harvest-y, halloween-y fun

For those of you keeping track, there's still no Flash.  But we've been keeping busy anyway!

On Friday the whole family attended the harvest party at Kathleen's preschool. While John David ran around like the little monster he was costumed to be, the girls took part in all the fun the party offered.

There was crafting with friends...

And face-painting...

Though, as you can see, Madeline elected to have the face-painting done on her arm. (Kathleen didn't want any part of it whatsoever.) Surprisingly, she chose a black, glittery bat.

From face/arm painting, the girls moved onto painting pumpkins. And glittering them.  They are powerless to resist glitter in any form.

I tried to be calm about painting in Halloween costumes two days before Halloween. By the grace of God and a pile of wipes, the costumes were unscathed. (Well, the girls' costumes, anyway. John David got his hand in some white paint and smeared it down his leg. Fortunately, his costume is easily washed!)  There were all sorts of other activities, too -- bounce houses and cookie decorating and treasure-hunting.  After the party we snuck in a quick flu shot for Kathleen at the pediatrician's office, but then we finished off our big, festive morning with a treat lunch near Daddy's school.

And in case that wasn't enough fun for one day, that evening we walked over to yet another party, this one for our little military community.

(Notice that I did finally pull my act together and dress the girls in long-sleeved shirts and tights...)

We enjoyed a pizza supper, decorated cupcakes, tried to eat apples dangling from string, and stood around for a costume judging, but finally left early.  Our little monster doesn't stand still.  Even for a prize.

Today we (watched football, obviously, and also) carved our pumpkins.  Everyone participated.

Madeline dove right into that pumpkin.  It was nearly as tall as her arm was long!  Actually, maybe it was taller.

Kathleen was a great little worker.  She pulled out lots and lots of seeds.  Later, she and Daddy worked together to de-slime the seeds for toasting.

It was a morning at the circus, though, so there was plenty of chaos.  See?  (Our house totally reflected that chaos.  For a while, it looked like pumpkins exploded all over our dining area!)

Of course, we're accustomed to chaos.  (That might be the understatement of the century.)  Work carried on, nonetheless.

Once the pumpkins were cleaned out, we talked about what we should carve into them.  The girls had very distinct ideas.  First, they wanted a pumpkin to say "boo." They'd gotten the idea from one of this year's favorite "Halloween" books, Too Many Pumpkins.  The main character, Rebecca Estelle, carves some pumpkins with the word "boo" and the girls thought it was brilliant.  (The book, by the way, is also delightful.  It's not really about Halloween at all, though there is, obviously, some pumpkin carving.)  Kathleen wanted the second pumpkin to be a girl.  With round eyes.  And a "girlie" mouth.  And long hair.  And a bow.  We were more than a bit intimidated by her request (and her unwillingness to budge on those details), but I think we managed.

Our little people could not be more excited for Halloween!  And though we'd like to meet their newest brother, we're pretty excited to be able to share all this fun with them.  We'll meet that little boy sooner or later, right?

while we wait for flash

So, it's about ten o'clock in the evening on Flash's estimated due date.  I think it's safe to say this little boy won't be arriving on time.  Early last week we thought he might be early.  There wasn't anything dramatic enough to send us running to labor and delivery or anything -- just enough going on to make us think, "hey, maybe in the next few days..."  Now we know he was teasing us.  If he doesn't choose to join us before next week, he might just be evicted.  (My obstetrician doesn't like to go past 41 weeks.)  Only time will tell.

While Flash dawdles, his siblings grow more and more eager to meet him.  Kathleen loves to lie with her head in my lap, talking to her baby brother.  She tells him about everything -- how to differentiate between her and her sister ("I have blonde hair, Flash.  And Madeline has brown."), about her pink bedroom and her big girl bunk bed, about how many people will be in our family.  Madeline loves to hug and kiss my belly, proclaiming her love for baby Flash.  She sits with her hands on me, her eyes growing large as she exclaims, "He's kicking!"  (Her exclamations only sometimes coincide with actual kicks, but I haven't the heart to tell her.)

Both Kathleen and Madeline frequently pray for Flash, asking God to help him grow strong and healthy and arrive safely.  It makes me cry.  Their daddy, too.

John David, on the other hand, is completely oblivious.  He has no idea what's coming, and what's coming is going to rock his world.  At the same time, though, we've got reason to think that he's going to be a good, sweet, big (enormous?) brother.

Lately he's taken a liking to Madeline's baby doll.

Some apple for John David...

Some apple for the baby... 

I'm not saying we won't have to keep a close eye on this guy, but I think he's got a sweet little heart!

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In the meantime, we've been keeping ourselves pretty busy.  When it hasn't been raining, we've been playing outside.  We've hit up a couple different parks in the past week, which has delighted our little people.  Once we even took a picnic lunch.  It was only peanut butter and jelly, apples, and their water bottles, but they loved it! 

I'd like to tell you that the motivation behind the park circuit is ensuring the children have as much fun as possible right now, since we'll likely be sticking close to home for a bit once their brother arrives. But frankly, that wouldn't be true. We've been going to a lot of parks and playing in the backyard because I find myself thinking, "How can I get all these people to sleep for a decent amount of time this afternoon so that I can pass out on the sofa?" Outdoor play, while not failproof, does up the odds.  And I'm all for upping the odds on naptime!

