Practice practice

I'm still going on with my Photo 365 project. I think I'm getting better. Of course, it's not too hard when you have such good looking subjects!

The 2011 Christmas card attempt

Getting a Christmas card with 3 kids, one of whom is a snarly 3 year old, is not for the faint of heart. Telling fart jokes is key.

You can enjoy the whole set here.

Happy Halloween!

It was a damp and soggy night this Halloween. Living where we do makes it hard to plan out costumes. It can be in the 30s, in the 90s, or anywhere in between. So we just roll with it.
This year was chilly and rainy. We didn't let that stop us though. There was candy to be had!

Checking the radar to see when the rain will stop

 

 

The Pixie learned very quickly what trick or treating was all about. She even got over her stage fright a few times to say a sweet, "Tricka tricka treeeet!" to a lucky few.  I didn't take the camera out with us, because of the rain and all. So a few shots of the group before and after in the living room will have to do for this year.

Happy Halloween! Can we leave already?

Group shot

Rowan is Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox ball player

Niall would not smile. Being a skeleton is serious business.

A very excited candy corn who could not stop jumping up and down.

Spontaneous group shot of cuteness

The aftermath. Nice haul!

Happy Halloween!

For prosperity

A song, composed by my children this evening...

Chicken wing chicken wing

hot dog and baloney

chicken and macaroni 

*fart noise*

Yep. That's a mother's pride...

And now... video proof.

Pictures of the kids

Taken today, Feb 6, 2011. A warm, early spring day. We had some good outside time.

Halloween! Lots of pictures!

Okay! We've been working on these costumes for a little while. Rowan's took some assembling of parts. Niall's took some sewing. And Eleri's came on eBay. (I couldn't resist getting such a cute little thing for less than I'd spend in fabric to make it!)
So here you go!

First, Indiana Jones!

You can't see it, but his bag is filled with important archaeological artifacts. We decided to go without a jacket, since it was 80 degrees. Thanks NC! I also took more than one pic, but he's standing the same way in all of them.

Next up, Peter Pan!

Peter pan is sporting a felt outfit, and I even figured out how to make pointy shoe covers. His sword is tinfoil and cardboard, and is very dangerous and pokey. Captain Hook, be warned!

And finally, our Pixie!

What else could she be? She went trick or treating for the first time, but didn't get any loot. Her sole goal was to spread the cuteness across the neighborhood. Mission accomplished!

Here's the whole gang together. Two pics. Merge them in your head into something where they're all looking at the camera at the same time and no one is making a face, okay?

It is seriously hard to get a picture of all three of them, and we were under time constraints. Candy was calling.

So there you go! Our Halloween ghoulies this year. No one wanted to be scary. I'm sure that will come with age.

Dreamboat

Today was the perfect combo of lighting and patience to get pictures of the kids' eyes.
And can you just swoon? I mean, look at this:

He has his daddy's eyes. Isn't he dreamy?

And this?

We are in T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

And this...

Are those even real?

How many times do John and I look at each other and ask ourselves how we managed to have such gorgeous kids... And I have to say no to these eyes when they're begging. It's a tough job, I tell you. They don't make it easy!

Ah ha! There you are!

Eleri found her thumb today.
She was only happy lying across my lap with me patting her butt. And then...
*slurp* *slurp* *slurp*
She found it again this evening, so I'm thinking this wasn't a fluke.
It's way cute, but I haven't gotten a picture of it yet. Will keep trying.

The boys are calling each other Mr. Coo. Coo is a word at our house - either affectionate or annoying, depending on the intent. I've tried to ban them using it, but you know how that goes.
Coo and sibblesibble must be fun to say, because both boys say them over and over again. Whatever kid, just don't complain to me when your brother coos you.

Snow Day!

It isn't often in NC that you wake up to outside looking like this.

What this means is that the kids will be up and trying to sneak outside before 7am. So what you do is you scramble trying to find clothing that will keep them warm when you live in a climate that doesn't usually require more than what people further north would consider a jacket.
So you bundle up the baby.

Who is pretty much clueless but is happy and excited because something is going on! And you make the kids wear their footie jammies under their clothes because you don't have any long underwear and go outside.

I think Niall made that face last time we had a big snow. But he'd still be out there if I hadn't dragged him inside.

Rowan enjoyed it, but got cold quickly. Lightweight. We need to just get a bunch of waterproof mittens to have for this rare occasion. His hands were the problem. But he had a blast while he was out there.

And it's still coming down out there. I expect we'll be out in it again after lunch. One of these days I'll get my hands on those blue plastic sleds that roll up. I always want them on the rare snow event, and never remember them between times. But they'd be super easy to store, so I need to get them.