Happy Halloween!

Finally the big day is here!

And the winning costume is....

Alice in Wonderland!

 Ava, as usual, had to put on a big show while taking photos.  This is one of my favorites.  Crazy, silly Ava.

 Because I did not wash Ryan's 2 previous costumes (I forgot!), we ended up dressing him as "Mr. Smee" or "Pirate."  Ava said he looked like Cubby, a character off Jake and the Neverland Pirates...mainly  because he has a doo rag on his head.  In hindsight, we should have dressed him this way when Ava was Captain Hook.  Oh well.

 Ryan surprisingly enjoyed the stroller ride while trick or treating.  I wasn't sure he would since he likes to be free and move about but he did great!

 About 10 minutes in, we ran into Ava's friend Emma, who lives down the street and is on Ava's soccer team.  Ava was super excited, and Darren ended up pulling the girls around in the wagon for at least half the block.  Good thing we brought the wagon this year...Ava enjoyed riding and did not get as tired walking down the street.

We had a great Halloween but got WAY too much candy.  Plus we only had 2 visitors to our house to get candy so needless to say, we had  a ton of candy leftover.  Thankfully we can donate it up to our school (they take it to the firefighters and other groups).

360 and Crawling?

A few weeks ago, Ryan starting doing 360 turns on the floor.  He has gotten really fast at turning around and we were just waiting for him to crawl.

Last week or maybe the week before, Ryan starting getting up on his knees and rocking back and forth.  I thought for sure he was going to crawl.  But he made us wait.

  This past weekend he started trying to move when up on his knees. He failed (because he hasn't figured out you have to move your arms and legs at the same time) and was a bit frustrated.  But then he decided to do his own form of crawling.  It is part army crawl, part frog crawl and part dragging your legs as you use your arms crawl. Which form he uses (or whether he uses a combination of all 3) just depends on what time of day it is.  We have found that he gets really excited and will start to crawl if you put one of the following out in front of him 1) a bottle of milk 2) the remote control or 3) an iphone.  These all really motivate him.

Here is a video of his crawl this morning...this is more of the "let's just drag our legs" crawl.  Maybe a touch of an army crawl too.  Quite interesting to watch how he gets around.  Maybe once he masters crawling, he'll sit still for awhile...Ryan can sit upright but you wouldn't know it if you came for a visit.  The second you sit him down, he lays down so he can roll or crawl around.  No sitting for him!

In other news, I really hope he is getting a tooth because he has not been himself lately.  Been a bit cranky sometimes (which really never happens..he usually is SO happy) and his sleeping situation has detoriated.  I've broken out the Tylenol and Oragel and am hoping these help.  Of course, the situation probably isn't that bad, it's just hard to go from extrememly good to just so so.  If you know what I mean.

Ava Sings & Dances, Again

Again, these videos are several weeks old, but Ava decided to entertain me with 1) a song she learned about Church at school and 2) a Yo Gabba Gabba song complete with her own dance moves.  Enjoy!

Mouth Noises

This video is from October 10th....Ryan had been making these funny noises with his mouth for awhile and I finally got it on video.  I'm not even sure how you actually do what he is doing.  And now 2 plus weeks later, he pretty much has stopped doing this.

Galleria Trick or Treating

Second Halloween event of the year, Trick or Treating at the Hill Country Galleria.  We did this last year, and Ava loved it so we decided to go again.  We don't really need the extra candy but it is a fun thing to do and it's great to see all the kids dressed up.

Sadly, this is the only photo of Ava I got...she decided to be Cinderella for this outing.  She's still has not decided what she will be on actual Halloween so it will be a surprise!

Mowing

We've been trying for 2 years to get her to go for a ride on Darren's lawnmower and finally she wanted to do it.  Darren said it was probably the slowest he has ever mown the yard but Ava had a blast "driving" it!

Pumpkin Carving

We finally got around to carving our pumpkin today.  These are not great photos but really just proof that I do exist and that I do things with my kids.  I figured out the other day that Darren & I (especially me) are rarely in any photos these days.  We need to be better about it.

