Loads of Leaves

The kids had a blast this fall playing in the leaves!  Can't wait to do it again next year!

22 months

It's hard to believe that in 2 short months, our baby girl will be turning TWO!  She's a busy little bee these days..and just absorbing so much!  She took us by surprise this weekend when she started spouting out numbers!  So, we've been having a lot of fun cheering her on as she learns to count.  She can almost get from 1-10 by herself!

Tessa Counts from courtney on Vimeo.


She's still obsessed with shoes and Lucky.  She has started calling Lucky "Buddy" or "Boy" like we sometimes do.  She still really likes playing with Calder's toys.  But she loves her baby dolls too.  (And to Calder's dismay, she loves HIS baby doll...)

Big sister in training...

Her language is really exploding and she's starting to say pretty much any word you ask her to.  It is too adorable when she says "poon" (spoon), "pup" (cup) and "pop" (stop).  My favorites of her new phrases are "I did it, Mommy!" and "I love you." 

I Did It Mommy! from courtney on Vimeo.

One more "I did it, Mommy!" moment...

Reading with friends

Artists at work

I don't break out the paint very often for the kids.  I just really hate the mess.  But, last week, on Day 2 of being stuck at home because of a sick little boy...I decided to give it a try.  I think it was actually the first time I'd ever given Tessa a paintbrush...and now I know why!  She was definitely more interested in seeing what it tasted like than putting it on paper. 

And this little man?  He just wanted to mix all of the colors together...

 ...and then see what it felt like to give himself a paint bath!

Fortunately, the paint was washable, so both kids cleaned up pretty easily.  But, I'm pretty sure I won't be breaking out the paints again very soon...  I'm so thankful that they get the chance to do this kind of messy artwork at school! 

Final Pumpkin Patch

On Halloween Day, we made our final pumpkin patch visit for the season.  We all had a great time!

Just as I was about to put Tessa on the merry-go-round, Dave said "I don't think she's going to like that." Daddy could not have been more wrong! She LOVED it, and absolutely refused to get off!

Halloween Part Three: The Real Deal

Alas, after all of the pre-parties and planning, trick-or-treat day was finally here!  At the last minute, I decided to switch up Tessa's costume, and I'm so glad I did.  Doesn't she make the cutest little owl!?  (Although this one could give her a run for her money...)

The owl and Spiderman.  Calder had some trouble choosing his costume this year.  All along he had planned to be Buzz Lightyear, but when it came down to it, he had trouble deciding between Buzz, Spidey and a construction worker.  Luckily, these were all dress up costumes that we had on hand.  Spidey won out about 5 minutes before they got dressed!

So proud of his jack-o-lantern!

Tessa got the hang of trick-or-treating pretty quickly.  She tried to walk right into the first house, which is exactly what Calder did the first time we took him trick-or-treating!  The picture below is pretty much how she looked all night...each hand gripping a piece of candy.  She did NOT want to put it in her bag, and only relented when she realized she needed to free up a hand in order to get more candy! 

Halloween Part Two: School Parade

The kids' school held a Fall Festival and parade on the Friday before Halloween.  The parents sat at some picnic tables at the back of the school, which happens to be right outside Tessa's classroom.  It was so cute to see all those little faces inquisitively pressed against the glass.

Calder's class was one of the first groups in the parade.  I could see him scanning the crowd looking for me from the moment they stepped outside. 

Once he finally saw me, he ran right to me, gave me a big kiss and hug and then rejoined his friends.  Love that kid!!

Tessa's group came near the end of the parade.  Fortunately, she did not see me, or else she would have been crying just like poor Ava.  Apparently, she refused to wear the hat or headband that matched her outfit. 

 Tessa and some of her friends. 

 Tessa's whole class, along with their teachers, Ms. Jacky and Ms. Julia.  Three of them were dressed as bumblebees!

Halloween Part One: Company Party

Dave's company had a big Halloween bash the week before Halloween.  It was a lot of fun, and the kids had a great time! 

The kids posed for pictures so they could be entered into the costume contest.  Calder smiled for his picture and then immediately asked "Did I win?"

 Hangin' with our pumpkin pal, Will. 

 Our happy fam!

Sharing

And quite happily, I might add.  :)

Weekend in the 'Burgh

Dave and I had tickets to a Steelers game in mid-October, so we headed to the 'Burgh for the weekend. 

We started off the weekend with some family fun time at a local fall festival. 

Tessa discovered the joy of festival food.  Lemonade and funnel cake?  Yes, please!

Tackling some math problems with Zaidy!

Cousin playtime!

Slumber party at Nonna and Zaidy's!

And to top it all off, we brought home a win against the Browns!

Columbus Day at the Pumpkin Patch

I had the day off on Columbus Day and the kids' school was closed for the day, so we headed over to Maryland to meet up with some friends at a pumpkin patch.  It was a small farm, but it was perfect for the kids. 

Calder found this sunflower and ran across the field to deliver it to me!  Such a gentleman! 

This is probably my new favorite picture of the two of them.  I love the way they are running together, just having fun.  Even though you can't see Tessa's face, I think it is so sweet how Calder is looking at her, and I have to imagine she was smiling right back at him! 

Tessa was intrigued by all of the dirt on this pumpkin!

Another sweet sibling photo. :)

Getting a little grumpy before lunch!  

 Calder and Tessa check out the sunflower field.  I was so excited about all of the beautiful sunflowers! 

 Carly and Tessa:  Best Buds!

More sunflowers! 

Tessa and Carly visit the adorable pumpkin house before we head home.