I think I'm FALLing for you

It's the coziest time of year again!  You know, the time for sitting around the fireplace, drinking hot beverages, wearing sweaters, eating pumpkin everything.  Or, if you are Liam, eating everything, pumpkin or not.

I love this time of year.  And this year has been especially nice for two reasons: 1) Liam has joined the family, and I must say, he is a great addition; and 2) Erik has been on day shift.  (Soon to be back to night shift in a couple weeks. Waaaah, waaaaah. Someone was on maternity leave and Erik was able to move to day shift for the entire summer and most of the fall.  I hate him working the night shift.  But enough dwelling on the unpleasant.  It's fall!)

Now for an update on the kiddos:

Elliot started Pre-K in September and is LOVING it.  She comes home with all kinds of facts about what she has learned.  Her favorite was learning all about bats.  "Mom, did you know bats see things with their ears?"  They celebrated her "un-birthday" today, which is what they do for kids whose birthdays are in the summer.  She was quite excited about it.  Last night I asked her what she wanted to wear for her un-birthday and, as if she had already been thinking hard about it, immediately responded "probably my Zootopia shirt and my Halloween skirt."  She loves art and takes her work very seriously.  I love peeking into her bedroom and seeing her hunched over her little desk, working hard on a project.

 

Liam is getting big.  Like tall.  And chunky.  He has the baby fat that Elliot never quite achieved.  At his 10 month appointment he clocked in at 99.7th% for height and like 87th% for weight.  He is our strapping young lad.  He is not quite walking yet, but that could change any hour.  He has a little cart thing that he uses, walker style, to zoom around the house.  He is currently working on popping out his two front teeth to join the bottom two, so he is unusually grumpy right now.  Hoping he hurries up and gets those on out so he can go back to being chill.  This kiddo loves eating, playing with big sis, and terrorizing the dogs, whom he likes to call "go go go".  He is also quite fond of me. #motherboy

 



 

 

So far this fall has been quite enjoyable.  We went to Bill's Berry Farm to play and get a pumpkin from the patch.

It has been unusually rainy this year.  Much to girlfriend's delight.

 

 

And Halloween!  I can't believe how much I love Halloween with kids.  I was never super into it before, but with kids it is just so much fun.  Elliot decided early on she was going to dress up as a bat this year.  Liam didn't get a vote because he is a baby.  But also, he loves everything I do, so I am sure he very much enjoyed being Jack Jack from the Incredibles.  #motherboy

I mean, honestly.  How cute are these?? #imadethem #humblebrag

 

Happy Fall, y'all!

The Return of the Camera

Full disclosure:  This is not the big reveal to which I referred at the end of my last blog post.

As sure as gobs of hair are falling out of my head, postpartum hormones have brought with them the return of my urge to be creative which was basically non-existent while I was pregnant. I have recently started snapping mini, spontaneous photo shoots of, you guessed it, my adorable children.  I have also become aware of at least two relatives who informed me specifically that they enjoy following my blog but are not on Facebook (I am looking at you Aunt Joan and Cousin Sarah!).  With that in mind, I am going to use this forum to display my latest creations.  In other words, a little less talk and a lot more action.  Enjoy!

Elliot Twirls:
All the stars aligned for this impromptu shoot: gorgeous light, an interesting element (her skirt), and, perhaps most important of all, the threenager was in an agreeable mood for picture-taking.

Father Daughter Ball:

Erik took Elliot to her first ball, so of course the camera came out.  There are some really precious ones here.

You guys, I actually gasped when I saw this one as I was going through and editing these.  Love, love, LOVE it.

The Many Faces of Liam:

Ok, to be honest, it is not as much fun shooting a baby, especially one this small, because they don't really do anything.  You put them in one spot and they just kind of stay there.  But I did manage to get a few shots of him learning how to make different expressions.  Plus, he is cute as a chubby button, so there you have it.  

Sometimes I wonder if I actually gave birth to this child, because he looks nothing like me.  He definitely looks more like his handsome daddy, which is fine with me.

Well, that about sums it up.  As I promised before, the big reveal is coming soon.  (Watch, now I am building it up so much you guys are going to be totally underwhelmed.)

Thanks for taking a look at my works of art! Have a lovely day :).