Half a year already!

It's so hard to believe, but on the 10th, Miss Anna Beth was six months old! Yes, that's what I said! I know...it went way too fast. I, personally, prefer to live in denial, and have convinced myself that she's only a few weeks old and that she'll never, ever grow up because I don't want to lose my baby.

 So stinkin' cute!

Per tradition, we had a (small) cake (and cupcakes) for Anna's big day, even though she didn't get to eat any. We're so mean, I know. The other kids enjoyed it (and so did Daddy).

She really wanted that cake.

I had a hard time getting her to look at me.

This past Tuesday, we took Anna for her six-month check-up. She is doing so well, and I couldn't be happier! Developmentally, she's right on target. She's reaching for things, she's working on sitting up and getting really good at it, chattering and laughing all the time, bearing weight really well on her legs when we stand her up, etc. I'm so proud of my girl!

 Don't forget to take off the .5 ounce for the diaper.

Yes, it's a veterinary scale. Get over it. 

It is always perfectly in sync with the doctor's scale. So there.

Anna is currently 16.3 pounds (55th %) and 24.5" tall (6 %). I am not happy with her height measurement (I know she's taller than that because of the clothing she's stretching to the max), and I plan on measuring her at home when I get a chance (if I ever get a chance, that is). So, we have another short girl. Not a huge surprise, since all the women in our family are of average height or smaller. At least our new pediatrician didn't make rude remarks about Anna taking after her mother like our old one did at Zoe's check-ups. Remember? No? Well...read about it.

Long story, short - Anna is healthy and very happy. Not to mention, she's completely adorable and has managed to hypnotize everyone in our house into some kind of perpetual baby-talking, gurgling state. It's so much fun! :)

Life with redheads

I've written about the kids' hair color before. If you'd like to check out my ranting from May 2010, you can find it here. A flashback just for you.

A good friend of mine (thanks, Stacy!) pointed out a blog post the other day and told me that when she read it, she immediately thought of me. Of course, I went right over to check it out...and laughed my big booty off. It was awesome.

Please, do yourself a favor and check THIS out. For me. And laugh a lot.

(But also know that the woman speaks the truth.)

Sometimes we do fun things.

Sometimes it's hard to have fun at our house. Life just gets in the way, as do my obligations as a stay-at-home wife and mommy. The laundry beckons, there are meals to be cooked, and that dirty bathroom isn't going to clean itself. On occasion, though, we do get some time to do fun things.

A few days ago, I thought it would be fun to make a fruit pizza. It's not hard, and I knew the kids would enjoy decorating it. They LOVE fruit. Needless to say, it was a huge hit.

 They were very meticulous about placing the fruit on the pizza.

It was actually really good!

Then, on Wednesday, we went to the store to check out the Halloween clearance section. I told the kids that we could try to find some costumes for them and start a "dress-up" wardrobe for them at our house. They were really excited. Huge bummer. There were TWO toddler-sized costumes in the entire Wal-Mart, and they were both for girls. They were also way too small for the boys. The only size they had was a child's small (which is about a size 6, and both the boys are in 4's right now). I managed to find capes and masks, though, and they were really happy with those. Zoe got a pink and black witch costume, which she loves.

The best part was when they decided to dress Anna in their costumes, which she thought was hilarious! They were taking the masks on and off, and she didn't mind a bit!

Zoe contributed her witch's hat for this picture.

The terrible trio.

Superhero brothers.

The day that we got the costumes, we also found some super huge coloring sheets with the Looney Tunes characters on them. The kids really had fun with them.

 If you stick your tongue out, it helps you stay within the lines.

Halloween 2011

Disclaimer: We don't really "celebrate" Halloween or endorse it at all, but don't necessarily have a problem with it, either. Just wanted to clear that up.

We kicked autumn off with a quick celebration at my parents' church on the 30th. I was so relieved that they weren't doing in on Halloween, because we did two festivals (our church and theirs) on the same day last year, and it made for a really long day.


They fed us lunch (yum!) and then had a ton of activities for the kids. We also tried to get another "pumpkin patch" picture, so we'll have to see how those turned out. Andee took them for us.

My mom and Andee, trying to get the kids to smile.

The kids played on the playground and in the bouncy castle for a while, then decided to take a break for some ice cream. Someone brought a soft-serve machine to the church (I have no idea who had it or where it came from), and there was a huge box of cones from Sonic. Really good ice cream! The kids liked choosing which flavor they wanted and watching it fill up the cones.

