- School Pix: 2018 -

Hot off the press:  two little beauties smiling pretty for their fall school pictures!

Yeahhhh, I'm THAT MOM who doesn't want to spend $50 for six wallet-sized pictures that aren't even good... But still, #letnothinggoundocumented!

Cheese! :D

- Out of the mouth of babes: VOL IV -

As we were approaching the stop sign at the edge of our subdivision during a stroller walk: 
"'Dat sign says, 'NO.......WALKIN'.......DOWN.......'DA.......STREET!"


After destroying her room during afternoon quiet time:
Me: "Go pick up your room before Daddy gets home from work."
Harper: "I'm too tired to pick up my room. ...I can pick up a wittle bit of it, but not ALLLLL of it." 

At bedtime:
"Sissy will be a best friend 'da me some day pretty soon when she's a wittle bit older 'cause I wuv Sissy and she wuvs me!"


One evening as Brian was finally walking in the door after working outside all day in the rain at our new house:
"Wet me see if Daddy's Elsa Band-Aid got dirty!"

One morning, in a moment of chaos:
Harper: "Why is your hair messy?"
Me: "That's the way God made it."
Harper: ....."No he 'dint, 'dat's not 'da way he maked it, Mommy..."
 
Later that day, after letting out an obnoxious toot:
Me: "Why is your butt so stinky?"
Harper: "'Dat's 'da way God made it, Mom!"

After a wild driver screeched his wheels and floored it off the line: 
"'DAT boy better slow down or he's gonna get in an ass-ka-dent [accident]! Den 'da police off-sirs will be mad!"


After walking past an open gate to the basement: 
Me: "We're going to have to close this gate from now on when we come up the stairs."
Harper:  "YEAH, 'cuz Sissy is a MOVIN' MACHINE! Know what would be terr-bull [terrible]?"
Me:  "What?"
Harper:  "It would be TERR-BULL if Sissy falled allllll 'da way down 'da steps!"
Me: "What would we ever do if she fell like that?"
Harper:  "Well, we'd give her wotsssss a Band-Aids."     

While driving past our parish:
"Mommy, do you know who lives at 'da church? FAH-VER JEFFFF! I wuv Fah-ver Jeff."


After driving over a bumpy train track: 
"'Dat almost breaked our wheels off!"


While parading around the house in her Halloween costume:
"Do you want to sit wif Ree-punzel, Scarwett?"

While playing on the floor with Scarlett:
Me: "Can you believe you and Scarlett used to live in my tummy and now you're both big girls?"
Harper: "Yesssss and da-marrow you are gonna have twins in your tummy!  WE ARE GONNA HAVE TWINS!" *dancing around* 


Randomly:
"Mommy, wet me tell you a secret in your ear...*whispering*...I need you 'da buy me a mermaid tail and a bra so I can swim at 'da beach and my tummy will hang out."

- Who wore it best?! -

One of the things I'm careful about with my kids is trying to not to compare them and trying not to keep everything equal, butttttt I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy a little side-by-side pic with them in same outfit every now and then... *swoon*

 [Above and below:  Harper on the left at 7 months, Scarlett on the right at 9 months.]

.....But either way you argue the above pics, I think they both "wore it" better than their mama circa 1989!!!

Lol! :o 

- Thieves Cleaner #FTW -

While I'm still dancing on the fall/pumpkin/Halloween bandwagon, I can't not let you in on this amazing oily life hack: pumpkins, meet Thieves cleaner!

Each of ours got a generous squirt and will now probably still be alive and well in 2020...

In fact, I think I'll keep these babies in the garage after we decorate for Christmas and just see how long they do last!  Maybe...just maybe...we can use them for decorating next year! ;) :)

#younglivingessentialoils #oilsforthewin #foreverandeverAMEN

- Halle-halle-luuuuujah, it's HALLLLL-O-WEEN! -

There are few things I love more than the crisp air of fall and the b-e-a-uuuuutifully colored leaves that come as the season changes. I may or may not be a super old soul trapped in a semi-young body, but autumn is unarguably some of God's best artwork, and I love to soak it up each year while it lasts!!!

