Three Little Pumpkins

A more appropriate title might be "Two Stinkers & a Cooperative Baby," but here are this year's pumpkin pics from the Arboretum! 

We got a lot of far-off, dazed looks from Mallory.

Sweet Beau was just happy to play with some hay!

There's just not much to say about trying to get good pictures of Jake.  He is a three-year-old boy.  

Enough said.

"It pains me to even think about cooperating!"

 

When in doubt, bust a move.

 

This look of Beau's cracked me up!  He's probably wondering what his crazy siblings are up to.

We got tons of basically this exact pic of Beau.  Don't you just want to squeeze him?

 

What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?

A rare gem!  All three looking & smiling!

My beautiful big kids pretending they were this angelic the whole time we were there

"Playing in the hay bale maze is much more fun, Mommy!"

Happy Fall from the Chamblees!

 

Friday Faves: Kid Proof

Gotta love those child lock settings on the washer & dryer.  They can push buttons to their hearts' content!

Sweet Caroline

Caroline is probably the best buddy Jake & Mallory have & has been since they were born.  She's just eight months older than they are, & since her mommy & I are friends, the kids have spent a lot of time together.  Many of our outings to the zoo, the mall, parks & lots of other fun places are with Caroline, her mommy & her little brother.  Ty is seven months older than Beau, & I hope they develop just as special a friendship as their older siblings have.  

Here are the three musketeers giggling over their cookie-covered faces at small group last week.

Big Girl Stuff

Today was a big day for my big girl for a couple of reasons.  First, she's officially done with nighttime pull-ups!  Mallory has been potty-trained since January, but she was still wearing a pull-up at night "just in case."  She's been consistently dry in the morning for a while, so last night we gave those pull-ups the boot!  What could be better than more time spent wearing princess panties?

Second, my big girl had her first haircut today!  I know it's hard to believe she hasn't had one before now, but her curls have hidden the unevenness well, so it really wasn't necessary.   She's been feeling a little left out of the club, though, when Jake goes to get haircuts, so it was her turn.  Here are her before shots, which Jake insisted on joining.

Her curls hide the true length.  When we comb it out after baths, it reaches almost down to her little hiney!

I wanted this to feel like a special experience for her, so we headed to Sweet and Sassy for her cut.  She oohed & ahhed at all of the sparkly, pink things in the store when we entered.  Here's my sassy diva getting ready for her trim.  There was a monitor playing the movie Madagascar right in front of her, which kept her still & Jake occupied while he waited.

Having so much fun!

Mallory LOVED the end result, complete with a twist on top & glitter spray!

Beautiful girl!

Here's her after shot!  The glitter hearts she got on her cheeks were quite the hit with Miss Mal.

 

She keeps informing me that she's a big girl.  I can't disagree.  Where did my baby go?

 

I'm a Big Kid Now

Whether they're eating a meal, playing with toys or having some TV time as in this pic, Beau loves to be right where Jake & Mallory are.

Camping Trip Crashers

If anyone is planning a camping trip & would like to add in a little excitement, just call us!  Last weekend, J had to be gone Thursday-Saturday for a work retreat.  I'm usually a trooper about doing the single parent thing, but I hate doing it on a weekend.  As a solution, I invited myself & the kids to join my parents for some camping at Beaver's Bend State Park in Oklahoma.

Don't worry, there were no tents or primitive cooking involved.  We'll do that kind of camping one day, but not yet.  My parents have a motor home, & it was quite full with three adults & three kids, but we had fun!

Jake & Mal were so excited to arrive Thursday evening.  They had told their teacher & all of their friends over & over throughout the day that Mommy was picking them up before nap time to go camping.

We fit a lot of exploring into our two days, collecting all kinds of pine cones, rocks, sticks & leaves.

Though I don't have pictures to prove it, we saw a good bit of wildlife as well:  deer, raccoons, armadillos & a huge tarantula.  Yuck!

In between treks outside, the kids entertained themselves in the floor of the motor home with Nana's alphabet & number cards.

Beau did a lot of chillin'.

 

We also found a fun, little playground that we could walk to.

When I was growing up, my family went with our church to Beaver's Bend each fall for a family retreat.  We rode this little train each year with our good friends, the Beckmons.  I babysat their girls when they were little & considered them my babies.  The Beckmons (minus Morgan who's away at college) camped with us last weekend, & Mackenzie joined us for my kids' first time on the train.

Jake & "Miss Kenzie," as he calls her

 

Beau, me & Mallory

Mallory & Nana

Here's me with Morgan & Mackenzie, circa 1999, I believe

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Of course, we had to recreate history!  Here's Mackenzie with Beau, Mallory & Jake, 2011.

Beau cuddling with Nana before heading home.  Papa was there too, but somehow he escaped all of my pictures.

 

Jake & Mallory can't stop talking about camping in "Hokahoma" & have pretended to be Mr. Greg, Mrs. Laurie & Miss Kenzie all week

 

Thanks, Nana & Papa, for letting us tag along!

Beau Harrison at 7 Months

My baby boy is seven months old!  I feel like the last month has come with lots of changes, & he suddenly seems so much older to me.  Before we get to the details, this little photo series from his seven month pics with the hippo chair crack me up.

I am Beau!  Hear me roar!

Louder, you say?  Okay, how's this?

Now that the roaring is out of my system, here's my sweet boy face.

Oh, you wanted smiles?  Why didn't you say so?

 

Here you go!

King of the mountain!

I save the best smiles for Jake & Mal!

I weighed Beau at home this week, & he's at 16 lb 10 oz.  My long, lanky boy is wearing all of his brother's 12-month hand-me-downs, but can still wear his 9-month summer clothes on warm days.  I have a feeling that his clothes this winter will all be rather baggy, because he's really not that big around, just long.

Beau has some new skills this month, one of which is sitting up unsupported.   Just a week or two ago, it was necessary to keep a Boppy pillow behind him when he sat on the floor to play, but now he can sit for long periods on his own.  When he does lay down, it's a bit more controlled instead of a crashing fall backward.  As you can see here, he's a big fan of his lovies & pacis.  He can put his paci in by himself when he wants to, which is very helpful!

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He's almost ready to adding crawling to his repertoire, but hasn't quite done it yet.  Beau can pull himself forward some with his arms while lying on his tummy & has mastered getting up onto his hands & knees.  As soon as he coordinates the movement of those limbs to crawl, I think I'll have a hard time catching him.  He's super fast, even when he's just rolling & scooting!  I often find him like this, stuck under a piece of furniture, trying to figure out how to keep going.

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Beau is an eating champ, & loves his meal times!  I gave him Puffs for the first time this week.  It takes him a while to chase them around the tray, but he has successfully gotten some into his mouth & thinks they're wonderful.  He's also starting to sip water from a sippy cup at meals while Mommy holds it for him.

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Beau loves the outdoors, whether he's feeling the grass on his toes or going for a stroller ride.  Other favorite activities include being read to, playing with toys on the floor & pretty much anything involving his big brother & sister.  Beau babbles loudly all day long, & has said "Da-da" a few times, so I'm letting Justin count that as his first word.  To my credit, I distinctly heard a "Ma" when he was fussing for me to get him up from his nap yesterday.

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Beau Harrison, you are such a ray of sunshine in our family!  We love your sweet personality & your big, gummy grins.  We thank God daily for blessing us with you!