cooler weather - finally!

We've finally dropped from the 90s and upper 80s into the 70s! Praise the Lord! I can already tell that my blood has thinned, and I am going to freeze up north this winter! I already sleep in more clothing than I did up north (year round) and often need an extra blanket. Since the girls have been wearing summer clothes for months and months, I'm ready to dig into their Fall/winter wardrobes. So they humor me, and let me dress them up to as I prepare for the winter.

a Halloween of firsts

Some first for Abigail:

• ...her first carved pumpkin




• ...first taste of cotton candy and popcorn. She preferred popcorn.




• ...first time to play games at Trunk or Treat!




• ...not the first time to get dressed up! But she enjoyed it so much more this year!

Illinois fan in the making...

The funniest part about teaching Abigail to cheer for the Illini is that she yells touchdown (with lots of excitement and flair) even when the other team scores.....

Love the mohawk...and the smiles too of course!

This video is for you, mom!

still my baby

ILL - INI !!!

The fighting Illini were undefeated when I took these pictures. Unfortunately, they are now 6-2. But even two consectutive, pathetic losses cannot dampen Rodney's spirits on the weekends. After all, he gets to spend them with his girls!

I love all of these pictures because you cannot miss all of the girls' personality!

She is growing up so fast! Most moms say, "I wish I could just freeze time," but I say, "Bring on the happy baby!" And yes, Hannah is a much happier little lady.

I actually took her in for her 4 month today and she's hanging with her growth curve - meaning she's still in the middle of the bell curve :) She actually enjoys being on her tummy and is quite an active little girl. I'm predicting an early crawler, as she often rotates 90 degrees or scoots forward on her play mate. Only time will tell!

my silly one...

My silly one is growing up so fast. She loves to dance and talk...talk...talk. She is constantly asking me questions and still has a flair for the dramatic. She has a lot of little girlfriends in her class at church, who she gets to see twice a week.As of late, I'm also beginning to think she'll take up cross country running like her daddy. When we walk, we often let her get out of her stroller in a large courtyard. She runs laps upon laps until she is out of breath and likes to race her daddy, who doesn't always let her win:)

my complicated and beautiful baby

Isn't she beautiful? She's super talkative, loves to smile and recently started laughing. But she's complicated. She doesn't like to fall asleep on her own and is nothing like her big sister, as far as I can tell right now. She still cries A LOT. Abigail still occasionally covers her ears, which is kinda cute.

The big thing that she's teaching me is to be flexible and more laid back. I threw "Babywise" out the window a long time ago, so I carry her around a ton, rock her to sleep and occasionally let her cry for short times when I'm about to pull my hair out. Her favorite way to fall asleep - nestled up close to me or in the car. When she's having a really bad "moment" or "day", we go run errands in the car or go for a walk. My conclusion (at this point at least) - some babies do better on my routine and others do better on their own :)