Halloween Trick or Treat

Arya and Eiley really got into trick or treating tonight. Every other year, we've taken them up and down the street, just to houses of people they know. Neighbors enjoy seeing them in their matching costumes. This year though, they weren't happy with that. This is the first year that our neighborhood has trick or treated at night while we have lived here. It was cold and raining, but that didn't stop the girls. They had so much fun. Even Zia enjoyed herself. I don't think she enjoyed it as much as the twins did their first year, but I carried her most of the time. They got to trick or treat in the afternoon and it was warm for them. Zia was cold and tired. She had fun and especially enjoyed her candy. She went to bed 2 hours late. She was wired! She had helped herself to candy and happily kept taking more from our candy bowl.

This morning, I wasn't sure if Eiley would trick or treat tonight or not. She woke up with a fever and I didn't send her to school. She was barely acting sick, but didn't eat breakfast. I kept her home and she played most of the day. She did take a ten minute nap this afternoon. She barely touched lunch, but by dinner she was ready to eat.

Butt Pumpkins

Zia has discovered how to slide down the slide anyway but on her butt. I could say she learned this from her sisters, but that wouldn't be the truth. They haven't used the slide in ages. They started using it again once she started going crazy on it. Her sliding like them is just her being a bit crazy like them.

We made butt pumpkin prints today. Ha! The twins went ahead and wrecked them after by writing all over them. We had fun doing them though.

Glad to Be Alive

Eiley told me today "Mom, I'm so glad to be alive with you." She's so cute. I'm so glad she's alive with me too.

Zeeeeeeee-Ya

Eiley has become super cuddly all of a sudden. She's always been affectionate, but not nearly as much as Arya. In the past couple weeks, she's started handing out hugs and kisses just to be sweet. I am really enjoying it and hope she continues.

Zia started to say her name today. It may be the cutest thing ever. It's obviously her name too. Anyone who knows her name would know what she's saying. Zzzzzz-ya. She tries so hard to get that Z out and then is so happy with the ending because she's so proud of herself.

I carved pumpkins today with the kids. Zia was all over me and wanted to eat, so I let her. Arya took our picture. Don't worry, I made sure the knife was always pointed away from us.

Zoo Halloween

Today should have been spent organizing things from our trip. Instead, we grocery shopped, did a little organizing, and took the kids to the zoo. We missed all the fun zoo Halloween activities while in Dallas, so I wanted to take the kids to see all the Jack O Lanterns. They had so much fun pointing out all the different faces. We were spoiled with the pumpkin display in Dallas, because I was not impressed with the display here, even though I have been in the past. It was still fun to watch the kids running from pumpkin to pumpkin and discussing what they saw.

Dallas 2013

We had a great trip to Dallas to visit my brother and an old friend. The kids had an amazing time while we were there. We had a very laid back trip, but that was perfect for us. It was nice to just visit and not feel like we had to go do a million things.

We went back to the Arboretum and saw all the pumpkins.

We also swam in Uncle Jason's hot tub. With the heat turned way down of course. Zia is apparently a little fish. I need to take her swimming. She wanted to float on her back. She was sticking her face in the water and was basically fearless. One night, she got out and just decided she was done. She walked over to the door and when no one followed, she came back to the hot tub, then walked to the towels. Eiley photo bombed a picture that I was trying to take of Zia. Zia turned around before the camera took the pic, so instead of just a kid running away, I got this gem. It cracks me up every time I see it.

We drove straight through both ways. It was long and tiring, but much better than last year. Each trip gets easier as the kids get older.

Cork put a pair of Zia's shorts on Arya one morning. I'm amazed that they sort of fit.

Apple Orchard

I finished packing up our cooler and car today while the older two were at school. Zia helped by pushing the empty cooler around to make a stepping stool and helping herself to tea and anything else she could find on the counter.

We went to the apple orchard with Nana and Papa this afternoon. The girls of course loved their cider, donuts, and samples. They also had a blast on the muddy playground and kid sized maze.

