Party of 8 - Hangin' in Round Town!

Seriously...our favorite time of year! Every year, we head to the Circleville Pumpkin Show for all things fried, on-a-stick, and pumpkin-y. This year didn't disappoint! It was especially great to utilize the last day of my maternity leave to start at the Lipps with Terra's delicious Bloody Marys, pack up the children, and head out!

The big kids (Emerson and Berlynn) got to ride all the kiddy rides (despite a little drizzly rain), the babies (Norah and Scarlet) got to sleep in their bjorns, the Moms got to see their beloved parade, and the Dads got to pig out! Fun for the whole family!

Babies, chillin' before we left. Norah must have been shaking her head.

Only a 20 minute drive, but why not watch a little He-Man!?!?!

Look at the last section of the dragon. That's Emerson and Berlynn getting whipped around!

Far left of this picture...poor B can't see a thing!

Annual photo op!

 

Tempting with a face that cute, but no, we're not buying one of those.

Took 20 tries to get this photo focused. That thing was flying!

Love that these two are ages that they can play together! Fun in the chopper!

Airplane Babes

At least a couple nights a week, Emerson and I spend a good amount of time playing "airplane." You can picture it...I lay on the ground, put him up on my feet, and he "flies." We've done this since he was really young. He started on my knees, and then moved up to the feet. He's always loved it. Turns out, his little sister does too...

"Mama, when you say fly, what exactly do you mean?"

"Ooooooh! This is so much fun!"

Could this smile be stretched any further across this sweet face?

Movie Theaters in Heaven

Emerson has been very curious about God the past few months. Lots of questions about God's parents, is God married, etc.

A few other God-related Emersonisms...

• When asked recently what he's going to be when he grows up his answer was "God, because I can change things. I can stop tornados and big storms.
• After telling me he wanted something for Christmas, I told him to tell Santa. His response, "I'll tell god and he can tell Santa."
• "When we go to heaven, is there a tv? And does god have movies? Even Bolt?"

 

And while I'm often stunned by his curiosity, there are other times that Emerson is not quite as profound. While getting ready for school recently, he tooted. He looked at Jason, and very seriously said, "Did you know that you can't see farts?" He's right, you know.

Machine Gun Scarlet

As is the case with new babies, we can't possibly imagine our lives without our dear Scarlet Catherine! It blows my mind that she's almost 3 months old. It truly feels like yesterday I was carrying this giant baby in my belly. And now she's laughing, smiling, talking/cooing up a storm, and developing this amazing personality. She is a gentle, happy baby, and smiles at everyone and everything. She is physically very strong and healthy. She's following in the footsteps of her brother, and is exceeding the 97th percentile in height and weight at her 2-month well check. My darling dear is already 14 lbs!

She has many nicknames...Princess PoopyPants, Machine Gun Scarlet (due to the frat boy flatulence), ScarBar, Scar Baby, and just Scar. Here are a few pics from her the last few weeks!

She laughs a lot. At us. At Em. At herself!

A favorite photo of mine...her eyes are just so bright!

I often find her like this in the mornings. A secret to her sleep success?

Just chillin'.

I love her look here. She's starting to become her own sweet little person. And her outfit happens to be adorable too! (Hair flower from Auntie Jeeka!)

Such an easy smile.

Super blurry, but still worth sharing. She's a happy, happy baby! You can just see the joy in her face!

Another sweet smile, from a sweet girl.

A visit with Great Aunt Laura, visiting from Maryland!

A hungry baby gets cereal. Is it possible to make her even happier?!?!

This is her personality. (A lot like her big brother!) And her hair...that will just be something she always has to deal with. (A lot like her Mom!)

More happy cereal eating, with her crazy hair.

And there's that tongue again!





I love her cheeks. I love her hair. I love her expressions. I love her.

Pigeon Roost Pumpkin Farm

October means...a visit to the pumpkin farm! This year, the Markwoods/McEntees, the Lipps, and the Zs met for breakfast then headed out! Breakfast was interesting. We chugged coffee, corralled kids, and ate with one hand while balancing a bottle with chins and holding babies in one hand. Definitely not the leisurely Sunday morning breakfasts at Bob Evans of days past.

