A little ahead of his time ...

Finn really wants to be big, too.

On Monday, the kids had a day off of school, and I was laughing to myself watching them all crowd around Elijah while he tried a new game on the ipad - all about grammar.  He figured it out pretty quickly, and the other two thought it was great.  How much do you think Finn learned about verb tense and adjectives? =)

Yesterday Finn pulled down every book in the playroom - board books and paper books.  But I didn't mind because he took each book over and climbed into the big arm chair and "read" them to himself, and then got the next one.  He was even careful with the paper pages!  It kept him busy for a long time.

Today he was so quiet in the playroom that I got nervous and went to check on him.  He was very busy doing Elijah's math workbook. 

What a funny kid!

Nana's visit

My mom came to visit us for a couple of weeks at the end of July.  Of course, the kids were thrilled to have some Nana time - they played and read and had tea parties and went to the park and the library, and just had a great time together.  I got to get out a little on my own, and Patrick and I got to go on several dates!  It was wonderful.  We are all so glad she could come.

A beautiful tea party

Of course, they read lots of books

Another tea party - with fancy hats and everything

We love Nana!

Some more summer pictures

Here are a few more pictures from our summer so far:

Elijah loved playing t-ball this year

batter up!

Elijah's best friend from school was also on his t-ball team - so fun!

just chillin'

A favorite past time - he reads around 50 library books a week, chapter books and "fact" books

This was my favorite reading chair as a kid, too - Elijah likes to sprawl across it just like I did!

Molly is busy "reading," too.  She has suddenly become much more interested in looking at books on her own - she used to usually wait for someone to read to her.

The big kids love picnics on the deck!

Happy Birthday, Finn!

Finn turned one on Sunday!  What a big year.  He is such a sweet, smiley baby, and we are so thankful to have him.  He eats like a bottomless pit and has turned into a pretty good sleeper now, hooray!  He is still doing his one-arm, one-toe variation of the army crawl, but he is a fast little booger.

He has started pulling up and cruising now, so he is into everything.  He is so tall!  It took him a while to practice and get strong enough to pull all that weight up - and it was a big surprise when he finally did it!  I was in the kitchen when I heard Elijah yelling frantically, "Mom!  Mom, come quick!  We've got a real problem here!"  I raced into the powder room to find Finn standing up, chewing on the toilet seat and grinning at me!  Elijah was horrified.  I was horrified, and laughing at the same time.  Nothing is safe now!

Standing tall!  The ottoman is just perfect for cruising.

Loving his table toy!

Too much fun to be still!

Today we had a birthday party at Patrick's parents' house for Finn and Aunt Lorrie and Uncle Bill.  It was a fun day, and extra fun that Nana got to be there, too!  We chose Goodnight Moon as the theme for Finn's cake and decorations.  Yesterday, Maiah came and spent the whole afternoon helping me make and decorate the cake.  She was such a big help!

Surprised, and hoping to grab the candle.

Goodnight Moon cake

My baking assistant, Maiah, with her first fondant cake!

More October pictures

Sleeping comfortably?

Ahhh, now that's cozy.

Not so much.

Another Daddy trip, another movie night.

Smalls has been loving the swing lately.

So cute when they read together!

October pictures

Wow, it's the end of October already.  We did not get to do all the fun fall things that I meant to do - with Elijah in school five mornings a week our free time is a lot more limited, and Patrick had some traveling overnights and working weekends this month, so apple picking and the pumpkin patch just didn't happen.  Maybe next year it will be easier when Finn is a little bigger.  We have been working on some projects around the house and just trying to keep up with all the every day things that need to get done.

Today we are getting our first snow of the year, and we have a fire in the fireplace.  It's the kind of day that I want to spend cuddled on the couch napping and reading!  The costume party that we were planning to go to this afternoon is canceled because of the snow, but it will be nice to just hang out at home and play games. =)

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

piggies with lots of bows!

check out those chubby rolls!

i love baby smiles!

the kids love to talk to Finn

enjoying tummy time

Molly has become quite deliberate with her coloring lately - so focused

We took the kids to Family Reading Night at Elijah's school.  It was a fun event with fall snacks, and some teachers and parents reading aloud, and time for us to just read together.  At the end of the night, we went home with a tote bag of new books and a bunch of apples - does it get any better?  Elijah discovered the Magic Treehouse book series and he has been loving them!

silly baby face!

Thunder Cake

Yesterday, Elijah, Molly and Nana made Thunder Cake! Elijah has been anxiously waiting to make the cake from the recipe in the book, and Nana was excited to help them, since it is one of her favorite books. The kids got to help with the whole thing, from shopping for the ingredients to putting on the strawberries. They had a great time - and made a fun memory!