November Notables...

Having popcorn and watching The Polar Express

Olivia discovering that she likes candy and fairy wings

Hunter discovering he doesn't like the hot tub



Friday nights at the YMCA



Move over Nastia Lukin., here comes Olivia Hoose!

Hopping Hunter

Loving Hula Hoops

Mee too!

Go Big Blue!

Giving Hunter kisses

Giving Livie tickles

Happy Halloween!

Here's the crew just before Trick-or-Treat time. In Edgeworth, it was Thursday night.

Your friendly neighborhood Nintendo characters are Noah as Luigi, Eli as Mario, and Hunter as Link. All these costumes were coutersey of my Mom.

Gryffin was a little disgrunteled about his costume at this point.


Olivia was pretty happy with her costume.

Olivia, Gryffin and Cai were becoming a little impatient at waiting in the wagon while Hunter and Nadia cashed in on the candy.

Falling Back...

I've decided myself to be a considerably bad blogger. I've always been a procrastinator of sorts but managed to get the job done. Even up until now, I haven't been all that bad at updating my posts. Then it dawned on me that I have two newly vertical and extremely curious toddlers. Yep, that's it. My last blog occured two days after the twins had started walking and it took me three days to finish it and post it. I take so many pictures and want to share them with everyone but I'll just have to keep the writing short and the pictures plentiful.

We've had so much fun in our yard this summer and early fall that I hate to see the weather turn. Olivia and Gryffin always fight over the blue van (it's always been Hunter's favorite car too) and I caught them in a rare moment of sharing the coveted car. It didn't last long though, Gryffin promptly pushed Olivia out the door so he could be on his merry way. Our litttle Gryffin happens to be a B-I-T-E-R! The above picture was a tender moment turned sour immediately after the picture was snapped. Gryffin took a mighty chomp out of poor Hunter's cheek and crying ensued.

Olivia's only thoughts during this photo are... Don't even think of taking my apple Hunter, I found it fair and square! Our neighbor has an apple tree and we've been enjoying the tart (better for pie) apples the last few weeks. Livie and Gryff have quite a few teeth and are both currently cutting all their canines(ouch!) They are fourteen months old and at this point Hunter was just cutting his first tooth!

Hunter dressed up for "Elegant Day" at Noah's Ark.

Peek-a-boo Olivia! I love it when they play together nicely. It's so much more common for them to fight over everything.

Hunter was a real hat baby. He had a hat for every occasion and he loved to wear them. I finally got one on Gryffin and the only reason he kept it on is because I distacted him right after I put it on him.

Tom's Aunt Kathie had her annual Pumpkin Carving Party this past weekend and we all had a blast. She lives in New Castle, PA about 45 minutes from Sewickley in a real country sort of setting. It's beautiful, especially this time of year. The kids had a blast playing in the leaves and getting rides in the wagon and on the tractor. They also really love the neighbors' horses. The rest of the pictures are from that day. You'll see a picture of Hunter in his costume that my mom made for his 5th birthday which was October 17th. Sadly, I couldn't find my camera before the party started and since it was at a park a few miles from our house I didn't get to take any pictures at his party. We took some video though and hopefully I can figure out how to retrieve the still shots I took with our video camera. He is currently obsessed with The Ledgend of Zelda games and his costume is Link, the hero.

Olivia's so big!

Gryffin hanging out in the leaves

Here, have a leaf mama.

Big piles of leaves are so fun!

Hunter in his awesome "Link" costume courtesy of "Nina"

Hunter and Daddy having fun with pumpkin seeds.

Hanging out in jammies with the best teether ever, the Tylenol bottle.

End of Summer Blues...

We have had quite a run this summer and in a way I am happy for it to end. After all, autumn is by far my favorite season and I'm really looking forward to enjoying the weather and taking some great photographs. I still can't help but feel a little blue at the closing of our carefree summer existence. I'll have to remember for next year to not let the staying up late get out of hand. It's really hard to convert a nearly five-year-old from 10:30 PM bedtime back to the school bedtime of 8:30. Hunter is thoroughly enjoying his third year of Noah's Ark(pre-K). He missed the cutoff for kindergarten by about two weeks.