On Halloween Eve, Harper happily agreed to a picnic and "nature walk" with me; and ohhhh boy, it was amazing.

Someone tell me: is this what heaven looks like?!

...Scarlett thinks so. :)

Beauty, beauty ALL AROUND.

Happy fall ya'll!  This trip was so good for the soul.  Three hours later, we packed up and hit the road...

...home, home, homeeee to get dressed for trick-or-treating!

^^ Rapunzel and a pink flamingo; these are the cutest little babies I ever did see!

Harper was a trooper for ten full minutes of picture snapping before the sun set...

...and so was Scarlett, until she wasn't.....

Ah, life as we know it? Hahahah. Sometimes I love the non-perfect, unposed pictures the most.

The kiddos enjoyed trick-or-treating with their cousins...

...and a whole bunch of candy and one sugar high later, we called it a night!

Phew! Then! Next! Finallllly, the sun set and rose again and it was the REAL Halloween day, which called for a festive party at daycare. Caramel apple in her hair who? [Thanks to Emma for the pics; you're totally mom of the year!]

[^^ Harper was looking over my shoulder as I was uploading these pictures. I said, "You're so cute!" to which she immediately responded, "Drew's so cute." Oh boy. Oh my oh myyy.]

Lastly! We were planning to hand out candy at our house on Halloween night, but there were no trick-or-treaters in sight because everyonewas uptown at the parade.  After a few hours of no door knockers, we semi-forgot we even had our porch light on. I was in the shower and the girls were in the tub when a stray Spiderman rang the doorbell. [According to Brian,] Harper bolted out of the bathtub and answered the door dripping wet and butt naked ..........bet that's the last time those kids ever trick or treat at this house!!! Poor girl was just DYING to hand out a few morsels of chocolate. Bahahhahha!

Gonna wrap this novel up now, but I've said it once and I'll say it again: I adore doing holidays [and life] with these little people. Every day is instantly more magical experiencing it through the kids' eyes, and I'm so happy that they had the perfect Halloween this year! 

*sappy mom sentiment* 

Bye bye, now!

- Punkin Pickin' -

After I swore up and down last year that I/we would do better this year, another trip around the sun brought another "near miss" for some family fun in the form of a pumpkin patch extravanganza............. and OY. VEY.  The October days were ticking away and Brian was using almostttt every hour of sunlight on the weekends/evenings to work at our new house, so I wasn't sure we'd end up making it out at all. But! [On October 25,] Grammy agreed to load up the kiddos with me and head to the local patch that we visited last year, and I'm so SO HAPPY we went!!!  It was perfect. :)

As soon as we got out of the car, Harper saw one of her little friends from school. They immediately ran up to each other and exchanged hugs before snagging two little red wagons to pick out  pumpkins/gourds of every size/shape/color.

They loved each other's company and ran wild through the straw bale maze!  So much for my big plotted trip for "family fun"...all she really needed was a friend! :)

We didn't forget Scarlett girl at home -- she was snoozing peacefully in the car the entire time!

Then! Home to scrub all the dirt off the gourds...

...and carve the big pumpkin with Daddy!  We took the easy way out this year and tested out "carving" with the drill, and while my idea of the perfect "carved" pumpkin was this:

...instead, Harper and Daddy created this!

Next stop: Halloween! :D

- Nine[.25] months young! -

The nine-month status stands true for only a few days more, so I guess I better get to gettin' with this...

^^ Photo a week late @ 9.25 months because .......well, that's the way the cookie crumbled this month.