Ava picked a witch pattern for me to carve...not too easy...you would think we me being crafty and into art that it would turn out great but it is only so-so.  And somehow I did not manage to get a photo of the finished product.  Maybe for the best!

 Ava does not like "pumpkin goo" but for some reason will pretend to eat it.  She also put her rain boots on so her shoes would not get dirty.  Smart thinking!

Fall Festival

Today was the start of all of the Halloween festivities this year.  First up was Me-Mommy's Fall Festival at the school she works for.

I told Ava this year that she could dress in any costume we already have (since she has at least 20 nice costumes in her room).  Surprisingly she picked her Captain Hook costume.  We found a little tiny hat on a headband for her to wear (courtesy of Target) and a hook.  She also wanted me to draw a little mustache on with makeup to complete her look.

Ava being silly.

 A happy Hook.

 Mean Hook

We also dressed Ryan up.  I was originally going to sew him a garden gnome costume but ran out of time since I have been busy with house projects.  So I saw some cute little onesies at Target that look like firemen suits or policeman suits and went with that instead.  We already have 3 fireman hats at our house so we topped it off with that (for photos).  Comfort wins out for a 6 month old.

I really enjoy that in the one photo where I got Ryan to smile and look at the camera, Ava is making her scary Captain Hook face.  Quite the actress!

I'm Excited....But a Bit Scared Too

The day that Ryan crawls is creeping (no pun intended) up on us.  Last night, Ryan did this about twenty times.

He actually crawls one little step if you notice (but then slides backwards). 

He is quite the mover! Although it will be exciting when he does take off, it just means we will have to be very vigilant.  We have so many small toys (for Ava) and even after we pick them all up, I know that some of them will still make it back to the floor or other places where he will be able to reach.  I'm pretty sure one day when Ava is at school, I am getting rid of all her Barbie/Princess shoes.  She can't get them on her dolls anyways and I'm not even sure she will notice.  Mean?  Maybe.  But it would be nice to know that those won't end up in his mouth. One less thing to worry about since her dollhouse is in the living room. 

Guess it is time to reorganize her toys again and put those little things high on a shelf.  Anyone care to join me? Ha! I don't like childproofing.  Can you tell? 

Pumpkin Patch

We dropped by the local pumpkin patch because Ava was dying to go pick out a pumpkin.  I really wanted to go the awesome one downtown this year but with Ryan, it is just harder to want to drive 30 minutes each way just to take photos.  So this worked out perfectly for us.

Ava & Ryan sitting on the hay.  We were a little nervous about Ava holding on to Ryan (especially Darren) for this photo but Darren was just outside the photo to step in if needed.  Ryan doesn't look too excited, probably because the sun was in his face.

Ava was super excited. She had fun running among the pumpkins and pointing at the ones she wanted to buy and hugging a few along the way.  She alwasy picked the HUGE ones that are like $70 or something crazy.   Needless to say, we did not get an insanely expensive pumpkin.  We told her to pick a medium pumpkin and we also let her get 2 smaller pumpkins and a gourd that is shaped like a swan.

 For the most part, Ryan could have cared less that we were there.  He was most excited when I set him on the ground and let him move a bit.  This sweet photo was taken just moments before he tumbled head first the ground..poor guy!

 And like I said, Ava hugged the pumpkins.  She would have liked to take them all home.

Boys

My Dad made a quick trip in to Austin for the weekend and we were able to catch up with him on Thursday.  Somehow I only managed to get this one photo of him with Ryan.  Would have loved to have gotten a photo of him and his 6 grandkids when we went to lunch on Saturday but it was a bit chaotic so it wasn't going to happen.

Oh and if you're wondering, those are new pillows.  You can read about them here.

The Great Shed

It has begun..or rather has been going on for a month and a half now.  And by it, I mean "The Great Shed" where all the hair you grew on your head during pregnancy begins falling out. 

