Happy Halloween From our Littlest Pumpkin!

Thought we needed to do an update from last year's pumpkin baby picture!

Video Catch Up

Beck loves reading books that involve saying "shhhhhh."  He has two in particular that he wants us to read him because he knows they have sleeping animals in them.  Here's a video of him reading one of them:

He now says "shhhhhh" every time he passes Beaux sleeping somewhere in the house.  And sometimes even when he sees Beaux awake.  Beaux just generally gets a "shhhhhh."

And here's Quinn doing class with Beck and her babies. Singing the entire song in some made up foreign language.....

Her question at the end--"Do you think he's going to poop them?" regarding the acorns.... Last week he was in the studio and got some of her beads in his mouth. We thought we had gotten them all out of his mouth. The next day I changed a poopy diaper and there were at least 6 beads in there. It was like a bracelet had blown up in his diaper. Quinn was a little traumatized to lose her beads in that fashion.

Around here....crimefighting edition.

Officer Quinn has been writing tickets left and right.  Yesterday at breakfast Beck got one "for not being helpful."  She cut out a little strip of paper, wrote down his citation (random letter string), and handed it over.  And he ate it.  Below is all that was left of the official documentation. 

Naturally he was promptly issued a second violation for eating the first. 

I think I love him a teeeeny bit more when he's wearing these pj's. ;)

 

 

 

Ya never know who's going to end up cuffed around here.

Lots of tickets have been issued lately, too.  It IS the end of the month, ya know!  If you come to our place, it's a good idea to be on your BEST behavior.  Otherwise you'll be next!

My favorite little Punkins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture below is totally my kids.  Quinn has marker on her hand because she's very much into writing notes right now.  She inherited her Daddy's chewing habit--it's either her hair or her fingers at all times, combined with the intense look of concentration.  And little man?  He's just happy.  Pretty much always.  Sweet as the day is long, this boy of ours! 

"That?  That."  He is "talking" a mile a minute and it's the cutest thing ever.  Not a word makes sense to us, but he is definitely checking out everything around him and commenting on what he sees. 

 

Feast of Artisans Fall Festival

Wednesday night we went out to support our favorite booth at Feast of Artisans Farmer's Market!  Urban Owl Knittery, of course! 

Q's school also had a little booth set up with face painting and playdough.  Q was so excited that several of her little friends were there and she was so busy all night long being with them--getting snow cones, playing, and she even begged to eat dinner where they were eating. 
Here she is with one of her teachers and some of her little friends from school:

And the little ladies' man!

 

Snow cone break:

Beck is walking now!  We call him Frankenstein because that's how he looks when he walks.

 

 

It was a great time to enjoy the fall festivities!  Beck loves pumpkins and of course this gigantic one was a huge hit!

 

And it was so much fun our little guy got tired out....which meant a few cuddles for Mama!

But he couldn't stay down long...he MIGHT fall asleep.  What fun would that be?
People-watching with Dada.

And his current favorite activity is hair-pulling.  Even including his own.  No fun for anyone.

We did eat with Q's friends, but by the time we got there they were almost finished, so she ate the rest of her dinner in a booth by herself.  It looked hilarious. 

And she is TOTALLY into telling secrets, except that she whispers stuff that doesn't need to be a secret.  She just loves to whisper.  Here she is telling Daddy something random that could really be said aloud.  Silly girl.

 

Her literacy

Q is very into dictating notes for me to write.  Here is one from this week--I wrote down exactly what she said. 

And she has mastered capital M's finally....so she is very proud to be able to write Daddy's name all by herself!  She wrote this note on his air compressor and could hardly wait all day long for him to see it when he got home. 

She is very interested in writing and having this written.  So much fun to see her learn about the world of print!

Flower Fairy

We're the "flower fairy" at Q's school on Wednesdays for the months of October and November.  We've had fun putting together a little bouquet around the yard (minus a surprise wasp attack on my shoulder) each Wednesday.  Q is in charge of holding the bouquet in the car on the way to school.  :)

Quinny Bean...and some beans!

My girl helping me snap beans from the garden for dinner last night.
 

 

And just in case you get the idea that dinner around here is a calm, magical experience, you would be quite wrong, my friend.  Queue baby dropping water cup on the floor.  Twice.  Quinn up, down, all around in her chair.  Us griping at her to "sit on your bottom before you fall."  Whining that she's finished and wants to go play.  Falling out of her chair and subsequent crying scene.  Baby doing "helicopter arms" and clearing his highchair tray.  Q whining that she doesn't like some item on her plate (that she just ate the day before as fine as could be).  Dog scrambling under our feet to get crumbs.  Matt yelling at dog and then having to get up and put her in the laundry room.  And Q promptly needs to go to the bathroom in the middle of dinner (though she didn't have to go when as asked her BEFORE we started eating) and lets dog out, so repeat that whole scene.  All that and more.....and THAT is an accurate picture of dinner, complete with throwing, screaming, whining, crying, and possibly even a little bit of eating.  Just in case you wanted to know.  That's why I have to post cherished moments like our green bean snapping session.  Those times are few and far between, but that's what makes them extra sweet.  :)

Breakfasts Denver Style

Matt and I have turned into Breakfast restaurant addicts in the past few years.  Yum, we LOVE us a good breakfast place.  No chains, something off the beaten path with unusual foods are our favs.  Leo is part of our breakfast love, we have a strong tradition of Jimmy's Egg together with our college friends whenever we go to OKC (which I guess IS a chain, but not a Houston one, so it still counts, okay?).  He did us right in Denver--Friday breakfast was at Lucile's.  We had poppyseed pancakes with orange butter and biscuits and cajun gravy.  DELISH!  But best of all, before we even ate the breakfast stuff, we had BREAKFAST DESSERT!  Beignets.  Mmmmmm.
 

Saturday we went to The Delectable Egg (which again might be a local chain in Denver) and we all felt south of the border, so we all got some type of mexican eggs (with avocado, beans, green chiles....again, mmmmm!). 

Sunday before Leo took us to the airport I requested Einstein Brothers Bagels.  The boys were making fun of me the whole time and complaining they didn't want bagels, but when we got there they were both impressed by the extensive menu (and delectable breakfast sandwiches) and variety of coffees.  I mostly wanted to go for nostalgia.  When we were growing up we went to Denver every summer and there was a EBB across from our motel that we ate at a lot. 
Anyhow, Denver did us right when it came to breakfasts!And if you are in town you totally have to try Lucile's!!