Leaves!

Fall is such a great time, the first cool down after the hot hot summer, the slight crispness of the air...I love it!  I love watching the leaves turn colors, and I really love when they fall to the ground and you can make a huge pile and jump in it over and over again!  Well, the kids love that too!  I got to raking and made a HUGE pile, and the kids ran up and down the hill yelling and laughing and just loving life:0) 

 

Don't you just love a good leaf pile?!  

I love the looks on their faces! 

Jungle gym

This is the craziness that ensues most nights after bath time here at our house.  Kate, Cole, and dad wrestle...and mostly dad gets beat up on!  I think Cole looks forward to this all day :0)

 

How would you like to have Cole stand on your head?!



 

I didn't get the picture, but Cole ends up using Marc's back as a balance beam...

New helmet and a new friend

Kate has been getting better and better at riding her skut, and since better also means faster, it was time for a helmet.  Marc picked up this sweet one at NPS...Kate was PUMPED!!!



 

Along with the helmet, Kate has a new friend who resides out on our front porch (even though Halloween is over he's still hanging out).



The helmet also came with knee pads which Kate thinks are super cool!





Fun with car seats

I recently had to take my car in for some maintenance, and what that really means is that there was a lot of switching around of the car seats...  While they were out of the car, I figured it was also time that the covers get washed.  Kate and Cole thought this meant that it was time to PARTY!...because what's more fun than hanging out in the car seats?!

 

HI!

 



 

Kate and her baby "Bity".

 



What a face! :0)



Lovin' the leaves!

 A few weekends ago we were still in full leaf mode here in SLC, and Kate was in heaven!!  What is it about leaves that are so fun when you're young?  I can remember playing for hours building "houses" and getting burried...such fun! 

 

I love Kate's outfit!





You've been leafed! :0)



Pre-dinner chaos

Pre-dinner seems to be the silliest/most chaotic time of the day around here.  While I try to fix something healthy and delicious for my family to eat, Kate and Cole take advantage of the situation by unloading all of the spatulas, wooden spoons, and other utensils and spreading them throughout the kitchen and living room.  Some times they have a dance party or on occasion they pull out all the hats and gloves.  Here are some  pictures from one such crazy pre-dinner session...

 

 

Cole likes to reach for the camera while I try to take pictures of him.

 

 

Did I mention that they also like to spread the baking pans all over the kitchen?!  That's why the bottom oven drawer is open!

 

 

Kate really thinks she's hot stuff in this hat!

 

 

So does Cole :0)

Helper

Cole loves the dishwasher!  As soon as he hears it opening he is there!  This is what happened the other day while I was unloading the dishes...

 

 

Kate did not do this!  She loved to "help" with the dishwasher, but she stayed on the ground...but this is what Cole does...

 

 

He then of course tries to stand up!

 

 

With no luck standing, he lies back down, still stuck but no longer banging his head into the top rack :0)  What a boy!



So pretty

 

When Cole is not busy pushing a truck around, he is usually putting on headbands and bracelets.  It's something he sees his big sister do often, so he figures he should be doing it too.  He's always sure to let you know he's got one on by giving a little shout out followed by a "hey!"...then he proudly parades around showing it off :0)  Sometimes he'll even continue pushing his truck around! 

Outside

The weather has been warmer here, so we have been spending much more time outside.  Luckily our backyard stays fairly shaded so we can actually hang out back there even when the temperatures hit the 90's!  We are currently working a new play space back here that I will be sure to post when it's finished :0)  Until then, here are a few pictures of the kiddies enjoying themselves...

Kate loves this little tent!  She was trying to coax Cole to crawl through the side window :0)  After playing in it outside, Kate often wants to bring it inside and take her nap in there...whatever works!

How about this big boy?!  He was playing with (aka sucking on) the slinky.

Getting ready to make his getaway.

Fizz

In my never ending attempt to keep Kate occupied, I came across this great idea on Pinterest (where else?!)  It's so simple and it keeps her busy for a good thirty minutes or so!

 

Baking soda and vinegar...the classic acid base fizz fest...doctored up here with a few drops of food coloring.

Kate is getting really good at using the syringe to pull up the vinegar and then depositing it in the tray of baking soda.

After a while it doesn't even fizz any more and she is just making a soupy mess...I think she actually like that part more than the fizzing.

Oh, are you taking my picture?  I've been far too busy "with my experiment" (as she calls it) to acknowledge you're presence :0)

Cousins

Kate woke up last Wednesday morning saying, "I hear my cousins!"  Indeed she did!...Mabel and Hannah were outside her bedroom door just as excited as she was, and once they all saw each other they played enough in one day to make up for all the time they've missed since last summer!  We have been having fun hanging out here at the house and all around town.  Here are just a few pictures of what we've been up to.

Playing at the park...luckily the weather has been nice!  While Kate and Mabel were playing it safe here on the bouncy animals, Hannah was riding the big slide!

We rented a minivan to get all the babes around!  They have been loving it, and each time we are leaving the house they ask if we are taking the van :0)

At the playground again!

Slide races!  After this each girl took a turn taking Cole down the slide with them...there are no pictures because it took both Kristina and I to make sure he was staying safe!  He was quite the champ through that whole experience!

 

Kate and Mabel are like two peas in a pod...it's going to be really sad seeing the girls go home...even more sad waking up Thursday morning and having Kate ask me where her cousins went!

Dolly

Having a big sister around, there's no doubt that Cole will be exposed to all things girl...and it's happening already!  Much to Kate's dismay, Cole loves playing with (sucking on) her doll. 

Hey, this is fun!

Mom!  You didn't just take a picture of me playing with this doll, did you?!

You did?!  Well, you're not going to post it are you?!

You are?  Oh well, I might as well give you one last pose then...



Just hanging out

These two cuties just love hanging out with each other, and I love watching them.  They just giggle and laugh and coo back and forth...it's precious!

You'd think it would be the other way around, but Kate is actually following Cole's lead here with the hand in the mouth.  Even thought we try to tell her that she's pretty cool as a big sister, she often likes to pretend that she is the baby.

Hand in mouth (even after mom said "yuck, please stop!"), and signing "I love you".  That's the one sign that has hung around...the others will be making a comeback shortly with Cole...I can't wait!

Mr. Smiles himself :0)

Making funny faces.

CHEEEEEESE!!!!