Pumpkin Carving

This past weekend we did our annual pumpkin carving.  In other words, Daddy cleaned and carved the pumpkin while Laine and I played out front watching him.   

 

Each year Penny comes up with a new idea for the face.  We love his creativity!  And we've all been enjoying roasted pumpkin seeds this week.

First signs of winter

The other day it was 47 degrees out, but Laine was ready to play.  So we bundled up in our winter clothes for the first time this year.  How cute!  Thanks for the great jacket, Georgia!

A Short Update

Laine is continuing to make progress with potty training during the day.  I am 28 weeks along, and Mead appears healthy from everything we can tell.  She certainly moves around a lot, which Laine has been able to feel a couple times.  Penny is continuing the job hunt with no major leads at this point.  Tomorrow is Laine's last day of swim lessons.  She'll miss them, but I won't miss squeezing my ever growing belly into a bathing suit!  Finally, Penny turns 30 on Tuesday, a major milestone that we're all excited about.  He's been enjoying his new iPhone for the last month or so, an early birthday present thanks to a generous gift from a supporter.  

Those are the highlights.  I'll post more soon.

Tales from the Crib (part 3)

Now that Laine is in pull-ups at night her crib activities have taken on a new complexity.  Obviously we can no longer duct tape her diapers on, so she has the freedom to completely undress herself again.  As a result we've discovered her the last several nights after she has "christened" her crib.  We walk in and she says, "Sheets all wet."  I'm pretty sure it's intentional, causing us to get her up for a few minutes while we change her sheets.  She doesn't try to play or anything - I think she just likes the company in her room.  At this point Penny and I are debating whether to discipline against it when we find her naked or reward her in the morning for keeping her clothes on all night.  Who knew Laine was so intent on sleeping in the nude?!

High Five!

Kelli Mayfield's mom came to visit last weekend, and she and Laine totally bonded.  How cute!

Food Experiment

The few weeks we've been doing a "food experiment" with Laine.  I got tired of fixing separate meals for her because of her pickiness.  So I decided it was time that she eat the same thing as Penny and I eat for dinner.

I explained to Laine that she was going to start eating what we ate.  We weren't going to force food into her mouth, but if she didn't eat what we served then she would go hungry.  It was her choice.

I have been impressed and amazed at her willingness to try new things.  So far she's eaten several things for the first time: french toast casserole, salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, cantaloupe,   And she's also eaten something that's she's been rejecting for months: a turkey and cheese sandwich.

Thank you, Rachel, for loaning me the book Hints on Child Training by H. Clay Trumbull.  I haven't the whole thing yet, but we've already benefitted by his chapter on training appetites.  There have been fewer arguments and tears during our mealtimes because of Trumbull's wisdom.

Family Photo

It's been a while (last Christmas) since our last official family photo.  Penny asked me the other day if we had one that he could use to display our family as he begins the job hunt process.  We took many pictures, but Laine was not in the mood to smile for the camera... what two year old is?  This is the best one we came up with.  Enjoy!  

 

Apple Picking

What started as a weekend when Penny had to be out of town turned into mother-daughter bonding time.  We did several fun things together and tried to make the most of our time without Daddy.

  

One thing I've been wanting to do with Laine is go apple picking.  This weekend we made it out to Eckert's Farm near St. Louis and picked some apples and a pumpkin.  


We went for a wagon ride, ate the apples while in the orchard, and wandered through the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin for us.

Once we got home Laine and I made a yummy apple crisp thanks to Shannon Walker's great recipe.  I'm normally not a huge fan of apple pie, but this was delicious.  Thanks Shannon!

Potty Training! (Part 2)

This has been a much better week in the potty training process.  Laine made it through church this morning without any accidents, and I was able to make it through the morning without tears in my eyes.  (Pregnancy emotionalism played a role in the tears last week, I'm sure!)  Laine has also used the potty several days in a row in public places - a huge step for her.

All of this to say I'm realizing potty training is a process, no matter how few days the books say it takes to potty train your child.  The initial fundamentals were quickly picked up, but it takes a little longer for practice to become perfect.  Thanks for everyone's encouragement!

My little cyclist

Laine has become an accomplished (tri)cyclist lately, and I couldn't be more excited.  A few more years and we'll be able to go on real bike rides together!

Learning to cook

Laine has been interested in "helping" me cook lately.  Whenever I start fixing dinner she gets out the step stool and pulls it up to the counter.  It's been really fun to show her what I'm doing and let her do a few things here and there.  She often sticks her hands right in the middle of the mixing bowl though, so I have to be quick to stop her from eating our uncooked creation!  It makes me look forward to fixing meals and other goodies together in the future.  (Note the partially hidden view of the baby bump - 25 weeks along now!)