Little Z

One minute she's cleaning up, the next she's drawing on my oven with orange marker. We love this little girl. She is climbing everything and into everything. She is learning signs quickly. I signed please to her once and she started using it. She now says "pease" when she signs it. She also says Mama, Dada, Doggy, Kitty, Hi, and she imitates a bunch of other words like "peekaboo". I'm pretty sure she's saying Arya and Eiley's names. She also follows directions very well. I can ask her to throw something out, clear her plate, get her shoes, get her blankie etc. She's a smart little thing and a joy to watch.

That Could Have Hurt

Poor Zia. The older two seem to be making some sort of devise to take her head off as she runs from one room to another. I had to ask them to take it down.

I let the girls spell names to write on our sandwiches for our trip. This is Cork's name.

I need to try to get a picture of the twins either asleep or not smiling. Eiley keeps making this goofy smile that makes it hard to match up photos of them. This is both of them together. I feel like some pictures they look so much alike and others they look very different. Put together, they obviously look alike.

We made this Hello Kitty pumpkin last week. The "Puppy" tore it apart today.

Night Out

Cork and I had a much needed dinner out tonight without kids. When we were in DC, we said that we'd do this instead of trying to do a nice dinner while there with Zia. Mema and Bepa offered to watch the kids, not knowing we had planned doing this. So we had a great night without kids and they had a great night with kids.

That beauty of a picture is Zia at the library. She has started to throw herself down on the ground to throw a fit in public. I keep telling her that there isn't anything she can do to me right now that is worse than her sisters gave me, just because I had it times two 

Cowgirl

I was pumping today and Eiley wanted to help. As she was pumping she said "I'm a cowgirl." I asked what she meant. I shouldn't have. She then told me that I was like a cow. Thanks kid!

We grew beautiful corn this summer and let it dry out for the fall. It is now decorating our fireplace and the pillars out front. The kids love it and so do I. This is the corn that the Easter bunny brought the girls this spring.

Zia hasn't had sweet potatoes in a long time. She would not try them today. I forced her to take a bite. She acted like they were the worst thing ever. Then she started to beg for more.

Oz Tights

Arya and Eiley were playing outside. I thought they looked a little bit like the witch from Wizard of Oz. When I got the camera out, Arya was very uncooperative, in a humorous way. She ran away as I told her to freeze. Then when I told her to come back, she walked backwards until she got to the point she started at. She refused to turn, so I took the picture anyway. Then she asked if she could see the picture of her but.t. We were playing soccer, leap frog, and wrestling in the front yard. Probably not the best thing to do in dresses and tights, but we were having fun.

Cork went into the basement today with Arya and Eiley. He was only going to be down there a few minutes, but Zia really wanted to join him. I wasn't planning on bringing her down though. She signed "daddy" and pointed downstairs. How could I deny her when she was telling me exactly what she wanted?

The Joker

I asked them to not climb the fridge. This is their solution.

This is the best I could do at a picture of all three. Arya and Eiley were on the chair and Zia climbed up onto them. Eiley's been doing that goofy smile lately. I'm pretty sure her school pictures will come back with her looking like The Joker.

Upside Down and Backwards

I really hope her fascination with und.er.wear and flushing means that she'll want to potty train early.

She figured out a few weeks ago how to pull her socks off. Today, she figured out the shirt. She really is a lot like her older sisters.

Today is Cork's birthday. The older two wanted to make him a card. They were asking how to write "Dear Corky" I was spelling it out while they wrote. They were almost done when I noticed that Eiley was writing it correctly. Arya was writing it upside down and backwards to make it look just like Eiley's.

Bubbles

Poor Eiley is not feeling well. She has gone to school the last two days because she seems okay in the morning. I took her temp three times this morning and each time it was fine. By about 12:30 she feels bad though. She took two naps today and still went to bed at 7:00. We've been battling an ear infection, pink eye, and hives. The hives may be the worst. I can treat the eye with drops, and the ear with garlic. The hives are harder though. I've been giving her benedryl, but she still itches and is so uncomfortable. This means she's not sleeping, which means I'm not sleeping. I'm looking forward to her sleeping, because I need the sleep.