 

Even Daddy had some!

Or lots.

Anna had fun, and I think Grammy did, too!

 Time for the piñata!
The boys waited patiently for their turn.

Nicky put a huge crack in the side.

Ethan did some damage, too.

One last hit...

and there you have it!

Nicky was so proud of himself for being the one to bust the piñata open. Then all the kids scrambled, paper bags in hand, to get the candy!

Yay for sugar!

Once everyone had taken pictures with the pumpkins, they were set up to be carved. The little kids got to paint the small pumpkins, because we obviously didn't want them to be playing with knives.

He's really concentrating.

Or telling someone else what to do.

Yeah, probably the latter.

Nicky and Zoe working with the paint.

We had lots of fun and enjoyed visiting with all the people at CVBC. It's always good to spend time out there, because everyone is so cheerful and welcoming. They loved having the kids, and went out of their way to make sure we all had a great time.

And then, on Halloween, we went to our church for the annual Autumn Family Fest. It's a safe carnival for the community children where they don't have to worry about seeing scary things, and they hear Bible stories and play games with a Biblical focus. Plus, they get balloons and candy and sno-cones and stuff. :) Super fun!

First up: face painting!

Ethan got a cross on one cheek and a heart on the other.

Nicky had a heart, a pumpkin, and a goatee.

Grandma and Grandpa were working the fishing game, so we went to see them next.

Then, we had to get balloons.
The boys wanted swords, and Zoe got a pink bunny.

This is the most hilarious picture ever.

Dunk her, Nicky, dunk her!!

Looking for the lost coins in the sand.

Come on, Zoe, you can do it!

Shooting out candles with a water gun.
This is MUCH harder than it looks.

*Side note: Nathan and I worked this booth once when it was freezing outside. My job was refilling the water guns from a giant bucket of ice-cold water. It took several hours before I could feel my fingers again. No repeats.

"What's next, Daddy?"

Even Anna got to participate! Kind of.

Zoe defeating Goliath.

Nathan worked the basketball toss booth with his littlest sister, Beth (who is no longer little).
I didn't realize how much they looked alike until this picture!
Aren't they cute?

It was a great start to the fall! Now we get to look forward to Thanksgiving, which is one of my favorites!

What it's like to live with us...

Those of you without children will never understand, but I offer a few humorous tidbits for your enjoyment. :)

EPISODE ONE: ATTACK OF THE WILD ZOE

I'm cooking dinner. Zoe comes running into the kitchen with a large plastic shark. She is waving it around in the air like a crazy person. The following conversation ensues:

ZOE: Look, Mama!! The shark is eating all the animals!!

ME: Wow, he must be really hungry. He has lots of animals in his mouth.

ZOE: He's gonna eat them all up and the blood is gonna go on the floor!!

ME: Whoa, that's kind of violent!

ZOE: I'm not violent, I'm Zoe!

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EPISODE TWO: DISTRACTED BATHING

ME: Nicky! Come take a shower!

Nicky comes running in the bathroom.

NICKY: I have to pee!

ME: Okay, go then!

He starts getting undressed, looks around for a second, then starts to climb in the bathtub. He still has his shirt on.

ME: I thought you had to go to the bathroom.

NICKY (irritated voice): I DO!

ME: Well, you need to get out of the bathtub and go!

NICKY: Fine!

He climbs out, goes potty, then climbs back into the bathtub. He still has his shirt on.

ME (sighing and rubbing my head): Nicholas, you need to finish getting undressed.

NICKY: I am!

ME: No, son, you still have your shirt on.

Takes shirt off and throws it.

ME: Finally.

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EPISODE THREE: THE LORD OF THE...HUH?

I'm watching one of the Lord of the Rings movies while folding laundry. Ethan enters the room, having just woken up from his afternoon nap. He sits down on the couch and stares sleepily at the television for a few moments. Then, he speaks.

ETHAN: Hey, look! It's Moses!

I look up at the television to see the elderly, bearded character Gandalf, complete with long robe and staff.

ME (laughing): Oh, no, honey. That's not Moses, it's a man named Gandalf.

ETHAN: Oh. Well, he looks like Moses.

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EPISODE FOUR: THE SCOOP ON POOP 

One night at dinner, someone was talking about poop (which is something the kids aren't supposed to do, especially during a meal). Nathan made some dry, sarcastic comment like, "We don't want to hear all about your feces, thank you very much. Now be quiet and eat your dinner." 