 

 

 

The "big kids"...Warren, Emerson and Berlynn.

You can't tell at all what's going on here, which is why I love this picture. Terra and I are behind the sign, holding Scarlet and Norah in the baby bjorns, trying to get their faces forward. Oh well, we tried.

Speed racer!

Emerson and Warren, enjoying the tractor!

Jon and Jason, enjoying the tube! (Pigeon Roost Farm is fun for all ages!)

The kids actually really loved the tubes too!

Hah!

Seriously, this farm was the best! So much to do!

On the right, is Jon, Jason, Emerson and Warren.

Family shot! (Scarlet in the bjorn)

Balancing act...with a little help from Dad.

Another family photo...love these three.

Headed home with our goods. We were all tired!

"We went where? And I slept the whole time!?!?!?"

Some goofy old man snuck into our car!

Sunday Funday at Hoover Dam

This past Sunday, we drove over to Hoover Dam (about 10 minutes from our house!) to go for a walk, and check out the fall leaves. It was extremely windy, but we had a beautiful view of the changing colors of fall. Emerson loves going to the Dam and seeing the rushing water, racing across the bridge, and throwing rocks over. This was Scarlet's first visit to Hoover, and despite being a little wind blown, I think she enjoyed it! I left chili on the stove, so we were warmed with chili and french bread when we got home!

Two peas in a pod with crazy hair!

Her little feet looked so funny popping out!

Throwing rocks

Check out that hair! Apparently, she can even sleep through a windstorm!

Maternity Leave - for two!

Jason and I decided long before my maternity leave began, that we were going to reduce Emerson's school schedule to 3 days a week, so he could have some time at home with me and Scarlet. I wanted him to have a little break from the preschool routine, and some quality time at home with his new sister. The weather has been incredible these last few weeks, so we've really been able to enjoy the outside time! And the inside time has been great too! It's few and far between that they're both napping at the same time, since Emerson has given up on naps, but with some structure to our days, we've had a good time, and I've been mildly productive!

 

We've worked in haircuts and well-checks for all! Emerson continues to be in the 95+ percentile for both height and weight (43" and 48 lbs.) and is happy, healthy. The kindergarten vaccines didn't go over quite as well. The nurse and I had to restrain this 48 lb. boy while he screamed and thrashed. I have never heard a child yell quite so loud. I'm pretty sure we cleared the waiting room. And it didn't end there. Emerson was quite angry with me, and told me he was only going to do things with Daddy now! A resentful little bugger. We actually had a few nights of fever following. Emerson, since he was around 2, has a strange reaction to fevers. Once he falls asleep, he wakes up quite delirious in the middle of the night talking gibberish. This time it included lots of talk about pirates.

 

Airborne at the neighborhood park!

"Look, Mom, no hands!" (I unintentionally left the training wheels out of this shot...looks way cooler that way, though!)

Candyland! Emerson won.

A little craft time

This was definitely a different experience than my maternity leave with Emerson. Four years ago, he and I spent lots of time in Lancaster with my Mom. This maternity leave was much busier with Emerson home a couple days, pickups from preschool, and a busy soccer schedule. The 1:1 time with Scarlet has been amazing. She's a doll, and then some. A baby who smiles when you lay her down for bed, and smiles when you pick her up in the morning. She is a great eater, and has been sleeping 11-13 hours a night for the past 2 weeks. I'm wonderfully lucky with good sleepers, and I know it!

As I type this, I'm exactly one week away from my return to work. I have mmixed emotions about my return. I really like what I do, the school districts I work with, my colleagues in the workplace, and the lifestyle that we're afforded. I've also really enjoyed my time at home...full days with Scarlet, coffee and the Today Show, staying ahead of laundry, etc.. And truth be told...I think I am a better mother to my kids when I have a career to support my personal and professional growth. It's just how I'm wired. It makes me a happier person. I don't know that this will always be the case, but it's our current reality, and I love it.

And one more "funny" that had to be captured. The interaction between Emerson and Scarlet is heart-warming...

I left the room for one second...where did Scarlet's headband go? Hmmmmmmm.