Happy Halloween!

What happens when a two-year-old skips a nap?

The child will fall asleep at the dinner table while drinking her milk....

Wordless Wednesday...

More fall carnival fun...

On Saturday morning, we had fun at the church around the corner from our house (where our friend Ethan-Stone goes to school) at their annual fall carnival. We went last year, too, and have had a blast both times! The weather was cool, clear and beautiful!

Our little scarecrow

E loves petting zoos!


What a sweet donkey!

A fairy driving a firetruck?

Enjoying the little people sized playground!

Ahhh, candy....decisions....decisions!

We have one more fall carnival at our own church on Friday night, bringing out total this year to three fun fall festivals! Such fun, family times!

New camera fun...

I bought myself a new digital camera last week...ohhhh, I think I am going to like it! With faster shutter speed, better optical zoom and more power than my old camera, this new little baby helped me take these amazing photos in our front yard this afternoon. (And thank you to the monarch butterfly for cooperating by sticking around so long and dealing with my zillions of shots from various angles!)

Girl mommies...

...check out this giveaway!

Saturday morning silliness...

E loves Saturday mornings, when the pace is (sometimes!) a bit slower around here and Daddy is home! This past weekend, she had a blast having breakfast with Daddy, then running around the house in Mommy's fuzzy socks. What a silly girl!

Fun, busy weekend...

We had a very fun, very busy weekend...

Lucy and Alan had a wonderful wedding shower on Saturday, thrown by the church where Alan grew up (and where his parents met and were married). The shower was in a beautiful home and was given by some neat, sweet ladies. Alan and Lucy received many wonderful, beautiful gifts!

Then, Saturday evening, we attended a fun fall festival with Aunt Laura. The highlight? E rode a pony for the first time...she also loved the petting zoo and the "kick the soccer ball" booth. Such fun!

Sunday morning best...

Who is this big girl, and what did she do with my little baby?

Regardless, I still have a blast dressing her for church every Sunday.

Gramma and other loved ones keep her dressed in such style!

And don't you love these shoes!?

Books, wonderful books...

We have especially been enjoying some "bigger kid" books this week focusing on -- what else? -- pumpkins! E is having a blast "reading" and being read to. I can't tell you how much we LOVE the library!

Calgon, take me away...

E recently discovered the joys of TONS of bubbles in the bath. Bubble baths are bliss! Like mother, like daughter... (And, by the way, can you believe the cheesy smile?...sheesh!)

Creative play...

We enjoyed a "home day" today in our comfy clothes, with the windows thrown open wide to enjoy the beautiful, cool weather.

Sweet E entertained herself this morning for over an hour with a game she made up with a plastic container and a plastic ice pop mold. I love it! So creative...and so fun to watch her "do her thing!"

Celebrating eight years...

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!

Tales for Twos...

Almost every Tuesday, you'll find us at our local library for two-year-old storytime (and checking out a huge bag full of books...some for mommy, some for daddy and some for E). This year, the kids had an opportunity to color pumpkins again for the library "pumpkin patch"...Big girl E wanted to use marker this year instead of crayon...crayons are so last year, apparently...

Musical moments...

On Mondays, E has been enjoying music class for preschoolers at our church. There is only one other little girl in her class (who shares the same first name as E!)...they are also in Sunday School together, so they know each other and have a lot of fun with drums, rhythm sticks, singing, dancing and more. Too cute!

Little diva mommy....

(Where does she come up with this stuff? What a ham!)

Did you know...

...that a pile of dirty laundry can entertain a two-year-old for more than half an hour?

Wonderful weather...

I think fall has finally arrived in our great state, and we're loving spending more time outside! We've always had a lot of fun playing in our backyard -- sandbox, fort, swing, wagon, slide and so much more...but we've also discovered the fun of playing in our front yard. In addition to having a safe, protected cul-de-sac, we also have a huge, great shade tree in our yard that creates a great shady place to play or sit on a big blanket. E loves to recline in the grass and look up at the tree...and she also loves creating sidewalk chalk art in the shade. Such fun!

Mommy's little helper...

This morning, E "helped" me unload groceries, scrub the kitchen sink and wash her hands after her "chores" were done. She even sampled the produce we brought home from our local market, as shown in the video above. She loves "helping" me with whatever I am doing -- something that generally cracks me up! (Eating raw green beans and trying to taste raw garlic? Ew!)

A hilarious must-read...

You're a Good Mom (and your kids aren't so bad either...) by Jen Singer

Check your local library or bookstore for this one -- it's a hoot and a good dose of reality for moms (and women) who try so hard to "do it all"...

'Tis the Season...

I love Autumn...pumpkins, gourds, colored leaves, cooler weather...I just love it. We celebrated the start of Autumn in style on Monday, visiting the local arboretum on "Mommy and Me Monday" during their Great Pumpkin Festival....so much fun!