These are just a few of my favorite pictures from this summer. We didn't travel far from home this summer for obvious reasons. We only made it to the pool a handful of times which both babies loved but was a lot for me to handle. Mostly, we filled our pool at home and played in the yard or parks within walking distance to our house.

Gryffin wants so badly to ride Hunter's bike. He tries to climb on it every chance he gets. He is a get into everything kind of kid. Tom and I have no real experience with this since Hunter was so obedient as an infant. If we told Hunter no, he backed off. When we tell Gryffin no, he gets this devious little smile on his face and proceeds with the banned activity. Olivia pretty much does the same as Gryffin so it's doubly hard to keep up.

Olivia and Gryffin are now both walking almost full time. It happened within about a week of each other. Gryffin has been cruising like a pro since July but just wouldn't let go and take that first step that starts it all. When he finally did, Olivia had been getting pretty steady on her feet and followed suit within a week. I'm really proud of her because of all this PT we've done has really paid off. She and I have worked really hard to keep her on track. Although she never preferred to crawl, she could do it and that's what really set her up well for the walking. I expect her to be discharged from PT within the next few weeks which will be a huge relief. It has been a bit taxing on us.

I'm not sure how Tom coerced Hunter into standing next to Kenny at Kennywood because Hunter has alway been terrified of people dressed up in costumes like this but it's a really cute photo.

According to Hunter, it's not summer without cotton candy at Kennywood!

What a handsome looking Amish Family! In June, we went to Dutch Wonderland while in Lancaster for the Day Out With Thomas event. It turned out to be a really great amusement park for younger kids and we are definitely planning a return trip for next year. Hunter got to return to Lancaster over Labor Day weekend with Tom's family to visit with some of Tom's Aunt Kathie's Menonite friends. They have a huge farm with thousands of chickens and various other animals. Hunter really enjoyed it and got a taste of what it would be like to live without electricity, cars, and his precious video games. He told me upon his return home that "Those people have a really different kind of life, mama!"

Nothing like a long day at the zoo to tire out some babies.

This summer, two baby girl elephants were born at the zoo, so naturally we had to go check them out. They are adorable and Hunter, Olivia, and Gryffin were almost as enthralled as I was at the sight of them. I can really relate to the mother here because this little baby would not leave her mom alone, she just constantly wanted to nurse. She followed her around the newly built elephant house and I cringed at the sight of her weaving in and out of the giant adult elephant legs to get to her mama.

On most days, my back yard looks like a daycare. We have a ridiculous amount of cars and playhouses and even a kiddie rollercoaster. Not to mention my three kids, Aubrey's two and my little brother Noah who joins us every Saturday afternoon while Brian is at racquetball. To some it may seem like pure chaos, but to us it's just home.

Hunter started his first year of soccer a few weeks ago. I'm not trying to fill up his schedule and have him be involved in every activity out there, the kid really just needs to get out more. A couple of boys that are in his preschool class also attend soccer, so I'm hoping he'll make some connections. That and I love soccer and I'm hoping to pass the love of athletics on to my son.

At last we've reached the end of summer and this lengthy post with my favorite picture of the entire season. Hunter almost always has a bowl of cereal as a bedtime snack. On this particular night, I let him eat it on the couch and watch an episode of our favorite, Avatar. I didn't even notice that he was asleep until I heard the closing music and looked up to tell him to brush his teeth. He was dangerously close to spilling the bowl, but I had to grab my camera and take the picture anyway. There's nothing sweeter or cuter than a sleeping kid.

I'm it...

So, I've been tagged. The easy part for me will be listing the six quirks about me. I love lists with a passion. In fact, it happens to be one of my quirks that is the same as my "tagger", Emily. The hard part will be chosing three people to tag because other than Sayward(who tagged Emily) and Emily(who tagged me) and my non-blogging family, I don't know of anyone else who reads my blog. I'll do my best, here goes...

