Purr-fectly Sweet

We spent some time outside on Tuesday, even if it was a little chilly. The kids are always excited to be outside. Here are some pictures of Eliza and our kitten. The kitten was pretty laid back and put up with a lot! Eliza followed the kitten all over the back yard. Ephraim and Emmet have named the kitten "Pumpkin."

Eden wasn't really into the kitten but here's a picture of her in the swing.

Fall Fun

Fun sayings:

From Ephraim (when we were talking about taking our vacation in 2009 to California): "We're going to have to pack a lunch. . . and supper."

From Emmet (when told it was time for a bath): "I'm not girty, uh-huh." Now it is a no-bath phase for him. I'm lucky if I can get him in the tub twice a week. And yes, he pronounces dirty with a "g".

Fun with Pumpkins:

We carved two of our pumpkins Sunday night. Neither Seth nor I really knew what we were doing, but figured it couldn't be too hard. And it wasn't too hard.

Teeth, teeth and more teeth: Eden and Eliza both have one-year molars coming in. Eliza has been a little crabby with it. Here is a cute picture of them from a couple weeks ago. Eliza is in the purple dress and Eden in the green dress.

Eden & Eliza are "One"-derful!

We had a joint party with both sides of our family on Sunday for lunch. The theme for Emmet's half of the party was cows and farm animals, complete with a cow pinata. The theme for the twins was pink and the #1. I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and then put farm animals on top for Emmet's cake. The girls each got their own #1 cake. I frosted Eden's in pink and Eliza's in purple.

We were all amazed at how neat the girls were when they ate their cake! So, I do not have any pictures of them with frosting in their hair, on their toes, etc.

They got a lot of neat gifts, too! The grandmas both got them dolls--pink-outfited ones for Eden and purple-dressed dolls for Eliza! They even got a baby stroller (which Emmet was pretending was a lawn mower). Here's a picture of Eliza in the stroller and it really isn't sturdy enough for her. And yes, she climbed in it by herself.

Lastly, here's a photo of Eden taking a couple of steps. It really is kind of hard to get the picture of their actual first steps. But Eden has just started taking a step or two in the last week.

Happy Birthday Emmet!

This post will be about Emmet. He turned 3 on October 18 and he will proudly tell you how old he is. This first picture demonstrates his "3".

Now, if I could just get him potty-trained. We have had three in diapers for the last year. Emmet is also in that "nap or no nap" phase. If he gets a nap, then he's up until 9 or 9:30 pm and if he doesn't get a nap he turns into a grizzly bear about 6pm. I'm not sure which scenario is best.

Also on the 18th, on our way to my parents' house, we had to stop in town at Mahaska Drug. After a bit of a frosting fiasco, I decided it would be best to buy the frosting needed for the birthday cakes. However, buying them meant a trip to the store with four kids. And as my luck would have it, the cake deocrating supplies are in the far corner of the store, past all the breakables and nearly buried under boxes of yet-unpacked Christmas decorations. Not to mention the 15 Christmas trees that we had to weave around. I was glad to get out of the store with all four kids and nothing broken!

Stay tuned for posts about the birthday party for Emmet, Eden and Eliza.

6 Little Pumpkins

Saturday afternoon/evening was spent at my parents' house to see my sister Amber and her two kids Garret and Alyssa. We really wanted to get a picture of the 6 of them together. And we were quite surprised by their performance!

Left to Right Back Row: Emmet (age 3), Garret (4), Ephraim (5);

Left to Right Front Row: Eden (1), Alyssa (2), Eliza (1)

Preparing for the party!

We are busy preparing for the BIG PARTY on Sunday. Emmet helped me bake one of the cakes. He started to lick the spatula and I told him "Ewww, no." He says "Why, mom. 'Cause it gots rott'n eggs tin it?" (It's raw eggs, Emmet). I know, I know, we all grew up licking the beaters/spatulas.




Emmet is also the new housecleaner. He works for free and misses a few spots. But he gets an E for effort.

Here's what Eliza will do if you aren't looking.

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Eden: "Does this hat look good on me?"




And lastly, a photo of Ephraim showing off his somersault moves.

Check-ups

We spent Tuesday morning at the doctor's office. Emmet, Eden and Eliza all had their well-child check-ups. We arrived at the clinic and I realized that I forgot the diaper bag. It was all packed and ready at home! I had no sippy cups, diapers, tylenol or snacks for the next three hours! Somehow we survived thanks to our nurse who had a few crackers.

Eden weighs 21 lbs 14 oz and is 28 inches long. Eliza weighs 19 lbs 9 oz and is 28 1/4 inches long. They are both meeting their milestones and have maintained their percentiles. (Yes, now I realize that Eliza is a few ounces short of the required 20lbs to be forward facing. I'll make sure she gets an extra piece of birthday cake on Sunday). The girls each got three shots and had blood drawn for lead testing. Emmet had one shot and blood drawn. Emmet was the brave, big brother. Eden started crying sympathy tears when Eliza was being pricked and poked. It was kind of cute.
God Bless!

October

Okay, after reading several other blogs from friends and family I figure that this is something I would like to do. I used to scrapbook so I think this is a replacement for that. Otherwise my only hobbies are laundry and dishes. Besides, I think there are a few people who would like to be a fly on the wall in our house.

Here's the latest. Eden and Eliza turned one on Friday, October 10. We will have a party for them on Sunday, October 19. We will also be celebrating Emmet's 3rd birthday since his birthday is October 18. They will probably have a combined party for quite a while, but from what I hear from others, it will be okay.

Turning one for the girls meant that they are now forward facing in the van. YEAH! And no more bottles. I took them away Thursday night. We have even downsized the diaper bag. Eden is taking one to two steps and Eliza is moving pretty fast holding onto the couch. (Eden is in pink, Eliza in yellow).

Emmet is going through a puking phase. I don't think he's actually sick. I think he's just tired and when he gets upset, then he throws up. The other night, he puked when we told him it was time for bed. We cleaned it up and then Ephraim said it still smelled in their room and he was going to cover up the spot with towels. "This is a three towel job, Mom" was his response. :)

Ephraim is in Pre-K all day/every day at Fremont Elementary School and he loves it. He turned 5 in May.

Okay, that's my first post. I will try to post something once a week unless we have fun stories to share.