Welcome Home RLMC&M!

Our dear, dear friends are back from Ireland. From all they've said about their trip, it is obvious they left a part of the hearts over there. But we are so happy they are back!

I didn't get a picture of the 3 musketeers...they were much too busy for that sort of thing. But I did get this picture of our little munchkins. I love how their little hands are holding on to each other. It makes me think of friends - friends who hold on, who help hold us up, & keep us close...thru the calm & storms of life.

Roar!

Benjamin poses with our silly faces.

I love how Benjamin's pumpkin turned out - a little ghost!

Benjamin's good friend at school & his teacher's assistant

More pumpkin pictures!

2010...

2009...

Pumpkin Pictures

We love pumpkins in our household!

Some interesting things we learned about pumpkins this week...

-Pumpkins are members of the Cucurbita family, which includes cucumbers.

-Pumpkin flowers are edible.

-Pumpkins are grown on every contient except Antartica.

-Pumpkins are 90 percent water!

Convention Days

brothers at convention
discovering leaves & sticks
happy to be at convention

it is more fun to get up & play at night in the trailer

who needs to sleep??!!
Benjamin & cousin Skye

Extinct vs De-stinked

In the car yesterday, Benjamin brought up the subject of dinosaurs.

B: Do dinosaurs live around here?
M: No, dinosaurs don't live in TX. They are all extinct now.
B: De-stinked?
M: Extinct means that they are no longer living. Some people think they have found their bones. But that is all that is left of the dinosaurs.
B: What??!!! You mean that the skunks came and destinked all the dinosaurs??

I can't remember what Russell said in response to that...I was too busy laughing!

I love to sit back & watch him learn and try to figure things out. It can be so confusing for him at times.

What's for lunch??

This month I've been dragging Trevin's high chair outside at noon and we eat our lunches on the covered patio...watching the squirrels & birds. Lovely!!

Trevin likes finger foods but barely tolerates stage 3 baby food...he wants to try what we have on our plates...of which 80% gets spit out into this bib...but at least he wants to try it!

Fingerfoods he likes at 13 months: avocados(the best baby food ever!!!!), pears, apples, grapes, chicken, cheese, breads, carrots, peas, corn, & more.

Soaking it up

Sunny days, blue skies, cool mornings & evenings...we're soaking it up and spending as much time outside as possible.

Benjamin has been learning about salt water & fresh water at school. I opened the windows the other morning as we were eating breakfast & we had this conversation...
Me: "Let's get some fresh air in here today."
Benjamin: "Yes, I like fresh air much better than salt air!"

[They had tasted fresh water & salt water and concluded that fresh water tasted much better, so he must have deducted the same thing about air]

the little one

This one is too sweet not to share tonight. I'm going to bed with a smile on my face!

Too Busy

This picture really says it all (regarding this stage of Trevin's life)
1. There are so many things in life to check out to be bothered by Mommy & Daddy's attention getting antics.
2. If there is any way he can stand or climb on it, he'll find a way.
3. Hair! Where? It's still peach fuzz. We're going to ask cousin Malia very nicely for a little of hers when we see her next. Pretty please with peach fuzz on top?!
4. That's an 18 month shirt and it is none too big
5. Our boys really like tractors...the bigger the wheels the better. Trevin has recently added the motor sound effects. He has perfected the 3 limb scoot in order to push the vehicle around on the floor.




We actually got a really good picture tonight of the boys but we'll share it later. We had so much fun borrowing this prop before it makes its way to Canada! Thanks D&C!

Benjamin's 5 year pictures

I can't believe how grown up he looks in these pictures! Today he had his 5 year check up. Just as we guessed, he's in the 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight.

Picture Perfect Weather

I have a confession to make...it's pretty obvious by now that I went a little crazy with picnik.com. I was on a roll and enjoying the "instant gratification" of editing my pictures.

Anyway, we've had some great times outside this week. It's been an upside down week for us...Russell being home almost all week long, doctor appointments, lots of cleaning up around here, etc. Hopefully next week will be a bit more calm for me & I can slow down a bit.


"Hmmm...looks like I need to fix my flat tire"

Trevin was ready to lend a hand to help!

Lots to celebrate

Fall is my favorite time of year...
-We have lots of birthdays in our family during this season.
-The weather is perfect for playing outside anytime - morning, afternoon, or evening.
-Preps & convention are here!
-I enjoy pulling out my pumpkins & Benjamin helped me decorate with sticks & leaves this year!
-We've found the early mornings perfect for sitting on our back patio & having quiet time.


Thanks for the birthday wishes! My boys made it special.

It's Official!

Trevin is walking. I find myself holding by breath, cringing...waiting for the tumble. I'm amazed how much he improves every day. He is persistant & doesn't resort to crawling very often. I'm so proud of him!