Fast forward to several weeks later. We were at the pumpkin patch, checking out the animals, and Nicholas suddenly pointed at the piles of animal poop on the ground and yelled, "Look! Feces!!"

I know it's bad, but I couldn't stop laughing.

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EPISODE FIVE: PETE AND REPEAT WERE IN A BOAT... 

Ethan absolutely cannot stop talking. Ever. He talks all the time, in extreme detail, without taking any breaths. If you interrupt him or don't allow him to finish his story, he starts over. Also, he absolutely has to have the last word. Always. Don't even try to say something else, because he will never, ever give up. It's truly amazing that Nathan and I still have full heads of hair. Example: the kids were going to my parents' house on Friday night to spend the night. My mom came to pick them up after she got off work, and had brought each of them a Halloween surprise that she allowed them to open in the car. During the trip, Ethan lost a piece of his toy (part of Spiderman's suit). Nathan found it in the driveway, and I took it over to my parents' house on Saturday morning when I went over there. This is (basically) what happened: 

I dig Spiderman's suit out of my purse.

ME: Ethan, look what Daddy found.

ETHAN: Oh! My black Spiderman suit! I've been looking for that!

GRAMMY: Oh, good. Where was it? In the driveway?

ME: Yep.

GRAMMY: We looked for it in the car, and couldn't find it. I almost stopped again to look in the driveway. I'm glad he found it.

Ethan comes running up to me, very excited, waving his toy around in my face.

ETHAN: Grammy gave us new Spiderman toys for Halloween, and Zoe got some stuff for her baby doll!! I lost my Spiderman suit in Grammy's car.

(It seems to have escaped him that I saw his toys on the previous day, and already knew that he had lost a piece.)

ME: I know, buddy, but Daddy found your suit. You need to keep track of all the pieces or it won't be fun to play with.

ETHAN: Yeah, Daddy found it in the driveway!

ME: Yep, he did.

ETHAN: Nicky got Spiderman toys, too!

ME: I know he did. I saw them at our house yesterday.

ETHAN: Yeah, Grammy got them for Halloween.

ME: Yes, baby, I know.

My mom is standing behind Ethan, snickering.

ETHAN: We're going to Grammy's church tomorrow because they're having a Halloween party!

ME: Yeah, don't you remember me telling you about that?

(He ignores me.)

ETHAN: They're gonna have a bouncy thing and candy!

ME: Yes, they will.

ETHAN: Can I have some gum?

ME: If they have gum there, I don't mind if you get some.

Nicholas comes running up to me, having just finished his breakfast.

NICKY: Grammy got us Spiderman toys for Halloween!!

ETHAN (screaming in Nicky's face): Nicky!! I already told her!! And look! Daddy found my Spiderman suit in the driveway! I thought I lost it in Grammy's car, but Daddy found it in the driveway!!

ME: Oh, boy...

Keep in mind that the entire time they're talking to me, they can't stand still. They're running in place, dancing on the furniture, etc. Also, when Zoe joins in, she tells the story for a third time. Meanwhile, the boys are in the middle of a fistfight over who told Mommy the story first or best.

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EPISODE SIX: THE PROBLEM OF "HIS" 

Zoe has been able to construct elaborate sentences for a long time. She learned to talk very early (she had a couple of excellent teachers - see above), and quickly mastered it so she could get what she wanted.

Some of her mistakes are extremely cute, though. One such adorable error is her inability to use the words "his" and "her" in the proper way. 

Zoe is in her room, playing with a doll.

ME: Zoe, what's your baby doing?

ZOE: Drinking him juice.

ME: Oh, she's drinking her juice? She must be really thirsty.

ZOE: Yeah, she is. So she's drinking him juice.

ME: Drinking her juice?

ZOE: Yeah.

She'll get it eventually.

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EPISODE SEVEN: SAY WHAT?

The kids are all at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Nicholas can't eat quietly. He has to be making constant noise, even while chewing. I've had enough.

ME: Nicky, you need to be quiet and finish eating, please.

NICKY: MMmmmhhhmmnnnmmnomnomhhhhhmmmnnnnommmm...

ME: Nicky! Hush!

He continues to chew, humming loudly.

ME: Nicky, you're about to lose your food, son. Be quiet and finish! NOW!

Ethan: Yeah, Nicky, that's really annoying and obnoxious (pronounced "at-noxt-shush").

I start giggling.

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I could do this all day, but I'll spare you. :) Hope you enjoyed!