When it first started, it was not so bad...well it bothered Darren but I did not notice it so much.  But now, every day, twice a day, I am cleaning the bathroom floor and picking up a small animal in the process.  I also brush my hair like crazy in attempts to get it to come out.  Just when I think I have brushed all the loose hairs out, more come out seconds later.  It is never ending!  And just plain disgusting.  I find my hair everywhere.   Darren's least favorite place to find hair? Inside his shirts while at work...he tells me he feels itchy and then finds a hair stuck in there.  My least favorite place? The bathroom floor...seriously it is just gross.

Too bad I don't remember how long this lasted when I had Ava.  Hopefully it will be over soon.  But if my sister is any indication, it won't be over for another few months...she said she shed for at least 3 months.  Make it stop!

Hope this post wasn't too gross for you!! At least I didn't post photos of the giant hairballs I find everyday.

6 Months Old

Ryan is now half a year old...seriously how has that much time gone by since he was born?!

  A little update on the little man...he sleeps through the night at least half the time (we were doing well until he decided to practice his rolling in bed in the middle of the night), he eats rice cereal and some fruits & veggies (bananas seem to be his favorite), he can sit unassisted (although we still use a pillow behind him for the times he falls), he inchworms and rolls all over the place, and we have started using a sippy cup some of the time. 

All in all, he is pretty easy and a happy boy almost all of the time.  I love hearing him laugh and watching how happy he is watching Ava..the 2 of them are too cute.

New stats:  15 lbs 10.5 oz (15%), 25 3/4 in long (20%) and of course still in the 98th percentile with his head.

And to compare that to Ava at 6 months: 14 lbs 5 oz (25%) and 25 inches (25%) long.

Here he is sitting.

 And on his tummy moving around...think he enjoys this the most.  Btw, he wore his UT onesie on gameday but to be fair to Darren he wore his A&M bib that day too.  This was just a hand me down and I decided to actually put it on him Saturday when we played...if you know me, you know I am a 2%er and could care less about who wins so it is kind of funny I put it on him at all.

 And here is Ava at 6 months (see? they have the same hilarious hair that sticks straight up...our kids apparently have little hair and if Ryan follows in Ava's footsteps, it will be a long time before he needs a haircut).

My "Things"...Ha!

Awhile back, my sister-in-law's sister-in-law (say that 3 times fast!), gave us some of her twin boys' old clothes.  Included in this stash were 2 "Thing" onesies (you know, Thing 1 & Thing 2 from Cat in the Hat?).  Anyways, I almost got rid of both since I don't have twins but then figured that I could do something for the kids with them.

Obviously, I did not have to do anything with Ryan's since he can fit in the onesie.  But for Ava, I used the Sienna Dress pattern from Lil Blue Boo (that I have used before and LOVE) to upcycle some old shirts into a dress.  I then appliqued the "Thing" onto it.  Needless to say, she was very excited and told me all day how she & Ryan were twins.  And everyone else that would listen (her teachers, classmates, daddy, etc.)

So here they are, my "Things".  Ava is "Thing 1" and Ryan is "Thing 2." 

I have such nice, cute "Things" don't I?

Lexie & Ryan

Gabe came over today to help me figure out how many pillows to make for my couches.  I know that sounds weird but she has been all about home decorating since she moved to her new house and I have no clue how many pillows I need to make to make it look good.

Anyways, she & Lexie came by when Ava & Sawyer were in school.  So Lexie & Ryan got to hang for a bit and we got to snap this cute photo.  Lexie's face is just pure glee and Ryan is happy despite the fact that he just woke up (he almost always has red handprints on his face when he wakes up...to the point where you can see where his little fingernails were on his face).

Oh and if you were wondering about the pillows, here are the fabrics I am planning on using...want a more colorful and modern look.  After I finish the pillows, I have 2 new art projects planned for the room, a sideboard/cabinet to refinish for the dining area and possible a new dining table to build (well help build since I don't know how to build anything).  Will post pictures on the project blog when complete!