7:34 am

Matt brought in the Christmas ornaments last night after the kids were sleeping. As soon as they knew what was in the bins there was so much excitement that I just went with it, in spite of the fact that the sun was just coming up. Opening the ornaments was always a joy for me...and I think that it was for them as well.

Halloween

Ella was very certain that she should be a black cat with pink in the middle of her ears and a black tail. Who knew that the craft store sells giant pipe cleaners that look just like cat tails?

Our proud fireman. He takes his job seriously :)

100 lbs of produce

Rather than heading west to the IL apple orchards, we decided to go east to Michigan for our yearly picking. Even though it has been well over a month, the kids are still talking about the hotel and the orchards. We made use of Matt's great familiarity with the Marriott chain and found a place that was just a few hours away and right in the middle of a bunch of orchards. Through three year old eyes, this translated to 'the place that puts chocolates on our pillows at night'. What could be better?!?

Dinner in our room overlooking the river

Making sure that her babies were adequately fed. And I'm not sure what Noah hiding in blue next to her.

This was the start of the picking adventure...

We took a break at a country restaurant with some of the best apple butter bread that I've ever tasted.

Nourished, we headed back out to orchard number two to get a few other apple varieties as well as peaches and nectarines.

Both kids tuckered out on the way back to the hotel.

All in all, we figured that we came home with 65 lbs of apples, 15 lbs of peaches/nectarines and 20 lbs of pumpkins. We'll be working our way through it for a long time.

Chatt-Nash Trip

I barely took 10 photos of our trip to TN but I'll post a few for posterity sake.

Atop Lookout Mtn at our 10 year reunion

In Nashville with the Orrs...making use of every seat in the van

Ella & Lily

Afternoon at the Arboretum

Morning at Home

First

Ella and Noah started preschool this year. They were THRILLED to go and have precious little stories about their days. From what I can tell, they stick together and have not yet ventured out to make friends. Each morning, Noah takes Ella's hand and leads her into the classroom where they give a huge double hug to their teachers. When I pick them up, I get a million kisses and a full run down of the day. Apparently, the big events of the day are:
1) getting to put up the weather flash cards. Neither of them can tell me the name of the kid that gets to do it (it changes every day) but Noah always spells it for me on the ride home.
2) remembering the number that you stand on in line as you go outside to play
3) the apple stamp that you get for washing your hands

I love that these are the things that stand out in their little minds.

Thoughts on babies

So, yes, we're having another one. We're pretty excited about the new arrival in January. I'm 23 weeks now and the kids have adjusted well to the idea. We've covered some of the basic questions like how the baby got inside mommy, when the baby is going to come and they've even adjusted to my food needs. This is pretty typical:

Me: Kids, I'm not feeling very well. I need to take a little rest and get something to eat.
Noah: Mommy you should go make yourself some food so that you don't spit up. You want Bigs? (Bigs is his beloved blanked which is indeed very large).

Or, this charming little tidbit that has happened more than once:
Noah (staring intently at my backside): Momma, why is your bottom so big?
Me: (smiles and says nothing)

The other day Matt's mom was driving the kids around and the conversation went something like this:
Ella: I want a baby 'gurl'.
Noah: I want a baby boy.
Nana: God will give your family what is best for your family. The doctor might even be able to know if the baby is a boy or girl. Mommy and Daddy are going to go to the doctor and he is going to take a picture of the baby.
Ella (completely incredulous): But how is the doctor going to get inside mommy? (And even more concerned) And how is he going to get out?!?

And lastly, some visuals because some have asked I'm as big as I was last time around.

Singleton, 23 weeks

Twins, 25 weeks (and hi Megs!)

And a kid shot just because....

Conversations

Three and a half has been a (ahem) rough patch for us. I'll spare you the nitty gritty but getting through the day with two kids at this stage can pretty much push me to my emotional limit. Thankfully, this is tempered by conversations that just make me laugh. Here are a few that I want to remember:

Me: Ella, how do you like my new shoes?
Ella: Oh Mommy, they are just perfect.

...

Noah (overheard in a conversation with Ella): I made a snake and it is as long as the snakes in our Bible.

...

