Halloween Hand-Me-Downs

October brought some fun amidst the fall snotties--we dressed the boys up in some hand-me-down costumes we had gotten from friends and went to a Halloween party. The boys did have a fun time, and loved their costumes (once they saw themselves in the mirror!) despite the fact that halfway through the evening Eli started getting a low-grade fever and a runny nose. Sam's costume was a little big, and Eli's a little small (notice the tight shirt around the belly), and we suspect that when he's bigger Sam may wonder why he got stuck with Tweety Bird instead of the cowboy...

My Little Petri Dishes

This fall and winter have been banner seasons for us in that the boys (and Patrick and I) have seemed to catch every cold virus that has ever existed. We are able to go to maybe one event every couple of weeks or so (to pick up whatever is going around) and then the boys manage to spread the illness out for a couple of weeks, catching it from one another, before we go back out to pick up the next cold. Right now the boys are both recovering from double ear infections. But despite all the unpleasant fevers and snotty noses, the boys have been able to stay pretty chipper (I can't say the same for their mom!).

This last cold which resulted in the ear infections has been a particularly protracted illness. Sam caught the cold first, and had it five days before Eli came down with it. I thought Eli might escape unscathed, but no such luck. But for a while there Eli was having a great time, while Sam was a bit miserable. One day I sat them down for lunch, gave them some Cheerios, and had to go do something else for a few minutes, when I came back, Sam had eaten all his Cheerios, and promptly fallen asleep in his chair. Poor sick little boy!

Wreaking Havoc

So, we returned to the homestead after a very exciting summer of trips and visits, and we all setttled back into the daily routine. After all the smiling faces and beautiful places, I'm afraid that the boys' newly acquired toddler mentality felt a little confined back at home. So Sam and Eli set about finding new and exciting things to get into.

Eli has been looking for little nooks and crannies around the house to tuck himself away in. Sometimes it has resulted in a moment of panic for their mother when I step back into a room and can't find Eli anywhere.

Sam has been a little mischievious as well, but his bent is more towards finding out how things work. Whether it is finding the button that turns on the nightlight on their pack'n'play, or getting into things that I have *ahem* inadvertantly left around, he has definitely been keeping me on my toes.

The boys did get a chance to participate in an old family tradition from my side of the family, the Christmas sausage from Uncle Hank and Aunt Dawn.

The boys really enjoyed the sausage, and didn't even seem to mind it being slightly spicy. Someone who did not get to participate in the tradition, and who could smell what she was missing, was clearly despondent. Well, that was the end of the Christmas sausage, but since it was the end of September when we finished it off, at least we only have to wait a few months for some more! Thanks Uncle Hank (Annie wants me to pass on that she wants her own batch...)!

A Brand New Cousin!

Well, September started off with a bang with the birth of our newest cousin, Charlotte (for more of Charlotte, as I mentioned before, please visit her here). We finally got up to Nashville for a visit, and boy, is she cute! The boys didn't really know she was there for a while, because she was so quiet and still, but I think once Sam did, he was really puzzled as to what sort of thing she was...


The boys also had a wonderful time hanging out with (and on) Grandmama...

and lounging on Grandmama's little red rocker.

Sam also perused through Grandmama's books,

...and Grandmama read to them (The Runaway Bunny being a perennial favorite).

Catch Up Time...

Since the holidays are right around the corner, I am more motivated than ever to finally catch up on all our pictures--especially since there will be many, many more taken very shortly. In August we went for a long visit to Nana and Mo's house, while Patrick took a trip out to Colorado for a conference. We had such a great time that we forgot to take any pictures. Okay, I did take one picture--while I was home I found my old dollhouse that Mo and I *started* to put together back when I was of single-digit age. I found all the old parts, got them out and cleaned them up, and decided to put it together (but Patrick says I can't let the boys play with it...). So here is the 'before' picture (have no idea when the 'after' picture will debut, but I'm working on it):

So, we had a wonderful time. The boys hardly ever fought, monopolized Nana and Mo's attention, got to hang out with cousins, and had a great time chasing each other around the house. (Needless to say, Annie had the time of her life with Mo.) One of the things the boys learned to do while on this visit was to eat (sort of) with spoons, and here they are practicing at home. I think that Eli has the right idea, if not the right end.