Arya, Zia, and I played outside while Eiley napped.

I'd say "Poor Zia" except she loves this. She wants to be included in everything they do, even if that means she is on the bottom of a pile

Fonsavility

Arya handed me leaves on a walk today and told me they were my "fonsavility".

Zia cut took number 8 today. She had six for a long time and then cut two within the past week. She may be the happiest teether ever. She may wake one extra time at night while cutting a tooth and sometimes wants some extra snuggles during the day, but she's not sick or whiny. She constantly amazes me with how laid back she is.

More Pinkeye

We were enjoying the weather today, playing outside and drawing with chalk. Arya asked me to trace her butt with chalk. She chose to do this when our neighbors walked by. I had to be thankful that she didn't announce to them that I'd started it by tracing Eiley's butt. We also went for a bike ride. Arya and Eiley had to ride through every pile of leaves.

Eiley woke with pinkeye today. I thought we were in the clear since Arya's showed up a week ago and no one else had it since. Wrong! Poor kid. We had a very uneventful day at home. We did go for a bike ride. Arya and Eiley both had to ride through all the leaves.

Art

We went to the Greendale fall festival today that we've been to the last few years. Every other year it's been freezing and we've needed winter coats. Today it was 70 degrees and foggy. We had a good time, but Eiley's ear was hurting and she wanted to leave so I could treat it. Before we left, we let the girls get a donut and we let them each make an 8x10" piece of art. They got to pour paint, from ketchup type bottles, onto a canvas as it spun on a pottery wheel in a big drum. They both made really good pictures. We watched a few other kids and I have to say that Arya and Eiley's art turned out better than the others we saw. The guy working the wheel commented on Arya's fine lines. Most kids were squeezing the bottles so hard that the paint lines were very thick.

Before the festival, we went to this month's Home Depot class and made airplanes. The girls were covered in paint by the time we left there with their plans, cupcakes, and juice drinks.  Apparently the girls are going to eat mainly junk today.

Still With The Pretzels

I think my camera batteries need to be changed. This picture is so weird because she moved and her head looks sort of cut off. Zia hasn't been eating enough at meals lately, and then asking for a snack shortly after through gestures and grunting. I moved the big tub of pretzels into a cabinet so she wouldn't see it. Of course it didn't taker her long at all to find it. She started carrying it around the house like it was a toy.

Hand Holding

Months ago, I bought fairy wings to hand out at Arya and Eiley's birthday party. Of course I forgot about them until today when the girls were trying to make wings out of brown paper bags. I got a pair of wings out for each of them. It was so cute to watch Zia running around with the other two.

After dinner, Cork and I were cleaning up. I pointed out to him when Eiley came walking through, holding Zia's hand. She was bringing Zia into the family room to play. I just love watching them together when they are doing stuff like that.

No, Strawberry

Zia is getting so old all of a sudden. She decided at lunch today that she did not want to sit in her high chair. She climbed onto a kitchen chair and wanted her lunch there. So, I pushed the chair in and let her. She stood, without falling, for the whole meal.

The twins were in the office, asking me how to spell things while I was in the kitchen. I found this later. They were addressing envelopes to give drawings to people. How cute is that?

The twins were chasing each other around today with this bag on their heads. They were hilarious. Both were yelling "No, Strawberry!" as if they were terrified of the strawberry.

Table Zia

Arya stayed home from school today. She woke up with pinkeye and as little as I wanted a day at home, I knew she couldn't go to school. I did take all three kids to the grocery store because we really needed food and I figured I could wipe the cart down well and hopefully not spread it.

I bought this Hello Kitty pumpkin decorating kit after Halloween last year. We picked up a pumpkin at the grocery store today and I let the older two start to paint it. Zia did not want to be left out. She lets herself onto the table whenever she wants now.

Do you think Zia is excited about the herbs we bought at the grocery store?