I'm in the bathroom and Noah is outside the bathroom door having a complete meltdown (over crackers). Ella comes storming in, crying.
Ella (sobbing): Momma, I need a Hello Kitty band-aid!
Me (calmly): Okay sweetie. Let me finish up in here and we'll get you a band-aid.
Ella (still sobbing and a bit angry): YOU DONT WASH YOUR HANDS!
Me (still calm): I'll be there in just a minute. (And noting to myself that we need to have the 'Ella does not tell Mommy what to do' conversation again).

We walk to the closet and get her a band-aid and then I sit on a chair holding Ella, still very upset.

Ella (through tears): I wanted a Hello Kitty band-aid. I told you that I wanted that. Number 1. You don't go potty. Number 2. You don't wash your hands. You get me a bandaid.
Me: (saying the appropriate Mommy responses while inside laughing that she had numbered her orders to me.)

...

Confession: I take the kids to McDonalds. I get Noah a cheeseburger with mustard only (because of my irrational relationship with ketchup) and Ella gets a yogurt parfait and a small fry. I know, not the best, but sometimes it is what we do. The other day Noah opened the fridge and asked me 'is this mustard only?'.

...

Ella calls her room her 'house.' She invites me to come and play house with her, mostly so that I can bake cupcakes in her kitchen and care for her baby while she goes out. I had gotten started on the cupcakes and then she informed me 'I'm going out now to exercise. Then I'm going to go see a friend. And then go to Trader Joe's and the baby store. You stay here and take care of baby.'

She walks out the door.

She pops her head back in to lament 'I forgot my list. I don't have my list.'

Closes door.

Opens door again. 'Momma, you stay here and watch baby. You don't leave my house. If baby needs a walk, her stroller is right over there.'

And she is off again.

...

Me: Noah would you like more yogurt?
Noah: (says nothing)
Me: I'll take that as a no. (And I walk away.)
Noah: I take that as a yes.

...

Me: Noah, do you want to take a soccer or basketball class this fall.
Noah (deep in thought): Um. When I grow up I'm going to be a fire man and Ella is going to be a dancer girl ballerina. Then we will go to school. First I'll do that and then I'll do basketball.
Me: Oh. I see.

...

Me: We went to that restaurant when you were little tiny babies.
Ella: How big were we?
Me: You were very little, only five weeks old.
Ella: Did we drink milk when we were there?
Me: No, you were nursing there so you did not drink milk.
Noah: Oh, we saw a nurse and she said that we should not drink milk?
Me: That is good thinking Noah. But, to nurse, or nursing, means that you drink the milk the mommy made for you.
Noah: Did we drink milk that Daddy made?
Me: No, dads don't make milk. Only mommies.
Noah: Dads make juice?
Me: This is all kind of confusing, huh?

...

Speaking of babies...more to come on a three year old's perspective of this...

Home again!

I don't know that I've mentioned it much here, but Matt travels substantially for his job. And it isn't the nice little two or three day trips, it is the generally three week trips. As in 21 days without coming home. The kids are increasingly aware that daddy is not around and that they really want him home. Yes, we video chat and talk on the phone, but those don't really cut it when you are three and just want to play with your dad.

So, one of the ways that they've learned to cope is that they save treats for daddy. Matt always comes home to a bowl of half licked lollipops and little melted tidbits of chocolate candies wrapped in plastic baggies. This time, they were really into making cards and drawings for Matt. Anything from Miss Nancy's house or church went in the pile of 'things for dad' as did their favorite creations that they come up with on their own. For this last trip the kids kept calendars on the fridge and crossed out the days until he got home. These also went into the pile.

On the way to the airport I asked Ella what she was going to do when she saw daddy at the airport. 'I'm going to give him lots of hugs and kisses. And jump' was the reply. That is pretty much what happened.

We're so happy to have him home again!

Cozy

This post is especially for the world travelers that have mentioned my lack of posts.

As I waited for breakfast to finish baking this morning, I noticed the kids toting all the contents of their beds into the kitchen. Then I realized that they had been silent for a couple of minutes. When I finally went in, Ella explained that they were keeping out of the rain and that it was 'cozy'. Noah came out to eat breakfast. She would not come out for breakfast and maintained that 'she did not want to get wet.'