Fall

I love Fall!  I love the smell of the air and the excitement of upcoming holidays.  I love saying goodbye to the threat of sunburn and getting to wear jackets.  I love candy, which they hand out for free on a certain night this time of year.   

As awesome as last year's Halloween was, I am just as happy spending it at home with all of our traditions, and making some new ones while we were at it.

Pumpkin Carving Night
Stuff Our Faces with S'mores & Hot Chocolate Night

Our super impressive pumpkin!
(I told you our priorities were elsewhere.)

I remember my mom making these pumpkin-shaped cereal treats with us when we were younger and this year I decided to make them with my own girls. My craving for Rice Krispy treats may have been a small motivator.

Completely amazed by Dad's ability to make a bow out of candy corn.

Not sure what this face is, but it's so Ellia.

Normally I am all about making my kids' Halloween costumes.  This year we did something a little different by wearing some vintage costumes from the collection of my Grandma Payne, who recently passed away.  She was the only grandparent I have ever known and she was extraordinary.  Ask anyone.   She sewed most of the costumes herself, and I thought it would be a fun tribute to her (who, by the way, was also a huge fan of candy--namely chocolate.)

Ava the gypsy

A slightly bigger gap in her smile,
thanks to lost tooth #2. 

Ellia had decided on her costume long ago so she didn't wear one of Grandma's.  But holy cow, have you ever seen a cuter Peter Pan?  

Feel free to never grow up.

Earlier this week Ellia's preschool put on a Halloween program.  Can you find her among the princesses and fairies?  I'm so glad she's not afraid to be herself and stand out in a crowd.

Fiona as Little Red Riding Hood

What a cute face you have!
The better to manipulate you with.

After collecting a sufficient amount of candy, we finished off our Halloween traditions with my mom's homemade chili, and a bedtime showing of "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." I insist on watching it every Halloween. Apparently I keep forgetting how boring it is. But I can guarantee that come next year I will be searching TiVo for it once again.

Speaking of Charlie Brown...

My nephew, Callen, who did not receive
any rocks while trick-or-treating.

Since he was a baby, I had been telling my sister that he would make a perfect Charlie Brown.  She finally humored me.  And I was totally right.  As always. ;)

Happy Fall!

Tooth Fairy

Everything is a big deal to me.  And losing a tooth is no exception.  Especially after enduring the whining and tears of impatience and injustice as "ALL" of Ava's friends lose tooth after tooth.  So for this moment life is fair again, because Ava has finally joined the club.

And aren't I lucky because just last week I came across this Tooth Fairy Invoice.  Little did I know that I would get to utilize it so soon.  When Ava came running in with that itty bitty tooth, I got right to work.

An ecstatic Ava woke me up at 6:30 this morning to the sound of clanking quarters that the Tooth Fairy left for her.

Yay for lost teeth!  And thank goodness for dads who don't mind pulling them...definitely not in my job description.

Birthday Boots

I'll have you know that I was completely prepared to simply take the family to McDonald's to celebrate Fiona's 2nd birthday.  Then the husband mentioned that maybe we should invite a few more guests...

"You mean go bigger?!"  (Enter my OCD, perfectionist, planning-crazed self.)  Good riddance, Mickey D's.

My mind immediately searched for a party theme.  (OCD Hayley is convinced that she may self-destruct without one.  And really, why risk it?)  So what the heck is my soon-to-be-2-year-old into these days?

"Boots."

"Boots."

"Boots."

"Boots."  (And a little bit of potty training.)

...and a Boot party was born.

Finally, a pair of boots in her own size.

Experimenting with her new
"Terrible Two's" status

Happy Birthday to my (*sniff*) big girl!

"Who loves you, Fi?"

"Mamaaaa!"

(Darn right!)

Lost Time

After a trimester of what I would consider pure h-e-double hockey sticks (too dramatic?), I am finally getting ME back.  My sense of motivation has returned, along with a realization of everything that should have or needs to get done.  When I realized that there were only three more weeks left of summer vacation, I felt like it was my motherly duty to make up for lost time.  In contrast with the past couple of months, each simple moment has felt much sweeter...

A picnic in the park.

Cheesy orange fingers.

A proud tree-climber.

A hot day at the fair with my favorite people.

Building up her immunity. (Lovely.)

Sisters who adore one another.

Big imaginations.

Playing outside before sunset on a perfect Sunday evening.

 That big smile as Ava learns something new.  

 A family camp-out in the backyard.

That's more like it.

Even Caje was invited.

Pizza delivery.

More pictures of my kids eating.

 A friendly pillow fight.

A cozy campfire.  And an impromptu guitar serenade with silly personalized lyrics.

Fuzzy slippers on a sweet baby, who I may never stop referring to as my baby.

                  

I hope my kids can now look back on this summer and remember a few enjoyable, albeit condensed, moments spent together.      

School starts tomorrow and I can't wait to get up early and make Ava's first school lunch.  (Seriously, I have been anticipating this.)  I have a pretty amazing mom who I'm trying to portray, which means my kids can expect notes in their lunch bags, pancakes in shapes, picking outfits in advance, and books before bedtime.

I really dig this mom stuff.