1. I love lists with a passion. (I believe I mentioned this) I guess the quirky part of my list obsession is that they can only be written on 3"x 5" index cards. If I need to make a list and I haven't brought any index cards with me(rarely ever happens), I will transfer the list to an index card once I'm at home.

2. I cringe when I hear a parent tell their kid(s) "shut up". I have always hated the phrase and avoid it at all costs. It's different when said to a peer. I don't mind it as much. It's really only when a parent says it to their child that I despise. If I hear you saying it to your kid, it will make me think less of you!

3.I don't like any condiments. No ketchup, mustard, mayonaise, relish, end of story.

4. I've read the entire Harry Potter series three times and secretly wish to be a student at Hogwarts.


5.I take my coffee very seriously. I drink it from the same mug everyday. The sugar goes in first , then coffee, then cream. No other order is acceptable.

6.I love the PBS kids show "Arthur". If you're wondering where I am at 4PM M-F, I'm probably at my house watching Arthur. If for some reason I can't be there to watch, there's no worries... it's my #1 series recording on my DVR, I just watch it when I get home. Hunter's finally old enough now that he likes to watch it too, but nowhere near as much as me.

Here comes the hard part...The only other blogger I know of that reads my blog is Wendy. I tag you Wendy, and if anyne else reads this blog I tag you too, provided that you haven't already been tagged.

Bye Bye Binky...

Tom and Hunter reading books before bed in December '05

Hunter has had a love/hate relationship with his pacifier since he was four-months-old. It brought him comfort and peace at the price of falling asleep. I thought that at about two, he would give it up for some sort of favorite stuffed animal, but that never happened, so we made the rule of binky in bed only.

Hunter and Nadia on one of our "Friday nights" December '07

Hunter was never a binky addict where he wanted it during playtime or even out of the house. For example, when my niece Nadia falls down and gets hurt, she cries out"Binky!". There's a binky addict for you. However, Hunter had a very difficult time falling asleep without it. That is until about 2 weeks ago.

Hunter Christmas Eve December '07

I am pleased to say that our nearly five-year-old son is no longer a slave to that silicone sucking device he so lovingly referred to as his "B". I don't know why it was so important to me to be rid of it, other than the fact that it will cost me thousands of dollars worth of orthadontics in the near future. Sucking is a basic human need. For some, the need is more intense and lasts for a few years longer than others. He really has been ready for a while now and really wanted to stop using it, but just couldn't seem to give it up. Alas, his will is stronger than his desire and for that I am proud of him.

Olivia and Hunter before an afternoon nap September '07

According to Hunter, it has been "13 nights without my B". I wonder how long he'll keep count...

Happy Birthday Olivia Luna and Gryffin Leo!

Olivia and Gryffin thoroughly enjoyed their first birthday party this past Sunday at Walker park with all of our family. It is a great spot for a party and the weather was awesome. It wasn't too hot or humid as it usually is in August. I've been bored with the standard picnic food for a while now so we had the party a little early and served coffee, bagels and cream cheese,sausages and a make-your-own-fruit, yogurt and granola parfait bar. Aunt Aubrey made her famous homemade chocolate cupcakes as well. Everyone had a great time and it was a little more relaxing for me than most of the parties I've thrown in the past.

Here's Olivia looking adoringly at her daddy for sneaking her cupcake number one before we even sang Happy Birthday.

Gryffin wasn't really sure what to think of the cupcakes. He didn't eat very much of it.

Olivia after cupcake number two looks over sugared and over tired. She ate both cupcakes entirely. Her appetite is insatiable!

Hunter, my little brother Noah, and my niece Nadia were the only kids at the party. My sister Emily's three kids are visiting their grandparents in North Carolina right now so they missed the fun time in the creek.

As usual, it was impossible to pry Hunter from the creek for anything. He would live there if he could.

Gryffin and Olivia both took well to present time. It tends to get overwhelming for most but they were pleased with their new things and played with them all afternoon.

Olivia was particularly fond of this cute little puppet from Aunt Danae.

What a cute little present!

Gryffin would have been happy with just a box full of plasticware.

Neat and tidy Gryff...messy and chocolatey Livie

Let's go home and take a nap, Daddy!