Um, when did you become this big?

Ian is walking around like he owns the place these days. 

We are in the every-drawer-will-be-emptied-by-sundown phase with this 14 month old.

He loves to talk. Listening to him say "ow" and "cheese" (which is LOVES) is the best. He loves to dance and can't get enough of "Ghostbusters!"

I can't bear to think of cutting his hair. It is getting very long but the bit of curl that exists is something I just can't part with. 

Baby E is thee best. 

Pumpkin patch-ing

There's something wonderful about a pumpkin patch. 

We went right before dinner and enjoyed the heavy sun. 

We started getting hungry but charged ahead and picked a pumpkin each. 

Orange pumpkin for mom & dad, white for Ollie, white/orange for Ansel, and a mini orange one for Ian. Perfect for the doorstep!

Age four is hilarious

I love every age and every stage. I must admit I'm very nervous about my kids' teen years. I've really got to figure out some good hobbies to keep me sane during those years. But right now, my kids are doing some awesome things at their respective ages. 

My four year old is no exception. He comes up with some great material. His latest. 

"Mom, this is part of my Halloween costume."

And he likes to play card games, specifically war. The other day he dealt out the cards. He had his pile and I had mine. As luck would have it my hand looked like this:

I explained to Ansel that we call this type of dealing cheating, to which he replied, "but mom, I want to win!"

He loves to dress up. My sister has one of the biggest dress up collections and Ansel always comes up with some good combinations. Always with a nerf gun in his hand. 

You've been Booed

You know what's just a tad bit difficult? Trying to "Boo" families in our neighborhood when many homes are equipped with door cameras.

In other October news, some of my kids are getting very excited for Halloween. 

And did I mention this babe's walking now? He loves his newfound way of travel. 

This baby is so fun to watch grow. 

Salmon

The other night I broiled some salmon and we had a delicious dinner. Then we all rushed to parent teacher conference to meet Ollie's teacher. Jess met us there. It was a nice meeting. As we left the school Jess said to me, "Did you guys have fish for dinner?" He had come straight from work and wasn't privy to what we'd consumed. "Yep," I responded, realizing that we'd filled up that teacher's room with the aroma of the Atlantic. "Because Ian smells like he's been smoked with it," Jess added, "and you have some pepper stuck in your teeth."

I'm pretty sure I made a great impression on Oliver's teacher.