebration seemed bigger than ever (perhaps because of all the new babies). Here's some of the fun we had:

^ Zach's quarterback form; showing off his push-up skills to Kasey???

^Carving Zach's pumpkin. Zach didn't want to get his hands dirty, so he did about two scoops with the spoon before he was done cleaning it out. Same with carving... the second picture shows his interest level. I carved the circular eyes he requested before I remembered I've already carved my share of pumpkins. So now we have a jack o'lantern with just two eyes. I like to think it's spooky.

^Wagon rides! Check out how strong Evangeline is - she's not much bigger than the two in the wagon!

^And then there was the pinata - a huge hit! Most amusing to most of us adults was watching the kids try to line up by size, and then attempt to patiently wait their turn. But no one got whacked with the bat or trampled in the race for the bounty - success!

^Perhaps in a few years Zach's pumpkin will look more like this one!

*Yes, I do know how to spell celebration (and use spell-check). This misspelling is intentional, now a bit of a tradition with our friends; basically a way to never let one friend forget that once upon a time he made a typo.

Six months

I recently read a book in which the female heroine, a woman without children, declared her disdain for the things all parents seem to say. In particular she was amused by the way every parent would exclaim about how big their kids were getting, how quickly they were growing. The book put it more eloquently, but basically she said - what do they expect? That their kids are going to shrink? Stay the same?? Take 3 years to grow an inch???

I was reminded of this as I looked at my now six-month old baby and thought... really? Halfway to a year already??? Yes, it's a cliche, but c'mon, cliches exist for a reason. Six months ago Charlie was unable to control any muscle in his body, doing nothing but eating or sleeping 23 out of 24 hours per day, not really caring who was holding him as long as someone was.

And now... he can use his muscles to roll over, reach for and grasp an item, bring same item into his mouth, bend his legs so that he can suck on his toes, support himself on his legs for quite a while, and sit up on his own for short periods of time. And when you consider how heavy his head is compared to the rest of his body - being able to balance that melon is quite an accomplishment!

And then there's the social stuff: he definitely recognizes his family - his little wiggle and squeal when he sees me from his crib is enough to make me smile the rest of the day. Charlie's eyes follow Zach wherever his big brother goes, usually with a big grin on his face. And he knows Daddy is the one who makes him laugh by wiggling his eyebrows or throwing him in the air.

So really, that is a lot to accomplish in a few short months. And when I think about where he'll be six months from now - not only sitting up, but rolling in both directions, then crawling, maybe walking, and stuffing actual food into his mouth with his own hands, including the frosting on his birthday cake - I do have to marvel at the miracle that is our baby. And as much as I LOVE what's coming next, I can't help but get a little teary too.

A few laughs

Here's a short video of Zach making Charlie laugh - by doing nothing particularly funny! You can barely hear Charlie over Zach (why do I think this isn't the last time I'll say that?), but it's still cute to see Charlie's reaction to his big brother.

Pumpkins

We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather (84!) on Saturday and visited a nearby farm to pick out some pumpkins. We decided to avoid the hoopla this year... no long lines to go on tractor rides, to pet goats, wander through a corn maze, etc etc. Just a local farmer with a nice pumpkin, and as it turned out, cabbage patch. Keeping it simple.


^Charlie, the original cabbage patch kid!


^Zach searching for the perfect pumpkin. See the hot-air balloon in the background? Another advantage to living close to the St. Croix river - we see them all the time these days!


^My attempt, once again, to take a nice picture of the boys together. I can't wait until Charlie can sit up on his own - maybe that will help?!!?