Thanksgiving and cravings...

Unfortunately, our internet is running like it's back in the dial-up days. So, while I did have a great picture to post of BJ reading to all 3 kids, it was refusing to load up because it was so big. Sorry, you'll have to settle for a story without a picture.

I ran out to the Sahara Mart today while BJ babysat to finish up my Thanksgiving shopping. Thanks to the sweet new baby, I haven't been feeling very good, and eating in general makes me feel sick afterward. However, something about the Sahara Mart, with all of it's wierd ethnic food and spices, smelled amazing. So I bought some "Extreme Garlic Green Olives" from a vat in the back of the store, and have been munching on them ever since. They taste amazing, and my stomach isn't mad about my eating them! David, who hates green olives anyway, came down in the afternoon for a break from work, and couldn't believe what I was eating. I've never felt like I have huge, wierd pregnancy cravings, but I think this one definitely deserves that name!

To Our Leiden Correspondents...

...you know who you are!

We wanted to let you know that you have got some legwork to do to keep up with us in the kid department! You'd better start hoping for sets of twins...

That's right, come mid-July, baby #4 will be on his (his, because Carver is prettymuch totally convinced that it's a boy) way.

So, now that you know, I'm waiting on pins and needles for some of your wonderful name suggestions...nothing Dutch, thank you.

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

My Christmas Present, a Few Weeks Early

David and I bought my Christmas present yesterday. It is an antique dresser that we found off of Craig's List up in Indianapolis. I am completely in love with it. It has been wonderfully taken care of, and the drawers actually work (which is the litmus test of dressers for David, who will nix a dresser based on that alone, no matter how amazing it may look)! The previous owners said that, based on the name on the back, it dates to somewhere around 1900, but I have no idea how they know that, based on my googling of the name.

Anyway, here it is! A big improvement on the plastic Wal-Mart storage bins we've been using since we got married! A scarf from my closet, a few old books off the shelf, and some yarn in a hurricane, and I'm completely in love with the whole thing!

Carver's Writing for the Day

Can you decipher it? Hannibal
Murdock
BA
Face (spelled two different ways)

Hey, if the A-Team encourages writing practice, I'm all for that :)

Snug as a Bug...

They aren't really rolled up in the rug, though that has happened a time or two. They've taken all the cushions off the couch and are using them as blankets as they sing each other to sleep. Pretty funny.

Eating with a Spoon!

Laura usually eats cereal dry, so that I don't have to feed it to her. This morning, I put soymilk on it, gave her a spoon, and let her go for it! She was pretty sticky by the end of breakfast, but she loved it.

Saturday Afternoon Hike

As you may have noticed, I have forgotten to blog this week. I've been working on a new project, which consumes all of my energy for the first week or so until I get tired of it. When it's finished, I'll show you, but not until then...

We went for a family hike this Saturday. It was great to be outside with the kids, and I love it when the weather turns cool. It was cold enough to warrant hats and gloves, but not so freezing that you couldn't enjoy the fall air. Perfect!

The hike was 1 1/2 miles, so David and I strapped two girls into backpacks (extra calorie burn!), but made Carver hoof it. He did great. He was tired at the end, but I think he was proud of the fact that he was able to make it the whole way.

Here we are, starting out. The long stairway goes down the hill, past a cave, and lets you out next to a small waterfall. Then the trail winds it way back up the hill.

Here's the semi-scary foot bridge across the stream. Don't worry, it's all screwed together, and then wrapped with wire mesh for good traction. I don't think it's going anywhere.

I have no idea what kind of a bush this is, but the bright green foliage was beautiful.


I love hiking, so I'm trying to get the kids as excited about it as possible. We'll have to see if it's warm enough this year to do our traditional Thanksgiving week hike at McCormick's Creek State Park.

All that hiking wore sweet little Laura out!

A Sweet E-mail

Check out this e-mail Carver got this morning from his friend, Samuel:

Hi Carver I am happy that you are my best friend. And I don't want too be mean and want too be nice. I am happy that you came to my house.
And I wish that I could come to your house every day.
Love you
Samuel

I was cracking up and going "Oh, how sweet!" all at the same time. Here's Carver response this afternoon:

Hi Samuel, I'll be more nicer to you. I hope I can see you everyday. Thank you for letting me come over for a long time. I would like to play with you everyday. Have fun with Cynthia and Mary Ella. I love you, too. carver

Kids crack me up.

Halloween, For Real!

We don't do Halloween every year. It's not out of any particular religious conviction (sorry, Mom!), but more out of annoyance at the rudeness of the trick-or-treaters that we have skipped it in the past. This year, David decided that he wanted to give Carver the fun of picking a costume and going around the neighborhood. I'm so glad he did--we ended up having a blast! We were planning to go with just our family, but two friends called that afternoon and asked if they could join us, since they both live a little too far out in the country to have a good neighborhood for it. Since our neighborhood is such a typical subdivision, it was perfect!

Here are Ellie and Josiah (c'mon--how cute is that?? a lion and a tiger?--I don't think we could've planned it better!), checking out Laura's antenna on her ladybug costume.


Here's everybody! L to R: Carver (Batman), Ellie, Jonathan, Nathan (Goliath--what a great idea!), Josiah, Samuel (the Hulk), and Mary Ella. In front: Bayly, Laura.


The 3 ladybugs (also unplanned):

Dad, trying to pose our kids for a picture (no, the actual picture didn't turn out):

Ellie and Mary Ella eating some of the spoils while the big boys finish trick-or-treating:

It was so fun! I'm really glad that friends came over--next year I'm going to plan it that way.