Trick-or-Treat

Enjoy a few pictures of the cutest girls to ever grace the planet as they partake in Halloween festivities.

Trick-or-Treating at Evergreen - thanks for the invitation Aunt Katie!
Making Frankenstein and black cat puppets at Evergreen
Beam me up
Taking a break from the candy to say CHEESE!
A family that haunts together, stays together!
Who's worn out? I'll give you one guess.
Have you ever seen anything cuter?
And now a look back at Halloween 2009.....

Check out how short Ashley's hair is.
Oh yeah. Check out how preggo Riane is.
Trick-or-Treating for the very first time and LOVING IT

Happy Halloween!

Have you ever seen a more adorable pair of Sock Monkeys?

Hey Mommy, give us bananas and we'll leave our hats on
Cheese! Or should I be saying "Bananas!"?
Why hello there
Can't you tell I'm jumping like a monkey?
Double-fisting it
Who's shy in front of the camera? Not me!
Mm. Tasty banana peel
Just a pair of monkeys

Early morning

It is currently 12:50 am and Natalie has finally stopped wailing after 40 straight minutes. She's had a cold for 5 days that has progressively gotten worse so if I had to bet, I'd say she has an ear infection. Right now we're waiting patiently for the Tylenol to kick in, and praying that she will sleep more the rest of the night and not spend it in pain. I'd say a trip to the immediate care center will be happening in the next 12 hours.
Oh whoopie.
It's officially Halloween; maybe I'll dress her up in her costume since we're already up?

Natty's new trick

I'm not sure where Natty Kat has picked this up at, but her new favorite trick is squinting her eyes and making a strange nose with her mouth. It's odd to say the least, but dang it's cute! Watch for yourself (click here).

Philodendron....safe list

Check.
Just in case you're wondering, it's safe to consume philodendron leaves. Or so says Oregon Poison Control. Other then possible upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea, it will leave a bad taste in your mouth which you can get rid of by drinking plenty of fluids.
Thank you, Natalie, for allowing me the opportunity to learn that this plant is one of many listed on the 'plants safe to consume' list.
And just in case you're keeping tally...that marks call number three to Oregon Poison Control.

This is what you get....

...when Daddy does your hair
Stylin'

Happy diamond anniversary!

Nana and Poppie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on October 15 and we got to help them celebrate. It's pretty amazing they've lasted this long considering there were plenty of times Nana threaten Poppie with divorce. Good thing every time she tried to call the lawyer it was Sunday and the office was closed! Ha ha ha (feel free to laugh, although it's a true story!).
Congratulations on your diamond anniversary Nana and Poppie! Aren't you happy you never called it splits-ville? We love you!

Anniversary gift
Sharing with Nana
My first taste of Hungarian sweet & sour cabbage - believe it or not I actually ate a bunch more after this picture was taken
Yummy (and pretty!) cake
Enjoying my very own cupcake
Mmm
Almost have it...
...it's all mine...
...don't even think about taking it away from me Mommy...
...oh yeah that's the ticket...
...the bigger I open my eyes, the bigger I open my mouth, thus the more cake I can shove in
Chilling with Poppie
Sharing cake with Poppie
Past my bedtime, Mommy
Cheeeeeese!
Love you, Auntie A
Love you, Nana
Poppie, Nana, Sissie and Ray - aren't they cute?

La la la laaaa

Here's a video (click here) of Ashley singing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' and 'Jesus Loves Me'. I wish you all could see/hear her throughout the day singing and performing; it's the most adorable thing ever!

Bed-head

Natalie sure can rock some impressive bed-head.

Rough night. Don't ask.
"Mommy, I have crazy hair too! Take my picture please, Mommy."

