Turkey Day!

We had a great Thanksgiving yesterday--here are some pictures from the day. Brian cooked the turkey in the smoker and it turned out beautifully! I think he was a bit nervous that I didn't have any contingency plans (ie. a backup turkey in the oven!) but it couldn't have turned out better. And luckily I didn't burn the house down when I lit the sweet potato casserole on fire trying to broil the marshmallow topping....I guess it should have occurred to me that using the broiler in our double oven is not a good idea when you have a large casserole that almost touches the top of the oven....oops! Anyway, we had a great time and the weather even cooperated enough for Chloe to show off her new moves on her bicycle...no one can ride a bike in a dress quite like she can!

Fall Fun

Chloe helped Brian and I rake the leaves in the yard this weekend, and we were having so much fun that I almost didn't get any pictures before Chloe had reached her limit and needed to come inside. Her new que that she is getting tired is that she tells us "my eyes hurt". So I knew I only had a few photo minutes left when I took these pictures. And unfortunately poor Baby Drew missed the whole thing because he was taking a gigantic 3 hour nap! (Could it finally be that elusive tooth finally coming through that is making him sooooo fussy??) We finished up the day with some quiet coloring activities, and it made my day to see Daddy coloring princesses along side Chloe. Of course, Daddy didn't quite understand why Cinderella simply MUST have a pink face...but he went along with it just the same. (Here's a hint to all of Santa's helpers--Chloe is in love with ANY Disney princess!)

Peas Please!

At his 4 month check up last week the pediatrician told us we could go ahead and start giving Drew some veggies since he eats so well and is tolerating cereal. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical because Chloe was 6 months before we started giving her veggies, but we went ahead and gave it a whirl this weekend. As you can tell, he absolutely loved his first bite of peas! I can only imagine how bland the cereal must be that he thinks mashed up peas is such a better alternative...but I'm certainly not going to complain if he turns out to be a good veggie eater!

We had a great time this weekend in Columbus for Matt & Mamta's wedding--and Chloe had a wonderful time with Mama and Papa. She was so excited to go to their house she could barely stand it, and as soon as they came to pick her up she was tugging at their shirts saying, "I'm ready to go, I'm all packed!" We took Drew with us to the wedding and he definitely exceeded our expectations for the night--he even fell asleep in Brian's arms during the reception. But when we put him in his car seat to sleep while we went dancing, we came back to find he had pulled his blanket all the way over his head (see first picture!) as if to tell us that it was a little too loud! Of course, that is the way we feel sometimes when both he and his sister are squealing at the top of their lungs! Our luck ran out a bit on our way home from Columbus because our car had a dead battery and we had quite an adventure to finally make it home with both kids in tow...at the end of the day we need to pay back at least 2 good samaritans and we definitely got a good lesson in patience!! (What a great first dance song, Matt & Mamta)!

Our little Picasso

It wasn't until we played back the video we took during Baby Drew's first "cereal" meal that we realized it might be time for us to do some one-on-one activities for Chloe. All during the background of the video you can hear her talk about how she eats "big girl food", not baby cereal--clearly an indication that she was getting a bit jealous. As luck would have it, I had just enrolled us in a "Pint Sized Picasso" class at the Y where once a week we get to make crafts together and play along side other toddlers. Here is a picture of Chloe showing off her artwork--a painted pumpkin (paper bag), falling leaves on a tree, and a beaded necklace. Here also is a picture of the pretty bouquet that Chloe & Drew (with a little help from Daddy!) so thoughtfully got for my promotion at work--if only I had a video of Chloe saying "con-gatchy-ations"!!

Drew Finds His Toes

There is definitely something truly amazing about watching a baby put his own foot in his mouth! Maybe it's because as adults we've somehow lost the flexibility (and the desire!) to do the same thing and yet it seems so easy for a baby! Or maybe it's just because it is such a funny sight! Either way, here is a picture of Baby Drew figuring it out for the first time. Oh, and by the way, he rolled over (from belly to back) over the weekend! (but we didn't get that on film....poor second child, Baby Drew)

Chloe's ABC's

Chloe loves to sing her ABC's....just usually not on command. Somehow I was able to capture the whole song on video--of course we think she's a musical genius, but you be the judge!

Trick-or-Treat

Here are some fun pictures from trick-or-treat at the Harves'! Chloe really enjoyed going around to the neighbors' houses and getting candy, although you'd never know it by the serious looks she gave everyone when she said "trick-or-treat". But all she could talk about this morning was the "ghost that talked to her", so I think it's safe to say she was pretty awe-struck by the whole event! And Baby Drew did a great job passing out candy and keeping a watchful eye over the whole process--he even let Chloe him for a picture or two, so I was happy about that. Of course, getting them both to look at the camera is beyond impossible, so I settled for them just both being in the same picture at all at this point! I'm pretty sure Chloe will be talking about her first trick-or-treat experience for a long time to come and we will certainly laugh at the memory as well!