Erin - 18 months

Erin had another doctor appointment today as she has not been feeling well. It was very interesting to me that she has not gained a single ounce since August. She's on the move!!!

It was also Erin's lucky day because I refused to give her any shots until I get my healthy Er-Bear back!!

They call it mellow yellow

After several hours of priming and painting our bathroom, the first words out of Ella's mouth were:

"HOLY YELLOW!"

Bow Hunting

I promised Derek I would join him on a trip to the tree stand, and that adventure was this weekend! He always knows how to keep me happy because he got me the warmest camo possible. Once we got up there, I told Derek we needed a code word for an incoming deer, and we decided on "Pizzaboat."

It was fun and soooooo peaceful, and the view of the sunset was outstanding. We saw a little buck, and got to do my fair share of calls and rattling. I also knitted half a scarf while we were up there. Except my yarn ball fell out of the stand so there was 20 feet of yarn dangling from us!

Mmmmm Kisses

I wish I could keep Erin in a bottle right at this age. She is so sweet. My favorite thing she does is say "MMmmmmmmmmm" and run across the house to give you a kiss.

Spelling Champion

(As we are cooking breakfast)

Ella: "MOM! MOM! Look! I spelled turtle!"

Me: "T.....R.....D.....L.......good job babe!"

Overall, Ella is actually doing pretty good sounding out her letters. :)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Our girls did a lot of celebrating this week, both trick or treating and having Halloween parties at their school and day care.

Owie!

For the last few weeks, Erin has cried "owie" every time we try to come her hair. It is so cute and makes us laugh. Since there isn't much to comb, let alone tangle, we started to suspect she was just copying Ella, who has a LOT of snarls and a lot of troubles with her hair in the morning. Ella is constantly saying "owie!!" when we are trying to get through it so it would make sense!

Last night, I had them in the tub and their hair was lathered up. Erin gently grabbed Ella's hair and started feeling it and petting it. "Owie. Owie!" she said as she played with it. The light bulb came on... she thinks "owie" means hair!!

Happy Halloween!

We had our first celebration of Halloween tonight in Readlyn. It was a blast going on our traditional route. With us, we had two minnie mouses, a cheerleader, a hot dog, and a prisoner (Hank). We then warmed up to soup and watched the kids and dogs play together.

At about 7, Ella grabbed her candy bucket and said: "Mom, my belly really feels like it needs candy. Can I have some?"

She was so sweet and quite persuasive!!

Soldier Down

Fortunately, when Mommy is sick, I can rely on Ella to shape things up around here. Tonight, she can be heard chasing after Erin trying to get markers and other "no-no's" away from her.

"NO1 That is NOT appropriate, Erin!!!"

Bear Hugs

My morning routine is pretty consistent. We wake up at 6, and the girls wake up at 6:30. Erin is usually ready to romp but Ella is more like an 18 year old on her last semester of school. We are all ready to leave the house at 7:20.  I drop Ella off first, since it is not far from home. When we get to the school, Ella and Erin chase each other down the long hallway to her classroom, with me running behind shouting "Slow down! Be careful! Shh!" We make it to her room, where we hang up her book bag and folder and coat and assign hot or cold lunch. We then walk to a different classroom to get Ella settled with her friends and teacher aides and check her in. Erin runs up and gives Ella the biggest bear hug ever, and they sway back and forth smiling and holding on to each other.  I get my goodbye hug and kiss and scoop Erin up and head out. I drop Erin off around 7:35 and she gives me my sloppy goodbyes. She runs off to greet and hug her own little pals and I'm on my way to work!

These are a few of my favorite things

Ella: She asks who the author and illustrator is whenever I read a book.

Erin: I've been trying to get her to say "buck" lately, and anytime she hears that word, she replies "Moo."

All morning long, Ella has been in the recliner with her doll under a blanket. Erin has been climbing up and down and up and down and up and down in that chair. She struggles and grunts and groans getting up every time, and Ella keeps saying "Get your chubby little thighs up here!!"

Photos recreated!

I love recreating photos, and these are from our fall roadtrip last weekend!

Bathroom update

Derek is working hard at insulating our bathroom....getting closer!!

Happy 35th to Everett's Service!!

Peak Season

Our family has made it a tradition to take one last "vacation" day together in the fall to go enjoy the autumn highlights in Iowa! This year was extra special. In addition to the apple orchard and hike at pikes peak, we also made an extended stay in Elkader to visit family and celebrate the 35th open house of Derek's Grandma's shop!