Trick or Treating

Just Pics

Park Days

Pumpkin Carving

You can see we went straight to the carving and skipped the cleaning out part until after (Which both kids thought was gross & would barely touch.)
Here is Dax's drawing of what he wanted his pumkin to look like. We got it pretty close except the two extra circle eyes which I was afraid would make it too weak.
Ok - so I just freehanded Calleigh's. Its not the best work, but I was trying to make it kind of girly.

We tried to use the hammer/nail things you see here b/c I thought the kids might be able to do it (since I wasn't handing over a knife) themselves. I got them at the after holdiday clearance last year for a dollar. They were a bust b/c they are so difficult to hammer into the pumkin. However, they came with a candle flashlight thing that flickers for the inside of the pumkin. These are awesome (worth the dollar I spent on each kit) and I feel alot better about putting them on my porch rather than a candle.

Random note: So Halloween is my favorite "fake" holiday and really the only one we celebrate. I have the strongest childhood memories of Halloween - of picking out our costumes at the special costume store, of my parents coming home early and helping us get our costumes & face paint and carving pumpkins and toasting the (not so tasty) seeds. Then there was the candy sorting & trading on the living room floor. This is a nonholiday worth doing for the kids.

Fall Baking with the kids. They LOVED it!!

*Dax started hiding from the camera - so this odd mid-blink pic is all I got.

Things Dax says..

I picked Dax up from MOPS and he told me his teacher told them the David & Goliath story today. (Dax LOVES hearing stories.) I asked him what it was about and he told me David killed Goliath the bad guy.. with a SLINKY:))

Beautiful Day Outside

I love that a stick & acorns are thoroughly entertaining in this digital age.

Calleigh intent on finding out what Dax is up to.


This last pic is the kids getting ready for church so Matt & I could have a few hours for a date. All the stuff at the back door made me think of when getting ready for a date meant primping for an hour - now my hour is spent packing, dressing, and making sure everyone has used the bathroom before picking up Daddy on the way to church. Thank God for kpno - its worth the work to have a little time to ourselves!

These kids sure do love each other.

I walked in on this scene yesteday morning. You have to look closely - Dax is combing Calleigh's hair for her.

"No"

How this word is just now working its way into Calleigh's vocabulary amazes me. Finally we got more than a head nod today when we were checking all the places we could think of to find baby. We go through this "is is under the bed? - no; is it in the playroom? -no;" etc. until we we find it because it keeps Calleigh calm and not crying until we do actually find it

"Baby Nigh(t)-Nigh(t)" First 2 Word Phrase

One of Calleigh's FAVORITE things are babies. The other day when our friend put her child down for a nap, Calleigh uttered her first phrase. Most children younger than Dax are babies to Calleigh.

Dax's Pirate Party

Dax is 4!

(just random stuff about Dax for Mommy to remember)

I can't believe Dax is four years old. He is such a big boy now (with lots of baby left.) Current obsessions - swords, lightsabers, guns (which must be confiscated frequently), fighting, being scared - we really have not exposed him to more than scooby doo, tom & jerry (ok - kind of violent), old superman cartoons, starwars, and a few kids movies. Dax likes stories and Daddy obliges each night with a few stories before bed or a reading of Magic Tree House. Dax has just started Awanas at church where they do memory verses. He is so proud of himself and wants to repeat them over and over once he's got it down and "reads" the memorized lines from his book. He really enjoys school (MDO) one day a week. His answer to what did you do today - "ah, just played," - that's about all I get about school. Dax loves to be outside and just about anywhere Daddy is Dax will be close behind. His expressions and intonation surprise me as he copies adult phrases and sayings to a t. It makes it easy to forget he is still a baby in so many ways - like the lovely fits of frustration when he can't do something or something breaks or Calleigh knocks his block tower over (a frequent occurrence.) He is such a mother hen with Calleigh trying to boss her and lead her around. (I sometimes cringe when I hear myself in his correcting of her - need to work on that.) They are so close and sweet together though and the best of playmates in certain activities. Dax is pretty outgoing as far as meeting stranger kids on the playground, but is terribly hurt & heartbroken when kids won't play or otherwise reject his friendship(so sad for mommy to witness.)
And despite all my early efforts to feed Dax well - he's a sugar addict. He would do just about anything for the promise of it unfortunately. (Not looking forward to the annual checkup:( I'd do better with him if we stayed home more, never had to bribe him to sit through long dinners, and had fewer ice cream nights and probably need to do all that, but I'm not a perfect mom - far from it. Oh - and Dax is the most huggable sweet kid to just about anybody that will give him a little attention. He loves hugs and doles them out quite freely to teachers, family and friends. Sweet little four year old who just can't wait to be big just like daddy.

Annual check up monday: Height 90% Weight 97%. Did hearing & vision screening - all good. Checked blood pressure with this little bitty cuff - too cute. I've never seen a child's bp checked. Was very brave for shot and cooperated for exam extremely well (esp compared to last year.)

Calleigh's First 56 Spoken Words

baby, (banana)mana, ball, ba(ll)oon, bag, ball, bear, bike, bir(d), bobo, boot, bow, bow(l), box, bubble, bug, car, cat, choochoo (train), daddy & dadda, Dac (Dax), dog, duck, ear, egg, ele(phant), eye, (fr)og, (h)at, hor(se), (h)ot, ice, (l)ight, (l)ion, man, me,
mi(lk), mine, mine, mmm (as in yum), momma & mommy, moo, more, mine, pee, poop, (s)ock, (sh)oe, (sl)ide, (st)ar, teeth, dat (that), uh-oh, (w)alk