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I think we've finally said good-bye to summer weather.  The days have been cooler and even rainy of late.  This has meant some last minute fall shopping.  (I know I should've been thinking ahead, but it's hard to get motivated to buy long sleeved shirts when you're letting kids run around in swimming suits and diapers.)
 
I picked up a t-shirt with a matroshka doll on it for Kathleen, since she has always loved the doll we bought in St. Petersburg, Russia, before she was born.  She insisted that we take her photograph with the shirt and the doll.  I think her happiness is evident.

Nan and Grandpa happened to be here the first day of rain, and they witnessed the sad suiting up of our children.  Everyone's coats had unintentional three-quarter length sleeves.  Whoops!  The grandparents (rightly) insisted we rectify that situation.  Consequently, the girls are now the proud possessors of new, pink raincoats.  And rainboots.  (I should really have photos of those, because the girls might love them even more than their raincoats.  If that's possible.)

This purchase has meant that the girls can be allowed to play in the backyard even when it's raining.  And that's bliss for just about everyone.  (Except for John David.  One day you'll get boots, too, little boy.  We promise.)  Oh, thank you, Nan and Grandpa!

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Random, but true: here's how I found Madeline when I went to wake her from her nap this afternoon.

Completely asleep!

Two things I'd like to point out: (1) she managed to fit under there even though we're storing the second crib under that bed and (2) she's wearing her socks on her hands. 

I have no explanations.

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Crowns are sort of big deal around here.  The girls wear them a lot.  And I mean a lot.  We have a fairly wide variety, and they're worn to dance class and the commissary and the bookmobile and the park.  As proof, I offer two photographs, just from today.

Kathleen in a crown.

Madeline in a crown.

And maybe everyone else saw this coming, but it still catches me by surprise.  Two more photos.  Also from today.

Indy in a crown.  Or two.

I think this boy needs a brother!

pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins

Though we can hardly believe we pulled it off, we did.  We found a day when Daddy could sneak out of class and no one had to be at preschool or dance class (and Mama wasn't having a baby) and we actually made it to the pumpkin patch!  Honestly, we're still stunned we made this happen.  I had nearly broken down and let the children pick out their pumpkins from Trader Joe's.  At least three times.

But by the grace of God we spent a lovely Friday morning making the trip out to Lemos Farm.  (We'd have hated to miss it -- three years running is a long time for us to do anything, and we're all too aware we won't get to go next year.)  The kids had so much fun.  And Mama and Daddy did, too!

All our pumpkins in a pumpkin.

We showed up nice and early, before too many school buses arrived.  We had the goats all to ourselves -- almost, anyway!  Kathleen was the boldest goat-feeder.

But Madeline warmed right up and fed some, too.

John David, on the other hand, didn't want anything to do with the goats.  He cried if he got too close, and he did his best to stay far away.  We were surprised by his reaction, because he'd really liked the goats this summer at Tanner's Orchard in Illinois.  But to be fair, poor John David really should have been napping right then.  And he doesn't like much if he's tired.

Stay away, goats!

The whole crew tested out the rocking horses...


And I acheived my first group photo fail of the day.  (John David really did not want to be on that rocking horse.)

Lemos Farm has a train and pony rides and bounce houses.  We told the girls they could choose one thing to try.  And though Madeline was leaning toward the train at first, the girls ultimately decided on pony rides.  They had plenty of time to watch and get adjusted to the idea...

And they loved it!  Both of them.  (Even though parents weren't even allowed in the ring!)  In every single (extraordinarily blurry) photo we have of her, Madeline looks positively beatific. 

And Kathleen looks ecstatic.

When did these girls get so big?

After the pony rides (and some more general wandering to appease our non-stop-exploring boy), we settled down to the real work of the day.  Madeline got the wheelbarrow...

And everyone pitched in to find the perfect pumpkin.  The children needed no prompting -- they just started grabbing them.

Not surprisingly, the girls were interested in this giant pumpkin.  We were able to dissuade them when they couldn't lift it.  (We were swiftly dissuaded by its $50 price tag!  There was no chance it was coming home with us.)

Thankfully, there were lots of other attractive pumpkins. It was awesome to watch each child tackle his or her own pumpkin...


We had an impressive haul!

But all that work tuckered out some folks...

and so we rested. And we recharged with a bit of a snack.

Our children and the great pumpkin (38.5 weeks pregnant).

And then we just clowned around.  Fortified by a cookie, John David mustered up a bunch of cheese for the camera.

I think he inspired his sister.

Seriously, how could we not love these silly, silly, impossible-to-photograph people?

(He'd just dropped his pumpkin for the umpteenth-million time.  His expression kills me.)

And then we hauled all those pumpkins home -- the ones grown on the farm and the ones grown right here at the circus.  They're sort of good match.

I mean, really.  Is one photo with people looking and not sticking out their tongues or otherwise being completely goofy too much to ask for?  Apparently it is.