Daughters

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I want to be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes
Everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light
And the world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me
Gives me strength when I'm weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
Has had enough
It's givin' more when you feel like givin' up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes
I can see the future
A reflection of who I am
And what we'll be
And though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone
I hope you'll see
How happy she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes
-Martina McBride

Playing 'chase me'
Hold my hand, Natty Kat

'I drew it for you'

Lately Ashley has been impressing us with her drawing capabilities. In addition to drawing circles, squares and diamonds, she loves to draw Mickey Mouse on her doodle-pad. You can tell she loves our happy reactions and is so proud of herself, and there's just no beating that!

"Look Mommy, I drew it for you"
Mickey Mouse ah-la Ashley

Bad Daddy

Scene: myself, Ashley and Natalie in the car, on the way home from church (Jake was at work)

Riane: Ashley, what did you do at church today?
Ashley: Played with my friends. Ate a snack, I had crackers. I read a book.
Riane: What book did you read?
Ashley: Um? Um? Um? A church book!
Riane: Oh really, a church book. What was it about?
Ashley: It is about family. Family goes to church.
Riane: You're right, family does go to church.
Ashley: Daddy didn't go to church today. Bad Daddy. Daddy gets time-out.
Riane: Remember, Daddy had to go to work today with Uncle Isaiah.
Ashley: No, Daddy and Uncle Isaiah both no go to church. Daddy and Uncle Isaiah get time-out. Okay, Mommy?
Riane: Okay.

Little climber

I'm not sure how it happened, but Natalie is growing up. And she's doing it quickly. The other day we caught her climbing the stairs. WHAT'S NEXT?
Click here to watch the video. It's not that great of a clip mainly because I was trying to stay close enough to catch her in case she took a dive, while still capturing her climbing up the stairs. But you get the idea!

Natty took a spill...

This is what going head-first into Big Sister's Elmo flip-phone will get you.

I wasn't happy

Scoot over Andy

Just watching a little 'Spookly the Square Pumpkin' with Uncle Andy

Updates on our girlies

Natalie's newest trick is waving good bye simply by saying to her "Natalie, say good bye!" It's so adorable the way she waves and then reaches out to touch your hand. You can watch this video (click here) and see for yourself.
I also wanted to share that Ashley can name and point to 5 states on her dinner place-mat (courtesy of Aunt Katie!): Oregon, Washington, California, Texas and South Dakota. When I ask "Where does Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Shaun live?" She shouts and points "Washington!". When asked where Mickey Mouse lives she shouts and points "California!". When asked where we live she shouts and points "Oregon!" And when asked where Aunt Shawna lives she searches a bit and eventually shouts "South Dakota!" (this is the newest state and hasn't quite sunk in yet). It's amazing how quickly she's picking up these things. She also has another place-mat that lists all of the presidents, but we don't use that one. I figure once she's got all 50 states down, then we can switch. I suspect that'll be around her tenth birthday...
:)

What the?

Okay there are some really insane children items out there, but "The Daddle"? This has to be the zaniest.
Apparently a good old fashioned pony ride has been deemed unsafe for youngsters. That's where The Daddle comes in. Thank goodness. This is going on Ashley's Christmas list for sure.

Punkin' pickin'

We love this time of year because it means cooler weather, beautiful fall colors and pumpkins. Everyone had such a great time at the pumpkin patch and Ashley has been asking to go back ever since!

I've got your pumpkin right here!
Family pic time, our fave!
Katie and her man
Grandma and her girls
Too cute for words
Piggy!
The happy couple
Cuties
This little piggy
Let's hit the road, Sis
Working for my water
Sister squeezes
Is it pumpkin time yet, Daddy?
"There you go baby cow, I feed you hay. It's yummy!"
"Hi goat! I rub your ears. That's nice!"
Love my Grandma and Grandpa very much!
Still newlyweds
A giant hay spider - this ones for you Aunt Shawna
Doing Allen from 'The Hangover' - "Does this baby make me look fat?"
A baby pumpkin for a baby Natty
Pumpkin Princess
Worth my weight in pumpkins
Go ahead and snap your picture because this is as close as I'm getting to the skeleton, Mommy
Choo, choo! Train time!
Cruising in our OSU Beaver train car