Fall Festivities

We have had a busy fall!  I love all the fall colors we get to enjoy in northern VA.  It seems like every year I forget how breathtakingly beautiful it is, how the crisp air feels, how many fun things there are to do...and then we have a booked-every-weekend sort of fall and I remember how much I do love it.  Roy and I joke that fall is the reward for having put up with a yucky, humid summer.  So here's what we've been up to!

The kids love to camp out in our bed before jumping in the bath or shower.  Lydia is still getting used to the idea, but she adores being able to participate more and more with Abby and Sam.  

Sam decided to teach Lydia how to watch cartoons.  Of course he had to sit practically on top of her to do it.  He's really developing into an excellent big brother.

We went to the fire station for an open house and the kids got to see a fireman put on his uniform (is that what you call it?) in something speedy like 78 seconds.  I was impressed.  They also got to "drive" a fire truck, learn about fire safety, and meet firemen.  It was a lot of fun and a good reminder that we should talk more to our kids about escape plans, what to do in a fire, and just some basic survival things.

One of our traditions is to take a bathtub picture of our kids at 7 months (odd age, I know, but we got a cute picture of Abby in the tub at 7 months and a tradition was born).  We print them in black and white and hang them in our bathroom.  I'm still trying to decide which Lydia picture to use, but here are two of the ones in the running.  She's such a sweetheart!

And of course we had Halloween celebrations and a trip to the pumpkin patch.  Here's our pink dinosaur Lydia, red Angry Bird Sam, and Cinderella Abby.

For our ward Trunk or Treat, Abby was complimented as being regal.  She asked me what that meant and I explained that it meant it was like she was royalty.  She began walking very slowly and stood a little taller.  I couldn't keep my smile contained.  Before we even left for the Trunk or Treat, she prepared for her role of Cinderella by singing "Bippity Boppity Boo" in the bathroom (at the top of her lungs).

Other Bits and Pieces from the month:

• Abby is really into joke-telling lately.  The other day she asked Sam, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"  In a very no-nonsense, duh sort of way, Sam replied, "Um, chickens live on farms."
• Sam has been extra loving lately.  Most of the times I love it.  On one of these occasions, he was squeezing my face and kissing me and said, in a very loving voice, "I squeeze your face and squeeze your bottom."
• On a related note, Sam got to be potty trained last week.  The stuck-inside-because-of-a-hurricane was the motivation to get us going.  I do not enjoy potty-training or the stress induced by the whole affair and I was most certainly not looking forward to a week stuck in the house talking about potty.  Plus the guilt of intending to do it at the end of September was eating at me.  So we did it and I must say my boy has done great.  Halloween candy is such a great motivator for toilet success!
• And last but not least, Happy birthday to my littlest brother Steven (aka Elder Freebairn)!  You, my brother, are the reason for this post today.  I may not get your birthday envelope to you in time, but at least I can send a blog to you for your birthday week preparation day.  We love you!