But ohhh, sweet girl! You are a little gem, no doubt. Planting a [rather aggressive] open-mouthed, sloppy kiss on someone's cheek or chin or forehead is your new specialty.  You love "real" food cut up in bitty bits: peas, green beans, carrots, avocados, mashed potatoes, chicken, mandarin oranges, and bananas, to name a few! Cottage cheese and applesauce and shredded cheese are hit and miss foods; baby oatmeal and graham crackers and vanilla wafers are still a fan fave. Basicallyyyy, baby purees were so yesterday! You cut your first bottom tooth at Mizzou [!!!] and I'm pretttttty sure you're working on the second bottom one now. You're loving this cooler weather and never complain about a little brisk breeze blowing through your hair. Halloween was a hit [more posting to come about that] and your new favorite activity is dumping the trick-or-treat bowl and perusing through the colorful candy.  I think I've said this in past months' posts, but I truly mean it this time: YOU ARE IN TO EVERYTHING!!!  E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g...

This month, you also enjoyed [multiple] trips to the pet store with your tour guide Harper... 

...and she typically pushes you all around Target and Wal-mart, too!

The pediatrician told us at your 9-month well baby visit that you were juuuuust perfect [but we already knew that]! 

Mostly, you just love to be part of the pack...

 ...and we couldn't love more that you're a part of it!

Onward and upward! 10 months is JUST around the corner! :'(

- Out of the mouth of babes: VOL III -

As Scarlett was awkwardly learning to crawl:
"Scarwett! You be careful and never do 'dat again or you will break all your bones next time!"


While driving by a corn field:
"'Dis corn is kinda getting big a wittle!"

After [accidentally] pulling the towel rack off the bathroom wall and creating a not-small hole in the drywall:
"I fink Daddy will be mad a wittle bit..."


While purchasing a baby doll at Goodwill with Grammy:
Harper: "What's 'dat baby's name?"
Cashier: "Well, you can name it whatever you like! Do you think the baby is a boy or a girl?"
Harper [without hesitation]: "'Dis baby's a girl. See, 'dis baby has a 'gina!"
Cashier: .....


After observing a combine parked in a corn field:
"Only some rows of 'da corn are cut down but maybe the workers are tired da-day so 'dey stopped already."

While looking around the house for all her garage sale steals: 
"Mom, where's all 'da stuff we buyed in 'da garage stores?"


After an exceptionally sassy morning:
Me: "I don't like your attitude today."
Harper: "I don't wike YOUR attitude, eiver!"


A couple weeks into our house project, after Brian had been going straight from work to the property for several evenings in a row: 
"Daddy shouldn't go do 'da proper-dee ANY. MORE."

After daycare one evening:
"Mommy, ____ picked a booger out of her nose at school and wiped it on my shirt, 'den when I see'd 'da booger I had to wash my hands 'cause 'dat is SO YUCKY, isn't it Mommy?! I don't knowwww why ____ did 'dat, but I telled her it was so dis-gusten!"


While holding/cuddling Scarlett one morning:  
"I'm such a nice sister 'da she!"


As Scarlett was trying to play with some of her baby dolls:
"Sissy! No! Mommy will get Jude in her tummy for you and 'den you can play wif' Jude!"

While driving to Eckert's [AKA driving farther and farther into the middle of nowhere]:
"Over there is corn ...and over there is beans ...and OVER THERE IS STRAWBERRIES! But sometimes strawberries grow in 'da field and sometimes 'dey grow on trees, Mommy."
 

As we were creeping down a narrow aisle and slowly passing a woman at Wal-Mart [loudly]:
"Mommy! 'DAT woman is OLD! But WHY 'dat old woman have all 'dat junk in she's cart?"


While gathering our things at daycare next to a set of infant twins in Scarlett's class: 
"Mommy, can we have some of 'dose twins at our house?"

While out for an afternoon walk, blinded by the sun:
"'Da clouds better come out and fix 'dat sun, shouldn't 'dey Mom? It's a rullllllly sunny day da-day!"


While playing doctor:
"Hold Sissy rully still so I can wisten to her heart wif' my telescope."