Daddy got back to school in time for his workshop and the rest of us went home to pile our pumpkins on our porch.

scenes from the circus: fall fun

Kathleen recently completed her first book.  Granted, it was only a few pages long, but she titled it, signed it, illustrated it, and dictated the text.  I was impressed!

She called it, "Day Story." (I don't know why. But she seemed very confident about it.)

Obviously, she wrote it.

The first page:

Once upon a time, there was a ladybug who lived in a kitchen.  One day Kathleen found that ladybug.  Her mommy put it in a jar for her.

And then the last page (which was also the second page, in case you were wondering):

Sometimes Kathleen's mommy let Kathleen take the ladybug out and let it crawl on Kathleen's hand.  

It was just a baby ladybug.

Okay, so it might be a bit lacking in plot or character development, but I'm pretty much in love with the illustrations. The ladybug! The hand!

And just when I had grand plans of saving the "book" somewhere for posterity, Kathleen announced it was for Rosie.  Rosie, the lady who cuts Jim's hair (and gives the girls each a lollypop when they go).   I'm not sure that Rosie appreciated the book for the great piece of children's literature I believe it to be, but she received it, nonetheless.  Maybe I'll get the first published book.

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In case you were wondering about that forehead scrape that John David was sporting in the faux-summer post, it's almost gone now.  (It's a miracle how quickly children heal!)  He'd gotten it the day before while playing in the backyard.  I hadn't actually seen him fall -- I think I was cooking dinner.  But John David wandered over to me with a big scrape on his head, and I exclaimed, "Oh, no!  What happened to you, little man?"

And Madeline filled me in.  With all the nonchalance of a three-year-old big sister, she explained, "He was just trying to get in the playhouse.  Through the window."

I honestly couldn't keep from laughing.  Because, yeah, that sounds about right.

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So, this wasn't my idea at all, but something I saw on Ohdeedoh recently -- glow in the dark bathwater!  Actually, the bathwater doesn't glow (that probably wouldn't be particularly healthy for our littles!).  The post just suggested playing with a glowstick or two at bathtime.  When I spied glowsticks at the dollar spot at Target (two for a dollar!), I figured it was worth a try.

It was a rousing success, although I'm not sure that the photos communicate that perfectly...

We've tried it with green, orange, yellow, and purple glowsticks now.  And though the girls most enjoy the "girly" purple color, they're happy to take any glowstick in the water at bathtime.  And to bed afterwards, too.  That makes it a double win!

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Though the weather has kept us from enjoying most of the warm, cozy, typically fall foods (until now -- the weather's finally turning cooler), we haven't been able to resist the urge to add some pumpkin to our diet.  We've braved the kitchen in the morning, before it has gotten too warm, and we've found two new breakfast treats we thought worth sharing:  pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin granola.

The pumpkin pancake batter was a bit thick and therefore difficult to work with, though that could be because we made the batter with whole wheat flour.  I threw in an extra egg and more milk to thin them out, but the batter was still thick.  Thick batter notwithstanding, my children wolfed them down.  And I have to admit, they're pretty tasty with all those spices and some maple syrup.

I was a bit more nervous about the pumpkin granola recipe.  As it turns out, it was easily as popular as pancakes.  (And I realize that's quite a claim!)  I foolishly left the pan of granola to cool on the counter top while I showered and dressed one morning, and came downstairs to find that my little monsters had snacked on at least a quarter of it before I'd even stirred in the cranberries!

Incidentally, Kathleen has her heart set on hosting her best friend for dinner on Halloween (we did that last year -- and anything we do once is practically a tradition for her) and is convinced we should serve pumpkin granola for supper and pumpkin pie or cake for dessert.  At first I tried to explain that granola's not a typical dinner meal.  She didn't really buy that.  And then I tried to explain about how we don't know when Flash is coming, and how if we're able to host guests we might be limited to something like pizza, but I suppose granola's a pretty low-effort meal, too.  Maybe she'll get her way after all!

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My sweet cousin Katherine and her husband Rob recently traveled to the Bay Area for a bit of a getaway.  And because they're wonderful and generous, even though they were traveling without their own children (who are each six months older than Kathleen and Madeline), Katherine and Rob spent a morning with us -- along with Nan and Grandpa and my siblings and their littles -- at the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito.  Predictably, I do not have a single photo of my cousin or her husband.  Aargh!  I do, however, have lots of photos of little people frolicking at a great museum.

John David, Madeline, and cousin Emily running and playing on the "Golden Gate Bridge" with Nan.

After they'd been playing a life sized nest, Madeline decided she should lift John David out of it.  They both wound up rolling on the ground, laughing.

John David needed no help climbing in here.  Unfortunately for me, he's a natural.

Four cute cousins in a canoe.  (Or something.)

Our children refer to the Bay Area Discovery Museum as "the museum with the trains," which distinguishes it from the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose ("the museum with the bubbles").   This was the first time John David was aware of the trains, and he was completely enamored of them.  He didn't quite have the fine motor skills to keep the little train on the little track, but with some help from Grandpa he was happy, nonetheless!