Beauty and the Beast

When Elena's Ma heard that the musical, Beauty and the Beast was coming to San Antonio, she happily got tickets for Elena to go (it's a favorite of hers). Ben took her Sunday night and although it was a late night for the little girl, she loved it; and was a completely enthusiastic audience member.

Worn OUT!

Carving the Pumpkin

After we picked our pumpkin we headed back home, where Ma then helped the kids carve it and harvest the seeds. The recipe she used on the seeds was so delicious!

Evan would not go near the inside of that pumpkin. :)

PUMPKINS!

This is the first of multiple pumpkin related posts. :)

We headed to the local pumpkin patch when Ben's family was in for the weekend of Evan's birthday. We attempted a cousin picture...

and individual kiddo pictures.

Sadly, Asher had a cold that weekend, and was especially grouchy about getting his picture taken...

But as for Evan... well, he had a ball... as Evan does.

Evan's Race Car Party!

We were able to celebrate Evan's birthday with family and friends on his actual birthday. I began planning this race car party a LONG time ago... well at least it was way in advance compared to the previous parties I've done. Ben mowed a track in the back yard and then lined it with cones. The kiddos raced cardboard box cars around the yard and also played "Red Light, Green Light". Writing this out makes it sound like these events happened in an orderly fashion, but when you're dealing with 2's and 3's nothing could be further than the truth! BUT, when dealing with 2's and 3's nothing could be cuter. :)

The kids ran around the yard, in and out of the track, completely confused as to where they were supposed to end up. And when it came time for Red Light Green Light, they initially ran towards me, but would then turn around and zip back to where they started... it was so funny.

We decided to do a donut cake for Evan... it's easy and something he loves!

Lots and lots of diapers represented by these boxes.

I decorated the house with these checkered flags. I'm so bummed that I didn't take more pictures of the decorations. Abby let me use her new Silhouette machine to make CUTE banners! They looked awesome, but silly me, I took them down too soon.

Pierson getting into his car. He was the most enthusiastic participant!

Thank you everyone for making Evan's birthday so special. He LOVED it!

Evan - 3 Years Old

Oh... Evan, Evan, Evan.

Evan brings us tremendous joy. His enthusiasm and sweet spirit make him impossible not to love! Here is everything Evan is up to at 3 years old.

He's starting to drop his nap. After lying in bed awhile without falling asleep he tries reasoning with me to let him out by saying, "But mommy, is a sunny day." He now uses that argument for coming out of his room in the morning or staying up late, "But mommy, is a sunny day!" It's cute to hear when it's dark outside.

I think my favorite thing to hear coming from his lips are encouraging words towards his sister. He will watch her riding her tricycle around the cul-de-sac and yell, "Oh good job Ewana! You a REALLY FAST GIRL!!

He has been so excited about this birthday. He has highly anticipated his friends coming to his "wace car party" and singing "happy birfday to Evan."

He continues to have such an amazing imagination. He plays great by himself if it's required of him.

I think it's just a boy thing, but he can make all kinds of car, robot, or rocket noises... and it usually involves a lot of spitting (ugh).

He is a minimalist when it comes to coloring; just a few strokes on a page and he's done.

He sometimes wants to "play ball", but it's not as much of a fascination as it was.

If Elena is in the right mood, they can play very well together. He will happily follow his sister's lead; pretending to have birthday parties, be in school, or throw a concert.

For the most part he will happily/enthusiastically go with the flow, but there are certain lines he will not cross; eating new foods, getting his hands messy, letting go of a particular car, or scooting forward a little on the toilet.

He's so caring. If I run into something (stop laughing at me!) he's quick to say, "Oh, are you okay, Mommy?" And if he accidentally bumps us or drops something on our toes, he responds with, "Oh I SORRY!"

He has lots of love for his family!

Asher - 10 Months

Well, the biggest news with Asher is that the day before he turned 10 months he started saying, "Uh-oh!" (HIS FIRST WORD!)

I noticed him trying to say it that morning right after I happened to say it. And then the rest of the day he would say it whenever he dropped something. It comes out more like, "uh... uh... ooooh..." I love getting a glimpse into how he's processing everything around him... apparently he views a lot of his life as a blunder.

The next big thing is that the day after he turned 10 months he began clapping! Sometimes it looks like his two hands are flailing independently, but then he'll get them to connect and gives a big grin.

In addition to those two new milestones he loves to dance, walk with confidence around the coffee table, and approach his siblings with boldness to take something from them. I really think he's going to be able to take care of himself in this family!